The Weekly Ringer

The University of Mary Washington’s Independent Student Newspaper Serving the community since 1922

The

Weekly

Ringer

VOLUME 97 | ISSUE 7

October 27, 2023

UMW senior Devin Schwers leads grassroots write-in campaign for Soil and Water Conservation Director

Norah Walsh Editor-in-Chief Devin Schwers, a senior political science major at UMW, is running a write-in campaign to be the next Soil and Water Conservation Director for the Tri-County/ City District. The incumbent candidate, Charles “Chuck” Koch, is running uncontested, which is one of the many aspects that led to Schwers’ write-in campaign.

According to the Soil and Water Conservation District Director’s Handbook, “[Directors] voluntarily assess local conservation needs and encourage cooperative efforts in achieving district conservation goals.”

The Handbook outlines a series of roles and responsibilities of the director, which include being a representative of citizens in conservation issues, fostering discussion within the community about soil and water matters and establishing policies and programs to meet needs pertaining to soil and water within the district.

The position is an unpaid, elected position with no party affiliation, which means that a D, R or I will not appear next to the candidate’s name on the ballot. As Schwers is running a write-in campaign, his name will not appear on the actual ballot, but voters will be able to write in his name on their ballots should they choose to vote for him.

Furthermore, the Fredericksburg Democratic Committee—who has endorsed Schwers—will also offer sample ballots at the polls that list Schwers’ name. “[W]ith the write-in campaign, your name is not printed on the official ballot, and voters have to write your full legal name that you registered with, and they have to write it correctly,” said Schwers. He added that the spelling of his name is essential, as if it is misspelled, the vote will not count.

Koch won the race in the last election with 20 write-in votes, according to Schwers, so the race has the potential to be close, even with a write-in campaign on Schwers’ end.

As a political science major, the campaign started as a suggestion in gest among Schwers’ friends, but when they realized that it was an uncontested race and considered the importance of the environment, the plan to actually run the write-in campaign came to fruition.

“I think the environment is one of the number one issues for especially young people,” said Schwers. “I think right now it polls as definitely the top three issues for our generation, and I can absolutely assure you that 20 years

SEE CAMPAIGN, PAGE 2

Devin Schwers is running a write-in campaign to be the next Soil and Water Conservation Director.

Photo courtesy of Devin Schwers

The UMW Police Department releases its Annual Security Report with lower number of crimes based on statistics

Eliana Ramirez Staff Writer

On Sept. 30, The UMW Police Department released the Annual Security Report, which shows the statistics for crimes on or off campus at all three UMW campuses—Fredericksburg, Dahlgren and Stafford—from 2020– 2022. It also includes UMW policies and regulations for alcohol and drug use; sexual assault and sexual misconduct resources that include medical care, legal and University reporting options for victims of sexual assaults and crimes; programs for the prevention of and protection from such crimes; and fire safety and statistics. To obtain a printed copy of the 46-page report, students and interested individuals in the community may go to the Department’s headquarters in South Hall.

UMW Chief of Police Michael Hall said that there have been no new changes to the formatting of the report, but

|2 INSIDE News Schwers

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comments on campaign priorities

“if you look at the statistics, numbers are down, which is a good thing.” Hall said that he’s glad students respond to calls or call the UMW Police when they feel something is wrong.

The Annual Security Report is mandated every year by federal law. According to the email released at the end of September by Amy Jessee, the executive director of university communications, the report is a requirement of the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, also referred to as the Clery Act. UMW Police Lieutenant Michael Cornelius is responsible for gathering all the relevant data for the report in collaboration with university departments, including the Title IX coordinator’s office, the Talley Center, Athletics, Student Affairs, Office of Residence Life, Office of Student Conduct and Responsibility, Student Activities and the Student Health Center. He also includes questionnaire

Opinion | 3 No more people pleasing: A new look at selfishness

data from the local law enforcement agencies that work with the Stafford and Dahlgren campuses and staff. Each entity is asked to provide information about any cases they have worked on or reported that the UMW Police is not aware of.

According to the report, there are several safety systems in place, including more than 180 emergency telephones as well as a closed-circuit camera monitoring system on all three campuses. However, some students note certain locations around campus that make them feel unsafe.

Cameron Rico, an undeclared freshman, said she had never heard about the annual security report before.

“I feel safe during the day but at night I don’t feel safe when I’m walking under the tunnel near Vocellis,” said Rico. She feels that there should be more light underneath the tunnel.

Life | 5

Dogpark band performs in Underground before release of new single

SEE SECURITY, PAGE 2

Sports | 8

Super Smash Brothers blue team fights Campbellsville in esports

News

Friday, October 27, 2023

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Weekly Ringer Schwers comments on campaign priorities The

Editorial Staff

FROM CAMPAIGN, PAGE 1

time from now, it will be the hot topic issue for everybody.”

Editor-in-Chief Schwers highlights his youth, being an Norah Walsh environmentalist and his passion to enact weeklyringer.eic@gmail.com change as three aspects that he brings to the table as a candidate. He acknowledged that Associate Editors he did not study environmental sciences and Callie Harkins explained how he would bridge that gap.

