The Blue & Gray Press

THE

BLUE &GRAY

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARY WASHINGTON STUDENT NEWSPAPER

PRESS

September 29, 2016

VOLUME 90 | ISSUE 4 SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE

1922

Student efforts to rename Jefferson Davis Highway I 2

Jasmine Pineda / The Blue & Gray Press

Balconies at UMW Apartments scheduled to undergo reconstruction ESTER SALGUERO & IZZY BRIONES News Editors

Recently, Residence Life sent out notifications to students living in the UMW Apartments pertaining to balcony replacement projects scheduled to begin on Sept. 21. Every building had its balcony reconstructed before the middle of August, except for buildings three, four and five.

According to Cassi Tomiko, the Residence Assistant for building five at the UMW apartments, reconstruction was not completed over the summer because buildings three, four and five were used for housing students in leadership programs. However, the number of students inconvenienced this semester is much larger than the number of students who would have been while living in the apartments over the summer.

Miguel Marx, a biology major who lives in building five, has his own opinions about the process of the balcony replacement project.

“I was a little surprised that that was actually a project that would be consid-

ered during the semester; the early part of the semester,” Miguel said. “How many people are you upsetting over the summer versus the semester, right, so there’s a big difference there.”

Residence Assistants were notified about the balcony replacement that was to begin this semester during the second week of classes. According to an e-mail sent out by UMW Residence Life and Faculty Staff, the construction process will begin with jackhammering the concrete balconies at 8 a.m. during the weekdays.

Miguel talked about how he does not get enough sleep this semester because of his course load and how the construction will only disrupt his sleeping schedule more by starting at 8 a.m.

“I’m just a little disappointed that this wasn’t taken care of earlier,” Marx said.

In addition to this inconvenience, parking will be restricted to students living around buildings three, four and

five as well.

“It is obviously going to be a huge inconvenience for everyone living in that area,” Marx said.

Tomiko spoke about how Chris Porter, the director of Residence Life & Commuter Student Services, sent out an e-mail to all the RAs explaining that the balcony replacement project would be completed after finishing buildings three, four and five.

“At first I was kind of [surprised].

I didn’t know that they had actually worked on all the other balconies during the summer,” Tomiko said.

Residents have been asking for specifics regarding to when their buildings will be affected by the construction. Tomiko assures her residents that Res Life will give out more information pertaining to the exact time and date that construction will begin for each building.

Areas such as the first floor balcony entrances will be blocked off, but, there are multiple ways to exit each building

and only the areas deemed as unsafe for students to walk through will be blocked.

A resident in Tomiko’s building spoke to her about her experience last year when the balconies were being reconstructed.

“It is going to be pretty loud for the first couple of weeks, but then it is just something you get used to,” Tomiko said, as she recounted the details that her resident told her about.

“I think that the noise will be extremely bothersome,” Marx said. “I get easily distracted and I don’t know anyone who could work in that sort of environment, so [I’m] not looking forward to that.”

According to Tomiko, the construction workers board up the entire balcony, causing the entire living room to remain pitch black throughout the day so that lights must be turned on all day.

The panels will be boarded to protect students from glass or any debris during

•APARTMENTS | 10

Michelle Goff /The Blue & Gray Press

IN THIS

ISSUE

ECO LITERATURE

Fly fishing with professor Jon Pineda LIFE | 7

PROTEST VOTE

SWEET SEVENTEEN

Voters cast ballots out of protest

Field Hockey ranked No. 17 in the nation

VIEWPOINTS | 4

SPORTS | 12

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

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

Political sociology class determines to rename highway ANAHI VIDOVICH Staff Writer

University of Mary Washington students are all familiar with Jefferson Davis Highway, the road that leads to campus, Mary Washington Hospital and even Carl’s. Students walk over it to get to Giant, Eagle Landing and Home Team Grill but many students do not know the origin of its name. Students in the Political Sociology Class want to change that.

Senior Brittany Greene, a student from the class, said that she and her classmates are trying to accomplish changing the name of Jefferson Davis Highway.

“The ultimate goal of our class project is to get the City Council of Fredericksburg’s approval to rename the

Jefferson Davis Highway in the Fredericksburg area,” Greene said. “We are doing this project to show the public that we care about what our community represents, Jefferson Davis was a Confederate leader who owned approximately 100 slaves, why should we honor a leader who stood for inequality and the superiority of one race over another?”

Jefferson Davis was the owner of at least 113 slaves in his lifetime and was the president of the Confederate States of America from 1861 to 1865, and an embodiment of the values of the planter class. The United Daughters of the Confederacy decided to honor his memory by naming the highway after him.

Greene, quoting Jefferson Davis, asks, do we as a community want to choose to honor a man who once said,

Tess Osmer

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Alex Spence

SECTION EDITORS NEWS Ester Salguero

On Sept. 22 the Free Lance-Star reported the filing of a federal lawsuit against the University of Mary Washington by a former UMW student. The former student, Jasmine Orsted filed her lawsuit in 2015 and amended it in June 2016. The University responded in late August, denying all claims of her complaint.

The 38-page lawsuit claimed, “race and gender discrimination that prevented her from playing basketball and running track…[Orsted] is seeking damages for UMW’s alleged violation of the 14th Amendment, Title IV and Title IX,” the Free Lance-Star reported.

IZZY BRIONES News Editor

The case is and has been pending for over a year now and is only in its preliminary stages. The University has not yet reported if the case will be going to trial.

“Orsted’s lawsuit alleges that she sought to play basketball and run track in August 2014, when entering the institution, but was kept from playing basketball by coach Deena Applebury, who the suit alleges “permits racist views” on the team and “responded with deliberate indifference” to reported harassment,” the Free Lance-Star reported.

Izzy Briones

VIEWPOINTS Tessa Cate

LIFE

Student Government Association Beat Wednesday, March 24 & Wednesday, April 6

Kelly Emmrich All motions were originated and passed in the student senate, and then approved by the executive cabinet.

SPORTS Mikey Barnes

ONLINE

•

A motion that the administration work with the EagleOne card center, to allow students to use meal swipes to purchase meals for guests at any dining facility on campus. The motion was passed.

Ethan Tobin

PHOTO

•

A motion that the administration work with the EagleOne card center to implement an option to tip servers at off campus locations. The motion was passed.

•

A motion that Buildings and Grounds committee and administration work with Buildings and Grounds department to clean and repair the old courtyard by Sunken Road to be accessible and friendly atmosphere for students. The motion was passed.

Alex Sakes

SOCIAL MEDIA Sarah Grammer

FACULTY ADVISOR Sushma Subramanian

•HIGHWAY | 11

Former student files lawsuit against UMW

Chris Markham

MANAGING EDITOR

“We recognize the negro as God and God’s Book and God’s Laws, in nature tell us to recognize him - our inferior, fitted expressly for servitude. You cannot transform the negro into anything one tenth as useful or as good as what slavery enables them to be.”

Greene said that this issue hit home for her.

“As an African-American female student, I hold this project close to heart,” Greene said. “To me, it is more than just renaming a highway, it is a matter of social justice for all groups.”

