Ben LaBreche, Associate Professor of English, recently presented a paper at the Renaissance Society of America Annual Meeting in Chicago about “Political Theology and Marvellian Sexuality.” He was also a panelist on an RSA roundtable about political theology.
Al-Tikriti Joins Istanbul and Athens Debates
In his capacity as Vice President of the United States section of MSF/Doctors Without Borders, Nabil Al-Tikriti, associate professor of history and American studies, participated in the annual Field Associative Debate (FAD) for MSF national and international staff serving throughout Turkey and Northern Syria, in Istanbul, on March 17. This year’s regional FAD topic covered MSF public positioning vis-a-vis the “safe zone” declared in Northern Syria in 2017. After debating this topic, staff members then presented recommendations for consideration by the MSF executive.
Immediately following the Istanbul FAD, Prof. Al-Tikriti participated in the FAD for MSF national and international staff serving throughout Greece, in Athens, on March 18. At this FAD, MSF staff debated public positioning, advocacy, and implementation issues regarding regional migration projects. After debating this topic, staff members then also presented recommendations for consideration by the MSF executive.
Upon his return, he reviewed and contributed to one of the two internal FAD reports.
Phi Beta Kappa Inducts New Members
The University of Mary Washington chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, Kappa of Virginia, recently inducted 46 students into the chapter. Phi Beta Kappa is the nation’s oldest academic honor society.
Phi Beta Kappa was founded at the College of William and Mary in 1776 and has since upheld the principles of freedom of inquiry and liberty of thought and expression, sponsoring activities to advance the study of the humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences. The society invites the most outstanding arts and sciences students at America’s leading colleges and universities for membership.
The UMW chapter, Kappa of Virginia, selects its members based on rigorous scrutiny of students’ academic achievements as demonstrated through grade point averages.
New members of Kappa of Virginia include:
Sara Armor
Christine Ayad
Katharine Barry
Maiah Bartlett
Amy Bonnevier
Aaron Brintzenhofe
Brian Burns
Jamie Carey
Marina Castro-Meirelles
Emily Dabbs
Rachelle Dambrose
Jacqueline DeGroat
Sarah Dickshinski
Taylor Dohmen
Seth Dorman
Richard Dragone
Peter Grap
Brittany Greene
Meredith Gregory
Juliette Guilloux
Sarah Hansen
Kristine Harner
Katherine Hatton
Jacob A. Jackson
Megan Murphy
Sean O’Hara
Jennifer Orellana
Kendall Parker
Ariel Paulk
Ariel Peldunas
Victoria Power
Daniel Reschke
Ashley Riggleson
Anna Rinko
Alexis Robinson
Thor Smalling
Karen Smith
Bailey Stewart
Heather Taylor
Hoang-Anh Ngoc Tran
Jessie Verive
Robert Wimberly
Juniors:
Marleigh Eure
Megan Jensen
Brittany McBride
Lily Olson
Summer Kickball League for Faculty and Staff
Games will begin the week of May 22. All games will be held from noon until 12:45 p.m. on Ball Circle. Each team will play a minimum of one game per week for four weeks and have a minimum of eight players. Sign up as an individual, or note teammate requests on the registration form. The $10 individual registration fee can be paid online or in person at the Fitness Center.
Register here before May 8 and let’s have a fun Summer Kickball League!
Moon Featured on C-SPAN 3
A lecture given last month by Krystyn Moon, associate professor of history and program director of American studies, will air on C-SPAN 3 on Saturday, April 8.
Moon’s lecture is about anti-immigration laws in the 19th century, focusing on Chinese immigrants.
Krystyn Moon has a bachelor’s degree from Pomona College and a master’s and doctorate from The Johns Hopkins University. Her teaching focuses on the history of American popular culture, U.S. immigration, the American West, gender and sexuality, consumerism and food. She has also written several articles on immigration, race and popular culture. She is the author of “Yellowface: Creating the Chinese in American Popular Music and Performance, 1850s-1920s”.
“Nineteenth Century Chinese Immigration” will be available after it airs on April 8. To listen, visit https://www.c-span.org/video/?424369-1/19th-century-chinese-immigration.
Barrenechea Publishes on Hemispheric American Literature
Antonio Barrenechea, Associate Professor of English, recently published the article “Hemispheric American Literature” in Futures of Comparative Literature: ACLA State of the Discipline Report (Routledge, 2017).
SAC News
“The New Guy” Premiere: This Friday, April 7, at 4 p.m. in the Digital Auditorium of Hurley Convergence Center, “The New Guy” starring UMW President Troy Paino debuts. There will be a happy hour afterward in The Underground, Lee Hall.
