Weekly
October 11,
Club leaders see promising uptick in freshmen engagement despite an ongoing decrease in undergraduate enrollment
ANNA GOODMAN Staff Writer
Several clubs and on-campus organizations have seen a recent uptick in engagement thanks to this semester’s freshman
class. According to the Director of Media and Public Relations Lisa Marvashti, more than 1,000 new students joined the UMW community this semester, 741 of which are new first-year students who have been quick to get involved.
While enrollment numbers have been on a steady decline over the past decade, this semester has seen an increase in event participation and club membership retention rates.
“We’ve seen a huge uptick in engagement,” said Fiona Helms, a junior art history major and historian for the UMW Renaissance Club. “If memory serves, we maybe had five or so new members in the fall 2022 semester, and we are now looking at 4-5 times that number. This was the first semester I can recall where we’ve found ourselves ‘standing room only’ in one of the large HCC conference rooms. It’s really a great feeling.”
According to Helms, approximately 25 students showed up to the Renaissance Club’s interest meeting earlier this semester and over 50% of them were freshman. Many of the club’s new members learned about it through tabling at Club Carni-
val. Despite the event being moved from Ball Circle to the Cedric Rucker University Center’s Chandler Ballroom because of poor weather conditions, several club leaders attribute this semester’s success to positive interactions at the event.
“Club Carnival had nearly 100 people express interest across joining the GroupMe and email list, and the majority are overwhelmingly freshmen,” said Ecology Club President and senior political science Shad Yoder.
Yoder and Helms have also been encouraged by consistent turnout among these new members. In previous years, several club presidents say that attendance has sharply declined after the initial interest meeting, but this year there has been more consistency.
“For every meeting that pulls in smaller numbers, we have an event that has a great
Local journalists from various publications discuss news coverage and financial futures at UMW panel
KY HUYNH Associate Editor
Representatives from three local publications—The Fredericksburg Free Press, The Free Lance-Star and the FXBG Advance—offered advice to young journalists at a panel discussion highlighting the importance of local news.
“Embrace different mediums, embrace your youth, write what you know,” said Joey LaMonaco, managing editor of the Fredericksburg Free Press. “Be willing to be humbled and embarrassed.”
The discussion was hosted by the UMW communication and digital studies department on Oct. 2. Former journalist and Professor of Political Science and Director of the UMW Center for Leadership and Media Studies Stephen Farnsworth moderated the event. Alongside LaMonaco, Jake Womer, the managing editor of the Free Lance-Star, and Leigh Anne Van Doren, the publisher and president of the FXBG Advance board, emphasized adaptability.
“I’ve literally been on a different platform about every two years since 2000,” said Van Doren. “I’ve had to reinvent about every two to three years and that’s been amazing. It really is the content that you produce that is important, not where it is or how you’re serving it.”
Freshmen come to campus a week earlier than upperclassmen.
Photo courtesy of Anna Koutsouftikis
Left to right, moderator Stephen Farnsworth sits beside FXBG Advance Publisher and Board President Leigh Anne Van Doren, Fredericksburg Free Press Managing Editor Joey LoMonaco and Free LanceStar Managing Editor Jake Womer during journalism panel. Abbey Magnet / The Weekly Ringer
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UMW Student Activities and Engagement facilitates events that freshmen enjoy
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turnout,” said Yoder. “The best part that cannot always be said for my experience in other clubs is that we have had consistent engagement. Both within the group chat and our weekly meetings and events have consistent numbers that while it is not breaking triple digits by any means, we get new faces that may come one week and then skip the next which is really encouraging.”
In addition to the increase in engagement among student-run clubs, university operated organizations like the Office of Student Activities and Engagement have also been making strides in outreach and retention.
“This year, SAE is partnering with units across campus to have great programs on and off-campus for students to take advantage of on the weekends. Sometimes it can take the form of brand new programming like the great Eagle Duck Hunt or Hot Ones and at other times SAE may work to provide an amplified spotlight for programs that are already occurring on weekends like Cinema on the Square, Eaglecon Junior or Mary’s Rocktoberfest,” said Dean of Students and Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Melissa Jones.