Greene’s classmate, sophomore Ashton Ledbetter majoring in sociology, gave his account of his own perspective on the issue.

“Too often I feel as if there is noth

Senate Announcements Table on Sunday at Eagle Landing Courtyard from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. to rally support and new senators for student senate.

DETAILS PROVIDED BY JAMIE MCGUIRE

In addition, Orsted claimed that, “track coach Stanley Soper would not allow Orsted to run track during basketball’s off season, which male students are allowed to do. The complaint said that Soper responded to her request by saying “men have done it but women don’t do it,” the Free Lance-Star reported.

Orsted also claimed that basketball coach Deena Applebury told her not to try out for the team because she, “wasn’t a good fit,” despite the fact that she, “excelled at basketball at her high school and for two years at Northern Virginia Community College,” the Free Lance-Star reported.

MyTime causes issues for student employees JESSE JONES Staff Writer

While away at college many students discover that they must find the balance between their schoolwork and free time. When it comes to having fun they must use it responsibly. Using their time responsibly can come in many forms such as doing homework and studying. However, for many students their free time is dedicated to working, in attempts to pay off their college tuition.

Student employment on campus may appear to be a fairly seamless and enjoyable process, however, due to the complications of the hour-logging system known as MyTime and changes within the Financial Aid offices, the experience for student employees has been difficult.

A change in staff within the Financial Aid department made these issues difficult to address quickly. Upon Laura Needham’s departure, the former Student Employment Coordinator, student payroll fell under the jurisdiction of Erika Elie, the Assistant Director of Financial Aid.

•MYTIME | 11 2

Thursday, Setember 29, 2016

SPORTS Q & A with Mother’s Rugby player Terrence McPhillips as team is 2-0 as Division I program DUSTIN THOMAS Staff Writer

Off to a great start this season, the UMW men’s rugby team is 2-0 and riding high on confidence going into this weekend’s matchup against highly ranked Mount St. Mary’s. Over the past two weeks, the UMW men’s rugby team, also known as Mother’s Rugby, defeated highly touted Towson University and Salisbury University. Junior captain Terence McPhillips gave us an inside look on how the team feels about the season so far.

Question: What were the team’s expectations going into this season?

McPhillips: “We’ve had the bar set high since day one. Nobody expects us to go out there and compete and we just want to prove everybody wrong. I believe in our young team and the system that I’m in and that together, we can be very successful this season.”

Question: How would you describe the feeling of the team right now after going 2-0 at the NCAA Division I level for the first year?

takes off a little pressure. We expect a big I just hope having this opportunity being McPhillips: change from the lost they handed us last D1 gives us an opportunity to put Mary “We are all very excited. Unlike in the year and want to go out there and show Washington on the map.” past since I’ve been here, everyone, even people that we can complete and even the coaching staff, is pleased and there is beat the number one team in the conferQuestion: a true feeling of excitement. We all just ence.”

Over your two, going on three years have the same mentality of one game at at Mary Washington, what do you love a time and just want to go out there and Question: most about being on the rugby team prove ourselves to everyone.” besides playing the game?

Do you feel as if there is any pressure on you to this team after being named Question: an Honorable Mention All-American McPhillips Is there anybody on the team this “When I first came to college, I knew year that has surprised you or you have last season? no one and thought I was going to have been pleased with their efforts?

McPhillips: a hard time making friends but I arrived

“It didn’t create a pressure but more of a a week early for training camp and the

McPhillips: motivation. It boosted my confidence but I guys just took me in. I loved arriving here “We have a very young team, with only 14 returners on a 34 man roster, it truly is know every day that my position is on the early and already having 40 friends before a team effort. I am very pleased with the line and that I have to work to get better. I school even started. Now I like being that growth of the sophomores and their ability hope this to be on the Top 50 list and be a guy for the freshman and helping them to step up this year. I have also been true All-American.” transition into college. It shows that we’re pleased with the hard work and contribu a family, not just a team.” tion the freshman put in as well.”

Question: How did you feel when you found Saturday, Oct. 1, Mother’s Rugby will Question: out that the rugby team was going to travel to Emmitsburg, Maryland, to take What are the expectations going into be competing at the NCAA Division I on the 31st ranked Mount St. Mary’s this Saturday’s game against Mount St. level?

Mountaineers, who defeated UMW last Mary’s, the reigning NSCRO Division year by a score of 98-0. The Eagles will III champions?

McPhillips: look to continue on their hot streak as “I definitely feel like there’s a little their first season as an official Division I McPhillips: added pressure but at the end of the day, program.

“They just recently lost to Virginia we are still Eagles and I don’t feel any Tech so we know they are beatable so that different from the rest of the athletes here.

UMW soccer off to hot start as CAC play begins SHYAN MURPHY Staff Writer

Sue Spencer/ Perfect shots UMW junior goalie Matt Spencer has been a force at the net, helping lead the Eagles to their 6-2 record, while allowing just over one goal a game.

Soccer season has commenced, and for the University of Mary Washington’s men’s soccer team, so have the victories.

At this point in the season, the team has won six out of the eight games played, one of those victories coming against conference foe, Marymount University.

This was only the start of the conference games in which the team will be playing all throughout the next month.

According to one of the team’s defensive players, junior Colin Travis, “The conference looks really strong this year, but I’m sure we’ll do well as long as we keep working hard. We need to take it one game at a time and not get ahead of ourselves.”

The men’s team is averaging more than 18 shots taken per game, resulting in almost three goals scored per game.

The team shows a strong ability to work together, which is beneficial in efforts to make it to the NCAA tournament during the months of November and December.

One of the leading values held by the team is stated by sophomore midfield/

forward player, Ryan van Mannen, “We kind of try to play more direct in order to get the ball forward as much as possible.

So we don’t usually try and keep the ball in our own half.”

This is a strong team ethic to have for any sport since it forces the players to work together toward keeping the ball on the opposing side of the field while also reducing the risk of the opponents scoring goals.

Currently every game has had its challenges, but a few have been particularly difficult in the eyes of the players.

“I found the Roanoke game to be the most difficult so far,” Travis said, “It was really back and forth in the first half, then they honestly dominated in the second half, and then overtime is always tough.”

Such a view shows that a game does not have to be lost in order to be a difficult one. Even as UMW won against Roanoke, the opposing team still played a strong game while putting forth challenges to UMW players causing the game to result in overtime and yet another victory for

Mary Washington. More challenges are expected as the season progresses and the team works their way to the NCAA tournament and faces teams such as CNU, Mount St. Mary’s, and Salisbury as the conference games continue to pick up.

Despite some teams putting up a greater challenge than others, no opponent should be more discounted than another.

“We can’t take any of the teams lightly, we need to just focus on the game at hand,” Travis said. Many times, defeat is due to overconfident players and the underestimation of the opposing team. If the UMW men’s soccer players keep up the team culture, their success is almost guaranteed even against some of the more daunting challengers that they have yet to face, but are prepared to do so in the upcoming games. In addition to team structure and ideals, support is always beneficial component to any team’s success. For those interested in supporting your fellow Eagles, upcoming home games are on Oct. 8, 11, 19, 22 (Homecoming) and 26.