“I think with the help of people who Emma Brennan are frankly a lot smarter than me and a lot weeklyringer.associate@gmail.com more well-versed in this topic than I am, I can bring them to the table as far as that,” News Editor he said.

Ky Huynh About the position, Schwers reflected weeklyringer.news@gmail.com on the power to enact change with the help of students and experts in environmental fields, which he has already begun through Opinion Editor the assistance of fellow students.

Margaret Jackson Schwers said, “I have a buddy who studweeklyringer.opinion@gmail.com ies agriculture at Purdue, and he’s sending me articles upon articles about soil and Life Editor light. I never thought I’d be like this … I’m Charlie Li not a stem guy.”

As for issues that he would like to adweeklyringer.life@gmail.com dress if elected, Schwers spoke on development.

Sports Editor Sophia Tompkins weeklyringer.sports@gmail.com

Online Editor Davy Washington weeklyringer.online@gmail.com Photography Editor Abbey Magnet weeklyringer.photos@gmail.com Faculty Advisor Lindley Estes lestes@umw.edu

Advertisement Please direct all advertising inquiries to Norah Walsh at weeklyringer.eic@gmail.com.

Corrections

Please report any corrections to Norah Walsh at weeklyringer.eic@gmail.com or Lindley Estes at lestes@umw.edu

Bell tower logo designed by Bernadette D’Auria ‘22

“One of the big issues that I am aware of walking into this is Fredericksburg is a city that’s expanding incredibly fast,” he said.

“There’s a lot of new development all the time, which is terrific … But one of the issues that comes with that is whether or not we’re developing responsibly, because with improper development, erosion is absolutely a consequence.”

In light of this, Schwers proposed possible plans to help encourage sustainability in the area.

“I want to help create incentives with the city of Fredericksburg and local businesses, whether that’s a tax incentive or whatever else,” he said. “[T]hat way businesses are using our natural resources responsibly and engaging in safe practices with our natural resources and in our environment.”

He also spoke on the importance of bringing light to topics of sustainability, which is a pinnacle of his campaign.

“I think, slowly, as we get these ideas out in the public and we encourage people to behave a certain way and we teach people why their behavior and even the most menial aspects of their life make large differences—I think once we start to get that

narrative out, once we start to shape that public narrative, that’s when we’ll begin to see a real change,” said Schwers.

“I have a lot of faith in my generation, but also the generation that comes after me,” he said. “And so one of the things that I would really like to do … is connecting with children in our public school system and engaging with them and teaching them the importance of natural resources.”

Several people have been involved with Schwers’ campaign, such as Ranjit Singh, associate professor in the department of political science and international affairs.

Schwers is currently taking Singh’s class on environmental activism, which led to him talking about the campaign with Singh, who has since lent his support.

Kate McDaid, a UMW alumna who worked on Ben Litchfield’s State Senate campaign with Schwers, is helping the campaign in several ways as well, including running the Instagram page @devinfxbg, which includes information about the position, as well as the campaign itself.

UMW strives to ensure safety for students

FROM SECURITY, PAGE 1 Hall’s commitment for himself and the department is “To ensure the safety and well-being of our community, regardless of the [individual’s] background.” Hall added that his mission includes “earning [the students’] trust and making a difference directly or indirectly, making that difference in those students who may come here with a negative outlook on society or law enforcement, … [and] earning the trust of our community members, being honest, talking through situations.”

UMW police officers are able to help individuals that are in an emergency. “[W]hen we have a student or community member that’s in crisis at two o’clock in the morning, a mandate all our officers are seeing, including myself, are a CIT-certified with crisis intervention members,” said Hall.

According to Hall, the Department has to complete a certain amount of training hours so that, in an emergency, police officers are able to maintain the situation and stop students from doing any harm to themselves or another person until more help arrives.

The UMW Police Department encourages anyone who is a victim of or witness to a crime to report it promptly and accurately.

Additionally, Hall encouraged students to download the RAVE Guardian safety app to report crimes, which provides one-touch connection to UMW police or 911, as well as live texting with communication staff, according to Hall.

The UMW Police Department operates year-round and 24 hours a day. It is made up of 16 sworn police officers who are certified by the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, as well as a civilian support staff.

The Department works closely with the Fredericksburg Police Department and Virginia State Police, as well as their respective chiefs and command staff. The UMW Police and Fredericksburg Police meet twice per year, and this partnership also contributes to an ease of obtaining reports, especially due to their consistent collaboration during the year.

“They have jurisdiction, just like we have jurisdiction,” said Hall, referring to the Fredericksburg Police Department. This allows each police department to respond to calls on each other’s territory.

“UMW police also have jurisdiction in Stafford and King George [County],” said Hall.

Hall reports directly to UMW cabinet member, Juliette Landphair, who is the vice president of the Division of Student Affairs.

The cabinet members all report directly to UMW President Troy Paino. Each month, Hall has a one-on-one meeting with Paino where he reports what is happening on campus and Paino provides feedback on what he has heard in his discussions and meetings with students.