Vivian Reinhardt, a senior communication and digital studies major, new student welcome coordinator and peer mentor coordinator is encouraged by the uptick in freshmen engagement.
“They just added so much since I’ve started here, and it’s so much fun to see.” she said. “Sammy squad just got started, which is like a volunteer-based SAE street squad, essentially, so it’s people that go out and help SAE.”
Jones says there has been great engagement through New Student Programs as well as campus traditions like Eagle Gathering. Much of this uptick may be attributed to increased marketing and publicity efforts. For example, Mary Washington student tour guides have intentionally
Bell tower logo designed by Bernadette D’Auria ‘22
highlighted Bingo when leading prospective students around campus—and it’s been effective.
This semester approximately 300 people showed up for the first game of Bingo on Aug. 27, and nearly 200 showed up for the second week on Sept. 2. According to Jones, only about 50 students were frequent Bingo goers in recent years. Because of the rapid uptick in popularity, Bingo has moved from Lee Hall’s The Underground to the Cedric Rucker University Center’s Chandler Ballroom to accommodate the large crowds.
“Bingo night is just one example, with hundreds of students participating, so it’s stayed in Chandler Ballroom,” Jones said.
Campus Programming Board, the organization that hosts Bingo, has also built up their social presence in hopes of reaching more students. Clubs like Ecology and Renaissance have similarly utilized social media platforms like Instagram to engage members and keep students up to date.
“Since September of 2023, I have been regularly engaging on our social media and posting about events,” said Helms. “As I
mentioned, our club has literally quadrupled in size since then. It’s made a huge difference.”
The influx of freshmen involvement brings fresh new ideas to organizations, executive boards and UMW as a whole.
“With the freshmen that come in and the new ideas that are flowing into UMW, it’s opening up so many different alleyways and interest and creativity,” said Reinhardt. “I know a couple organizations, they had barely any numbers last semester, but now they’ve skyrocketed.”
Since Fall 2018, enrollment numbers at UMW have steadily dropped. Going from 4,410 enrolled undergraduates in 2014, to 3,611 in 2023, campus clubs and organizations have adapted to the changing campus environment.
“All in all, we know that our students just want to be connected with each other so we’ve been excited to be able to provide that opportunity both during the week as well as on the weekends,” said Jones.
Samuel Chacra and Emma Kingkeo contributed to reporting for this article.
New freshmen have fun meeting new friends and making connections during New Student Welcome Week before classes begin.
Photo courtesy of Caty Taylor
Eagle Gathering is a yearly tradition for freshmen to be welcomed into the UMW community by upperclassmen. The candles are lit from person-to-person to celebrate the start of a new academic year. Photo courtesy of Caty Taylor
The “vote blue no
DEVIN SCHWERS Staff Writer
Eugene Vindman is running to represent Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, which encompasses the City of Fredericksburg, along with Stafford, Spotsylvania and Prince William counties. The Cook Political Report currently ranks the district as one of the top 43 most competitive congressional races this election cycle. If this seat is so important to the Democratic Party to keep control of the House, its nominee should be a much stronger candidate than the one it has.
Despite having no prior political experience, Vindman is known for acting as a whistle-blower alongside his twin brother Alexander in the Trump-Ukraine scandal, wherein former President Donald Trump was exposed for coercing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky into investigating a conspiratorial story about President Joe Biden’s relationship with Ukrainian leaders to hurt Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign. Throughout his primary, and now general election campaign, Vindman has continuously used the story to posture himself as a good candidate for the Democratic party in lieu of putting forth strong policy proposals.
Vindman has a severe lack of direction and planning when it comes to outlining his plans to improve the lives of his constituents. His platform is made of vague general sentiments rather than concrete policy. Outrage surrounding his candidacy began online late last spring with concerns of his connection to the district being weak in comparison to those of his opponents in the Democratic primary, and when a photo he had taken with a flag used by the Confederate government of Virginia was posted on social media.
