A chipmunk rests between fall leaves on campus.
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Anti-abortion activist incites campus-wide protests and division during speaker event
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Bell tower logo designed by Bernadette D’Auria ‘22
Anti-abortion activist and Students for Life spokesperson Lydia Taylor Davis visited UMW’s campus on Monday, inciting protests from students and community members opposing her rhetoric and presence at the university.
The main event was devoted to audience participation, which ranged from students asking Davis about her activism to 30 minute debates about ideology. The latter included topics such as rape culture, biological definitions of life, the purpose of abortion laws and LGBTQ+ identities.
Elizabeth Kyne, a junior philosophy major who engaged with Davis during the event, speculated that Davis was only interested in collecting clips for her Instagram page.
“My issue with you here is that you’re here to propose that Gen Z is anti-abortion, and what I hope, if anything, this demonstration shows you, is that they’re not and that they don’t plan to be.”
- Sera Delinsky
“That is all she wanted. She did not care about having an actual conversation,” Kyne said.
Another student who spoke during the event, junior psychology major Sera Delinski, disagreed with the event’s premise that Davis was making Gen Z anti-abortion.
“My issue with you here is that you’re here to propose that Gen Z is anti abortion,” she said. “And what I hope, if anything, this demonstration shows you, is that they’re not and that they don’t plan to be.” Delinski continued, “And if you can look
at the recent election, if you look at anything, it can say that people are not in the habit of regressing the rights that they have already achieved.”
Earlier in the day, Davis tabled on Campus Walk in front of Lee Hall, where she encouraged passersby to debate their opinions on abortion with her. The tabling attracted both supporters and protestors. By 1 p.m. that afternoon, the crowd appeared to split down the middle, with supporters gathering on one side of Davis and protestors gathering on the other.
Ayiana Allen, a junior international affairs major, attended the tabling and held a sign that read “I will not carry a rapist’s fetus.”
“Mostly I just want to send that, you know, everyone should have a choice over their body,” Allen said. “We don’t outlaw things that men do, so why do we outlaw things that only women can do. You know? So I guess—if you have a womb, I should say—that if you’re able to have a child.”
She continued, “I love America. I love my freedom of speech, and I’ll do anything to keep our values without white supremacy.”
Many students at the protest echoed the sentiment that Davis’s presence on campus was inappropriate.
“I think her ideology, even if she wants to claim that she isn’t for all these laws, her ideology is directly contributing to women dying due to strict laws. And I think it’s bullshit,” said Viktor Newby, a junior sociology major.
Davis’s stop at UMW was the last of her ‘Make Gen Z Anti-Abortion’ tour, and culminated in a three-hour talk in the Cedric Rucker University Center’s Chandler Ballroom. The event was organized by the UMW Students for Life chapter and was attended by over 300 students, staff and community members.
While the front rows were reserved for members of the Students for Life club, pro-
testers filled in seats in the back half of the room and held signs standing against the back wall. Signs included pictures of a uterus with “Not government property” printed across it, and “I am a woman, not a womb.”
“Troy Paino and all the other university administrators, they claim to stand for our ASPIRE values, and yet they allow people like this to come here and tell women what they can and cannot do with their bodies? Tell my community members what they can and cannot do with their bodies? This is absurd,” said sophomore history major Nick Thodal.
“Troy Paino and all the other university administrators, they claim to stand for our ASPIRE values, and yet they allow people like this to come here and tell women what they can and cannot do with their bodies?”
- Nick Thodal
He continued, “We as a community, I’m proud of us that came out here and are standing against stuff like this, people who feel big and brave now that they’re guys in office, but we’re here, and we’re just as American as they are.”
The event ended at exactly 9 p.m., and Davis exited the stage to a cacophony of boos, jeers and applause. The audience was asked to leave the ballroom as Davis posed for a photo with the UMW Students for Life club members.
“I was proud of how many people went up there and said something and just made their voices heard. I think that’s the most we could do,” Delinski said.
