May 16, 2026

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

James Farmer Multicultural Center’s Efforts to Establish Historical Marker at Freedom Rides Site Highlighted in FLS

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Dr. James L. Farmer Jr. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Dr. James L. Farmer Jr. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

A recent article in The Free Lance-Star highlighted the James Farmer Multicultural Center’s work with City Councilman Chuck Frye to establish an official historical marker at the site of the former Fredericksburg bus station where the Freedom Riders stopped in 1961, in their quest to desegregate interstate travel, orchestrated by civil rights icon and late Mary Washington history professor James L. Farmer Jr.

“It’s a great milestone that the city has met and it’s a huge deal that we have taken time to settle down and tell the story of Fredericksburg,” Frye said. “To me, it shows how history books don’t tell the story of African–American history. And here in 2021 we’re researching information and coming up with actual history.” Read more. 

“A Climate of Change” Featured in The Free Lance-Star

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A Climate of Change flyer“A Climate of Change,” hosted by UMW and Marstel-Day, a local environmental consulting firm, was featured in The Free Lance-Star. This three-part series of public discussions with local leaders, held on Tuesdays in April on Zoom, aims to amp up critical dialogue about climate change and issues like environmental justice, clean energy and conservation. Following each discussion, UMW College of Arts and Sciences Dean Keith Mellinger and Marstel-Day President and CEO Rebecca Rubin will moderate a public question-and-answer session. Read more.

Farnsworth Comments in the News

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Stephen Farnsworth, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies.

Stephen Farnsworth, Professor of Political Science and Director of the 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 commented on the following news stories:

‘Election integrity’ becomes key buzzword in VA GOP race (The Washington Post; Star Tribune; Las Vegas Sun; CBS19 News)

Local Va. House of Delegates races draw a crowd (Prince William Times)

Biden Convenes First Cabinet Meeting (CTV News Channel)

Virginia Republican convention candidates set for May 8 (WINA)

Supporters Say McClellan is ‘Voice That Virginia Needs to Hear’ (RVA)

Johnny Carson and Political Humor (C-SPAN)

McClellan Vies for VA Governor Seat After 15 Years in Legislature (Virginia Patch)

The Never-ending Gun Debate (CTV News Channel)

McClellan vies for governor seat after 15 years in legislature (NBC12; Fauquier-Times)

Still barred from major platforms, Trump weighs launching new social network (KIMA CBS 29; NBC 15; abc6onyourside.com)

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 latest column in The Free Lance-Star is titled “Gender Inequity or COVID Craziness?”

MABEL was promoted several months ago after the previous person in the job, Jack, was asked to leave. Mabel wasn’t sure she wanted the position permanently, so asked if she could do it for a year. Towards the end of that year, she and her boss would have a discussion about her future. That time is approaching, and Mabel reached out to me to discuss some concerns.

When Mabel was asked to do the job, she learned that Jack’s salary had been $125,000. Yet Mabel was offered $85,000 to do the same job—a $23,000 pay increase for her. She was told that the lower salary was due to a COVID-19-related decline in revenue. The organization just could not afford to pay Mabel what it had paid Jack.

She asked me if I thought the lower salary was gender-related. I had no clue, as I don’t know her boss. I also don’t know how hard her organization has been hit financially by COVID. It is plausible that her supervisor is being truthful with her. It’s also possible they thought the organization could pay her less because she’s a woman.

She loves the work and wants to continue in the position, and has gotten strong hints from her supervisor that he wants her to continue. So what should she do? Read more. 

Smith, Student Tape WJLA Segment on Alum-Owned Brewery’s Guinness Quest

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Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry Sarah Smith '12 instructs junior biochemistry major Valerie Ebenki in a Jepson Science Center lab. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry Sarah Smith ’12 instructs junior biochemistry major Valerie Ebenki in a Jepson Science Center lab. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry Sarah Smith ’12 and junior biochemistry major Valerie Ebenki were featured in a segment on WJLA/ABC-7 about the pair assisting 1991 alum Ray Parrish’s quest to brew the world’s spiciest beer. With Smith and Ebenki’s scientific expertise, Parrish, who co-owns Maltese Brewing Company in Fredericksburg, is attempting to secure a Guinness World Record for Signal One. 2.0, a pineapple IPA infused with 500 Carolina Reaper chilies, the world’s hottest pepper. Read more.

