January 17, 2026

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Larus Comments on Hong Kong Protests and Taiwan Election

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Elizabeth Freund Larus, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs

Elizabeth Freund Larus, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs

Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Freund Larus spoke to the South China Morning Post in an article on how the Hong Kong protests are impacting the Taiwanese elections. Larus said “that in most polls Tsai had a significant lead over Han, bolstered by young voters who supported the Hong Kong protesters. ‘The Tsai camp clearly has momentum, while Han appears to be stuck looking for the right message, which is much too late in the campaign cycle,’ she said.” Read more.

 

Lee Presents at the Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association

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Janie Lee, Associate Professor of Linguistics.

Janie Lee, Associate Professor of Linguistics

Janie Lee, Associate Professor of Linguistics, presented her research at the 2019 meeting of the American Anthropological Association and the Canadian Anthropology Society in Vancouver. Her paper was “Migrants as Language Experts and Subtitles as Listening Subject in South Korean Television” and was part of the panel “Redefining the Language Professional: Shifting Duties and Changing Institutional Climates.” The paper investigated the way Korean ethnonationalism was enabled in entertainment media through the use of unconventional subtitling practices for migrant speech.

Hamon Contributes to Government Simulation on Future of Southeast Asia

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Adjunct Instructor David Hamon

David Hamon, Adjunct Instructor in the Political Science & International Affairs Department, was a major contributor to a high-level U.S. Government simulation held in Washington D.C. in mid-November on the future political, social, and resiliency of the Southeast Asia region. The simulation focused around the Mekong river and the many actors/organizations involved in the viability of ecosystem.

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training

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The Student Health Center plans to bring to UMW – Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) on January 6 and 7.  This two-day interactive practice dominated course will help recognize risk for suicide, intervene to prevent immediate harm, and link persons at risk to the next level of care. It is free, and you can bring your lunch. We hope in addition to student affairs staff, faculty/staff might be interested in joining. The training can accommodate about 30 people in total, and will be in the UC’s Colonnade Room A&B. Please let Dr. Nancy Wang (nwang@umw.edu) know if you are interested in attending.

 

 

Richardson Column in The Free Lance-Star

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UMW College of Business Dean Lynne Richardson

UMW College of Business Dean Lynne Richardson

College of Business Dean Lynne Richardson’s weekly column in The Free Lance-Star tackles how to navigate boss-employee workplace friendships. Read FRIENDLY, NOT FRIENDS.

 

YOU’RE THE BOSS in your organization. How do you interact with your employees? Are you friends with your staff or just friendly?

How did you become the boss? In many organizations, people are promoted from within—which generally is a good thing. Sometimes the boss is hired from outside the organization, which can be a good practice too, depending on the needs of the organization.

It doesn’t matter how you step into the supervisor role. When you do, you’re entering a new universe with a different set of rules. Read more.

PCOW: Wellness Wheel Sector Explained: Social

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As the holidays are approaching, we are focusing this week on the Social dimension of the PCOW Wellness Wheel. Social wellness is defined as “fostering a sense of connection and belonging with others. This involves using good communication skills, respecting yourself and others, and creating and maintaining a well-developed support system.” The positive effects of building and cultivating healthy relationships with family and friends are infinite. We respond better to stress, form better habits, are more at peace and boost our self-esteem to be comfortable in ourselves and more at ease in different social settings.

UMW offers many ways for its employees to practice social wellness on campus: eat lunch with a colleague, attend a UMW-sponsored event with your family, or cheer on your students at UMW sports event with a friend! What will you do to practice good social wellness this week and during the holiday break? Share it with us on our Facebook page: UMW Wellness or Instagram: umw_wellness.

Farnsworth Presents Research at National Communication Conference

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Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies

Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies

Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, recently presented a research paper, “Studying the Presidency after 9/11: Re-considering Presidential Character in Domestic and International Contexts,” at the National Communication Association conference in Baltimore, Maryland. The paper is also a chapter in a new book: 9/11 and the Academy: Responses in the Liberal Arts and the 21st Century World. The book is edited by Mark Finney, a 1999 graduate of Mary Washington, and Matthew Shannon and was just published by Palgrave Macmillan. Dr. Finney, who is now an associate professor of Mass Communications at Emory and Henry College, Emory, Virginia, was one of Dr. Farnsworth’s first political science students at Mary Washington two decades ago.

