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Outside review proposes changes to UMW’s student conduct process

An outside review of UMW’s student conduct process recommended shortening the process, clarifying the procedures and expanding the staff of the Office of Student Conduct and Responsibility, among other changes.

“Staff shared that case adjudication can take up to a month from receipt of the incident report to a finding,” the report said. “This is much longer than the average case timeline either reviewer has experienced at current or previous institutions. ... Additionally, when a semester is only 14 weeks, a month is almost one-third of the semester for the student.” To combat this, the reviewers recommended eliminating the pre-hearing conference, which the office currently holds with each student involved in a case, in favor of a more efficient method.

Additionally, the reviewers said that the existing conduct procedures are confusingly written, and the processes should be communicated in a clearer way to students. Although the procedures should be clarified, the report said, the reviewers also noted that the procedures should be flexible enough to accommodate different types of cases.

“It took both reviewers multiple reads to be able to understand the system, and combined, we have 28 years of experience in student conduct,” the report said. “It is crucial to provide clarity in policy and procedures, but it’s also important to allow and permit flexibility. ... There are recent trends within the field of Student Conduct to allow flexibility in the case resolution pathways and options.”

The same flexibility should be applied to complainants’ rights, the reviewers said. When revising the student conduct policies, the reviewers

Panel discusses war in Ukraine

recommended that interim measures, such as no contact orders, schedule adjustments and temporary moves, be offered to the complainants while a complaint is pending.

“Every complainant has access to interim measures,” said Vice President for Student Affairs Juliette Landphair in an email comment to The Weekly Ringer. “Every situation is unique, and the interim measures enacted will be appropriate for that situation.”

“This spring, we will be exploring additional opportunities to collect campus feedback via assessments and training sessions,” the email said. “As we respond to input and concerns, we want to provide more oversight to the system, while balancing compliance and protecting students’ rights with compassion and proactive support.”

The review was prompted shortly after The Weekly Ringer reported on a student conduct case involving Tirzah Rao, daughter of Anand Rao, professor and chair of the communication and digital studies department. In 2017, after reporting that she was physically and verbally assaulted by a coworker on campus, Tirzah went through the Judicial Review Board—now named the Office of Student Conduct and Responsibility—as a complainant. Problems with the process and a lack of support from administration, she said, led her to transfer to Virginia Commonwealth University.

-Anand Rao

The report also suggested increasing collaboration between the Office of Student Conduct and Responsibility and the Office of Title IX, especially for cases that don’t clearly fall under one office’s jurisdiction.

“As student behavior is often complex and federal regulations are updated periodically, a structured process for case coordination and the handoff of cases between Title IX and OSCAR is essential,” the report said.

The report also noted that, “when looking at similar-sized institutions, one full-time role in student conduct is scarce.” Raymond Tuttle is the director and oversees the office.

The recommendations were sent to the UMW community in an email on Feb. 22, following an outside review of student conduct commissioned in April 2022.

CALLIE HARKINS News Editor

On April 22, 2022, University President Troy Paino sent an email calling for the outside review of student conduct. Throughout the summer and fall of 2022, the review was completed by Karen Belanger, director of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity at Virginia Commonwealth University, and Alyssa Reddy, director of the Center for Honor Integrity and Community Standards at Christopher Newport University.

The reviewers interviewed members of the campus community, including Tirzah and Anand Rao, administrators, the Student Conduct Review Board President and various students on the Honor Council.

“The document was only released this morning so I have not had a chance to inquire, but I am left with two questions or concerns,” Professor Rao said in an email comment to The Weekly Ringer.

UMW’s political science and international affairs department hosted an expert panel discussion on Feb. 20 titled, “The War in Ukraine: One Year On.” The discussion centered around topics such as U.S. policy response, the political scene within Russia, military action taken by both sides and ongoing European security, emphasizing that the war is far from over.

“These events matter, they impact human lives and by all indications, they are not going to stop,” said Jason Davidson, panelist and professor of political science and international affairs at UMW. “The war is not going to stop and the consequences for human life are not going to stop anytime soon.”