Because of his lack of any real policy initiatives and his early controversy, Vindman has had a challenging time inspiring and motivating voters to be strong advocates for him. The core issue with Vidnman’s campaign is that it is unclear what types of voters he is attempting to reach. Vindman markets himself as a moderate candidate, who hopes to sway Trump voters into supporting him while at the same time being the guy who took on Trump.
“I do not believe Democrats deserve unconditional support; politicians and candidates regardless of party or platform deserve to be scrutinized.”
- Devin Schwers
On Oct. 2, Vindman faced off against the Republican nominee, Derrick Anderson. The debate only exemplified Vindman’s poor grasp of policy and his performance was disastrous. When asked about issues about the economy, abortion access or climate change, it was abundantly clear that Vindman had no substantive ideas to tackle these issues.
There were numerous times I found myself keeled over in my seat from second-hand embarrassment because of something Vindman said. The first question asked of the candidates was what they would do to ease the impact of inflation on consumers and help bring prices down. Despite completely missing the mark on why prices are so high or why consumers are suffering, Anderson delivered a sensible remark that struck at the heart of constituents and presented himself as able to empathize with the average voter. Vindman gave what felt like a robotic response
matter who”
sentiment is getting tiring
expressing sympathy. He spoke on economic distress affecting Americans, but it did not feel genuine, nor sound like he was in tune with how voters felt.
Vindman’s demeanor and presence on stage throughout the debate was that of someone who forgot they had a presentation the next day and decided they would figure it out as they went on.
Even as a longtime leftwing political activist and a consistent progressive voter, I can confidently say Anderson won the debate. I left Wednesday evening’s debate feeling sick, embarrassed and fearful for the future of my district and my country. Despite my hardline beliefs, I can confidently say that if I had been an undecided voter, I would have left an Anderson supporter.
If Vindman is such a weak candidate, but this race is one of the most important in the country, it begs the question of how we got into this mess in the first place.
Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger (D), who currently represents Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, was an exciting candidate for voters in our community. She has served in Congress since 2018 and will be finishing her third term this year. As someone who has knocked all across the district, voters view Spanberger as a saint here in Virginia.
Earlier this year, Spanberger decided not to run for reelection and to instead launch her gubernatorial campaign. She left this seat knowing it was one of the most competitive in the nation, and that whoever the next Democratic nominee was, they needed to be a strong enough candidate to keep this seat blue.
Anderson ran in the 2022 7th Congressional District Republican primary but was defeated by Yesli Vega. Luther Forbes, a volunteer and staging director for the 2022 Spanberger campaign, noted there was fear among upper-level campaign staffers about a potential Anderson victory in the 2022 primary.
“There was concern among other volunteers and campaign staff that Anderson would be the nominee,” he said. “Everyone knew Yesli Vega was the weaker candidate, and Derrick Anderson was a more potent challenger who lacked the voting record, history of controversial statements, and baggage of his fellow Republican opponents.”
Spanberger knows the power and influence she holds in Virginia. She knows the respect constituents have for
her in the district, she knows that a loss to the Republican Party is a real threat, and she knew Anderson was a real danger to Democrats. Why then, did she not find a successor? Spanberger did not put forward a candidate nor did she endorse anyone during the primary.
Spanberger has continuously presented herself as an advocate who works to effectively address the biggest issues affecting Americans today. If she truly cared about protecting the middle class, a woman’s right to choose or civil rights, she should not have abandoned her constituents with no successor during an open primary leading up to arguably the most consequential election cycle in my lifetime.
Make no mistake, I voted for Vindman. At the end of the day, despite the quality of the candidate they put up, the Democratic Party will always be better than the Republican Party. The unfortunate reality of living in a democracy with a duopolistic party system is that voters are confined to the two options they are given. I do not believe Democrats deserve unconditional support; politicians and candidates regardless of party or platform deserve to be scrutinized. However, when the options presented to voters are so thin, electoral participation must be done for the sake of harm reduction and not as a replacement for the activism and organizing that is required to enact real social change.