Weekly Scoreboard

field hockey:

Sept. 25 vs. Framingham St. (W) UMW: 13 Framingham St.: 0

women'S sOCCER:

Sept. 24 @ Marymount (W) UMW: 1 MU: 0

field hockey:

VOLLEYBALL

Sept. 28 @ Southern Virginia (W) UMW: 3 Southern Virginia: 1

men's soccer

Sept. 24 @ Marymount (W) UMW: 2 MU: 0

VOLLEYBALL

Oct. 1 @ Salisbury 7:00 P.M.

Sept. 30 @Frostburg St. 7:00 P.M.

Oct. 1 @ Salisbury

Oct. 1 @ Salisbury 2:00 P.M.

woMEN'S sOCCER: 2:00 P.M.

men's soccer

3

VIEWPOINTS SHAWNYA PETERSON Staff Writer

Your protest vote will not work

In the wake of the Bernie Sanders campaign, the anti-Hillary “Bernie or Bust” movement began to gain support, with members pledging responses ranging from writing in Sanders’ name on Election Day to abstaining from voting altogether.

Some members of the movement have even gone so far as to turn their support towards Trump or third party candidate Gary Johnson as a sign of protest.

Across the country, dissatisfaction with the established candidates from both the Democratic and Republican parties is prompting a bipartisan wave of disillusioned voters to support niche independent candidates.

Despite this, there are two possible outcomes of this election: either Donald Trump is elected or Hillary Clinton is elected.

No matter how many opinion articles are written to the contrary, neither Jill Stein nor Gary Johnson will be elected.

For the sake of transparency, let me tell you a bit about myself: I am not only a registered Democrat, but also the secretary of the UMW Young Democrats. I plan to vote for Hillary Clinton in November, and the idea of a Trump presidency is abhorrent to me.

Voting is a right and a responsibility; not voting is a selfish act that hurts many and helps none.

The concept of a spoiler candidate is not a new one, but collective memory is quick to forget—even so, historical precedent has shown us: protest voting does not work.

In 2000, presidential candidate Ralph Na-

As recently as this past summer, citizens of Britain voted to leave the European Union after the June referendum, commonly known as the “Brexit” vote. In the days after the decision, many “leave” voters ex-

flickr / Bernie Sanders Rally

der ran as the Green Party’s nominee. In the Florida race between George W. Bush and Al Gore, Nader’s vote total was enough to take the majority away from Gore and give Bush the votes needed to win the state, and the electoral votes needed to secure the presidency.

pressed regret over their choice, with many saying that they didn’t believe that that Britain would actually cut ties with the EU, and that they had cast their ballot mistakenly thinking that their vote wouldn’t matter in the greater context of the election.

Is the lack of football affecting our school spirit?

LAUREN TAYLOR Staff Writer

Having grown up in Charlottesville, home of the Virginia Cavaliers, I am used to an overwhelming amount of school spirit, community involvement and sense of pride for a college.

When I arrived at the University of Mary Washington, I was shocked at the stark differences between the spirit both on campus and throughout the community.

I chose UMW seeking a small school with a tight-knit feel, and I did so knowing that there is no football team to cheer for on crisp Saturday nights.

Even though I myself am not the biggest sports fan out there, the lack of a football team at college does leave something to be desired.

I often hear from my high school friends about the games that they are attending at their respective colleges, and Saturday nights guarantee posts about tailgates, games and group pictures of friends clad in school colors. I have yet to see similar occurrences during any of the athletic games for our own Eagles.

Despite the fact that our school houses a talented and well-performing athletic department, the student body in general does not hold an abundance of school spirit.

The amount of participation within student sections varies drastically by season, sport and even games within the season.

While I often hear announcements about coming out and supporting Eagle Nation on B101.5, a local Fredericksburg

4

flickr / Dwayne and Maryanne Moyers, Realtors

radio station, and from friends who are on sports teams, I very rarely hear about games before they occur. I do not see announcements across campus alerting students to upcoming games very often, and posts on social media typically come during or after games.

Coming from Charlottesville, which was always covered in orange and blue for UVA game days, I did expect and still hope to see blue and gray lining Campus Walk. I do not hear about scores or performances from games unless I see the banners going across OrcaTV or in the student newspaper.

One of the most surprising things for me is seeing students wearing gear supporting other schools. Even if these schools are not in our division, I’m still shocked at the number of students who walk around wearing JMU, Virginia Tech, UVA and many other schools.

Coming from a college town myself, this is something that I have never seen students do. I can only speak for what I have grown up around, but typically it is taboo for a student to be wearing swag for another school and it usually garners some pretty strange looks.

While having a football team does not directly affect the level of students’ spirit, there does seem to be a noticeable correlation between the two factors. Half of the 10 schools in the Capital Athletic Conference have football teams.

Similarly, many of the Division III schools in Virginia have football teams.

Even smaller colleges such as Averett and Shenandoah do, so clearly size of the student body is not the deciding factor as to whether or not a college will house a football team. Thus, school size does not determine the amount of school spirit present on a college campus.

Not many other sports have the reputation that football does when it comes to rallying and hype.

Since adding a football team to the athletic department at UMW in the near future is most likely not a realistic feat, there should be efforts to increase school spirit for athletes, students and the surrounding Fredericksburg community.

With already talented athletic teams, there is reason enough to rally with ample spirit.

The ballot box is neither the time nor the place to express political opinions outside of the immediately obvious: selecting who you want to be the next president.

Voting is not a way to air your grievances with the two-party system, or express dissatisfaction with a certain part of a candidate’s platform.

Idealism is admirable, but when there is a demagogue on the White House’s doorstep, perhaps it is time to be realistic. You do not have to like a candidate or agree with 100 percent of what they say to support them: you just have to agree with that candidate more than their opponent.

Every vote for Stein and Johnson is a vote that could go towards a candidate that stands a chance.

Let me be frank: by no means do I believe that Hillary Clinton is a perfect candidate.

My intention in writing this article is not to tell you to vote for Clinton, but to vote mindfully—whatever that means to you— and to consider the wider ranging consequences of your choices.

Come November, please keep in mind that you only get to vote once. Do not waste it, do not vote halfheartedly or ironically.

While your future may not be the one hanging in the balance, someone else’s definitely is.

Editorial: African American museum serves as timely and necessary reminder of America’s past Today, American society is facing a crucial moment in history with the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement. It is difficult to ignore such a crisis when so many have been faced with multiple tragedies and so much chaos, all of which floods the news and social media constantly. The Black Lives Matter movement has moved across the nation and as a result, U.S. society has been compelled to question its values and morals on a daily basis. When one sees so many lives lost, the police brutality, violence, and protests filling the cities it is impossible to ignore what is happening within this movement.

Amidst the growing cries for justice, an opportunity for change and a step towards hope has taken place in the capital.

On Sept. 24, the National Museum of African American History and Culture opened in Washington D.C. The museum’s opening marked a historic occasion as the museum is the first to be exclusively dedicated to the documentation of African American life, history and culture.

Former President George Bush was quoted by the Washington Post, stating how the museum shows a commitment to truth. This statement signifies a great deal to the nation as a whole. “It shows our commitment to truth. A great nation does not hide its history.