UMW Book Club: The UMW Book Club will meet on Wednesday, April 19, from noon to 1 p.m. in Lee Hall, Room 414. The book to be discussed is A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley, the story of a 5-year-old Indian boy who becomes separated from his small village family and ends up on the streets of Calcutta. It is the subject of the current movie Lion. If you would like to purchase a copy of the book at the Book Club discount, please contact Margaret Mock at ext. 1017 or mmock@umw.edu.
April SAC Meeting: Our April meeting will be Thursday, April 20, at the Stafford Campus South Building Room 208 at 1 p.m. You do not have to be a member of the S.A.C. to attend – all are welcome!
Summer Kickball League for Faculty & Staff! Games will begin the week of May 22. All games will be held from noon until 12:45 p.m. on Ball Circle. Each team will play a minimum of one game per week for four weeks and have a minimum of eight players. Sign up as an individual, or note teammate requests on the registration form. The $10 individual registration fee can be paid online or in person at the Fitness Center. Register here before May 8 and let’s have a fun Summer Kickball League!
Excellent Eagle Employee Program: Nominate your co-workers, supervisor or employees for the Excellent Eagle Employee award. It’s easy! Just complete the Excellent Eagle Employee nomination form on our website. Take some time to nominate someone today! Winners get reserved parking on campus for the month.
#1 F.A.N. (Fantastic Action Noticed) In addition to the Excellent Eagle program, you can also recognize a colleague using HR’s #1 F.A.N. program. Did you experience exceptional customer service or awesome collaboration? If so, nominate the person or people involved in that experience. Complete the #1 F.A.N. form on the HR website, and your colleague will be able to choose a UMW spirit item as a token of appreciation.
Newsletter, Social Media and Other Information: You’ll find important information in SAC’s monthly newsletter. Check it out and all of the information on our website, including a list of our new members. If you’re on Twitter, be sure to follow us @UMW_S.A.C.!
The Inauguration Celebration Continues
Faculty and staff are encouraged to continue the week of festivities to celebrate the inauguration of Dr. Paino as UMW’s 10th president on Friday, April 21.
Tonight, don’t miss the panel discussion by prominent scholars on the role of higher education in today’s politically charged era of misinformation. The discussion, “Higher Education in the Disinformation Age: Can America’s public liberal arts universities restore critical thinking and civility in public discourse?,” will be held at 7 p.m. in Dodd Auditorium.
Panelists include Sara Cobb, director for the Center for the Study of Narrative and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University; Julian Hayter, a historian at the University of Richmond’s Jepson School of Leadership Studies; and Audrey Watters, a freelance writer and author who focuses on education technology. Our own Steve Farnsworth will moderate the discussion.
On Friday, join the UMW community at:
A Moment of Silence at noon on Ball Circle. – Members of PRISM (People for the Rights of Individuals of Sexual Minorities) and allies will lead a moment of silence in recognition of the Day of Silence, which brings awareness to the silencing effects of anti-LGBTQ name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools.
- Capital Athletic Conference tournament in track and field competition- from 1 p.m. to dark, at the Battlefield Athletic Complex.
- Installation Ceremony for Dr. Paino in Dodd Auditorium at 4:15 p.m.– In his formal introduction as President of the University of Mary Washington, Dr. Paino will be joined by representatives of the faculty, staff, students, local community, and delegates from universities and honorary societies. The ceremony is open to the UMW community. Seating is first-come, first-served – please plan to arrive by 3:45 to be seated.
- View the Ceremony Online– The installation ceremony will also be live-streamed on the UMW website starting at 4:15 p.m. The link to the video live-stream will be posted on the http://umw.edu/inauguration
- Greet Dr. Paino – Join the UMW community to greet President Paino as he travels along campus walk to the University Center immediately following the conclusion of the installation ceremony (weather permitting).
- Community Celebration– Held in the University Center, the community celebration will immediately follow the ceremony and is open to the UMW community. With a focus on the university community, this celebration will feature free food, beverages, a photo booth, and great music, including the UMW Jazz Ensemble and a DJ.
Be sure to use #CelebrateUMW when posting about the inauguration on social media. For more information, including a full schedule of events, go to http://umw.edu/inauguration.
UMW Jazz Ensemble to Perform at Paino’s Inauguration
The UMW Jazz Ensemble will perform at a Community Celebration following the installation of Dr. Troy Paino as UMW’s tenth president on Friday, April 21.
The Celebration, to be held in the University Center, is open to the entire UMW community. In addition to music, there will be free food, beverages and a photo booth.
Richards Leads Talk at Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival
Gary Richards, Associate Professor of English and Chair of the Department of English, Linguistics, and Communication, recently led the breakfast book club discussion of Robert Olen Butler’s A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain (1992) at the 2017 Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival. In the 11 years that Richards has annually led this group, it has covered a range of Southern writers, including George Washington Cable, Kate Chopin, Eudora Welty, Harper Lee, Ellen Gilchrist and, of course, Tennessee Williams.