Organizing outside of the two-party system is incredibly difficult because the Democratic and Republican parties hold an incredibly long financial and social chokehold on American electoral politics. It’s not something that can be accomplished overnight. Therefore, if we want to make substantial wins in our government for the marginalized, and the lower class, for right now we must do it within the confines Democratic party.
The Democratic Party does not need to be a disappointment to the progressive movement. However, for the Democratic party to serve people in the highest capacity it can, it must be utilized by everyone. Be an educated voter, and vote in primaries. Do not allow big money and establishment candidates to control who represents us. Constituents have power, voters have power. If you are upset with the status quo you have a moral obligation to utilize that power.
Eugene Vindman speaks at Virginia 7th Congressional District debate.
Abbey Magnet / The Weekly Ringer
Percy Jackson takes on senior year in new book
As a long-time Percy Jackson fan I was excited for this book to come out. “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” was a gift in the sixth grade and introduced me to the world of fantasy. This series was an important part of my childhood and the person I became. Being able to return to this series has made me so happy.
When I picked up this book I expected it to be a good addition to my Percy Jackson collection, a flashback to my childhood. What was unexpected was how this book left me in tears.
On Sept. 24, Rick Riordan released his newest work of fiction, “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Senior Year Adventures: Wrath of the Triple Goddess”—the second book in a trilogy dedicated to Percy Jackson’s final year in high school.
Percy returns to face the newest adventure of his young demigod life. In this new quest, he is working towards getting into college. Percy must receive three letters of recommendation, but not just any recommendations, they have to come from the gods.
When Hecate shows up at Percy’s school, Alternative High, he doesn’t expect that his next quest will be pet-sitting at Hecate’s mansion for the week. But when things go wrong Percy and his friends must fix everything before Hecate returns the night of Halloween.
Anyone who has gone to college can relate to the fear and nerves of application season. The fear of “what if I don’t get in,” mixed with “I’m leaving all my friends and so much more.”
Riordan’s writing helps convey this through character conversations, Percy’s concern over upcoming deadlines and more. Reading all this happen to the characters I love reminded me of my college search and the stress and anxiety that came along with it.
Riordan is known for including snappy chapter titles and this newest book did not disappoint. Chapter titles like “Guess what? Weasel Butt” and “I am saved by my own doofus-ness” never failed to make me laugh.
Along with Percy’s sass and wit, the original trio that introduced us to this world has returned. Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood were a big part of my childhood. Camp Half-Blood was the world I could escape to when life got scary. Being able to return to this world provided comfort while schoolwork picked up.
While I didn’t know how Riordan would write a whole book just on Percy Jackson’s pet sitting, Riordan did what he does best and created interesting dilemmas for Percy, Annabeth and Grover to overcome. From Grover drinking a strawberry-flavored potion and destroying the house, to Hecate’s pets getting loose in New York City leading old friends to the rescue and so much more.
As often is the case in many book series, the main character explains what is going on and reminds the readers and what happened in previous books. Since I have read all of Riordan’s books I am pretty well versed in what has happened, and while I did not need a refresher, Riordan’s incorporation of Percy’s sass made me laugh and kept me reading.
Hecate’s threat of incineration looms over the group as it gets closer to Halloween. Our main trio’s fear and worry rise as they scramble to come up with a plan. As the story progresses and the stakes get higher, Riordan does a good job conveying those stakes to the audience.
Riordan does a good job conveying Percy’s anxiety to the readers as the story progresses. This has been done well throughout the books. Percy’s fatal flaw is considered to be his loyalty and you can see that through Riordan’s writing. Percy’s immediate concern for his friends and loved ones comes up often. You can feel what Percy is feeling through the writing in the book.
Percy discovers that his support system will still be there even if he moves across the country. His mom, stepdad and friends at Camp Half-Blood will always come to the rescue.
The book closes with beautiful advice everyone should hear: “Looking around the table, I know I was where I belonged, and even if we moved across the country, Annabeth and I would always have a home here. We wouldn’t be leaving anything behind. We’d just be spreading out our branches.”