It faces its flaws and corrects them,” President Bush stated. This museum marks an opportunity for the nation to face its flaws and to try to change the world that too many struggle in today.

The establishment of the museum could not be more timely than it is now. The long awaited dedication of anything to the people who built this country many believe is tremendously deserved. Given the times, this opening marks a chance for hope and unity in our country’s future.

The building signifies a belonging for so many that have never been recognized and it gives a meaning to U.S. history that has long been overshadowed.

President Obama’s inaugural words rang true and proud as he repeated the words of poet Langston Hughes: “I, too, am America.” With the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the first steps have now been taken to recognize that black lives do matter not only today but throughout our nation’s history.

By THE BLUE & GRAY PRESS EDITORIAL BOARD

Thursday, 29, 2016 Thursday,September January 21, 2015

VIEWPOINTS Do your civic duty: head to the polls Editor: Tessa Cate | blueandgray.views@gmail.com

KAITIE GOODWIN Staff Writer

As November approaches, with headlines focusing more and more on the upcoming presidential election, it is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid the topic with friends. In my own experience, there seems to only be two options when it comes to feelings toward this election.

Though one might expect that this choice has more to do with picking which presidential candidate to endorse, it actually has more to do with deciding whether or not to vote at all.

I have found that among my peers, many people feel that voting has become something of a chore, rather than an expression of opinion, or that they feel neither of the current candidates suits them enough to warrant their endorsement. More and more people from my generation are deciding that their votes either do not matter enough or that they have no option that fits their own beliefs. They see no one in the political sphere who holds the same values, the same concerns, or that they cannot truly relate to either candidate.

All of these factors have compounded to push the millennial generation away from voting.

For most current UMW undergrads, this

flickr / Gage Skidmore

November will be the first time we have the chance participate in the presidential election. Given what we have seen and heard over the last year, now more than ever we need to take the influence we have over this election seriously. For the first time we hold real sway over what happens this November, and for our future and the future of our country. We need to vote.

Voting is a crucial part of how our democracy functions, and is one of the ways where the people’s voice is not only heard, but respected. Political efficacy in this country is suffering, especially amongst young voters who often feel that their voices hold little to no sway over the decisions being made by our government.

However, now more than any other time in our personal history do we as young voters have power over this election.

According to the Pew Research Center, U.S. Census Bureau data says that 69.2 million Millennials, defined as those between the ages of 18 and 35, are currently eligible to vote. That puts Millennials roughly even with the Baby Boomer generation, those born between 1946 and 1964. Until recent years, the Baby Boomer generation has held and more political power than the Millennial generation, but not because of a higher population. Our generation has a notoriously low rate of voter turnout.

By choosing not to vote, we allow other people to decide our futures for us. We

flickr / U.S. Department of State

are given the opportunity to have a say in what path this country will take and it is in our own best interest if we make the best use of that choice that we can.

Whatever position we choose to take in this coming election, whoever we choose as our next president, we cannot allow ourselves to sit passively and have that decision made for us. The deadline for registering to vote in the coming elections is Oct. 17, and can be done by mail, in person or online. Absentee ballot requests are due by Tuesday, Nov. 1, and can also be filled out online. As Nov. 8 approaches, we need to make the decision to vote, not only for ourselves now, but for ourselves in the years to come.

UMW students help each other “Out of the Darkness” TESSA CATE Viewpoints Editor

Two UMW students on their relationship with late friend, Scott Houk (“You’ve never seen two guys more platonically in love”)… the Fredericksburg community’s turnout on Sunday, Sept. 25 at the Out of the Darkness suicide prevention walk (“I think it’s also important to note the sheer number of people who were at the walk today”)… and the accessability of UMW’s student counseling services.

Tessa Cate: Tell me about your walk today – what was it for?

Emily Lowrie: The walk is called the Out of the Darkness walk and it was put on by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

The goal of the walk was to raise money for not only suicide prevention but suicide awareness, so talking about mental health and reducing the mental health stigma, as well as preparing counselors and staff to be able to go onto college campuses and talk about the Foundation and all that they can do for suicide survivors and those with mental health issues.

Tessa Cate: Who were you and your friends walking for?

Noah King: We were walking for Scott Houk who was a friend of ours who passed away two years ago.

Tessa Cate: What kind of a guy was he?

Noah King: He was a really good guy. He was a great friend and a really, really great person. Very neon-oriented.

Emily Lowrie: He would stop at nothing to make you smile.

Tessa Cate: What kind of a relationship did you guys have with him?

Noah King: I met him my freshman year and I guess I became close friends with him really quickly, so we ended up becoming roommates together sophomore year. So, obviously I spent a lot of time with him.

Emily Lowrie: They were like brothers.

You’ve never seen two guys more platonically in love. Scott had such a love for Noah. He told me about when he was going to ask Noah to be his roommate and he was so nervous that Noah would say no or that he had found someone cooler to live with. Scott said, “I wanted to be roommates with Noah so badly, cause when I looked at him I knew that he was everything I wanted to be in a person.” So when Noah said yes, it was probably the best day of Scott’s life.

Noah King: You make it sound like a wedding proposal…

Emily Lowrie: It kind of was! That’s how he described it to me. And, I guess to me, Scott was probably the most genuine person I have ever met. You could tell when you met him that he wasn’t trying to be anyone else.

Noah King: It’s a really admirable quality.

Emily Lowrie: I had such a magnetism to him and his friendship because he was what I wanted to be, you know? So unapolagetically who he was.

Tessa Cate: Emily, I know you’ve been focusing a lot of your energy on mental health issues on campus, recently. How do you think our campus can improve the care they provide?

Emily Lowrie: After Scott died, it felt like there was a very wide sense of disorganization which is probably the last thing you need after a tragedy happens. Things slipped through the cracks. We were talked to the night that he died but never again after that. There was no follow up, no making sure that we were reintegrating into normal life. I believe that since there wasn’t that, we didn’t, and just kind of stuck out the rest of the semester in our little bubble.

Almost half of the friends didn’t come back for that reason, because coming back in the fall seemed like something we were all largely unprepared to do because we didn’t know what

Facebook / Emily Lowrie

it would look like. We didn’t know what UMW meant without Scott. Grieving friends can only help grieving friends so much, and when there’s no organization, follow up or counseling outreach, that just doesn’t happen.

Tessa Cate: If students reach out to the counseling services on campus, do you think that they’re helpful?

Noah King: I think it’s hard because I think they’re understaffed. I do think that they’re really capable, competent people and it’s really helpful to go, though. The first one can be kind of tedious because they’re trying to get to know you and trying to understand your circumstances, but if you can manage to get in there even a second time, it becomes increasingly more beneficial. But the problem is that everyone wants someone to talk to and there are only so many counselors. Last semester, the time between sessions was two weeks and it was kind of discouraging. It made me not want to go back.

Emily Lowrie: Talking about events like this is hard in the first place, so getting motivation to go is one thing and getting motivation to go in two weeks is another.

Tessa Cate: Do you think a lot of people on campus utilize the services provided?

