A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff
Stephen Farnsworth, Professor of Political Science
Political Science Professor Stephen Farnsworth has been quoted in several current news stories, including Democrats flock to state primaries (Chesterfield Observer); U.S. President Continues Visit to Japan (CTV News Channel); and Trump Country sees majority of new enrollees under Va.’s Medicaid expansion.
Read the latest column in The Free Lance-Star written by Lynne Richardson, Dean of the College of Business titled Social Media is not Reality:
Social media is where a lot of us spend a lot time. Sometimes minutes, but more likely hours, a day. Whether your platform of choice is Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, much of our daily life seems to be spent checking out what others are doing.
Lynne Richardson, Dean of the College of Business
But is what you’re seeing on the social media accounts of your friends or colleagues real?
Many people only post positive images of themselves or share only exciting news that makes those reading the messages go “wow.” And maybe there are those folks out there who lead charmed lives and only have sunshine in their world.
The problem this causes is that those reading the enhanced or unrealistic version of someone’s life sees their own life as lacking something. Perhaps they’re lacking good looks, or upward mobility in their work, or an amazing social life. In reality, the reader may not be lacking in any of those areas, but because they are comparing themselves to what they see on Instagram or Facebook, they think they are. It may cause that reader to change their life to be more like those they see on social media. Read more.
Senior Gus Schneider poses beside his research poster.
UMW’s 13th Annual Research and Creativity Day held on Friday, April 27 showcased a year’s worth of groundbreaking student work, with faculty guidance, in everything from accounting to women’s and gender studies, from biology and chemistry to business administration and creative writing. The event featured poster sessions, musical performances, art exhibits and even a live play performance.
Carmen Martinez, left, and Josephine Gray display poster on biology research.
Its purpose is to showcase collaborative work between faculty and students and to celebrate the scholarly and creative endeavors of our academic community, said Grant Woodwell, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of geology. “The presentations and exhibits span the range of disciplines represented within the three colleges of the university.
This weekend, the University of Mary Washington will host three Capital Athletic Conference Championships at the Battleground Athletic Complex. On Friday, the Eagles softball team will host Christopher Newport University in game one of the CAC championship series at 4 p.m.
On Saturday, the softball championship series will continue at 10 a.m. and play a second game at noon if necessary. The women’s tennis team will host Christopher Newport at noon for the CAC title, with the men’s tennis team following at 3 p.m. against CNU for the men’s championship.
The winners of all of the championships will gain automatic bids to next week’s NCAA Championship tournaments. Admission for all events is free of charge. For more information, please consult www.umweagles.com or call Clint Often, assistant athletic director of communications, at 654-1743.
Talley Center Director Tev Zukor
A column by Tev Zukor, director of the Talley Center for Counseling Services, appears in a recent edition of the American Psychological Association publication “Group Psychologist.” His perspective about group psychotherapy can be viewed at https://www.apadivisions.org/division-49/publications/newsletter/group-psychologist/2019/03/group-therapy?_ga=2.94700693.888501561.1556736391-1805288234.1556736391.
Professor of Psychological Science Mindy Erchull
Professor of Psychological Science Mindy Erchull was quoted in the article “Selling confidence or starvation: How gendered marketing will call you a ‘babe’ and sell you diet suppressants” for the publication MEAWW. Erchull, who focuses on feminist issues said: “These campaigns send the message that one way to be empowered – often a key way – is to focus on one’s appearance,” she laments, adding, “[The claim that] one way to ‘improve’ one’s appearance to better conform to the narrow, largely unachievable, societal beauty standards for women would then be to use the products being advertised. Essentially, the positive message about empowerment is being tied to problematic cultural practices thereby undermining the likelihood that girls and women really benefit from this seemingly positive message.” To view the article, visit
https://meaww.com/jameela-jamil-appetite-suppressants-kardashian-family-flat-tummy-co.
David Rettinger, associate professor of Psychological Science
Associate Professor of Psychological Science David Rettinger was quoted about why student cheat in a column in the Indiana Evening News and Tribune. “Cheating is contagious,” said Rettinger who told columnist Terry Stawar that seeing other students cheat disinhibits and increases the tendency to cheat. Rettinger also is president of the International Center for Academic Integrity, which aims to combat cheating, plagiarism and academic dishonesty. View the article “A cheatin’ heart” at Cheating is contagious.
Associate Professor of Liguistics Paul D. Fallon
Associate Professor of Linguistics Paul Fallon was mentioned in The Free Lance-Star in an article about the regional spelling bee. To view the article, visit “‘Meritocracy’ for the win: Fauquier’s Evan Hunter is champ of Fredericksburg Regional Spelling Bee.”
On Thursday, March 21, approximately 100 employers will attend UMW’s Job and Internship Fair, which will be held in the Chandler Ballroom of the University Center. This is an important event for our students as they seek to make the transition from college to career.
As a result, a large portion of the George Washington parking lot as well as the Annex lot next to the UC will be closed from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Additional parking is available in the Battleground parking lot and the Alvey parking deck.
For more information, contact Rose Maddox, operations and employer relations manager, at rwagner@umw.edu.
Thank you for your support of this event.
Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing Laura Bylenok
Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing Laura Bylenok will be featured in an upcoming segment of With Good Reason on public radio stations across the country. An award-winning poet who stitches together her love of science with her passion for the written word, Bylenok will read from her recent collection on WGR’s Poetry That Heals, airing March 16 to 22.
“In college, [Bylenok] was fascinated with genetic engineering. Now, she manipulates language, not DNA,” says the show’s description. “Her recent book turns familiar forms into poetic laboratory experiments.”
Sharing selections from her book Warp, winner of the 2015 T.S. Eliot Prize, Bylenok describes her fascination with molecular biology and genetics, explaining her use of the words and concepts they conjure to put the human condition into prose. An inspiration for her poem Genome, she tells WGR host Sarah McConnell, before reading the piece on air, is a haunting image left by a past professor, an endocrinologist who sewed together pairs of living rats.
With Good Reason airs Sundays at 2 p.m. in Fredericksburg on Radio IQ 88.3 Digital. A complete list of broadcast times and audio files of the full programs (posted the week of the show) can be found online at www.withgoodreasonradio.org. Produced by Virginia Humanities for the Virginia Higher Education Broadcasting Consortium, With Good Reason airs on 100 stations in 33 states. Read more.