You can’t be afraid to try new things. Home will always be there, even if you move far away.
be a place of escape for readers of all
I fell in love with these characters in sixth grade because they were relatable. They had ADHD and a need to be doing something. Annabeth Chase was smart and pretty, and she gave me the confidence to be myself. Percy Jackson was loyal and cared about his friends and Grover Underwood was the first character in a book I read that had anxiety like me.
Now, 15 years later, I still find them relatable. Percy struggles to pick a topic for his research paper, Grover just wants his friends to stick around, and Annabeth is determined to find what more is out there for her. I saw a little bit of myself in each of their stories.
If you find yourself looking for the next book to read or if you want something to pick up for Halloween that is an easy read, pick up “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Senior Year Adventures: Wrath of the Triple Goddess.”
SOPHIA TOMPKINS Staff Writer
The book cover of Rick Riordan’s latest book in the Percy Jackson series. Photo courtesy of rickriordan.com
Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson book series can
ages and offers colorful and imaginative worlds to get completely lost in. Photo courtesy of Sophia Tompkins
Personal Essay: Learning to spread my own wings as the daughter of a UMW alumna and professor
MARSHALL WATKINS Opinion Editor
I grew up on the University of Mary Washington campus, more or less. For the first eight years of my life, my family and I lived within very close walking distance of it. My father, who now holds status as professor emeritus, taught at the university until I was nine. Once I was old enough, he took me to class with him a few times each term. Before that, and before I could even walk, my mother often walked with me in a stroller down Campus Walk. She recently told me that she remembers those walks and
how surreal it felt to walk down campus years after graduating as an outing for her kid.
My mother graduated from Mary Washington College in 1993, before the university was renamed in 2004. She attended MWC in the era of The Dismemberment Plan— before they toured with Pearl Jam—when they performed in the underground in Lee Hall. RFK Arena was still a music venue, and she and her friends made the trip to D.C. to see the Grateful Dead there a few times. Despite her semi-frequent concert attendance, she still made it back in time for every softball practice. She remembers passing time with her roommates in Virginia Hall, looking out of their window and watching people walk by, observing them while listening to the Grateful Dead or The Doors.
My mother was an English major, student-athlete and student journalist. Back then, The Weekly Ringer was still called The Bullet, where she also served as a news editor her senior year and loved it. She made an admirably successful career as a journalist and I am proud to say that she inspired me to entertain the idea of becoming one myself. I remember going to work with her in the newsroom at the Free Lance-Star before its old building was demolished. I begged to accompany her when I didn’t have school, and she often said yes. I spent hours writing all over empty notepads and pretending to be a reporter myself.
As a child, I was very imaginative. When I was very young, I believed that Peter Pan lived in the amphitheater between Lee and James Farmer Hall. Specifically, I believed that he lived by the stage, in the big tree with dozens of initials carved into it. Some days I brought him chocolate milk and cookies. I left them on the bench right next to his tree and came back later that day or the next to retrieve his dirty dishes. Somehow my father always managed to sneak around me and enjoy Peter Pan’s dessert before I caught him. Eventually, I discovered that he was the imposter when I compared his handwriting from a grocery list to one of “P. Pan’s” many thank-you notes.
It is just like my father to entertain my childlike wonder. Every night growing up, I listened eagerly to him come up with a new part for one of his stories. He told these stories to my sisters and me, and our cousins, too,
if they were around. He built worlds that mimicked our own, with us kids as the characters. It is no wonder he taught English for so long.
I particularly enjoyed the days when he brought me along to sit in his Vietnam War Literature class as a kid and I think my little sister did too. Each time he taught the course, he led a field exercise final. It was an activity where the class was divided into squads, and each squad had to go from one campus to the other and try to find the enemy. He had volunteers, who acted as the enemies, stationed around campus and they would hold boom cards and enemy cards. If the squads asked them if they were the enemy, the squad would get a point, but if the volunteers could get up to the squad first before being asked if they were the enemy, they would hand the squad the boom card and the squad would lose a point. Students were not allowed to interrupt any classes or touch anybody, and they had to stay together the whole time. They started by Combs Hall and ended up at the gym where my father would wait for them.