Emily Lowrie: Oh yeah. Last year, I started going pretty regularly and I got pretty close with the receptionist. She was telling me how last year, they were seeing dozens of new people per week, so much that the counselors were being stretched thin. I think that’s because of all the tragedies that we’ve unfortunately

experienced. In that two week span when Scott died, there were two deaths, not just one.

Tessa Cate: Did any other groups from UMW participate in the Out of the Darkness walk?

Emily Lowrie: Psi Upsilon did.

Noah King: I think it’s also important to note the sheer number of people who were at the walk today, because Fredericksburg is a pretty small town and there were easily over one thousand people there. Obviously a lot of them were friends of friends, but one person can affect an entire small community of people. It was kind of sad and heartwarming at the same time to see so many people there because you know each of them is there for support.

Emily Lowrie: But also for the single human.

Tessa Cate: Is this walk something you guys will do again?

Emily Lowrie: I talked to one of our other friends, Bobby, who did it with us and he wants to do it every year.

Noah King: Yeah, I would do it again.

Emily Lowrie: It’s our last year here and we wanted to try and make it a priority, so no matter where we all are, we’ll always come back to Fredericksburg and do this walk. I think it’s important for us.

Noah King: It’s important for us to remember.

Emily Lowrie: And come together in a positive way. In a way that raises money for people who are struggling or have lost people like we have.

5

LIFE

Editor: Kelly Emmrich blueandgray.life@gmail.com

Alumna Kristen Green gives talk to freshmen on her novel

MEAGHAN MCINTYRE Staff Writer

v. Board of Education. It was in this 1954 ruling that state laws establishOn Monday, Sept. 19 University ing separate public schools for black of Mary Washington alumna Kristen and white students were declared to Green, the author of the freshman be unconstitutional. common read “Something Must Be Then in 1959, when a Federal Court Done About Prince Edward County” ordered the county to desegregate gave a presentation in Dodd Auditotheir public schools, the leaders of rium. All members of the university Prince Edward County closed them community were able to attend the and created a private all-white acadspeech. emy. Green stated that approximately 1,700 kids in Farmville were shut out during the five-year span when the public schools were closed.

Freshmen received a copy of the common read at the summer orientation sessions and were expected to complete the reading by the time they moved onto campus. The common read is used to serve as the groundwork for an intellectual experience that started with discussions about the book within students Freshman SemWikipedia inar courses and there are Author and UMW alumna, Kristen Green. other scheduled events that will be taking place Green’s book “Something Must Be throughout the course of the semester.

Done About Prince Edward County” The presentation that took place on tells the truth of how the white leadSept. 19 was one of the first public ers in the Virginia county ignored events relating to the common read the Supreme Court ruling of Brown and the issues that it called to atten-

tion, that has taken place this fall. why it matters to stand up for what At her lecture, Green went into deyou believe in. tails about the research she completed, Even if you missed Green’s discusthe history of the school closings and sion, there will be plenty of opportuthe emotional experience that she had nities throughout this semester to get throughout her work as she uncovered involved in academically stimulating her grandfather’s role in creating the and thought provoking events regardsegregated Prince Edward Academy. ing the common read.

In addition, there was also a question and answer session near the end of the talk.

The most fascinating part of Green’s talk was when she went into detail about the personal aspects and barriers she faced when writing the book.

“Writing this book was a way to learn and come to terms with the past,” Green said.

Hearing how she had to push back against opposition who did not want the true story of the county’s history to be told was really inspirational to me.

She showcased the importance of perUniversity Relations severance and is a Green’s book, which served as this year’s commong read. great example as to

ResHall Recipes: Making friends through ‘Crack Brownies’ JENNA DAVENPORT Staff Writer

Jenna Davenport/Blue & Gray Press

INGREDIENTS: 14 ounces of caramels (approx. 50 individual caramels) 1/2 cup and 1/3 a cup of evaporated milk, divided 1 box of German chocolate cake mix 3/4 cup of melted butter or margarine (a stick and a half) 1 cup of chocolate chips Cooking spray 6

RECIPE: 1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. Unwrap all of the individual caramels and put them in a small saucepan with 1/2 a cup of evaporated milk over medium heat. Heat until the caramels are completely melted – be sure to stir frequently.

3. While the caramels are melting (this is where it is great to have a baking buddy!), combine the dry

I think it is pretty safe to say that, for the most part, everyone is nervous about meeting new friends during their first semester of college. I do not know about anyone else, but all I heard the summer before my freshman year were stories from anyone and everyone about how the next four years were going to be the best of my life and that the friends you make in college are the ones that stick with you.

Do not get me wrong, I loved the stories and advice that everyone had to give, but it did nothing to calm my nerves.

Little did I know that making some of my best friends was as easy as making my favorite dessert.

Some people met their friends under the disorienting glow of strobe lights in an all too crowded fraternity house, but I met mine while attempting to stuff nine college students into a tiny, poorly ventilated residence hall kitchen.

My freshman year roommate and I had decided to make my favorite dessert, Crack Brownies, and by the time it was done baking, we had really attracted a crowd of our hallmates.

This is a really simple recipe, and easily doable in a hall kitchen.

German chocolate cake mix, 1/3 a cup of evaporated milk, and the melted butter in a medium bowl until blended. The consistency is going to look thicker than a regular cake batter – that’s normal!

4. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x13 pan and put half of the cake batter into the bottom of the pan.

Bake for 8 minutes.

5. After 8 minutes, pull the brown-

ies out and pour the caramel over them. Then, sprinkle the chocolate chips over the caramel and finally, glob the remaining half of the batter on top of everything. Because the batter is so thick, you won’t be able to pour it on so just spread the globs as evenly as possible.

6. Bake for 18 minutes.

Thursday, September 29, 2016

LIFE

UMW Students fly-fish on Jefferson square for an ecoliterature class

REBECCA MELSON Staff Writer

University Relations

Ecoliterature students learn the basics of fly fishing. invokes desire to dive deeper.

The course opened up with an tractive incinerator, like the Sun, tine emotion.

On Sept. 19, a class full of stuobservation of DamNation, a 2014 glorious but no pleasure boat. The “We can appreciate the way we dents lined themselves on Jefferson Square. The rain poured down documentary produced by Travis glory of the Sun is violent and un- are affected by essays and interrolike an end of summer monsoon. Rummel, in which the history and inflected; its features are all flames gate it as natural thoughts, while economical ef- and its sounds are all explosions.” looking at the way we separate naThe class of fects of dams writes Leach, inspiring a profundi- ture from ourselves,” Pineda said.

English 303, were present- ty of thought for readers.

“I want students to have a deepEcoliterature, ed. The reality picked up fishof the Amering rods instead ican history of pencils. They and obsession perfected their with dams casts and tuned was jarring into nature. for myself, as Jon Pineda, I have never Assistant EnUniversity Relations pondered the glish Professor Orvis expert Mark Fackner instructs students. dam before, and instrucoutside of betor of the new ing in awe as I crossed the Hoover Ecoliterature course, along with two fly fishing instructors from the Dam on my way to Las Vegas.