Protestors attended the “Make Gen Z Anti-Abortion” event on Monday night, holding signs that said “Make Gen Z Anti-Fascist” and “Keep your hands off my rights.” Over 250 students, staff and community members attended the event. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Kyne
ELLA CORDLE AND MEAGHAN VAN DYKE Opinion Editor & News Editor
November 14, 2025
Financial barriers inhibit access in studio art
VIOLET AYERS
Photo Editor
Before I took Photography 1, I was warned it would be expensive. The class required me to obtain archival film sleeves, 10 rolls of film, 50 to 100 sheets of photo paper and most importantly, a film camera with full manual settings—something that very few major manufacturers have produced in the last 20 years.
Materials required for studio art classes can be expensive and difficult for students to source and more could be done to help alleviate these costs. If professors were better able to provide resources to students, and students were more proactive in looking for resources, these issues could be improved.
These challenges are not necessarily the studio art department’s fault, since high-quality art supplies are expensive and niche art forms require specialized gear. If I want to shoot a roll of film, it’s going to cost at a minimum around $5 to $8 for a 36-shot roll. If I want to actually develop that film, I would need to pay a lab somewhere around $10 to $30, or I would need to have the gear to develop it myself.
Developing film in a dorm room is, surprisingly, relatively feasible, but actually making photographic prints from that film is a different story. Doing so requires large and expensive equipment, good enough ventilation so that you don’t inhale the potentially toxic chemicals and an effectively light-proof working space so as not to ruin your photo paper.
“Materials required for studio art classes can be expensive and difficult for students to source and more could be done to help alleviate these costs. If professors were better able to provide resources to students, and students were more proactive in looking for resources, these issues could be improved.”
- Violet Ayers
In this regard, studio art classes can make art a lot more accessible. Melchers has a darkroom with a proper ventilation system, a fleet of film enlargers and safe working lights that can’t damage your work. Despite this, getting the materials for classes remains an obstacle.
“There’s not really stores that exist that you can just go into and be like, ‘hi. I would like code six fire glaze,’” said Nina Cherry, a junior studio art major. “You have to buy it online, and a lot of the things online are really bad unless
you buy the professional stuff that’s in bulk because it’s professional.”
For students taking a few studio art classes for fun, this might be a relatively minor issue, but for those in the major who are required to take a variety of studio art classes, such issues can compound.
“When you’re trying to enter the major, you’re taking a lot of classes like, you know, design principles and sculpture one or something like that, and so you’re going to be buying bags of plaster and like whole spools of wire, and you’re gonna use it for one whole project,” said Cherry.
According to junior studio art major Vic Koutsouftikis, who is also a studio aide and president of the Student Art Association, resources to mitigate the costs for at least some art classes do exist, but people may not know about them.
“I think it’s also just like students are told by professors at the beginning of the semester, ‘we have a limited amount of free stuff, so please go out and get your own stuff for this class because I can’t give you away all this stuff,’ and then they don’t actually go to the students who may be struggling and be like, ‘hey, I do have some stuff for free for you.’” said Koutsouftikis.
Being more proactive in reaching out to students who are struggling with their materials would definitely help, but professors’ budgets are limited and can’t just cover excess materials for students. Providing more funding to the studio art department could definitely help alleviate these issues. If supplies were less limited, more students could be helped and students would likely feel less bad about taking from these limited supplies.
Another way to help students with their art materials is to look for supplies which already exist in and around Melchers.
“I’m still finding new things about this building, like all the time,” said Koutsouftikis. “If a professor is a newer one, how are they ever meant to know the nooks and crannies, or where people keep the extra supplies.”
Melchers itself isn’t the only place where students can look for supplies. Cherry claims that they haven’t spent a single cent on their woodshop class, as they’ve been able
to find plenty of wood in dumpsters on campus.
Additionally, according to Koutsouftikis, on-campus clubs such as the Student Art Association may be able to help with sourcing materials or learning skills for specific art projects.
Art is expensive, and the cost of studio art classes reflects this. My experience with studio art has been a good one, yet there are a variety of things that students, professors, and the school could do to make costs more manageable.
Some students have resorted to finding their own art materials in uncoventional ways. Violet Ayers / The Weekly Ringer
Materials required for UMW art classes, such as film, can be exorbitantly expensive. Violet Ayers / The Weekly Ringer
UMW’s dark room, located on the second floor of Melchers Hall, is available to all photography students. Violet Ayers / The Weekly Ringer
UMW Theatre’s “Godspell” graces the Klein stage
SAMUEL HUXSCOLL Staff Writer
It’s the greatest story ever told. The Son of God, a young carpenter, preaches to his followers a message of forgiveness that upends the social order. And then they all play in a game show. Wait, what?