CLAIRE
University of Mary Washington professors of the early 2000s, including Claire’s dad, pose together. Photo courtesy of Claire Marshall Watkins
Claire and her little sister Lili, reading a book with their dad. Photo courtesy of Claire Marshall Watkins
Claire poses with a book in a spot on campus that her family holds near and dear in their hearts. Photo courtesy of Lili Watkins
Claire’s mom, Janet, awaits the next pitch in a 1990’s Mary Washington softball game. Photo courtesy of Claire Marshall Watkins
Using my roots to branch out at Mary Washington
“Some years I’d have several enemies stationed around campus. One year I had no enemy stationed around campus. But they never knew. We did the field exercise final rain or shine. Afterward, each squad had to write an account of the day modeling their account on one of the literary works that we had read that semester,” he told me.
In high school, I was lucky enough to have him as my IB Literature teacher. We read Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried,” where I got another glimpse of my father teaching Vietnam War Literature. He assigned a creative project along with the book in which our class divided into groups to select and perform a song from that era. My group performed Sam Stone by John Prine, a song my father has played on his guitar every Christmas since I can remember. The goal of the assignment was to relate each song to the book and examine the anti-war sentiments these pieces of literature shared. I was just as engaged with his teaching and the material then as I had been at UMW years before.
While at UMW, my father also served as a faculty advisor for The Bullet from 1990 to 2010. He passed along the journalism gene just like my mom did. In The Weekly Ringer newsroom today, there is a copy of an April Fool’s Day edition of The Bullet hanging up from when my dad advised it, and the whole page is purely satirical, with him as its subject.
My father graduated from Florida State University, where he began his career in journalism, but his mother graduated from MWC in 1952. She graduated the same year that she and my grandfather got engaged. My grandfather visited her as often as he could while she was in university, and one weekend, he hitchhiked from Blacksburg
to Fredericksburg to see her. One night that weekend, he got down on one knee and proposed to my grandmother, on the bridge between Seacobeck and Campus Walk. She said yes, of course, and my father was born two years later. Before my grandmother passed, I remember spending as much time as I could with her. Every day during my first semester at Mary Washington, I wore her MWC class ring for good luck. Sometimes I climb up and sit on one of the walls of that bridge to read under the lamplight. It’s a very quiet spot, and I like knowing that my family existed there before me.
Now that I attend UMW, I’ve regained some of that wonder for the campus. I had forgotten the patterns of brick along Campus Walk where my sister and I used to play hopscotch. Before I enrolled, I never spent more than a few minutes on campus below the Spirit Rock. Now, I spend most of my free time studying at Simpson Library or the Hurley Convergence Center. I don’t leave milk and cookies for Peter Pan at the amphitheater, whose benches have since been renovated, but I do sit there to read, chat with friends, or call my little sister on the phone.
I used to feel as though I could never get far enough away from my parents’ careers, and that I never wanted to do anything remotely related to either field, English or journalism. Merely four years ago, I doubt I ever could have anticipated following so closely in their footsteps while feeling such joy and honor. Like my father once did, I spend hours each week pouring over language and literature in Combs, and, like both of my parents, I spend hours each week working on the newspaper. Since returning to Mary Washington, I gained a new sense of self. It just so happened that I was lucky enough to explore the opportunities that led me to it in an environment that feels like home again.
A tree carved with initials by the ampitheater is where a young Claire thought Peter Pan lived. Photo courtesy of Lili Watkins
Seasoned journalists offer advice to prospective news writers on the most important aspects of a career in the newsroom
FROM PANEL PAGE 1
In an era when short form content—like that found on TikTok—has shifted public interest away from traditional longform news, LaMonaco says that adjusting coverage to best serve your audience is imperative to promoting readership and content engagement.
“You are going to be producing news for the people who like to watch influencers,” he said. “For people who like to filter things through short form video.”
Womer similarly encourages young journalists to obtain practical skills best gained from hard news coverage. While learning to adapt as mediums change is important, building foundational knowledge is just as critical to success, he says.