From the current experiences asOrvis sporting goods store, assistsigned by the class, such as spended students as they were granted University Relations permission to experience some- ing time by the river and reflective Alexis Donahue concentrates on her delivery. thing that draws individuals out of writing, to engaging with fellow Professor Pineda, when asked ened understanding of nature that the everyday classroom: Fly-fish- classmates, I am not the only student who has begun to speak the what he hoped to result from the can move forward in discussion ing.

Ecoliterature course, expressed his amongst the class and with othWhen I enrolled in Ecoliterature, language.

“I really appreciate the ability to desire to intellectualize the stu- ers. I hope to reduce the distance I had no expectations as to what read what others have to say, and dents experience with nature, and between the ideal and the real and the class would be about. I did not know that I would be encour- listen to ways that other people allow them to discover the lan- I expect that we are taking steps aged to surround myself in nature contribute when you are in front of guages of our natural environment close to the ideal.” and observe life as it is, or for that them,” said senior creative writing while removed from common roumatter, how my own life has been major Alec Kaloudis. “I hope to intertwined within it. Nor did I ex- take a lot out of this class, and, pect to be introduced to literature based on the medium in which that would inspire my relationship the need is, just contribute the and understanding of the natural way that I can, through literature world, while simultaneously de- and creative writing.”

Not only have students been veloping my writing skills.

This class has immersed me in invited to engage in a number of deeper parts of myself, my world ways with our environment, but and my writing through a variety the literature of the course deepof medians and perspectives. The ens a young writer’s literary exrelationship that many students perience. Amongst the penetratand individuals have with our en- ing literature for the course is a vironment can sometimes be al- book of essays by Amy Leach, most, generic, as we accept and “Things That Are,” where stutake nature at face value instead dents dive deeply into consciousof deeply pondering our relations, ness of the natural world through extractions and needs from it. The the brilliance of language.

University Relations “Of course if your heart is too pedagogy presented in this course Assistant Engish Professor, Jon Pineda offers encouragement to students. encourages personal definition and fervent, you will become an at-

7

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LIFE

Fredericksburg hosts its first independent book festival ANDREW ARENAS Staff Writer

In a wonderful culmination of reading and literature, the city of Fredericksburg held its very first Independent Book Festival at Riverfront Park this past Saturday from 10 a.m to 5 p.m.

Writers from a broad range of genres were there to discuss their works with others, including editors, friends and readers. The goal of the event was to bring together the community of Fredericksburg and authors of the written word.

“This festival is a great opportunity to really learn and understand what the business of writing is all about,” said magazine editor and business of writing coach Chris Jones. “The over-

all goal of the festival is to create a space where writers can interact with readers and help spread the word on their books to the public.”

Jones started planning the event early this year and wants to have it annually moving forward.

For a long time, Fredericksburg has had several music, art and restaurant festivals, but writing did not seem to get its own spotlight from the community at all. Jones and his team of organizers wanted to change that by holding an event that is easily accessible for writers to display their own works.

One of the challenges that came with planning the event was making sure the word was getting out to authors. Once they got connected with the Fredericksburg library, interest

Fredericksburg Arts

from authors started growing exponentially.

There were more than 25 tables and exhibits that displayed works from writers, editors and comic book artists. From horror to children’s books, there were genres to suit everyone’s tastes.

At the center of the festival, there was an author’s roundtable.

This was for established authors to share their experiences in the industry as well as give advice to aspiring writers.

the authors expressed concern that the marketplace is oversaturated with works that are not good or a waste of the reader’s time.

“Events like this help direct the

One of the exhibitors, Meredith R. Stoddard, a historical fiction author Andrew Arenas/The Blue & Gray Press of “The River Maiden” The Independent Book Festival sign at Kenmore Park expressed praise on how the event turned out. reader to works that are of good qual“Writing can sometimes be such an ity and encourages them to spread isolating profession and it is nice that good word of mouth about an author,” a community like Fredericksburg lets Stoddard said. us interact with readers in a way that Every exhibitor spoke very highly cannot be done anywhere else,” Stodabout the self-publishing model, as it dard said. is more accessible and keeps the proStoddard writes a variety of stories fession of writing as a sustainable carranging from historical fiction to nonrier. The wider distribution and expofiction and romance. She, along with sure, as well as editing, gives writers many of the authors present, want more incentive to get their names out their works to stand out from what is there to the world. a crowded space of books. Many of

UMW student finds his way back home in Jefferson Hall

TYLER POSPISIL Staff Writer

would be like. All my responsibilities at the time were very artificial and minor.

I would siphon my dad’s red container of gas from the lawnmower only if it would be enough to get me to my high school girlfriend’s house. That was the epitome of my struggles back then, getting enough gas to see my friends. My other responsibilities around the house were just as trivial as this.

The main thing I was told in high school was that high school was just the appetizer, while college was the main dish. The appetizer was just supposed to fill you up and get you ready for the main course of finer academics. The one problem? High school was easy. Extremely easy.

I put in minimum effort in high school

and coasted by with A’s and B’s. However, I walked into Jefferson Hall my freshin college, I could no man year, in the fall of 2013, with no exlonger just coast. pectations of what it was going to be like.

In my first semester, Now, it is 2016 and I walk into the exact I did the thing that I same building, heck I even walked into was used to, I coasted. the same room, as a senior. The building As my first semester of is still run down as ever which is what I college was coming to expected, but it was weirdly endearing. an end I still had this However, while the building I live in horrible sense of dread hasn’t changed much, I feel like I have about getting my fichanged exponentially from freshman nal grades. I thought I year. could do it all without Back in 2013 I just graduated high actually doing anyschool with a king-of-the-castle mentalthing. Sadly that was ity. Everyone always spoke about how not the case. amazing being a senior in high school I got my grades back and my heart sunk.

I took a few summer classes and got caught right back up.

As I reflect back on it now, it was an expensive lesson, but what it taught me was more than the cost.

I learned the value of putting in your best effort for the best outcome, it taught me the art of not succumbing to the easy-going nature of mediocrity. It’s a simple lesson to learn and maybe I learned it late, but better late than never.

The pinnacle of this lesson came during my sophomore year. I was taking Introduction to Logic, and, as an English major, this stuff could have been as foreign to me as quantum psychics or rocket science. My brain just would not compute.

Tyler Pospisil/Facebook Baby Tyler has grown from a boy to a man from his freshman year to his senior year. I refused to flop over like a fish and die out. I had learned my lesson in pre-

Tyler Pospisil/ Facebook

vious classes. What did I do? I went to tutoring multiple times, I learned the importance of office hours and I got through my personal hell. It was a struggle to the very end. I should have had an IV drip of coffee injected straight into my bloodstream because of all the sleep I was losing. However, my sleep did not matter, the only thing that mattered was that I finished the course with a decent grade.

As a senior, I look back at my naivety all those years ago and chuckle quietly to myself. I may have walked into the same dorm and even the same dorm room as I did back then, but I assure you, I am not the same man.

9

NEWS POLICE BEAT

Residents fear balcony reconstruction plans will cause inconvieniences

ESTER SALGUERO News Editor

Larceny On Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 10:30 p.m. an incident of petit larceny was reported from Eagle Landing.

The case is pending.