In addition to his role as police chief, Hall is also the vice president of Public Safety at UMW. For this reason, both the police department and the public safety office at UMW report to Hall, who has been at UMW since 2009 and has 39 years of law enforcement experience. Hall worked with local and state police for 25 years before coming to UMW and rose throughout the ranks of the department before becoming chief, a position he has held for 9 years.

Once promoted, Hall focused on having the police department recognized as an accredited agency by the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission, and this status was achieved in 2018.

Important telephone numbers for all students to have at hand: -On campus emergency: 540-654-4444 -Non-emergency: 540-654-1025 -Talley Center: 540-654-1053

The UMW Police Department released their annual security report of crimes statistics for 2022.

Abbey Magnet / The Weekly Ringer

Friday, October 27, 2023

Opinion

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No more people pleasing: A new look at selfishness Ky huynh News Editor I learned from my parents not to be selfish as a child. I always wanted the last slice of pepperoni pizza or to be first in line for ice cream to get my favorite flavor, and I did that without thinking about how others might feel, but I didn’t mean to be rude, rather I wasn’t thinking thoroughly about the effect my actions had on others at that age.

“Children may be scolded for doing something that is ‘selfish,’ but that term might not fully be explained to them,” said Peter Thaxter, a psychology adjunct instructor at UMW. “They might then internalize that and not wish to engage in self-beneficial, positive behaviors later.”

Merriam-Webster defines “selfish” as “being concerned excessively or exclusively with oneself [or] seeking or concentrating on one’s own advantage, pleasure, or well-being without regard for others.”

What Merriam-Webster left off in their definition, though, is how things can change with age and experiences. As a child, I was incapable of thinking about others because the consequences of selfishness weren’t fully explained to me, so I only worried about myself.

In an article from Cornerstones for Parents, selfish behaviors from children might appear impulsive or mindless on the outside, but they are always a result of a self-focused heart. For example, when grabbing the last piece of pepperoni pizza, I was only thinking of myself. But, what I didn’t know was that this practice could continue in other aspects of my life as I grew up.

“As we age, we typically focus more on non-material items that we can share, like deciding who to share time with,” said Hannah Shipp, a junior psychology major. “I think the notion of being selfish by not sharing a toy as a child can translate into not sharing time as an emerging adult.”

Growing older has taught me to consider other people’s feelings before my own, as a sign of maturity and as a way to make them happy. Therefore, I now think about asking if someone would like the last piece of pepperoni pizza before I take it for myself.

“Life experiences and experiences of those around you can greatly change and shape our ideas and concepts, even for things like selfishness,” said Thaxter. “As they grow and mature and gain new life experiences with those around them, they may receive other messages that may change that view.”

But, as I’ve grown up, I’ve also witnessed and experienced a positive aspect of selfishness that has influenced me to want to be more selfish.

According to Harvard Business Review, if leaders selfishly take care of their feelings, it will benefit not only them but also everyone around them, including the companies they lead.

The past few months have taught me how to be selfish in my leadership positions. For example, I joined the UMW student newspaper, The Weekly Ringer, as the news editor, and my experience so far has given me a different view of selfishness.

Other students have also come to reconsider what selfishness is, too.

“The meaning of selfishness has changed for me during my college career,” said Shipp. “It used to mean me not sharing or others not sharing; however, I interpret it now as advocating for myself or others advocating for themselves.”

As an editor, I learned that my mental and physical well-being affected my performance, which meant getting enough sleep, eating enough food and improving my rela-

tionships with others. It isn’t just that I’ve grown to accept selfishness merely to become a better leader, but also that I’ve realized that selfishness allows me to be a better person for myself mentally.

“By ensuring that we are cared for mentally and psychologically, it actually makes us a more productive member of society in the long run, so that does have potential benefit and impact for those around us as well,” said Thaxter.

In school and my work as a news editor, I had a lack of motivation because I was physically and mentally fatigued. To solve this problem, one of the things I could have used was Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which, according to Simply Psychology, is a motivational theory in psychology comprising a five-tier model of human needs, which is often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid.

“Being selfish can be a mentally positive thing because you are focusing on your needs, such as the need to rest, instead of constantly working and not taking time to yourself.

-Hannah Shipp This hierarchy makes a good point about the importance of being selfish because it shows how you have to have certain needs met before you’re able to thrive in your own life, as well as in your relationships with others.

On the pyramid, the most basic needs at the bottom are physiological needs, such as food and sleep that you need every day. Next, are safety needs, such as health and employment, so that you have a secure life ahead of you.

Following that is love and belonging, which pertains to your social connections with friends and family. These connections lead to esteem, which is a sense of your own self-esteem, respect and strength. The top of the pyramid is self-actualization, which is when we have become the most that we can be.

In the future, I can positively impact myself by utilizing Maslow’s theory, and we could also consider using his theory as an argument to be a little selfish since it is aimed at taking care of ourselves mentally over others.

“Being selfish can be a mentally positive thing because you are focusing on your needs, such as the need to rest, instead of constantly working and not taking time to yourself,” said Shipp. “It’s important to be selfish in this way so you don’t end up burning yourself out on schoolwork and in social relationships.”