The panel was held nearly one year after Russian forces first invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Each panelist was allotted five to ten minutes to discuss the issue within the parameters of their expertise. The group was composed of three UMW faculty members and guest speaker Kelly Grieco, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank focused on enhancing international peace and security.

“I think it is important to emphasize that this is the biggest geopolitical crisis in decades,” she said. Grieco began the discussion by sharing her analysis of the Biden Administration’s foreign policy response.

JESS KIRBY Editor-in-Chief

“The process has a lot of problems that need to be addressed. Rather than simply devoting more resources I would think it would be better to first look at the management of that system and its administration.”

From left to right: panelists John Kramer, Jason Davidson, Arthur Speyer. Panelist Kelly Grieco attended via Zoom. Anna Blake / The Weekly Ringer

Thursday, February 23, 2022

The Editor-in-Chief

Weekly Ringer

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Corrections

Due to editor error, last week’s article “’We cannot keep living like this’: Resisting the normalization of mass shootings in the US” incorrectly stated that the Virginia Tech shooting happened on April 16, 2011. It happened on April 16, 2007. A photo caption also misspelled Brian Fraser’s name and @detroitnews, the source of the photo.

Due to editor error, the headline of last week’s article “UMW Theatre performs ‘Men on Boats,’ a play about the Colorado River exploration of 1989” incorrectly stated that the Colorado River exploration happened in 1989. It happened in 1869.

Please report any corrections to Jess Kirby at weeklyringer.eic@gmail.com or Sushma Subramanian at ssubrama@umw.edu

Bell tower logo designed by Bernadette D’Auria ‘22

UMW changes student conduct process rights and establishes appellate board

FROM REPORT PAGE 1

“The first is that it appears that the reviewers only met with one student who had gone through the process- that was my daughter and that meeting was scheduled after I offered it. I shared with administration throughout the review that it should be focused on the student experience. I don’t know if it is possible to have a complete understanding without hearing from more of the students who have gone through the process.”

Professor Rao was also concerned “that the review seems to suggest the need for additional resources.”

“I do not think that additional staffing or resources are necessarily warranted,” he said. “The review identified a number of inefficiencies in the process. My daughter and I were struck with how difficult it was to navigate, and like the reviewers we found the procedures to be highly confusing (they

reference this on page 6 under Procedures). The process has a lot of problems that need to be addressed. Rather than simply devoting more resources I would think it would be better to first look at the management of that system and its administration.”

Before the review was finalized, UMW administrators made some preliminary changes to the Code of Conduct, including “reorganizing and clarifying complainants’ and respondents’ rights and establishing an appellate board consisting of faculty, staff, and students,” the Feb. 22 email said. While complainants now have eight rights with two additional rights for complainants when the respondent was criminally charged, complainants previously had three rights and respondents had 12.

Those changes will remain, administration said. There will also be a system for reviewing the code during the summer and annually thereafter, with the goals of transparency, clarity and flexibility.

As these changes are implemented, the reviewers said, they need to be overseen by more than just one person.

“It is our belief that to successfully commit to implementing some of these recommendations, there must be an organizational change,” the report said. “These recommendations above cannot sit with one individual.”

Expert panel breaks down Russia-Ukraine war nearly one year after the conflict began

FROM UKRAINE PAGE 1

“The Biden Administration has effectively threaded what is essentially a top policy needle between trying to support Ukraine in its war efforts while also avoiding the dangers of escalation,” she said.

John Kramer, professor emeritus of political science and international affairs at UMW, spoke on the political climate within Russia. Kramer has a doctorate in Soviet area studies and has served as a research fellow for the Russian Research Center at Harvard University.

“What is happening in Ukraine—I think we would all probably agree—has not been a roaring military success for Mr. Putin,” he said.

Kramer discussed the logistics of revolution and possible future opposition to Putin sparked by the war.

“If you get a mass uprising and the potential for an alternative authority figure emerging, either from the masses or within the regime, aligning with the masses, then you have the possibility of an actual revolution,” he said.

