July 10, 2026

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Virginia Executive Order 77 regarding use of plastics – Phase 1 REMINDER

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Effective this Wednesday July 21, all executive branch state agencies, including state institutions of higher education, and their contractors (who operate on their campuses) shall discontinue buying, selling, or distributing these specific items:

  • disposable plastic bags
  • single-use plastic and polystyrene food service containers
  • plastic straws and cutlery
  • single-use plastic bottled water
  • Glitter/confetti
  • Plastic table cloths
  • Balloons of any type

Existing inventories, purchased prior to this communication may be distributed until supplies are exhausted.

Additionally, please consider immediately finding alternatives to the following items:

  • K-cups or single use beverage “pods”
  • Single use plastic promotional items

Have specific questions?

Contact GreenUMW@umw.edu

An Invitation from the Office of the President

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UMW appreciates all our employees for your amazing contributions toward keeping UMW safe and thriving during the COVID health crisis.  To say THANK YOU, and to celebrate the fact that we will be together again on campus, we will hold a UMW community picnic on Ball Circle on Monday, August 2.  You’re invited to come and eat lunch, relax, play games and enjoy the company of your colleagues.

All current and new employees are invited to join, including those whose contracts do not officially begin until later in August.

Please RSVP by clicking here by Tuesday, July 27  (RSVP is for planning purposes). Looking forward to seeing you there!

 

Arabelle Laws Arrington ’41 scholarship opportunity for children of UMW faculty and staff

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Do you have a child attending UMW who might be eligible for scholarship funds? The Arabelle Laws Arrington Scholarship is a wonderful opportunity for UMW students who are the children of full-time faculty and staff who have been employed with UMW for at least 5 years within a teaching, administrative or classified position.

Arabelle Arrington served as a member of the Mary Washington Board of Visitors from 1975-1983, was a member of the Alumni Association, and served as president of the Foundation Board of Directors. Mrs. Arrington left a generous fund from her estate, along with donations from alumni, parents, faculty, and staff of the University to fund this opportunity. This scholarship is a awarded annually.

To be initially eligible for the benefit, the student must meet the University`s admissions requirements, must be accepted as a degree-seeking student, be a dependent student, be enrolled full time (12 credit hours or more) and maintain good academic standing (cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better). Students must demonstrate financial need by completing a FAFSA (Free Application for Student Aid) yearly along with the Online Scholar Manager application. The award is renewable and can vary in amount each year based on the students’ financial need and eligibility for other financial aid awards. The award could cover up to the total cost of in-state tuition and mandatory fees, however, room, board, books, and other college expenses or additional fees are not covered. This scholarship does not apply to the enrollment of faculty or spouses of staff members, non-degree seeking students, part-time students (less than 12 credit hours), or summer session enrollment.

This scholarship opportunity is administered by the Office of Financial Aid. Please email finaid@umw.edu for more details and to self-identify as a continuing student candidate or a new student coming in for the fall 2021 semester.

Volunteers Needed for Move-In Crew!

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Dear UMW Students, Staff, and Faculty,

Move-In (First-Year: August 18 and Upperclass: August 20 – 22) is fast approaching and we want YOU to be a part of Move-In crew! Faculty, staff, and students are coming together to welcome everyone back to campus. Your help is essential in welcoming (and welcoming back!) your fellow Eagles. As part of Move-In crew you will:

  • Help students and their guests unload their cars
  • Assist students with moving their items into their new residence halls
  • Greet and welcome students and families as they check-in

All volunteers will receive a Move-In crew t-shirt, and student volunteers will receive priority housing registration and meals on the days they volunteer.

If you would like to volunteer for Move-In crew please fill out the form on Presence. The link for the form is below. You will receive an email with more information and instructions for move-in. Please be aware that all volunteers will need to be masked when working directly with students and their guests.

To volunteer, please fill out this form.

If you have any questions or want more information please contact Residence Life and Housing at (540)654-1058 or reslife@umw.edu.

Sincerely,

Residence Life and Housing

 

UMW Pedestrian Bridge closed for maintenance

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The following message is from Facilities Services.