A time when Maslow’s theory could have positively influenced me was during my senior year of high school in 2021. This was also the first school year fully in-person since the start of COVID-19 in 2020. I began my senior year with the mindset that I could juggle school work and a part-time job at Old Navy that I started the summer before.

I learned so many skills at Old Navy, including communication skills, and I made some great friends, but even though I reflect positively on the lessons I learned there, it wasn’t until my senior year of high school that things started to get hard for me. Juggling school and work wasn’t easy, as I was scheduled during the week, which meant I’d head straight to work after school. As a result, when I got home, I was either too tired or didn’t have time

to finish my schoolwork.

I became so overwhelmed and stressed that it began to affect my mental health. Then again, because I had been taught that selfishness was negative, I was too influenced by this idea to ask my managers for less work or to say no to work because I didn’t want to disappoint anyone.

To keep my managers from being stressed due to having fewer employees who could work during the week, I internalized their responsibility and considered my weekday availability as a selfless act. However, it led to my mental health getting worse, my grades dropping and I became more and more unhappy.

Looking back, my selflessness that was intended to help my managers was detrimental to an array of factors in my life, and I should have prioritized my own needs before I started to meet others’ needs.

“There may be benefits to being ‘selfish mentally.’ It is important for us to act in a manner of self-preservation or in a way that protects ourselves. It is okay for us to take care of our mental as well as physical health,” said Thaxter.

“Taking a ‘mental health day’ is becoming a more widely accepted practice as well as utilizing resources that may improve our mental and psychological well-being.”

I am not the only one who interprets selfishness as a negative quality, though.

When asked how the word “selfishness” was interpreted, Anna McCandless, a senior American studies major said, “Negative … because that’s just how I’ve been told— that being selfish is bad.” She also said, “You are putting yourself over others.”

But selfishness is more nuanced than its common interpretation makes it seem.

“As someone who has struggled with being a ‘people pleaser’ their whole life, it’s very empowering to finally being comfortable with being selfish,” said Shipp. “Selfishness to me looks like taking care of my mental health by making sure I am sharing enough time between myself, my schoolwork and my friends. From that, I’ve found that being selfish has led to less stress about school and that my friendships and life has improved.”

In balancing high school and work, I was losing the elements of esteem, love and belonging. In addition to not respecting my mental health, I had less time to socialize with friends and family. I wish someone had told me then that I could say no and take time for myself, like having a mental health day.

It’s unfortunate to see the overall idea of selfishness as a negative thing for society, and we should encourage putting ourselves over others as a more positive thing because it can positively affect your mental health and physical well-being.

“I believe that to change this idea of selfishness being a negative thing, one needs to reflect on their own needs and personal boundaries,” said Shipp.

Huynh argues that selfishness is more nuanced than common interpretation makes it seem.

Abbey Magnet / The Weekly Ringer

Friday, October 27, 2023

Life

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UMW students have the opportunity to engage in various study abroad programs year-round

The University of Mary Washington not only offers faculty-led-trips abroad, but also exchange programs.

Abbey Magnet / The Weekly Ringer

ELIANA RAMIREZ Staff Writer

“I’ve never really traveled before so I’m excited to see everything in Europe and I want to take advantage of it while I’m there.”

UMW has many opportunities to study abroad that students can take advantage of during their time on campus. The Center for International Education, which is located on the fourth floor of Lee Hall, offers resources for students who want to study abroad. They offer a variety of programs, such as: faculty-led, exchange and approved programs.

“I’m going to study abroad at the University of Reading, which is in the U.K. I will be there for one semester, which is longer than a US semester going from January to June,” said Katie Kennedy, a sophomore creative writing major.

Program Types Faculty-led programs are study abroad trips led by a UMW professor where students can study at a variety of locations in Europe, Latin America and even Australia, according to the Education Abroad website. These trips take place during spring or winter break, as well as during the summer term. Some of the courses include ecology, marketing, Greek myth & classics and digital storytelling.

Faculty-led trips over winter or spring break are associated with a course that students are required to sign up for as part of the program, such as the “Marketing Down Under” trip to Australia. For that program, students must take MKTG 370 during the fall semester before the trip.

For spring and winter break, most students will enroll in a course either in the spring or fall that is specifically designed for the trip they will take during the break. The most popular faculty-led programs that take place during these breaks are to the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador and to Australia.

The first program Abbie Tomba, associate professor of biological sciences, led was to the Galapagos Islands in 2016 and again in 2018.

“It’s such an amazing place for many reasons. One because of its remoteness, there is a very high rate of endemism, meaning many species you see there are only found on those islands,” said Tomba. “Two, because the animals there evolved without any large mammalian predators.”

The most popular summer term trips are in Spain and France. The program in Spain takes place in Bilbao, which is a city in the northern region of Basque Country. The programs in France take place in Aix-en-Provence, which offers both three-week and six-week programs, as well as an internship program.

Exchange programs differ from faculty-led trips. Students enrolled in exchange programs spend either a semester, the summer term or an entire year at an international institution. UMW is partnered with 10 exchange programs, and each institution’s program is based on a different subject, so the classes taken are oriented towards the subject of focus.

The most popular exchange program is the University of Reading in England. Other popular destinations are the University of Akita in Japan and University College Cork in Ireland.