Arthur Speyer, an adjunct instructor in the political science and international affairs

department and senior analyst at the Marine Corps Intelligence Agency, explained the military action taken by both Russia, Ukraine and NATO members. For the purpose of this panel, Speyer was not representing the Marine Corps and only spoke on behalf of his role as an instructor at UMW.

“We tend to think of wars here as infantry, special operations, ‘happening fast, be quick, get out,’” he said of the U.S. “But that’s not how the Russians operate.”

Speyer spoke on Russia’s willingness to use brute force as means to clear whatever is in its path, whether it be military equipment, or civilians. Because

of this, he said, concluding the war will be difficult, especially as Putin becomes more desperate.

“Any type of resolution to this war is not going to be easy,” he said.

Jenny Wolfe, a junior political science major, attended the panel because of her personal interest in international relations and current events.

“My biggest takeaway from what the panelists were discussing is that this is a really strange turn of events,” she said. “No one expected any of this to last more than a few days, and so no one really knows what an end to the conflict looks like or how Russia can come out of this

without looking weak.”

While the war is still ongoing, international attention has dwindled. Some students attended the panel in hopes of learning more about the current status of the conflict.

“I attended the event in the hopes of learning more about the current state of the war in Ukraine, especially because it isn’t receiving the amount of attention that it did during the beginning of the conflict,” said Tonia Attie, a freshman political science and philosophy: pre-law double major.

All four panelists concluded that the war is far from over. While Ukraine has surprised international players with its response to Russia, the panelists asserted that the road to resolution is long.

“It’s imperative for all students to keep up with world events, but especially those in the political science and international relations fields,” said Wolfe. “Our world is inextricably interconnected, so as the thinkers and leaders of the future we are tasked with understanding events like this in the hopes that we can be as prepared as possible in the future.”

“I don’t know if it is possible to have a complete understanding without hearing from more of the students who have gone through the process.”

-Anand Rao

From left to right: Jason Davidson, John Kramer, Arthur Speyer. Callie Harkins / The Weekly Ringer

Internet addiction is becoming increasingly prevalent and deserves more awareness and treatment

KATY

Staff Writer

In light of ever-evolving internet usage, the issues associated with technology are becoming more extensive and severe as time goes on. To support the treatment and recovery of individuals who suffer from mental health issues that stem from the rise in technology usage in society, there should be a greater awareness brought to internet addiction.

The term “internet addiction” was first coined in 1995, and the first hospital-based internet addiction treatment center was established in 2013 at the Bradford Regional Medical Center in Pennsylvania, according to ABC News. The treatment center implemented digital detoxes and therapy as well as educational seminars to help the internet-addicted. From this, it’s clear that internet addiction was an issue then, and it only has grown in intensity since with the increased usage of technology in the past decade.

From flip phones to now having the answers to all of our questions in our pockets, the dynamic that we have with the internet has evolved drastically, and it has become an essential part of our daily lives. Senior art history major Enrique Crank-Brock said, “Technology is such a major aspect of my life that almost everything I do involves technology to one extent or another.”

by Harvard University’s Science in the News publication.

“Companies create algorithms that cause teens to be more addicted, TikTok being an example where they have algorithms that produce content that you want to see, which leads to the addiction because you want to keep watching,” Heyn said.

With the world becoming increasingly reliant on technology, the negative consequences of spending too much time on a screen have become more evident. Internet addiction has become a widespread issue that can cause a decline in mental and physical health, according to an article from the journal Technology in Society.

Sophomore mathematics and computer science double major Katie Heyn conducted a research paper on computer ethics and how internet addiction can be detrimental to young adults’ mental health. “Internet addiction causes lots of issues for teens that want to fit in and connect with their peers, which means they are engrossed in their phones and not connecting with people on a personal, face-to-face level,” she said.

Having limitless access to media and content just a touch away offers endless opportunities to escape into another reality; however, there are risks involved with this unfettered access, especially for teens and young adults who have spent much of their lives interacting, socializing and communicating via screens and social media.