The Pedestrian Bridge over U.S. 1 will be closed for cleaning and repainting, beginning today, July 22. All indications are that the work will be completed by next Wednesday, July 28, and that the bridge will reopen by July 29th.

During that time, please use the crosswalk at the corner of College Avenue and U.S. 1.

Reminder about vaccinations and news about Delta variant

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To the campus community:

Please remember to get vaccinated as soon as possible! While the beginning of Fall semester may seem a long way away, it will be here before we know it. With the two-dose protocol (Moderna and Pfizer), you must wait up to four weeks between shots, and you are not considered fully vaccinated until several weeks after the second vaccine. The time to get your first shot is now.

In COVID news, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), along with the CDC, is particularly concerned about the Delta variant, which originated in India. This variant was changed recently by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from a variant of interest to a variant of concern, and it is expected to become the dominant variant in the U.S. The good news is that the current vaccines are effective at protection from all variants.

The Delta variant is of particular concern because it:

  • Is more easily transmissible
  • Causes more severe illness
  • Is more resistant to proven COVID treatments

REMINDER: Vaccinations are critical for our campus to return to a sense of normalcy. Please get vaccinated if you have not done so already, and upload your vaccination documentation ASAP. Students should upload to the Student Health Center and employees should submit here. By submitting an image of your vaccination card, you are eligible for weekly prize drawings every Tuesday, starting tomorrow. Those who submit by tomorrow will be among entries for next Tuesday’s drawing.

Questions? Email COVIDVaccination@umw.edu.

Upcoming Postage Rate Increase

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USPS has filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) requesting a price increase that, if approved, will apply a 6.8% increase to letters and flats, and would take effect Aug. 29, 2021.

The proposed Mailing Services price changes include:

Product Current Prices Planned Prices
Letters (1 oz.) 55 cents 58 cents
Letters additional ounce(s) 20 cents 20 cents (unchanged)
Letters (metered 1 oz.) 51 cents 53 cents
Domestic Postcards 36 cents 40 cents
Flats (1 oz.)

Outbound International Letters
(1 oz.)

 $1.00

$1.20

 $1.16

$1.30

 

More information can be found here: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2021/0528-usps-proceeds-with-request-for-postal-rate-change.htm

Death of an employee

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It is with great sadness that we report the death of a member of the UMW Public Safety team. Last week, Fire Suppression Technician Alvin L. Holland suffered an apparent heart attack while in his office. Attempts to revive him by colleagues in the UMW Public Safety office, as well Fredericksburg fire and EMS personnel, were unsuccessful.

Holland, employed at Mary Washington since 2017, was a familiar face “behind the scenes” on campus as he performed maintenance on fire safety systems. For several years prior to that, he worked on UMW fire safety systems as a contractor.

Al is survived by his wife Brenda, two children, and grandchildren. Our deepest sympathies are extended to his family.

A viewing will take place next Wednesday, July 7, from 5 to 8 p.m. with another viewing at 1 p.m. on Thursday, July 8. The funeral service will begin at 2 p.m. on Thursday. All will take place at:

Bennett Funeral Home
8014 Lee Davis Road
Mechanicsville, VA 23111

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Mechanicsville Little League. Al spent more than 30 years on the board of directors and volunteered countless hours to the organization. Mailing address:

P.O. Box 482
Mechanicsville, VA 23111

For UMW employees in need of grief counseling, the following resources are available:
Anthem participants: www.anthemEAP.com, 1-855-223-9277
Company code: Commonwealth of Virginia

Aetna participants: www.mylifevalues.com, 1-888-238-6232
Username and password: COVA
Kaiser Permanente participants: 1-866-517-7042

Water outage tomorrow

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There will be a brief water outage July 2 beginning from 9 a.m. to noon. The following buildings will be affected:

  • George Washington Hall
  • Brent House
  • Marye House
  • Bushnell Hall
  • Mason, Randolph and The Link
  • Marshall Hall
  • Russell Hall
  • Westmoreland Hall

This outage is required as part of the water line improvements for the campus underground utility project. Please contact Jay Sullivan at 540-654-2033 or dsulliva@umw.edu if you have any questions.