Mathur Publishes Entry in the Encyclopedia of Global Shakespeare

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Professor of English Maya Mathur

Professor of English Maya Mathur

Professor of English Maya Mathur contributed the encyclopedia entry, “Twelfth Night (Dir. Tim Supple, UK, 2003),” to the Palgrave Encyclopedia of Global Shakespeare, edited by Alexa Alice Joubin and published online by Palgrave Macmillan in 2020. The entry examines the role of immigration in the production history and reception of Tim Supple’s Twelfth Night, a television adaptation of William Shakespeare’s play that was first broadcast in 2003 by the British television channel, ITV.

Larus Comments in Vietnam News on U.S.-China Alaska Meeting

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Professor and Chairman of the Department of Political Science Elizabeth Freund Larus.

Professor and Chairman of the Department of Political Science Elizabeth Freund Larus.

In an interview with Vietnam News on the eve of the Alaska meeting between U.S. and Chinese officials, PSIA Professor Elizabeth Larus indicated that the U.S. and China, as influential countries, need to talk face-to-face. Professor Larus indicated that the timing of the meeting was significant, following China’s “Two Sessions” and the Blinken/Austin trips to allies South Korea and Japan. Dr. Larus anticipated no breakthroughs on U.S.-China relations, and that the U.S. and Chinese media would differ in their accounts of the meeting. https://baotintuc.vn/the-gioi/gioi-chuyen-gia-my-danh-gia-y-nghia-tich-cuc-cua-doi-thoai-cap-cao-mytrung-20210320200349424.htm (English translation available.)

Dr. Larus also commented on the sparks that flew between the U.S. and China at their March 17 Alaska meeting on In Focus South Asia. She indicated that Washington was likely surprised by the vehemence with which China responded to U.S. criticisms of Beijing’s actions on a number of hot button issues. Professor Larus’s comments begin at six minutes into the program. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKIJFQeL2mI

Farnsworth Delivers Online Lecture on Political Humor

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Stephen Farnsworth, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies.

Stephen Farnsworth, Professor of Political Science and Director of the 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 delivered an online lecture, “Political Humor and the American Presidency,” to the Dartmouth Club of Philadelphia. Dr. Farnsworth, a Dartmouth graduate, drew upon his recent book, “Late Night With Trump,” for that online conversation.

Dr. Farnsworth also commented on the following news stories:

Still barred from major platforms, Trump weighs launching new social network (KIMA CBS 29; NBC 15; abc6onyourside.com)

Cuomo crisis recalls Northam’s; supporters say no comparison (The Washington Post; Star Tribune; WSB-TV2)

Seeing Double (The Connection; WVTF)

American Rescue Plan (CTV News Channel)

OPINION: America was woefully unprepared for the pandemic (The DePaulia)

The Never-ending Gun Debate (CTV News Channel)

McClellan vies for governor seat after 15 years in legislature (NBC12; Fauquier-Times)

Rettinger Quoted in Forbes Article

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Professor of Psychological Science David Rettinger

Professor of Psychological Science David Rettinger

Professor of Psychological Science David Rettinger, who is also director of UMW’s Academic Integrity Programs, was quoted in a Forbes.com article entitled “If You Can’t Stand the Cheat, Get Out of the Kitchen.”

As David Rettinger of University of Mary Washington noted on The Key, “If you’re going to give a 50 question multiple choice test, that’s pretty much the most cheatable possible assignment online. Even if you just change that to 10 five-question multiple choice quizzes, you’ve made it less likely that students will cheat, because you’ve reduced the stakes and the pressure.” Read more.