Vandalism On Saturday, Sept. 24 at 10:40 p.m. an incident of vandalism was reported from Eagle Landing. The case is pending.

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.

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

Free Flu Shots!

•APARTMENTS | 1 the removal process, the e-mail states.

Completion of the replacement process takes less than a month, according to Tomiko. The construction workers prepare each level of the building at the same time but they begin on one side and then move to the back of the building, so that all entrances are not blocked.

“They build up from the ground, all sides, all at the same time, just so that they can get it done,” Tomiko said.

University Relations

Students have to remove all of their belongings from the balcony to their living rooms, which will be an inconvenience for those with a lot of stuff.

“I’m sure other people would not appreciate [moving everything], especially people that have a lot of stuff in their living room and they have decorated it,” Marx said. “They are going to have to take that down, put it back up and you know, moving concrete isn’t a very clean job.”

Tomiko has a good idea about what will be going on during the construction

process, including when the construction workers will be expected to occupy part of resident’s living spaces.

“The only time that they come in is when they are pouring the concrete and when they are boarding up the windows,” Tomiko said. She also stated that students should not be alarmed by their company because they try not to interact with students as they do not want to distract them from their studies.

“Yes, there are points when they are going to have to be in the apartment for safety reasons, for me and for you,” To-

The University Health Center is hosting a Flu Shot Clinic on Friday, Oct. 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Flu shots will be available for students, faculty and staff free of charge while supplies last.

Anyone with questions regarding the flu clinic may contact the Health Center: 540-654-1040

UMW Facebook Page

10

Thursday, September 29, 2016

NEWS Latino Identities Events at UMW September 15 to October 15, 2016

Unforseen circumstances cause issues with Kronos

•MYTIME | 1 Thursday, Sept. 29 at 6 p.m. in room 412 Lee Hall JFMC Human Rights Film Series Presents “The Latino List” Monday, Oct. 3 at 4 p.m. in room 139 Combs Hall “A Legacy of Hope” Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 5 p.m. in Dining at the Top of the University Center “Latino Melting Pot Dinner” Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 6 p.m. in The Underground, Lee Hall “UMW Jazz Ensemble’s Latin Jazz Night” Saturday, Oct. 8 at 4 p.m. in the Digital Auditorium “Bomba, Afro-Puerto Rican Dance Workshop” Monday, Oct. 10 at 7:30 p.m. in room 412 Lee Hall “Measuring and Mapping the Contributions of New Americans” Thursday, Oct. 13 at 5 pm. in the Chandler Ballroom “Feria/Dinner Theater”

Elie began the year asking staff members to submit work authorization forms for their student employees, Applications for Student Employment and Student Employment Agreements, prior to the end of the Spring 2016 semester. She did this to ensure that all of the documents would be processed by the first week of school the following semester.

“Everything we turned in during the months of April and May had already been filed away and [Financial Aid] would not look at it,” said a student employer who has requested to remain anonymous. A separate staff member who also wished to remain anonymous said, “I feel horrible for the student employees who just want to work but are being treated like second-class citizens.”

Kronos Workforce which is the application used by student employees to track the hours that they have worked appears easy to use and user friendly.

However, the simplicity of the “Record Timestamp” button was quite difficult to use this year for student employees due to technical issues in which despite a time-punch, students’ hours were not logged.

Every two weeks students must approve their timecard, which signifies their approval that the number of hours logged in the system, are correct for that pay period. If this is not completed by noon on Monday morning the following week, students run the risk of not being paid on time for their work.

Although the system typically sends you an email stating “Timecard is in need of approval. Please take immediate action,” sometimes extenuating circumstances occur which prevent this from being done, resulting in not getting paid. In addition, the approval system this semester did not work for some.

This malfunction resulted in student

employees approving their timecards correctly, but left their timecards appearing un-approved.

Nonetheless, some students still do not have authorization to work because they must re-submit their paperwork since the Financial Aid department states that they cannot accept any documentation prior to July. This requirement poses a large inconvenience and issue due to the fact that certain on-campus jobs require student workers to begin their duties during the summer months.

Junior Shannon Finney, who is the Senior Student Coordinator for MyUMW shared her thoughts on the process.

“The whole process was just incredibly frustrating, it was really hard to get in touch with the right people and felt like I was being overlooked,” Finney said. “I had been working for nearly three months, starting in the summer, and just logged onto MyTime for the first time in the middle of September.”

Other former student employees, some of whom are members of the James Farmer Multicultural Center still do not have authorization to work.

This is partially due to the fact that in mid-August, student supervisors were informed they could not file any more paperwork because the Financial Aid department was trying to catch-up on the large number of forms they had to tend to. This meant that offices could not hire secretaries or fill other vacancies within their staff, because the department fell behind, due to unforeseen circumstances.

In addition, a handful of students who were able to make the deadline for submitting their applications were forced to do so up to three times and have receipts printed upon doing so because the Financial Aid department continually misplaced them.

Jefferson Davis / Facebook Page

Route 1 named after a man who stood for inequality •HIGHWAY | 1 ing I can do as a student when it comes to bigger issues,” Ledbetter said.

“This project could possibly empower younger people on campus and the city of Fredericksburg to remind them that our voice matters; we have the power to make a difference.”

Senior Kyra Ketch, of the same class said that groundwork needs to be made before the name is changed.

“We’re starting with outreach,” Ketch said. “We’ve created social media platforms for people to learn about how to get involved with our project and we’re in the process of writing a letter to City Council regarding our concerns with Route 1’s current name.”

The group also plans to attend City Council’s next meeting on Oct. 11 to start a conversation among Fredericksburg officials.

For students who wish to get involved, Greene suggests showing support by “attending City Council

Thursday, September 29, 2016

meetings with our class, spreading the word amongst the campus and Fredericksburg community to help promote our mission by word of mouth and our Facebook page, and signing a petition that we plan to create in the near future. The more support we have from UMW, the more likely we are to make a change.”

The class is committed to making a lasting difference in their community.

Ledbetter gave his own views on this project.

“This Highway name should be changed because Jefferson Davis represented the confederacy, with that representation comes oppression of other ethnicities and divisiveness in our country,” Ledbetter said. “Jefferson Davis does not represent the core values of the Fredericksburg and Mary Washington community.”

To find the group’s Facebook page search @RT1Fredericksburg in your Facebook search bar.

University Relations

CORRECTIONS for THE Week PLEASE REPORT ANY MISTAKES SEEN IN THE BLUE AND GRAY PRESS TO Chris Markham, blueandgray.eic@gmail.com or Sushma Subramanian, ssubrama@umw.edu

In the article, “University of Mostly... Whites?” misrepresented statistics were used. The statistics used were in reference to the minority enrollment of the entire population of Manassas City rather than just Osbourn High School. The statistics should read, Osbourn High School has a 71 percent minority enrollment rate.

In the staff column the Life section editor’s name was misspelled. It should read, Kelly Emmrich.

11

SPORTS

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

Club Sport Spotlight: Women’s Volleyball

MADISON REID Staff Writer

Club sports are created to offer students who are not a member of a varsity program a chance at competing against students from other universities without the commitment of being a varsity athlete.