“Get into telling hard news stories as quickly as possible,” he said. “You need to get into the harder news of covering governments, of covering stories about people and the challenges they’re facing and things that really show the breadth of what you can do.”
Womer recommends that young journalists learn to find value in writing for their university publications or for internships with local news outlets.
“Write for your school paper, try to seek out internships and try to do them in hard news because that is where you will get the opportunities with news organizations,” he said.
When looking for professional opportunities, the panelists say connections are crucial.
“Keep your eyes open and try to make connections,” said LaMonaco. “There are plenty of seasoned journalists who will be good to you and serve as de facto mentors for literally nothing in return and those are people who you will have throughout your career.”
According to LaMonaco, journalism is a relationship business—whether it be a professional connection made while job searching, or an assurance of trust between a reporter and source.
“It is a relationship business, whether it’s a relationship between you and your subject or you and your source,” he said. “There are different dynamics depending on what kind of work you’re doing, obviously, but it is a relationship business.”
Understanding objectivity is a similar skill young journalists must learn at the beginning of their careers. There is often a distinction between “truth” and “fact” and discerning the two using contextualization is important.
“If someone is saying something but last month they said something completely different, that’s worth men-
tioning in your story. It’s not opinion, it’s context, it’s perspective,” said LaMonaco.
According to Van Doren, complete objectivity rarely exists by virtue of how reporters choose to cover certain topics.
“Just the very fact that you’re picking and choosing which stories to cover, in some ways, betrays your internal biases,” she said. “It’s more important I think to be transparent and aware of your experiences and how they shape your reporting.”
All three panelists hail from different newsrooms across Fredericksburg but echoed one another in advising the prospective young journalists in attendance.
Van Doren’s publication, the FXBG Advance is a nonprofit news organization that focuses on topics such as education, local politics, housing and transportation.
“We’re focusing on those areas because we feel like those are areas that are important to the Fredericksburg Area,” she said. “I personally wanted a nonprofit newsroom because as the publisher of Fredericksburg Parent, I felt like I was covering—or attempting to cover—issues that were dismissed by society at large.”
As a nonprofit newsroom, the FXBG Advance is funded mostly by individual subscribers and small donors.
“We don’t really believe in large donations, where we’re mindful [of the] obligation to whoever’s getting these large amounts of money,” said Van Doren.
Like the FXBG Advance, LoMonaco’s publication, the Fredericksburg Free Press also operates as a nonprofit newsroom. In its coverage, the Free Press focuses on indepth reporting.
Crime Column
EMMA KINGKEO News Editor
The Crime Column is based on UMW Police reports from Sept. 27 - Oct 7.
Larceny of Bike
“In depth feature reporting, profiles, explanatory reporting—where you delve into ‘why’ as opposed to ‘what’ is happening at the moment of the news cycle,” he said. “Those are some of the first things to go, so kind of the key for us in prioritization.”
The Free Lance-Star operates using a different business model compared to the two aforementioned organizations.
“At the Free Lance-Star, we have a different structure,” said Womer, “We are a for-profit newsroom, as part of Lee Enterprises, which is a very large nationwide company, with several newspapers in the state of Virginia.”
Womer then spoke about the local reporting priorities for the Free Lance-Star which includes reporting on county and city governments, school boards and the greater community.
“We’re interested in covering government in a way that shines up light on the things that might otherwise be missed,” he said.
Several audience members in attendance are aspiring young professionals enrolled in a journalism course at UMW. Junior business administration major Jackson Beale attended the panel as a required class assignment, but says he left having learned something new.
“I thought it was good. I learned a lot about things I didn’t think I’d learn about, like how and why they write each story, and they choose which ones to tell,” he said.
Alden Friend contributed to reporting for this article.
On Oct. 4 at 7:06 a.m., there was a case of vandalism at Woodard Hall. This case is pending.
On Oct. 4 at midnight, there was a case of larceny of bike at Bushnell Hall. This case is pending.
Under Age Poss of Alcohol
On Oct. 5 at 10:10 p.m., there was a case of under age poss of alcohol at Custis Hall. This case was referred to O.S.C.A.R.