One of the factors behind internet addiction is the rewarding feeling that comes with likes, messages and notifications. Cognitive neuroscientists have found that positive social stimuli, like those we receive on social media platforms, result in a release of dopamine, which reinforces internet usage. “The short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops that we have created are destroying how society works,” said Chamath Palihapitiya, the former vice president of user growth at Facebook, in an article

Overconsumption of the internet can take time away from completing schoolwork or fulfilling other responsibilities, which adds stress and anxiety to people’s lives. This ultimately creates an endless cycle of avoidance and guilt, which has detrimental effects on mental health and well-being, according to an article in the Journal of Depression and Anxiety.

However, even though the addictive pattern within internet usage is stark, internet addiction is not given the proper recognition or care that it deserves to be treated within the world of psychology.

Leading this trend is the DSM-5—the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders—which is used by mental health professionals to diagnose mental disorders. Published in 2013 and updated in 2022, the manual does not include internet addiction in the official list of diagnoses but rather in the section that advises further research to be done on the topic. To ensure that people are getting the necessary help for internet addiction and other related modern-day disorders, the association should update the manual as soon as those findings are valid and reliable.

In a recovery story released by the Internet and Technology Addicts Anonymous, a member shared experiences and struggles with internet addiction in their work titled “The Only Thing That Worked.” The writer relayed their story about falling into internet addiction around the age of 15, which led them to isolate themselves from others. They wrote, “That was also the first time that I wanted to diminish my use of TV and computer but discovered that I couldn’t stop watching and playing. I was somehow glued to those machines.”

The member described the attempts they made to fight against internet addiction. “I blocked certain

websites, sites with particular key words, and access in the evening and night. I kept the password at a different place,” they wrote. However, as these attempts proved to be futile, the writer described further steps they took in order to fight their addiction, such as quitting their job, moving in with their mother and not having their own computer for the first two years of recovery.

Such stories point to the need for a recognized diagnosis and increased awareness so that those affected may receive treatment.

An ideal example of a comprehensive treatment approach is South Korea’s facilities for internet addiction treatment. According to an NPR article about these facilities, “Almost 20% of the population—nearly 10 million people—are at serious risk of internet addiction, according to a 2018 government survey.” To combat this, government-sponsored programs have been established to screen for internet addiction and provide preventative care and addiction camps for severe cases. One of the camps started by the national government, the National Center for Youth Internet Addiction Treatment, accepts teenagers who are heavily dependent on their smartphones and the internet for a two- to four-week program. Upon leaving such programs, students are connected to institutions that can provide ongoing counseling.

Such programs need to become more widespread, but that can only happen with increased recognition and awareness of internet addiction.

ROSE PRICE

We have a lot of technology at our fingertips, and it compels us to constantly check our phones to see what is in the media or what our family and friends are up to. Russell Carver / The Weekly Ringer

“Internet addiction causes lots of issues for teens that want to fit in and connect with their peers, which means they are engrossed in their phones and not connecting with people on a personal, face-to-face level.”

-Katie Heyn

“Technology is such a major aspect of my life that almost everything I do involves technology to one extent or another.”

-Enrique Crank-Brock

Student-led Eagle Con attracts over 300 attendees

CHARLIE LI Staff Writer

smaller scale,” said Jones. “We were really looking to just bring fun and excitement to UMW over the weekend. Our hope is that this will become an annual thing. We don’t want to tread toes on other conventions happening around Fredericksburg.”

There was a large variety of themed booths ranging from “Ghostbusters,” “Scream,” K-POP and anime. Cosplay was encouraged but was not enforced during the event. Along with this, many of the vendors were selling candles, stickers, posters and old comics.

Vendors from all over the greater Fredericksburg area attended after being contacted through social media.

Yatsko, a sophomore creative writing major, described the process of finding vendors for Eagle Con.

“We contacted vendors mainly through our Instagram. It started off as people being interested in the event in general and eventually, we announced that we were

There were celebrity guests such as Lexi Rabe, who played Morgan Stark in “Avengers: Endgame” and Nancy Anne Ridder, who played the girl in the bathroom in “Scream.”

Overall, the event coordinators are looking forward to next year’s Eagle Con and hope to implement some new improvements, such as a larger venue to house more vendors and more volunteers to help around during the event. The coordinators received positive responses from the vendors, and they are excited to come back next year.