Approved programs are similar to exchanges, but instead of paying the tuition to UMW, the student pays the tuition, as well as the room and board costs to the host institution. With this type of program, students can still study in different countries for a summer term, semester or year, and the list for approved programs is more extensive than those for exchange or faculty-led programs. In fact, out of the 35 countries with approved programs, they often have one or more institutions to study at depending on the subject of interest.

- Katie Kennedy If students cannot find the program that fits their needs, a student can always petition to go to an institution or program that is offering them. The programs that UMW offers take into account the course offerings, especially as it pertains to how the credit will transfer back, as well as the financial impact of the trips.

“The reason why we have an approved list is because we’ve vetted those programs for academic content and financial safety,” said Moran.

Lastly, for all international travel a passport is required and can take weeks to be processed, so students should plan ahead and apply as soon as they think they want to study abroad.

The Center for International Education is found on the fourth floor of Lee Hall.

Abbey Magnet / The Weekly Ringer

According to Sarah Moran, UMW’s study abroad coordinator who works at CIE, every time the study abroad program offers programs in the Galapagos Islands and Australia, they fill up very quickly.

For the summer term, students will take courses in their chosen program that can be transferred back to UMW. Furthermore, in faculty-led programs over the summer, UMW professors offer classes at the university abroad in addition to courses taught by the faculty at the foreign institution. Students should discuss their course plans with their advisor, as well as a CIE faculty member prior to their departure.

Classes, living and cost If interested in a particular program, students should contact the faculty member involved to see if they meet the requirements before applying. Once accepted, the student can register for the trip; however, registration will not be confirmed until a deposit fee is paid. After it is paid and a student is registered for the program, the final payment will be due on a certain date.

Students should be sure to remember that registering for the trip is completely different from registering for the upcoming year’s classes, though they may also need to register for a class that is part of the trip for faculty-led programs.

The type of program students take part in can be affected by their respective situations.

SEE STUDY ABROAD, PAGE 6

Friday, October 27, 2023

Life

Dogpark rocks UMW community with an electrifying performance in the Underground

Dogpark’s four members from left to right: Eamon Moore, Declan Harris, Chris Conte, Billy Apostolou, Will Harford.

Davy Washington / The Weekly Ringer

NORAH WALSH Editor-in-Chief On Thursday, Oct. 19, an illuminated entryway to the Underground attracted students to join in the bustling and energetic show inside where the band Dogpark, who had driven up from Richmond, Va., belted cult classics like “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse. Their performance was especially important, as midnight marked the release of their first single, “Now It’s Over,” off of their upcoming EP. Being in the Underground was a strange experience for me, as my introduction to the space during the pandemic was as a dimly lit environment where I was able to get sushi from Hissho Sushi, surrounded by reminiscing upperclassmen who relayed memories about good times spent playing bingo or hanging out in the space before the pandemic hit. But this night was different because as I got closer to the doors, I found myself on the precipice of making one of these memories that I had only heard about.

“Going forward, I’m going to stick with this. The plan going into college was med school, but this really seems promising, and it’s what I love.”

- Billy Apostolou Hosted by WMWC Campus Radio, a growing organization that seeks to bring live music to campus, a true concert experience unfolded as pizza and soft drinks were distributed to students as they entered the venue and made their way to the area in front of the stage where

other students were dancing to Dogpark’s setlist that was full of popular hits.

Formed at the University of Richmond, Dogpark has grown in their fame both through playing at parties at the University, as well as on TikTok, where they have amassed 198,200 followers. Back in January, I came across them on the app when their second video on their page went viral. In the video, they covered “Kilby Girl” by The Backseat Lovers, so I was familiar with the band and excited to see them perform live.

“We started playing a lot of frat parties at [the University of] Richmond, and from there grew to other campuses,” said Eamon Moore, the lead singer in the band who graduated from the University of Richmond with a music degree.

The band’s informal ringleader is Will Harford, who plays bass for Dogpark and graduated from the University of Richmond with a degree in music. He spoke with me about how the band came about.

“I came to college wanting to start a band the whole time,” he said. “Pretty much the only reason I went to college was to start a band, and my junior year I got back to school and I realized suddenly that I knew the pieces, basically, to put it together and make it happen.”

Moore elaborated on the creation of the band, commenting on the changes in members. Currently, the band is made up of five members: Eamon Moore on vocals, Billy Apostolou on guitar, Chris Conte on drums, Will Harford on guitar and Declan Harris on bass.

“Last school year, we added Declan [Harris] to the group because the two drummers graduated and they weren’t going to stick with us,” he said.

The band’s collective love of music, in addition to Harford’s influence and encouragement to pursue this passion, altered their academic careers, as most of them

Page 5

switched from their original majors, such as business, to music.

Billy Apostolou, however, stuck with his biochemistry major and is currently in his senior year. He spoke on the difficulties of balancing his commitment to the band, as well as his plans for the future, which have drastically changed from the initial goal of going to medical school after graduating.

“Balancing school and this is obviously tough,” he said before commenting on the band’s dynamic that has grown over the past two years of playing together. According to Apostolou, their chemistry allows them to be able to rehearse separately when they can’t all get together, yet due to their rapport, it doesn’t show on stage.