Before I saw UMW’s performance of “Godspell” on Nov. 5 at Klein Theatre, I’d begun to read up about the play online. Having no prior knowledge of the play, my online research surprisingly left me with more questions than answers.
“I’m not gonna lie, I was a hater when it was first announced,” said Kamryn Frias, a junior theatre major and an assistant to the sound designer. “However, after working on the show myself, I grew a newfound appreciation for it.”
After watching the performance myself, I can confirm that “Godspell” was a satisfyingly fun, kinetic production of hope, tolerance and eventual resolution.
A musical by Stephen Schwartz, “Godspell” is based on the Gospel of Matthew, but with a modern twist, retaining the message and content of Jesus’ parables, while finding ways to be relatable two thousand years later.
“It’s a story of community and how one message from one person brought together these groups of people entirely different from each other, with the message ultimately being to be kind to one another,” said English and theatre double major Sarah Lenahan, who plays a disciple named Sarah.
“Godspell” sets itself apart from other plays UMW has put on because its cast plays versions of themselves as followers of Jesus, allowing students to be able to add more of their own personality into the production and contribute more to the multitude of gags—including one where the characters play a game show—and relevant pop culture references.
“You are playing yourselves as believers, as people who are taking Jesus’ message,” said Lenahan. “It was interesting to play myself but differently.”
When imagining Jesus, you probably aren’t thinking he would be the type to wear a black sweatshirt and jeans, but each character has the sort of outfit you would see someone wear on Campus Walk, while still having a lot of personality to the designs. Many of the costumes were stitched by students and designed to fit each character in the modernized setting.
“My costume for Sarah is the cutest thing ever,” said Lenahan. “The fact that my outfit was a senior project for a fellow theatre major was amazing.”
Another part of what makes “Godspell” unique is its interactivity with the audience, who are often the center of memorable moments in the play. Actors perform along the halls, chat with the audience and someone has the chance to be brought on stage for a key comedic bit.
“A lot of this work was devised by us and we did a lot of improv and playing around with different shapes and ideas to see what stuck and then kept it for the final product,” said senior theatre major Rachel Piotrowski.
What ultimately brings the whole show together is the effortless chemistry the cast has with one another. It was obvious, even as far back as I was, how much fun they were having.
UMW’s “Godspell” is playing at 7:30 p.m. from Nov. 20 to Nov. 22 and at 2:00 p.m. on Nov. 23 in the Klein Theatre, costing $5 for a student ticket purchased at the box office.
“I have never felt so close to a cast in my life,” said Piotrowski. “We are all genuinely good friends and have worked so hard to tell these stories and I really think this shows up for us on stage.
She continued, “I love getting to be silly and emotional with this group of people and seeing all of the work we have done and how it all holds together has been wonderful.”
Overall, Frias, who witnessed the collective work put into the play by herself and her peers, believes that all the hard work was worth it to see the show in its final state.
“It’s so fun seeing the lights and set come together,” she said.
“What I really hope the audience takes away from the show is that it isn’t just some story about Jesus, but rather about a community coming together and supporting one another,” Frias said. “That’s at least what I took away from it.”
Expect the unexpected while watching the sporadic humor of UMW’s performance of “Godspell.” The play offers comedic relief that keeps you on your toes.
Photos by Geoffe Greene
Left to right: Ciarra Hopson, Rob Willcox, Caroline Rous. Photos by Geoffe Greene
Audience interaction and on-the-spot wit curates the perfect performance of humor and amusement. “Godspell” is a spiritual experience of comedy.