Starting out as a small idea between friends, Eagle Con happened on Saturday, Feb. 18 from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. and attracted more than 300 attendees. Five months ago, the four showrunners—Maha Momtaz, Naomi Jones, Sky Shane and Jack Yatsko—could hardly believe what the result of their extensive planning within such a small time frame and with a limited budget would be.

Jones, a junior biochemistry and communication and digital studies double major, explained the showrunners’ vision for the event.

“It’s a Comic Con. It’s a convention just like the ones they have in Santiago and Richmond but just on a

-Sky Shane

looking for vendors. Through the people that already followed us, they talked to their friends and then slowly we started making more announcements about vendors,” said Yatsko. “It was a great response and we’re happy that so many vendors showed up today.”

Momtaz, a sophomore studio art major, described the arrival of vendors at the event as “unreal and amazing.”

Shane, a junior communication and digital studies major, had big plans for Eagle Con from the start.

“I really wanted to get the ball rolling early because I knew how big I wanted this event to be,” said Shane. “It was around Oct. 17 when Jack and I sat down and wrote down all our ideas, goals and deadlines we wanted these done by. From there, we all worked together to make everything come to life. So in around three and a half months, we had all of this planned completely out.”

“It’s a comic con. It’s a convention just like the ones they have in Sandiago and Richmond, but just on a smaller scale.”

The convention had booths of vendors from all over Fredericksburg. Sarah Sklar / The Weekly Ringer

Many students dressed in cosplay and took part in a cosplay contest. Sarah Sklar / The Weekly Ringer

Eagle Con took place last weekend on Saturday, Feb. 18. Sarah Sklar / The Weekly Ringer

There were celebrity guests at the event and some judged the cosplay contest. Sarah Sklar / The Weekly Ringer

Dear Davy: Long distance is hard enough, but now I have a crush and it’s crushing me

DAVY WASHINGTON Senior Writer

Q: My partner and I are long distance, but I find myself starting to crush on someone else. How do I get rid of a crush? I feel really guilty.

A: Thank you for submitting such a vulnerable and important question. As unfortunate as it is, long-distance relationships sometimes come with the harsh reality of losing the connection with our significant others. This is a situation I’ve personally been in, so I know it’s a horrible feeling to face. Especially if you’re having a connection with someone else who’s closer in proximity to you, this is a sign that you’re missing something that your current relationship isn’t providing for you. My knee-jerk reaction is to tell you to break up with your current partner, but relationships are more complicated than that, so let’s get into it.

What’s the relationship like with your partner?

Start by asking yourself questions about the relationship, reflecting on your needs and your connection to your partner. Was the relationship something you felt strongly for before it became long distance? Were there any stressors between the two of you causing strain on the relationship? While it is undoubtedly difficult to be in a long distance relationship, how committed are you to one another? If this is someone you’ve been with for a long time but you may be having some issues with at the moment, emotional distance and the inability to satisfy each other physically on a consistent basis—if that’s a foundational aspect to how you both express love and care

for each other—may make staying in the relationship even harder. It’s not unnatural to yearn for close connection with someone, and if you aren’t finding that in your partner and instead in someone else, you really need to consider where your heart lies.

What’s with the guilt?

You mentioned that you’re feeling “really guilty” about having a crush on someone else. Realizing that you’re not as committed as you thought you were can be a really difficult revelation, and it’s common to feel guilty in light of that newfound sentiment. However, the guilt isn’t necessary—you can’t change the way you feel and, I think you should lean into what your heart is telling you rather than shaming yourself. Based on what you shared in your question, you’ve done nothing wrong.

But, this revelation requires further action on your part to ensure that you’re not cheating or stringing your partner along. Even though this is a tricky situation to navigate, cheating on your partner is something you should never do, for the pain and emotional damage that it will cause cannot be justified by any reasoning or actions you may try to take. Even if you’re losing the emotion and attraction that you’ve previously felt towards your current partner, you should distance yourself from the person you’re starting to have an eye for and do some self-reflection about what you want romantically. If what you’re missing is the physical aspect of a relationship, brainstorm some ways to solve this element in your relationship before breaking it off—if you want to continue your current relationship. If you’re realizing that the relationship you’re currently in is no longer serving you or that you don’t feel as dedicated to your partner for more reasons than one, then breaking off the relationship you’re in might be the best course of action. If this crush is making you realize that you’re no longer able to fulfill the promises you’ve made to your current partner, breaking up with them is the most mature decision, too.