As for the future, Apostolou said, “Going forward, I’m going to stick with this. The plan going into college was med school, but this really seems promising, and it’s what I love.”

The collaboration and collective effort came to fruition this past summer when Dogpark flew out to Los Angeles, Calif. to record their music. After their original plans were a bust, they connected with John Samuels, a mutual who they met with the help of their social media connections.

“We got [to Los Angeles] and our original plan completely fell through,” said Harford. “We had poured a bunch of our own money into this AirBnB and flights out there, and we had nothing.”

But, hope was not lost as the band members looked through TikTok and Instagram direct messages, where they found the connection with Samuels.

“We were in the studio two days later and it ended up being a perfect fit on the first day,” said Harford.

That first day, they recorded the song “Dive Bar,” which Harford projects to be the second single the band will release from their EP following “Now It’s Over.”

SEE DOGPARK, PAGE 6

Dogpark jamming out during last Thursday’s performance in the Underground.

Davy Washington / The Weekly Ringer

Life

Friday, October 27, 2023

Page 6

Study abroad programs provide international education FROM STUDY ABROAD, PAGE 4 According to Moran, approved programs are “better for our out-of-state students because you pay the total program fee to the university abroad.” Moran is a UMW alumni who graduated in 2010 and studied abroad with an exchange program in Ireland during the fall semester of her junior year.

“In my case, I saved a bit of money going to Ireland, [as] I was an out-of-state student,” she said.

When it comes to the cost of a faculty-led trip, it depends on where, for how long and when the study abroad program takes place. The cost of the trip is separate from the cost of tuition, though both are still paid to UMW. In exchange programs, a student will receive credit that can then be transferred back

A photo of the sunset in Bilbao, Spain from the window of one of the student residences at the University of Deusto.

Norah Walsh / The Weekly Ringer

to UMW. Tuition for students who choose this type of program is still required and is paid directly to UMW, while all other expenses, such as housing and dining, are paid directly to the overseas institution.

Students should also allot for extra costs—such as for souvenirs and additional travel—in planning for their trip.

“I’ve never really traveled before, so I’m excited to see everything in Europe and I want to take advantage of it while I’m there,” said Kennedy.

Students can also apply for study abroad scholarships, which are applications comprised of a set of written essays and a series of questions. These scholarships help students pay for the program of their choosing, and the faculty member who leads the program will send students an email about how to submit the application.

“I know that programs like these are often the first time students travel abroad, which can be really exciting but may also be a little intimidating,” said Tomba. “Also, if you’d love to go but don’t think you can afford it, scholarships may be available.”

Some scholarships are donated by individuals who have studied abroad with UMW in the past. For instance, UMW alumna Sally Brennan Hurt’s experience in the Galapagos Islands led her to establish the Sally Brannan Hurt ‘92 Study Abroad Biology Scholarship to support those who take part in this particular program.

Moran said the most important thing that students need to remember is “to do the work ahead of time to figure out what is the ‘best fit’ program so you can get the most out of it.” Before students visit CIE, they should research the program of best fit in terms of cost, duration, requirements and accommodations, as well as the location.

Students should be aware of the differences in semester lengths, as well as the time it takes to have credits transferred from the institution abroad back to UMW. Some advice for students who are interested in a faculty-led program is to “definitely go to any information sessions being offered or go talk to the faculty directly,” said Tomba.

UMW Underground vibes as Dogpark takes the center stage FROM DOGPARK, PAGE 5 The songs on their upcoming EP are influenced by a variety of well-known bands, such as The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Cheap Trick, according to Declan Harris, a senior music major who plays lead guitar in the band.

Their first single, “Now It’s Over” contains several elements that represent the talent and direction of the band, which is why the band chose it as their first release. Harris commented on the release and the elements that made the song unique.

“We chose it because it has a lot of moving parts to it,” said Harris. “It’s got a really cool bridge and it’s got instrumental parts that show off our strengths on a technical side but also what I would consider to be one of the catchier hooks on our EP, and I think it really represents the direction we want to go in. Which is sort of like a rock direction but with some different influences.”

He continued, “It sounds like a unique song that is really us … It’s got some attitude, but it’s not over the top and it’s not trying to be anything it’s not.”

Chris Conte, the drummer in the band who graduated from the University of Richmond with a degree in music, likes playing their originals the most.

“I think [the originals] are the best to play because we’ve never played them before, and it’s just new for us and exciting to see how people react to them,” said Conte.

The show concluded with an energetic cover of “Everybody Talks” by Neon Trees during which the whole crowd was effervescent while singing along to the chorus.

The band has real spunk, attitude and charisma, and their chemistry, along with their collective love for music, allows these characteristics to show in their performances.

“We’re in a constant state of changing our minds,” said Conte. “So we’re never really, truly aligned on anything besides [the fact that] we love to play music. The goal is just to play as many shows as we can to as many people as we can, and how we get there is still a mystery, but we want to write a lot of music and play a lot of shows, and that’s pretty much it.”