Dr. Farnsworth has also been quoted in several regional and national news stories:

Locking It Down (Style Weekly)

Trump Urged to Take Part in Impeachment Inquiry (CTV News Channel)

Some Local Governments in Rural Virginia Declare 2nd Amendment Sanctuary (WVTF)

Virginia Senators Hope to Pass Legislation That Would Fix Virginia Beach Tragedy Fund (WVTF)

Senator Warner: Let Users Freely Move Their Data From One Social Media Platform to Another (WVTF)

Could Driver’s Licenses for Undocumented Immigrants Split Democrats in January? (WVTF)

Virginia Democrats Set Sights on Equal Rights Amendment (Courthouse News Service)

Mark Herring backs recreational marijuana in Virginia (Daily Stock Dish)

Farnsworth 2018 book, “Presidential Communication and Character: White House News Management from Clinton and Cable to Twitter and Trump,” was recommended in an article on The Free Lance-Star on local authors:

Looking for holiday gifts? Consider books by Fredericksburg area authors (The Free Lance-Star)

Fall 2019 Business Services eUpdate

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Business Services

Bookstore

Sales Events

  • Red Tag Sale: hurry into the Bookstore now! All clearance merchandise, marked with a red tag, is now 75% off the original price
  • Faculty/Staff Appreciation Sale: receive 20% off in the Bookstore December 9-14. (Offer not valid on sale merchandise, convenience items, regalia, and textbooks. Other exclusions may apply.)

New Store Manager

Please welcome UMW Bookstore manager, Brett McMichael. Brett can be reached by phone at (540) 654-1017 or by email at sm8306@bncollege.com or bmcmicha@umw.edu.

Brett McMichael

Spring Adoptions

There are many ways in which on-time adoptions save students money; one of them, Textbook Buyback, takes place Dec. 9 – 14. Titles adopted and needed for the spring semester earn students the highest buyback prices on their fall semester books. Outstanding adoptions can be submitted here: FacultyEnlight.com. Contact Brett McMichael at sm8306@bncollege.com or bmcmicha@umw.edu with any questions.

Copy Center

Best Copy Rates

Save time and money on large copy jobs using the UMW Copy Center. Turn-around is usually 24 hours, with the exception of peak times, such as the beginning of each semester.

Departmental MFDs offer additional savings over desktop printers, including on purchase, maintenance, and toner costs. Have questions? Contact the Copy Center at x1935.

Multfifunctional Device

EagleOne

Vending Machine Readers

Snack and beverage vending machines now accept the following payment methods:

  • Credit card
  • EagleOne card
  • Cash
  • Mobile pay

EagleOne and credit card transactions are processed through the same card reader. When paying by credit, please be aware that a $5 charge might temporarily show as pending on your account, but once processed, your account should only be charged the actual amount of sale. An explanation of this authorization hold can be found here.

Dual credit and EagleOne card reader

Wireless Phone Chargers

Caution: wireless phone chargers can cause damage to RFID chips or magnetic strips. If you keep your EagleOne or credit cards in a phone wallet or case, make sure to remove them before charging.

Parking Management

UC Loading Dock Parking Area

The lot that includes the UC loading dock will remain closed to parking through November 2019. The accessible spaces from this lot have been relocated to the Annex lot.

If assistance is needed during the time of this closure, please contact the University Police Department at x1025. Questions may be directed to Parking Management at x1129.

Post Office

Thanksgiving Break

When the campus is closed for holiday breaks, the Post Office is too. The office will be closed Wednesday, November 27, and reopen Monday, December 2. Please stop in early to have all your mailing needs met before we close for Thanksgiving break!

Postage Increase

A USPS rate increase takes effect January 26, 2020. First class mail prices will not change: stamps will remain $0.55. However, priority mail and other rates will change. Visit this website for a complete list of changes.

A Message from the President

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We have a strong and resilient community. Monday was trying — and, for some, traumatic. While we have learned now, based on the quick work of University police, that the campus never was under a credible threat, we took every precaution to protect our community. I was engaged in the deliberations of our Threat Assessment Team, and I applaud the team’s swift and appropriate response.

I realize questions and concerns abound. Here are the facts: A caller left a voicemail for a UMW employee warning that an individual would be coming to campus with a firearm. That voicemail was immediately forwarded to UMW Police, and the recipient of the call likely warned those around him or her. While dispatching his officers to learn as much as possible about the situation, Chief Mike Hall convened an emergency meeting of the University’s Threat Assessment Team, a multidisciplinary group composed of members of various campus departments (faculty and staff) who respond to concerns and threats that may pose a significant disruption to the campus environment and the institution’s academic mission. This group received a briefing and quickly determined that classes and campus activities should be suspended, and all members of the community should shelter in place, until police could learn more about the threat and the person who made it.

After further investigation, police identified the caller, who indicated the threat was never intended to be taken seriously. The caller was arrested without incident and is now in jail under a $10,000 secured bond. Making a false report or threat of this kind is a felony offense.

From Monday’s situation, we have learned important takeaways. The campus community would like to have more training on what steps to take in these types of circumstances. Also, we all would benefit from a common definition of terms such as shelter in place. UMW Police are currently finalizing a video related to firearms violence, and they are planning safety awareness and training programs for campus members next semester.

Again, I want to compliment the entire campus community. Your calm adherence to safety protocols and support for one another allowed the situation to be resolved expediently. You have my pledge: I, along with members of this community, work every day to ensure the University provides a living and learning environment that is as safe as possible.

President Troy D. Paino