Decide what you’re going to do

Even though it’s hard, you have to make a decision about what you’re going to do, whether it’s breaking off your current relationship, trying to repair your relationship or something else. It’s not fair to you or your partner to continue a relationship that doesn’t have any promise of a future or that consists of wavering faithfulness. Write in your journal, talk to a close friend in confidence or dedicate a good chunk of your next therapy session to discuss this; it’s worth it because we have the obligation to treat those who are close to us with respect, and sometimes that entails breaking up with them when you’re no longer following through on your commitments.

If you want to break up

To have this tough conversation, sit down with your partner in a neutral environment where there isn’t any emotional attachment (not the place you went to on your first date, for example). Make it clear from the onset that you plan on talking about your relationship and what you both need for it to be successful, which, for you, is splitting up. This may be a shock for your partner if you haven’t mentioned anything prior to this and have acted like everything is fine, so peel the Band-Aid off slowly. Your significant other is likely to have a lot of questions, and there’s a chance you might not have all of the answers, but real and sincere honesty is the most important tool that you can use here; they deserve to know the truth.

If you don’t want to break up

If you decide that you don’t want to break up with your significant other, you need to distance yourself from the person you’re crushing on. If you’ve been flirting and they’ve been reciprocating, now is the time to let them know that you’re working on your relationship. Draw the boundary and make an explicit and outright effort for your partner. If you really care for them, you’ll do this; if you think that this boundary is too much, not worth it or unnecessary, it’s better that you break up and think long and hard about what you value in a relationship before you commit yourself to another one.

The bottom line

Bottom line, it’s natural to feel guilty, but don’t let it eat you up. As corny as it may sound, the heart calls for what it wants, and it’s telling you that your current relationship is not fulfilling enough for you. If you need a relationship with a more physical aspect, or even if you just feel like you need to move on, it’s perfectly okay to do that—no guilt necessary. Communicate and don’t keep your partner in a relationship that you’re no longer emotionally devoted to. If your partner were feeling this way, you’d want to know and not be strung along in order to prevent any unnecessary hurt. It’s best to act now before it’s too late.

Davy Washington gives relationship advice to students. Davy Washington / The Weekly Ringer

Long distance relationships can come with many obstacles. Kelly Sikkema / Unsplash

Crime Column

CALLIE HARKINS News Editor

UMW administers national Healthy Minds Study examining students’ mental health

PRIYA PATEL Senior Writer

This year, UMW is administering the Healthy Minds Study, a campus-wide survey about the health and well-being of its students. The study aims to gain a better understanding of students’ mental health needs and improve the services and programs provided on campus.

According to Vice President for Student Affairs Juliette Landphair, UMW is hoping to collect “data about the mental health and well being of our students” as well as “data about how UMW’s efforts to support students are faring.”

Petit Larceny

On Feb. 10 at 7 p.m., there was a case of petit larceny at the Heating Plant Lot. This case is pending.

This survey is being conducted by the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and other colleges and universities across the U.S. are participating as well. They hope to gather diverse perspectives of different types of students, including commuter, non-traditional and graduate and undergraduate students, in order to understand how students handle the stress of college and how their mental and emotional health needs are being met on campus.

“In a study like this, we aren’t actually testing an intervention,” said Justin Heinze, principal investigator of the study and associate professor of health behavior and health education at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. “For participating schools our study does, however, provide a picture of how their students are doing, where the institution has strengths in terms of promoting mental health, and where they could potentially direct resources. We also hope to reduce stigma around mental health and develop best practices that can be adopted by schools hoping to support their student bodies.”

According to Heinze, 100-125 institutions across the country are participating in the study.