“I think [the originals] are the best to play because it’s just new for us and exciting to see how people react to them.”

- Chris Conte After the lights came up and the band stepped off stage, crowd members congregated for photos with the band. The band reminded us of their first single, which was released at midnight, as well as their upcoming show on Dec. 4 at the Mercury Lounge in New York City.

The band Dogpark congregates next to the stage in the Underground before playing their set, which concluded with “Everybody Talks” by Neon Trees.

Davy Washington / The Weekly Ringer

News

Friday, October 27, 2023

Crime Column Ky Huynh News Editor The Crime Column is based on UMW Police reports from Oct. 11-Oct. 23.

Underaged Possession of Alcohol On Oct. 13 at 1:15 a.m., there was a case of Underaged Possession of Alcohol at Eagle Landing Deck.

This case was sent to OSCAR.

Larceny of Political Sign On Oct. 15 at 5:16 p.m., there was a case of Larceny of Political Sign at the 1300 block of Seacobeck St. This case was sent to OSCAR.

Trespassing On Oct. 21 at 10:17 p.m., there was a case of Trespassing at Woodard Hall.

Trespassing Noticed Served.

Page 7

Impending registration highlights new courses offered for Spring semester Melissa Lamm Staff Writer With registration beginning less than a week away for students with priority status, students and faculty alike are looking ahead to the new course offerings and the upcoming academic semester.

Several new courses are offered for the Spring 2024 semester. In the communications and digital studies department, new courses include DGST 301: Virtual and Augmented Reality, taught by Assistant Professor Brenta Blevins, DGST 301P: Disinformation taught by Visiting Assistant Professor Mladen Petkov and COMM 370U: Sports and the Digital taught by Assistant Professor Emily Crosby.

According to Petkov, the new course on disinformation examines the history of disinformation, the role of new technology in making false or misleading statements viral and the roles scholars offer to respond.

“Debates about disinformation as a deliberate spread of false information for political reasons are taking center stage at times where journalists have limited gatekeeping powers and people align their social identities with those of political leaders,” said Petkov. “Students will learn about the conditions that foster the spread of disinformation and acquire fact-checking skills.”

In the English department, Assistant Professor Zach Whalen will be offering ENGL 451B: Reading Literature with Computers, in the philosophy, classics and religion department, Adjunct Professor Michael McCourt will be teaching PHIL 370: Philosophy of Language and the class IDIS 195: Life and Career After Mary Washington: Careers with Languages will be instructed by Elizabeth Lewis, who is a professor of Spanish.

In light of these new offerings and as usual to past years, registration can often be a difficult process for students due to capacity limits as well as a lack of planning in advance.

“Registration can be intimidating but if you plan in advance it can run rather smoothly,” said UMW Registrar, Rita Dunston.

Dunston advises students to clear holds on Banner— UMW’s administrative portal that provides access to student information, financial aid and course registration—prior to registration, as that may prevent them from registering for courses. After students meet with their academic advisor, the required advising hold is lifted to indicate that the student has communicated with their advisor about their prospective course schedule for the following semester.

Dunston also recommends that students familiarize them-

Underaged Possession of Alcohol On Oct. 22 at 2:45 a.m., there was a case of Underaged Possession of Alcohol at Randolph Hall.

This case was sent to OSCAR.

A variety of new courses are offered for the Spring 2024 semester, which are available to view on Banner.

Abbey Magnet / The Weekly Ringer

Students with priority registration can select their classes on Nov. 2 beginning at 8 a.m.

Abbey Magnet / The Weekly Ringer

selves with available courses and look over their degree evaluations before making an appointment with their advisors.

Advisors help guide students in scheduling necessary classes in order to graduate, as well as assist those with undeclared majors in deciding on choosing an area of study.

Dunston also suggests having backup classes as an alternative in case a class fills up, though waitlists offer students the potential to enter the class, especially in the chance that students drop the class between the time they register and the end of the add/drop period. Despite the waitlist opportunities, some students feel frustrated by the process.

“I wasn’t able to get into the COMM 460 for the Fall 2023 semester,” said senior communication and digital studies major Justin Combs. “I know it’s a hard class to get into but I plan on graduating next semester and it’s my last major requirement in order to graduate.”

Some classes fill up quicker than others, making it difficult for students to get some of the classes they need. Anand Rao, professor of communication and communication and digital studies department chair, asserts that efforts are made to mitigate this stress.

“I understand graduating seniors are concerned about getting into COMM 460,” said Rao “But we are committed to making sure that graduating CDS majors have seats in the CDS courses that they need to graduate on time.”

Once registration is complete, students have the option to put themselves on a waitlist for a course through the student information system on Banner. When a seat becomes available, the student at the top of the waitlist will receive an email and have 48 hours to go online and add the course.

During this period, students can add or drop the waitlisted course in the student information system. If the student fails to register for the course within the period, the next student on the list will be notified and given 48 hours to register for the class.