Photos by Geoffe Greene
Left to right: Giannii Marshall, Caroline Rous, Jonah Hilbert, Jeffrey Cobb Photos by Geoffe Greene
OPEN in klein theatre NOW THRU NOVEMBER 23 TICKETS ARE $5 w/ UMW ID AT THE KLEIN THEATRE BOX OFFICE IN THE LOBBY OF DUPONT HALL (Limit TWO tickets per UMW ID)
Crossword
CREATED BY COLE RASMUSSEN
Across
2. What is the education building called?
5. Godspell
7. This building connects Randolph and Mason
8. Which club is geared towards supporting women in the workplace?
9. Shakespeare group on campus
13. Women's Frisbee Team
14. Art Building
15. On the third floor of the CRUC
18. There are 3 of these on campus
19. First floor of HCC
Down
1. This is on the second floor of James Farmer Hall
3. What is the improv group on campus called?
4. PAC just had this event
6. Simpson ______
10. News for Mary Wash faculty and staff
11. What building was the first to house all four classes?
12. Talk to the Hands club learn about this language
16. What do professors want?
17. UMW's Winterguard
Crime Column
MEAGHAN VAN DYKE News Editor
is based on UMW Police reports from Oct. 27 to Nov. 12.
Petit larceny
On Oct. 12 and Oct. 14. at 5:30 a.m., there was a case of petit larceny at the Lee Hall Breakroom. This case is pending.
Poss. drug
paraphernalia
On Oct. 15 at 1:20 p.m., there was a case of poss. of drug paraphernalia in the UMW Apartments. This case was referred to O.S.C.A.R.
Tresspass notice served
On Oct. 15 at 8:04 p.m., there was a case of tresspass notice served at 1115 Emancipation Hwy. This case was referred to FCPD.
Underage poss. of alcohol
On Oct. 25 at 2:48 p.m., there was a case of underage poss. of alcohol on Battle grounds. This case was referred to O.S.C.A.R.
Underage poss. of alcohol
On Oct. 25 at 10:04 p.m., there was a case of underage poss. of alcohol in Willard Hall. This case was referred to O.S.C.A.R.
Vandalism
On Oct. 26 at 5:10 p.m., there was a case of vandalism at Battlegrounds. This case is pending.
Larceny of a Bike
On Nov. 3 at 2:10 p.m., there was a case of larceny of bike at Combs Hall. This bike was recovered.
Petit larceny
On Oct. 31 and Nov. 2 at 2:25 p.m., there was a case of petit larceny at UMWPD HQ. This case is pending.
Students protest anti-abortion activist
To advertise Davis’s visit, UMW Students for Life painted the spirit rock the day before her appearance. On the same day, just hours later, protestors repainted the rock in protest of her event.
“I
hope next time an organization brings a guest on campus that students disagree with, they will uphold the ASPIRE values and not resort to misogynistic and degradating language.”
- Angela Payne
In response, Davis posted a video of students repainting the rock on her personal Instagram, garnering nearly 5,000 views and 1,500 comments in three days.
President of the UMW Students for Life chapter and senior mathematics major Angela Payne began organizing the
event in August.
“I asked [Taylor Davis] to come to Mary Washington to share the pro-life position,” Payne said.
She continued, “I wanted to draw attention to that issue and ask the UMW community to think critically about what is going on.”
Payne felt the event was a success, though she was upset by the actions of some of the protestors.
“I hope next time an organization brings a guest on campus that students disagree with, they will uphold the ASPIRE values and not resort to misogynistic and degrading language,” she said.
“From my point of view, it seems very like they don’t let her talk. People don’t let her talk, and it’s very ‘I’m right and you’re wrong.’”
- Coby Gilyard
The event was not exclusively attended by protestors; some students were in support of Davis.
“I’m quite proud of her,” said junior history major Marcus Flanagan. “She’s doing something very brave. The people are being very rude, but she’s still being able to have, you know, open discussions, speak freely and I’m glad that she’s speaking about the right thing.”
Other students felt the purpose of the tabling was lost in the chaos of the crowd.
“Disruptive is the word I would give it,” Coby Gilyard, senior communication and digital studies major, said. “Because it is hard, because obviously she comes here to try to talk, and from my point of view—I could be very wrong— but from my point of view, it seems very like they don’t let her talk. People don’t let her talk, and it’s very, ‘I’m right, you’re wrong.’”
Despite the chaos around the event, Gilyard remained open-minded.
“I’m curious to see what she has to say, what others have to say,” Gilyard said.