“Hundreds of higher ed institutions participate in the Healthy Minds Study, so we will be able to compare how UMW does with other institutions,” said Landphair.

According to Dr. Tevya Zukor, director of the Talley Center, UMW’s participation in the survey will be beneficial in multiple ways.

Threats to extort

“Most importantly, it is a way to get direct feedback from our students about their thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes regarding mental health here on campus,” he said. “While we can, and do, survey students who utilize the Talley Center, that is less than 20% of the UMW population and those students have self-

selected to obtain treatment. Knowing the general attitudes of all students can be helpful in knowing what barriers remain and how the Talley Center can be the most responsive to those needs.”

According to Zukor, the survey results will be shared with UMW administrators, including Landphair and University President Troy Paino.

“It will allow the decision-makers at the University, including the Board of Visitors, to make informed decisions based on objective measures and allow them to directly compare us to other peer and aspirational institutions,” Zukor said. “The Talley Center is always looking to expand services. Robust data, like that obtained through the Healthy Minds survey, will provide further evidence and support for enhancing and expanding services.”

According to the study’s student frequently asked questions page, the survey responses are confidential, and students’ names and personal information will not be attached to any data. Instead they will be stored in a separate file. The research team will store the data from student responses in a secure digital location for future research. Any reports or articles about the survey will describe aggregate results and not any identifying information.

As a participating university, UMW will only receive a deidentified set of data. Any sports team affiliation or indicated country of origin will also be left out of this data set so that it cannot be guessed who any individual student is.

All UMW students, including those that do not fill out the survey, are automatically entered into a drawing conducted by the study’s researchers at the University of Michigan for one of two $500 prizes or one of ten $100 prizes. Winners will be notified by email this summer. UMW students who participate will also be eligible for a drawing for one of eight $25 Amazon gift cards.

Zukor emphasized the importance of high student participation in the study.

“A high participation rate gives us more confidence that our data accurately represents the entirety of our campus and the many diverse voices within our community,” he said.

The results of the survey, Landphair said, will help guide the university’s resources for mental health.

“We know that at the most basic level, students cannot pursue their degree if they are not healthy, so in Student Affairs, we seek to support students in their health, engagement, leadership development, and many forms of learning so that they can be successful academically,” said Landphair. “This national survey will help us understand where we need to focus our efforts and resources as an institution.

On Feb. 16 at 6:15 p.m., there was an incident of threats to extort at the UMW Apartments. This case is pending.

Students are automatically entered into the prize drawing that will be conducted by the University of Michigan. Zhivko Minkov / Unsplash

The goal of the survey is to help the University gain a better understanding of students’ mental health needs. Robina Weermeijer / Unsplash

Women’s swim team wins conference championship for second year in a row

UMW women’s swim team claimed victory once again at the 2023 Metropolitan Collegiate Swimming and Diving Conference Championship after the three-day meet in New Brunswick, N.J. The women finished well ahead of the 15 other schools in their division with 1,221 points, and junior Kinsey Brooks earned female Swimmer of the Meet. The men finished with 718.5 points, taking fourth place out of the 13 schools in the conference.

“The meet was a major success for both our women’s and men’s team,” said Head Coach Justin Anderson. “Our teams combined for over 140

University of Mary Washington Winter Sports Schedule

Throughout the strenuous three-day meet, there were highs as well as lows that made it a special experience, Anderson said.

lifetime best swims, we had multiple NCAA qualifying performances, and our women’s team won their 32nd straight conference championship title, while our men finished a very strong 4th among 14 teams.”

The women’s team was swimmingly from the start, coming out of day one with a

first-place win in the 400-yard medley relay and second place in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Brooks won first in the 200-yard intramural race, and the Eagles had several other top finishes. On the men’s side, they ended the first day with third place in the 200 freestyle relay as well as fourth in the 400-yard medley relay preliminary races.

There were “a lot of personal bests and season bests,” said Assistant Coach Halle Perry. “200 medley relay made the NCAA cut and they are waiting to hear back if they will make it.”

