The Blue & Gray Press

Page 1

THE

BLUE &GRAY

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARY WASHINGTON STUDENT NEWSPAPER

BOV approves Willard renovations

October 5, 2017

VOLUME 91 | ISSUE 5

PRESS

SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE

1922

UMW Health Center offers new way to receive flu shots

JOHN JAMISON Staff Writer

UMW’s Board of Visitors approved a proposal to renovate Willard Hall at a cost of $24.5 million on Friday, Sept. 15. As many on campus know, Willard Hall was rendered uninhabitable after a steam pipe ruptured underneath the building this past July. The malfunction bumped Willard to the top of UMW’s list of building and renovations. “Maintenance and renovation

“Maintenance and renovation assessments and prioritization of work are essentially a continuous process in aligning resources to the highest needs on the campus.” -John Wiltenmuth assessments and prioritization of work are essentially a continuous process in aligning resources to the highest needs on the campus,” said John Wiltenmuth, associate vice president for facilities services. Willard Hall is the oldest housing facility on UMW’s campus, and was last renovated in the 1970s. The proposed renovation calls for the building which previously housed 88 upperclassmen in single rooms, to nearly double in capacity, by providing double rooms for up to 162 students. The renovation plans also focus on improving the electrical and plumbing systems in addition to the prospect of adding a new roof and an elevator. “The design process for Willard will engage students as well as Residence Life to determine specific features and amenities,” added Wiltenmuth. “These have not been pre-determined.” The school will be required to maintain certain aesthetic aspects of the building to preserve its 100 plus years of history. “The cost for the renovations in Willard are on par with similar projects in the state and our own prior experience with the renovations of Randolph and Mason,” said Wiltenmuth.

Finnley Goff / The Blue & Gray Press

As a result of burget cuts, the healh center will not be offering free flu shots this year.

LUBNA AKHTAR Staff Writer

This semester, the University of Mary Washington’s Health Center is partnering with Giant Pharmacy to provide flu shots to its community. Shots will cost $18 for students without health insurance and students with health insurance will be provided the shot for free. Due to budget cuts at UMW, the Health Center is unable to provide free flu shots to students, faculty and staff as it has in the previous years. For returning Mary Washington students and faculty, this is a change. Flu shots used to be offered on campus walk, free of charge. According to Dr. Tom Riley, from the Health Center, this was an effective way to encourage students to get a flu shot. This announcement was met with some backlash from students. “I am certainly not pleased with the news since I feel that with the price of tuition, the school could certainly afford to continue the service,” said Scott Munn, junior English major.

Riley shared that the school’s budget has steadily been declining since 2007, with the school becoming, “more frugal and buying better.” Students recognize the impact of budget cuts that have been taking place. “I think every year the school tends to take away something that is important to the students due to the budget cuts,” said Eugene Darfour, senior biology major. Despite budget cuts schoolwide, Ri-

magazine, “Student Health 101.” Riley shared how he felt, saying that this change is not entirely a negative one, since students will still have access to flu shots on campus through the new partnership with Giant. If this partnership had not been formed, there would have been no flu shots at all this year at UMW. He added that partnering with Giant Pharmacy has also allowed students to have access to a variety of vaccines. For example, on move in day, students were able to get caught up on their immunization right on campus, thanks to this partnership. “As a biology major, the wellbeing and health is extremely important to me and other students here,” said Darfour. “I have heard many students and friends already complain about the flu shot no longer being free and the hassle that that causes.” Based off of information Riley provided, about 96 to 98 percent of the students at UMW have health insurance, which means that they will not have to worry about paying out of pocket for the fee associated with the shot.

“I think every year the school tends to take away something that is important to the students due to the budget cuts,” -Eugene Darfour ley shared that the Health Center has managed to maintain services such as STI testing, in house pharmacy for generic prescriptions and the online health

Fall 2017 Flu Shot Dates This fall flu shots will be offered on three different dates. The first date is Friday, Oct. 6 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the UC patio area, with a rain location inside at kiosk A. On Tuesday, Oct. 10 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the UC kiosk. The final date is Thursday, Oct. 19 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

•WILLARD | 2

IN THIS

ISSUE

PAINO’S PAD

COLLEGIATE CREATIVITY

Students give behind the scenes look at Brompton.

Different methods of teaching benefit students.

LIFE | 6

VIEWPOINTS | 4

PURE DOMINANCE

Volleyball dominates, coming away with two big ones. SPORTS | 12


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