Students and community members listen to the panelists as they discuss relevant topics and share advice on how to succeed as a journalist in the short form content era. Abbey Magnet / The Weekly Ringer
Sports
UMW men’s soccer claw back from defeat against St. Mary’s with three second-half goals
On Oct. 2, the University of Mary Washington’s men’s soccer team defeated St. Mary’s College of Maryland by a score of 3–1. With this game, the Eagles continue the winning streak that has propelled them to the number-one rank in the nation for the fourth consecutive week.
The game started strongly in favor of St. Mary’s with an early goal by St. Mary’s freshman Zach Blaum. With such a strong display right out of the gate, it was clear this would be a competitive game.
“St. Mary’s was a tough game,” said senior Spanish major Joel Albritton. “We did not come out strong like we have in other games. They took advantage of that and put the pressure on us early.”
“I think we showed a good amount of mental resilience to come back from conceding an early goal.”
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Freddy Rogers
However, the Eagles came back after halftime to the game with an early second-half goal from graduate student Julian Schmugge. According to senior marketing major and goalkeeper Freddy Rogers, this goal was the spark that ignited the Eagle’s comeback.
“Schmugge had a fantastic goal to start our comeback and we were relentless from then on,” he said.
The Eagles struck again just three minutes later with a goal from graduate student Nelsar Castillo which was assisted by senior business administration major Jordy Santana and senior business administration major Gabe Francesconi.
UMW would score again in the 78th minute with a goal by senior accounting and psychology double major Blake Hoskins. This goal would give UMW the lead with a score of 3–1, which the Eagles would defend until the end of the match.
“I think that will be the key for us going forward, to treat every game we play as the most important. If we do that, any team we play is going to have a tough time beating us.”
- Joel Albritton
Rogers says that staying mentally resilient and focused is pertinent to having a winning team.
“I think we showed a good amount of mental resilience to come back from conceding an early goal,” he said. “It’s a sign of a good team if they can pick each other up and focus on the task at hand.”
The Eagle’s next match is Oct. 12 where they will take on Christopher Newport University at home.
“We have performed very well this year, but I think that will be the key for us going forward, to treat every game we play as the most important. If we do that, any team we play is going to have a tough time beating us,” said Albritton.
Men’s Soccer (11-0-1)
Oct. 5 @ Salisbury University (4-0)
Oct. 9 @ Stevenson University
Oct. 12 vs. Christopher Newport University
Women’s Soccer (5-3-3)
Oct. 5 vs. Marymount University (1-0) Oct. 9 @ McDaniel College Oct. 12 vs. Christopher Newport University
Women’s Volleyball (9-10)
Oct. 3 @ St. Mary’s College of Maryland (3-1)
Oct. 5 vs. Juniata College (0-3) @ Catholic University (3-0)
Oct. 9 vs. Marymount University
Oct. 12 vs. Christopher Newport University vs. Salisbury University
Oct. 13 vs. UC, Santa Cruz
Men’s Rugby (2-4)
Oct. 5 @ Life University (15-55)
Field Hockey (8-4)
Oct. 2 vs. Catholic University (4-2) Oct. 6 vs. Centre College (5-0) Oct. 9 @ St. Mary’s College of Maryland Oct. 12 @ Salisbury University
Men’s Swimming (0-0) Oct. 12 vs. Washington and Lee University
Women’s Swimming (0-0) Oct. 12 vs. Washington and Lee University
Games are available to watch via livestream on the UMW Athletics webpage www.eagles.com/composite
recent games included. Bold indicates home game.
THOMAS JACKSON Sports Editor
ALANAH MULLER Staff Writer
Graduate students #8 Diego Guzman and #20 Jared DuBose watch for action on the pitch.
Abbey Magnet / The Weekly Ringer
#13 junior business finance major Nathan Macek runs alongside a St Mary’s player as they both rush for the ball. Abbey Magnet / The Weekly Ringer
Two UMW players control and protect the ball while two St. Mary’s players attempt to regain possession. Abbey Magnet / The Weekly Ringer