On Saturday for the women’s team, sophomore Bridget Wilson and junior Margie Jones grabbed the top two places in the 100-yard butterfly. Brooks took another first-place title in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:02.37. The men finished in fourth for the final 200-yard medley relay with freshmen Boone Fleenor and Will Burkey and seniors Aidan Deege and Ellis Winfree.

The finals on Sunday saw UMW athletes with several high-ranking swims. Brooks

won another first place in the 200-yard breaststroke with teammates sophomore Bridget Zagrobelny in third and senior Jenny Thompson in sixth. Wilson and junior Rose McMullen were 0.33 seconds

“The last event was the most interesting and exciting to me,” said Anderson. “At the conclusion of the meet, our women’s 400 medley relay time trialed that race to see if we could improve upon our time and move up in the national ranking. We were the only team swimming the race. The entire facility of nearly 1000 athletes and spectators was on their feet screaming and cheering for our women’s relay and they posted the fastest time in school history and dropped two seconds from just two days before.”

Paige Strycker, a sophomore sociology major, recalled some of the lighter moments of their

Women’s Basketball (20-5)

Feb. 15 L @ Chris. Newport (49-71)

Feb. 18 W vs. Salisbury (51-34)

Feb. 23 vs. Mount Mary

Men’s Basketball (18-7)

Feb. 15 L @ Chris. Newport (66-71)

Feb. 18 W vs. Salisbury (60-46)

Feb. 24 vs. TBA @ Santa Cruz, Cal.

Women’s Lacrosse (2-0)

Feb. 18 W @ Lynchburg (14-6)

Feb. 22 W @ Randolph-Macon (17-8)

Feb. 25 vs. Shenandoah

Mar. 1 @ Meredith

Men’s Lacrosse (2-1)

Feb. W @ Shenandoah (14-9)

Feb. 25 vs. Haverford

Mar. 1 vs. Lebanon Valley

Women’s Tennis (1-1)

Feb. 18 W vs. Washington College (9-0)

apart in their first- and secondplace finishes in the 200-yard butterfly, with Jones coming in only five seconds later for sixth place. For the men, freshman Kyle Johnson swam for 17 minutes in the 1650-yard freestyle and finished in 10th place. Junior Conrad Tan finished the 200yard breaststroke, also in 10th place. The men won fifth place in the 400-yard freestyle relay as well.

“It can be very mentally and physically exhausting going through championship meets,” said Brooks, a nursing major. “But we as a team always support each other in the best way that we can. There were many highs throughout the meet like bringing home another championship title, to relays getting NCAA B cuts.”

trip to New Jersey, outside of the pool. She and some of her teammates decorated their hair with tinsel and were allowed to decorate Anderson’s hair as well.

Feb. 19 L vs. Case Western Reserve @ Lexington, Va. (3-6)

Feb. 27 @ Chapman

Men’s Tennis (3-0)

Feb. 11 W vs. Centre (8-1)

Feb. 18 W vs. Washington College (5-4)

Feb. 19 W vs. Stevens (7-2)

Feb. 26 @ Chapman

Softball (0-0)

Feb. 24 vs. N.C. Wesleyan

Baseball (4-0)

“It was such an incredible moment to bring home the METS Championship title this year,” said Brooks. “It is always fun to see how all the hard work we as a team put in throughout the season pay off.”

Feb. 20 W vs. Gettysburg (8-3)

Feb. 24 vs. Castleton

Feb. 25 vs. Juniata

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.

EMILY HEMPHILL Sports Editor

Josephine Johnson contributed to reporting for this article.

“Our teams combined for over 140 lifetime best swims, we had multiple NCAA qualifying perfomances and our women’s team won their 32nd straight conference championship title.”

-Justin Anderson

EMILY HEMPHILL & EMILY RULE

Sports Editor & Staff Writer

From left to right: Rose McMullen, Abby Reilly, Sarah Yowell, Margie Jones, Megan Rinald and Kinsey Brooks. Photo courtesy of Sarah Yowell

Senior Ellis Winfree warms up with a backstroke. UMW Athletics

Senior Thalia Costanza looks up after finishing her race. UMW Athletics

“But we as a team always support each other in the best way that we can.”

-Kinsey Brooks