Vice President for Student Affairs Michael Walsh quipped at the event that it was one of the best-attended of the year.
Grace Wagner contributed to reporting for this article.
Davis tabled in front of Lee Hall ahead of her speaker event in Chandler Ballroom. Violet Ayers / The Weekly Ringer
FROM PROTEST, PAGE 2
The Crime Column
Students sit on top of the rock after painting over an advertisement for the event. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Kyne
Sports
UMW men’s basketball team takes off in season opener against Guilford College
LAGRAIZE Staff Writer
On Nov. 7, the UMW men’s basketball team won its season opener against the Guilford College Quakers with a final score of 82–78.
The Eagles played a competitive game for all four quarters, the score being even with one minute left in the match. The Eagles were eventually able to overcome the tied score with great plays from Kye Robinson, a sophomore business administration major, Ulysses Young, a sophomore accounting major and Jay Randall, a junior business administration major.
“It could have been better, but we’ll take the win for sure,” said Randall.
Given their effective defense, the Eagles had a total of five blocks and eight steals, totaling nine points off of Quaker turnovers. Despite the competitive defensive run, both the Quakers netted nearly 100 points.
“We usually don’t like having teams go over like 50 or 60 points, but we had to grind it out at the end,” said Randall.
Randall recognizes that there is room for improvement as the season continues.
“I feel like we definitely could have cleaned up the turnovers for sure,” he said.
The team was able to pick up the pace by the end of the second quarter with swift passes and quick thinking when scoring.
The teams were neck and neck for the majority of the game, the score remaining close
University of Mary Washington Fall Sports Schedule
Men’s Swim and Dive (2-0)
Nov. 8 vs. Frostburg State University (175-87)
Nov. 14 vs. St. Mary’s College Maryland
strategy of the Quakers was ultimately their demise, having a total of 31 fouls, giving the Eagles plenty of free throws from Robinson and Young, who hit six free throws total in the final seconds of the game.
Robinson made eight field goals and 13 free throws, ending the game with 30 points
until the final minutes. At the two-minute marker, the teams were at 75 points each, with the Quakers picking up their pace in the game. However, the aggressive defensive
in the first game of the season.
“It was a grounded out game, so we just had to find a way to play,” said Young Closely after this win, the team prepared for their next game the following day against Eastern Mennonite University, winning by a final score of 72–64.
“I feel like we did some good things in our scrimmages, but we still have stuff that we have to clean up for our game tomorrow,” said Robinson.
UMW’s men’s basketball team will play again on Nov. 21 against Trine University Great Lakes Invitational in Washington, Pa., as they defend their national ranking of placing 15th in the Division III Hoops Poll.
“I like how we played offensively, put up a lot of points today,” said Robinson.
Women’s Swim and Dive (8-19)
Nov. 8 vs. Frostburg State University (179-83)
Nov. 14 vs. St. Mary’s College Maryland
Volleyball (8-19)
Oct. 25 vs. Johns Hopkins University (0-3)
Oct. 28 vs. Roanoke College (3-0) Nov. 1 at Salisbury University
Men’s Rugby (2-4)
Nov 8 at Southern Virginia University (29-25) Nov. 15 vs. Ohio State University
Men’s Basketball (2-0)
Nov. 7 vs. Guilford College (82-78) Nov. 8 vs. Eastern Mennonite University (72-64) Nov. 16 vs Yeshiva University
Women’s Basketball (2-0) Nov. 9 vs. DeSales University (5981)
Nov. 14 at Chatham University Nov. 15 at Allegheny College Games are available to watch via livestream on the UMW Athletics webpage www.eagles.com/composite
Full schedule not listed above. Most recent games included. Bold indicates home game.
ENYA CEA-LAVIN Sports Editor
SOPHIA
Junior Jay Randall shooting while blocking a player from Guilford College. Violet Ayers / The Weekly Ringer
Mary Wash’s men’s basketball player Hasan Hammad jumps to shoot a basket. Violet Ayers / The Weekly Ringer
Mary Wash and Guilford College fighting for the ball causing players to tumble. Violet Ayers / The Weekly Ringer
UMW men’s basketball huddled on the court to strategize their next play. Violet Ayers / The Weekly Ringer