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The University of Mary Washington Student Newspaper Serving the community since 1922
Ringer
VOLUME 95 | ISSUE 19
MARCH 17, 2022
Faculty-led group travels to Poland during spring break
Mask mandate lifted with few exceptions
EMILY HEMPHILL Staff Writer Over spring break, a group of students and faculty traveled abroad to Poland for a Holocaust Memory and Polish Art and Culture program. Due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, over half of the 21 students who originally planned to attend stayed home and completed an online version of the program. While the destination of the trip was Poland, the war in Ukraine made a substantial impact on those who attended in person. The group was in Poland from Feb. 26 to March 5, which was at the onset of the Russian invasion, so the impending influx of refugees had not reached the country yet. However, support for Ukraine and preparations for its fleeing citizens was already evident. Despite controversy over whether to move forward with the trip and last-minute changes, the faculty-led group was able to see firsthand some of the consequences that war has on citizens around the world, which opened the door to conversations about the refugee crisis and ethnicity. “We fully counted on encountering refugees,” said associate professor of German and modern languages department chair Marcel Rotter, one of the faculty members on the trip. “But that turned out to be a good thing for students to actually see how something like that works and what effects war has on people. It helps put the war in a different light, which was very impactful for them.” Senior international affairs and German double major Shannon Harmon noted seeing the Ukrainian flag everywhere: in the windows of businesses, on public transportation and even a massive flag draped over buildings in the market square in the city of Krakow.
CLAIrE COLEMAN Staff Writer
Two men standing in the street in Poland protesting the war against Ukraine. Photo Courtesy of Megan Rinald
“We walked by a refugee center at a Jewish community center in Krakow that had a big banner saying ‘Welcome Ukrainians’ in Ukrainian,” she said. According to Harmon, blue and yellow lights lit up the night. Posters and drawings covered various structures with statements like “Glory to Ukraine.” A Jewish community center in Krakow had been transformed into a shelter ready to welcome refugees. Evacuating Ukrainians were being housed at the group’s hotel. Harmon and a friend passed a peaceful protest of the war on their way out to dinner. One student on the trip, Katriel Lee, a sophomore political science and pre-law philosophy double major, was seated next to a young woman leaving Ukraine on a
SEE POLAND PAGE 7
As of March 11, the University of Mary Washington no longer requires students or visitors to wear a mask indoors, excluding healthcare locations, classrooms, labs and mass transit. On March 10, students received an email from Anna Billingsley, signed by University President Troy Paino, confirming that, with exceptions, masking indoors will be encouraged rather than required. This decision was made due to declining COVID-19 cases at UMW, as well as the CDC listing local transmission in Fredericksburg and surrounding areas as low. New CDC guidance released on Feb. 25, which explained that “the risk of medically significant disease, hospitalization and death from COVID-19 is greatly reduced for most people”, also played a role in lessening COVID precautions, according to a March 2 email signed by COVID-19 Director and Chief of Staff Jeff McClurken. While some throughout the UMW community are hesitant to stop wearing their masks, others are comfortable with the change. “Given the dramatic decline in COVID numbers, I am comfortable taking off my mask on campus, as long as we are not in close quarters,” said environmental science professor John Tippett. “But for now, I will probably keep it on out of consideration for others who may not be comfortable, or who are immune compromised.”
SEE MASKS PAGE 7
University Center to be renamed after retiring Dean of Student Life Cedric Rucker jOSEPHINE JOHNSON News Editor Following Associate Vice President and Dean of Student Life Cedric Rucker’s retirement in June, the University Center will be renamed the Cedric Rucker University Center. The UMW Board of Visitors voted unanimously on Feb. 18 to rename the building in his honor. Rucker was overcome with what he described as a “stunning surprise!” “I am truly humbled. This is not one of those things that one ever expects in one’s life,” said Rucker. “I’ve been in university settings for years and I know that buildings are named for a cross-section of individuals but you never expect that of yourself! Not in a million years. But I’m humbly honored, very much so.” Rucker graduated in 1981 with a major in sociology as UMW’s first Black male graduate to live on campus. In 1989, he returned to the university as the Dean of Student Activities. His favorite campus tradition is Devil-Goat Day. “All of those things make us who we
INSIDE THE
RINGER
News | 2
New associate provost for career and workforce announced.
are,” he said. “Also, the special connection that our students have to one another. I love the way that Mary Washington students celebrate each other. I watch as students come in as first-year students, and the evolution that occurs along the course of a four-year journey.”
“I am truly humbled. This is not one of those things that one ever expects in one’s life.” -Cedric Rucker Rucker admires the friendships between students that grow and develop over time. “They’re going to weddings, each other’s weddings and celebrating new jobs! Going to [graduate] school together! I mean it’s the coolest, coolest thing. I think we in higher education are so fortunate that we get to see the evolution of individuals over the course of the years, and I love that, to
Opinion | 3 HB 1009 gives parents authority over classroom content.
me, that’s uplifting.” Senior history major Anthony Adams posted to the UMW meme page on Facebook about the University Center’s renaming, as well as Anna Billingsley’s retirement the same year. The post pictured a cartoon crying about the news of Rucker’s and Billingsley’s retirement. “When he and Anna announced their retirement, I was sad a little bit but was overall happy and thankful for their time here at UMW,” said Adams. “I think I’ll miss their interactions with students the most.” He continued, “Ever since coming to UMW, Dean Rucker has always been a constant in the ever-changing scenery here. Just seeing him walk around campus and greet students was great to see and truly made me feel welcome here.” After his retirement from UMW, Rucker plans to join the Peace Corps. This has been a dream of his since he was a student. “When I was a student, an undergraduate here, I had a professor by
Life | 4
The Petrucci Family Foundation loans art to exhibition.
Dean Cedric Rucker pictured in UMW’s yearbook, The Battlefield, in his graduation year 1981. The Battlefield / University Archives
the name of Alice Rabson,” he said. “Alice Rabson was in the psychology department and we talked about service. Service has always been something that is important to me.”
SEE RUCKER PAGE 2
Sports | 8
Esports teams will begin at UMW in fall 2023.