A student’s allotted registration period is dependent on the amount of credits they have accumulated. Priority registration, which begins on Nov. 2 at 8 a.m. and ends at 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 3, is offered to undergraduate students enrolled with veteran benefits, as well as students in the UMW Honors Program. Seniors will then have the chance to register on Nov. 6, followed by juniors on Nov. 7, sophomores on Nov. 8 and finally freshmen on Nov. 9. For these registration days, students can start selecting their classes at 8 a.m., and the time slot ends at 11:59 p.m. on the same day.

Friday, October 27, 2023

Sports

Page 8

University of Mary Washington

Super Smash Brothers blue team fights against Campbellsville in Esports Arena Fall Sports Schedule

Super Smash Brothers teams are one of UMW’s Esports’ foundational teams that started competing against other universities last fall.

Charlie Li / The Weekly Ringer

TANNER GLASCOCK Staff Writer On Thursday Oct. 12, UMW’s Esports Super Smash Brothers blue team had a tense match against Campbellsville University in Harrodsburg, losing 2–0 in the best out of three. It was an incredibly close match, with the first round’s last fight beginning with both players having three lives. While UMW did not end up victorious, every player had moments where they were able to stand out and make impressive plays.

“They’ve been doing really, really well. I’m super happy that they’re here because they are just phenomenal players,” said Jack Yatsko, a junior English: creative writing major and captain of the Smash Brothers Teams.

“Everyone’s just been playing a really good game tonight, and I’m super happy with how they’ve gone in contention with Campbellsville.”

In Smash Brothers competitive team play, each team possesses twelve points, which means that each of the four players have three points. Every time a player is defeated, they

UMW Esports welcomes casual and competitive players.

Charlie Li / The Weekly Ringer

lose a point. After losing three points, they lose the round and their teammate comes up next. Both teams subtract the amount of points lost in the match from their total.

In the second round of the first set of twelve, Brandon Howar, a sophomore computer science major who was playing his first Smash Brothers game of the season, had a decisive victory against his opponent.

Howar has been a member of the UMW Esports Valorant team for around a year and recently decided to join the Smash Brothers team as well. In his debut match, he decided to play as the Wii Fit Trainer, an unconventional character that may have been key to his victory.

“They’ve been doing really, really well. I’m super happy that they’re here because they are just phenomenal players.”

In his fights, he had viewers completely starstruck as they watched the stream on UMW’s Twitch channel.

Jake Lipinski, a sophmore with an undecided major, was one of the hosts for the UMW Twitch channel’s coverage of the event. He described some of the technical aspects of Super Smash Brothers, such as reading an opponent’s moves, which pertains to looking at their patterns and tendencies in their gameplay.

“There’s reading in the game because if they ever do a special thing, usually rolling or smart dodging or something … if it’s a spot dodge, it gives you invincibility to stand still,” Lipinski said. “And so they’re able to read it like that, where they were going and [Walker] was able to follow whatever was in there and to keep the combo going. And I just think that’s such a it’s such a cool thing to see, especially with online Smash Bros.”

The Smash Brothers online competitive play scene is not without its issues however, according to Yatsko.

“Offline, there is no input delay from where you click the button to when that input happens,” he said. “Online, there are five milliseconds of delay and since it goes by frames, it’s five over 60. So there is oneeighth of a second of delay from when you press the button to when it happens, which isn’t a lot when you think about it, but when feeling it there are some moves that come out in one-sixtieth of a second, which feels super sluggish online.”

When practicing in the esports lounge, the team does not have to take into account this delay, which can be challenging on game days.

The next scheduled match for the UMW Smash Brothers blue team will be on Nov. 9 at 7:00 p.m. against the University of Kentucky.

Men’s Soccer (13-1-2)

Oct. 25 vs. Catholic (1-0) Oct. 28 vs. Christopher Newport

Women’s Soccer (7-7-1) Oct. 24 vs. Catholic (0-2) Oct. 28 vs. Johns Hopkins

Men’s Rugby (3-1)

Oct. 21 vs. Penn State University (20-15) Oct. 28 vs. St. Bonaventure

Women’s Rugby (3-1) Oct. 22 vs. Maryland (42-5) Oct. 28 vs. TBA

Field Hockey (10-7)

Oct. 22 vs. DePauw (6-3) Oct. 28 vs. Christopher Newport

Women’s Volleyball (21-2)

- Jack Yatsko After he played, Howar commented on his strategy for the game.

“My game plan was pretty much to just stay as far away from [my opponent] as possible because any attack he would hit me with would probably kill me,” he said. “So I just planned to zone them out with my utility.” Utilizing the stage—the physical space that the match takes place in game itself— was key to Howar’s victory, launching his opponent against it to secure his win.

In the third round of the first set of 12, freshman Chance Walker impressed spectators with a game-changing set of matches which brought UMW closer to the win.

Walker managed to take out two opponents, which brought the last round of the first set to 1–3 with Campbellsville in the lead.

Callie harkins Associate Editor

Oct. 20 vs. Chris. Newport (3-1) Oct. 21 vs. Salisbury (1-3) Oct. 28 vs. Emory Oct. 28 vs. Averett

Games are available to watch via livestream on the UMW Athletics webpage Full schedule not listed above.

Most recent games included.

Bold indicates home game.

The Esports arena is reserved for the competitive teams in the afternoon.

Charlie Li / The Weekly Ringer