The University of Mary Washington club volleyball is one of those quite competitive organizations. With playing for a club program at a smaller school like UMW, competing with schools that can be triple the size is very much a possibility. The club volleyball program saw that this weekend in their first tournament of this year, which was held at George Washington University. Their game was on Saturday, September 24th, where they won the whole tournament; the last game of the night being against GWU, the home team.

Each pool was made up of four teams, including UMW. In the past they have played mostly against schools like CNU, George Mason and West Virginia. Last

year they have gone to the play-off pool.

Club Volleyball has three sub teams that make up their organization; the red, practice team, grey, travel team B, and blue, travel team A. Sophomore Isabel Faust, environmental science major, was elated by the outcome of their first tournament. Faust is on the blue team and came to UMW from Baltimore, Maryland. She started playing volleyball in the eighth grade, “it’s the one sport that has individual and team aspects to it,” Faust said. Starting college in a new state knowing nobody, Faust decided to continue playing volleyball on the collegiate club level. Playing volleyball helps Faust to work out her energy in an exciting way. “It is a fairly easy sport to learn how to play,” said Faust, “All you need much to play is a ball and a net.”

Hannah Backe, sophomore anthropology and international affairs major, is new to club volleyball. Backe is from Charlottesville and got started with volleyball after playing with her cousin. Backe referred to it as something “[her] cousin and

[her] could do together that [they] both loved.” Her first official experience was in the sixth grade, where she started on her school’s team. Volleyball has always been a way for her to meet new people and connect with them by, “playing a sport with other people who really enjoy it.” Backe took a hiatus from volleyball freshman year, but after the break she started to miss the feeling of camaraderie that volleyball gave her. She is currently on the club volleyball red team.

Kate Barry, junior environmental science and philosophy pre-law major, came to UMW club volleyball from Topsfield, Maryland. She started volleyball in the seventh grade, joining an ‘excels’ program that gave middle schoolers the opportunity to learn volleyball. “I fell in love with the fast paced and team oriented nature of the game,” said Barry. However, coming from high school, where Barry played year round varsity sports, she did not think she wanted to continue with the sport. She decided to join the Crew Team her freshman year at UMW, but being on

the team made her realize how much she missed her sport. Joining Club volleyball has helped Barry, “hone in on [her] skills.” The relaxed atmosphere of being on a club sport, mixed with the competitive structure of volleyball has provided Barry with a way to become a more consistent player. For her, being a part of club volleyball means having, “a built in support system and a reason to play her favorite sport three times a week.” Stating that there was nothing more she could ask for.

Club volleyball is an organization that sets out to turn Mary Washington students into better athletes and gives them a healthy outlet to relieve the stress of school. Providing a sense of camaraderie alongside a competitive atmosphere has given many UMW students a way to get involved in the community.

The UMW Club Volleyball team practices Wednesdays 7:00 - 8:30 PM, Fridays 6:30 - 8:00 PM, and Sundays 5:00 - 7:00 PM. The team will be back in action in a tournament at Virginia Tech October 7 - 9.

UMW Field Hockey ranked No. 17 in the nation

Sue Spencer/ Perfect shots

MIKEY BARNES Sports Editor

A double-overtime goal by Salisbury University after a total of 97 minutes played in the Capital Athletic Conference championship game is what ended the season for the University of Mary Washington field hockey team in 2015. The heartbreaking finish to the team’s season kept them out of the NCAA tournament last year though they finished the season ranked 11th in the country.

Despite losing some of their key players, including the all-time leading points holder, goal scorer and one of the top assist producers in the program’s history. So, to say they lost some core players, is surely an understatement. With that being said, the very successful program last season had a number of returners this season and welcomed a strong group of newcomers.

Head coach Lindsey Elliott is in her sixth season as the head coach of the program and has led the program to a ranking of at least 14th every single season.

This season, Elliott is looking to have greater success than last season and lead the program to a Capital Athletic Conference championship and an NCAA tournament berth, both for the first time since 2012. Elliott and the Eagles are on potential track to do just that, as the rather young team is currently ranked 17th in the nation with Christine Loehr as the lone senior in the program.

Thursday, September 29, 2016

“’OUR GOAL IS TO WIN THE CAC CHAMPIONSHIP AND GET THE AUTMOATIC BID TO THE NCAAs...

THIS IS OUR GOAL EVERY YEAR BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT WE CAN DO IT IF WE WORK TOGETHER” -Christine Loehr, Senior “Being the lone senior is hard sometimes, but I am thankful to be in this position because it’s allowed me to really step up as a leader,” Loehr said, “especially having a lot of freshmen and sophomores on the team. I feel like I can be a good example to them both on and off the field.”

The freshman and sophomore heavy team is currently ranked 17th in the nation and are 6-3 thus far on the season, with all three of their losses coming to ranked opponents, including a 3-2 loss by the hands of 5th ranked Franklin & Marshall.

The Eagles started the season off with a bang, with a 3-0 victory over Dickin-

Sue Spencer/ Perfect shots

son College. The wheels briefly fell off for the Eagles as two of their next three games were against ranked opponents, including 5th ranked Franklin & Marshall and 18th ranked Rochester, N.Y., which then resulted in them becoming 2-2 on the season. The Eagles opened up the floodgates as they went on to win the remaining three games, including a 7-2 victory over Bridgewater at their home field.

The Eagles were then shut out by the 7th ranked Tufts University Jumbos 2-0, to drop them to 5-3 on the season. The Eagles followed that defeat with an absolute debacle of their opponent. While still at Tufts University, the Eagles competed against Framingham St. The Eagles defeated Framingham by a score of 13-0, including scores by 11 different UMW athletes, including two goals scored each by junior Erin Kaila and Loehr. The Eagles outmatched their opponent more than just goals, UMW led in shots attempted by a lot, including the 42 attempts by them and the three accredited to their opponent.

When asked what it takes to continue to be successful, junior Noor Varjabedian said, “Holding ourselves to a high standard has helped us continue to be successful. There’s always been a high level of intensity when we play….we don’t settle for less because we know what we’re capable of.”

Their game and scoring distribution is a rather accurate description of the season

for the Eagles as 14 different players have scored so far on the season including seven of them scoring multiple times.

Freshman Lauren Hopkins has had little struggles adjusting to the collegiate level of competition as she currently leads the program with nine goals on the season, just one more than Loehr, who has eight so far on the year. Hopkins also leads the team in points, as she has 23 on the season due to the five assists she has given out.

Sophomore Jessica Cavolt has been a force to be reckoned with in front of the net, as just nine goals have been scored and 25 saves have been made, with a save percentage of .735, this means the opponent is scoring just over one goal a game, as nothing gets behind her or in her net.

The younger Eagles led by Varjabedian and Loehr are looking to take the conference by storm. “Our goal is to win the CAC Championship and get the automatic bid to the NCAAs,” Loehr said. “This is our goal almost every year because we know that we can do it if we work together.”

The Eagles were scheduled to return to action Wednesday Sept. 28, but due to rain and lighting, the game was postponed away at Catholic University. UMW will begin their conference play at Salisbury University on Oct. 1 as they prepare to redeem themselves from last seasons disappointing finale defeat.

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