From Monday, December 6th to Wednesday, December 8th, Campus Recreation will be having FREE Group Fitness Classes! Come unwind and take a break with CREC! No registration is required.
Larus Participates in Roundtable on Democracy and Human Rights
Professor and Chair of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Freund Larus
Elizabeth Freund Larus, Chairman of the Department of Political Science and International Affairs virtually participated in the Roundtable “COVID-19 Pandemic as a Challenge to Democracy and Human Rights in China and Taiwan” at Jagellonian University, Krakow, on November 29, 2021. Professor Larus commented that the U.S. media has grown more critical of China since the advent of COVID-19 and more favorably disposed to Taiwan, shaping the message that the media convey. She also indicated that COVID-19 reinforced autocratic rule in China and democracy in Taiwan, and that COVID-19 weakened China’s soft power, which had been waning before the outbreak of the pandemic.
Mary Talks: Adrienne Brovero, Dec. 15 at 7:30 p.m.
Join us ONLINE for the next Mary Talk of the 2021-22 academic year!
We will hear from Adrienne Brovero, director of the nationally award-winning debate team at Mary Washington, as she discusses “Why Debate Matters: Lessons Learned While Arguing.”
In recent years, many have bemoaned the decline in civic and civil discourse and debate. Nationally, political dialogue is often unpleasant and sometimes pointless. Locally, school board and city council meetings devolve into shouting matches. And many family holiday gatherings deteriorate when political arguments erupt at the table.
Some have deemed “debate” a pejorative term. And yet, thousands of students from middle school through college participate in competitive debate. Brovero will discuss what we all can learn from debate–and how to apply those lessons to our own national, local, and dinner table discussions.
Wednesday, December 15
7:30-9:00 p.m. (EDT)
Online (via Zoom)
To watch the Talk online, register here. You then will receive a link to the streaming video, which can be watched live or at a later time. You also will have the opportunity to submit questions to be asked of the speaker at the end of the Talk.
We look forward to seeing you online!
Demolition of Alvey Hall
Over this year’s winter break, the University plans to raze Alvey Hall. This residence hall, adjacent to the Fitness Center, was closed during the summer of 2018 due to ongoing moisture control issues, which led to some mold growth within the building.
Alvey Hall has remained closed; during this time, we have explored a number of options, including full renovation as a residence hall as well as repurposing it for other uses. However, we currently have sufficient capacity in our other residence halls to fully meet the current and projected demand for on-campus housing. In addition, the cost of renovating Alvey Hall was estimated to be $12 to $15 million. That expense would have to come through higher residence hall rates, or – if the space was repurposed — increases in the Comprehensive Fee.
The razing of Alvey Hall will allow us not only to save renovation costs but also to provide additional green space in an area that is less open than other parts of campus. Final landscaping will occur later in the spring as weather permits.
Additionally, this project will aid us in reducing some of the University’s deferred maintenance, help us right-size the campus and reduce our operating costs for utilities, housekeeping and general maintenance.
Paul C. Messplay
Vice President for Administration and Finance & CFO
University of Mary Washington
(540) 654-1410
Caffrey Publishes in Journal of Educational Research and Practice
Senior Associate Registrar Kevin Caffrey
Kevin Caffrey, Senior Associate Registrar, recently published “How Transformational Leadership Can Help Native American Students” in the Journal of Educational Research and Practice. The article examines how higher education administrators can serve as transformational leaders to address the longstanding challenges and inequities that Native American students face in higher education. Read the article at https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/jerap/vol11/iss1/24/.
Barrenechea Publishes Essay in Collection
Professor of English Antonio Barrenechea
Antonio Barrenechea, Professor of English, recently published “A Hemispheric World of Differences: Literature of the Americas, 1982-2000,” the lead essay in the collection Essays in Honor of Lois Parkinson Zamora: From the Americas to the World, edited by Monika Kaup and John Ochoa and issued from Lexington Books.
Levy Publishes Two Stories, Releases Issue 22 of Literary Magazine
Assistant Professor of English Ray Levy
Ray Levy, Assistant Professor of English, recently published the short story “Autobiographical Animal” in Anomaly (https://anmly.org/ap33/ray-levy-2/) and the short story “The Use of Pleasure” in Territory (http://themapisnot.com/issue-13-ray-levy). In addition, they released Issue Twenty-Two of their literary magazine, Dreginald, this week (http://dreginald.com/index.php/issues/issue-twenty-two).
Rettinger discusses how colleges can contain cheating with Inside Higher Education
Professor of Psychological Science and Director of Academic Integrity Programs David Rettinger
Professor of Psychological Science David Rettinger, director of Academic Integrity Programs at UMW, discussed how colleges can contain cheating with Inside Higher Education.
But cheaters are not the enemy, notes David Rettinger, president emeritus of the International Center for Academic Integrity. “Your data shows this as much as anything I’ve seen. Everyone has their price: stress, family pressure, time constraints. Everyone has a breaking point. Most students are able to reach that breaking point over the course of a semester,” says Rettinger, a professor of psychological science and director of academic integrity programs at the University of Mary Washington in Virginia. Read more.
Subramanian Pens New York Times Article on Psychologists Helping with Chronic Pain
Assistant Professor of Communication Sushma Subramanian
Assistant Professor of Journalism Sushma Subramanian penned an article in The New York Times entitled, “How Psychologists Can Help Treat Chronic Pain.”
Over the past two decades, as the opioid crisis has shaken the public’s view of painkillers and pharmaceutical companies have come under fire for their marketing practices, many patients are looking for alternatives. One of the leading contenders has become treating pain with talk therapy.
Psychologists, therapists and social workers have quietly become a crucial part of pain treatment programs, proving to be as effective or more so than medication. In 2018, the medical journal The Lancet went so far as to recommend education and psychological treatment as first-line interventions for chronic low back pain, before pharmacological treatment.
A spokesman for the American Psychological Association said they have only recently started tracking pain psychology and in 2021 found that nearly 40 percent of its members report their patients frequently have chronic pain. The organization is currently drafting guidelines for chronic pain treatment, a sign, according to Lynn Bufka, a Maryland psychologist and a senior director at the A.P.A., that it’s an important and growing field with science-based solutions. Read more.
Conversations with President Paino: Thursday, Nov. 11 at 2:30 p.m.
Dear UMW Faculty and Staff,
Please join President Paino this Thursday, November 11th from 2:30-3:30 p.m. for Conversations with President Paino.
The session will be held in-person in Lee Hall, Room 412.
Thank you,
Office of the President