Category: Students

The James Farmer Multicultural Center is accepting program proposals for Black History Month in February 2013. The 2013 Black History Month theme is “At the Crossroads of Freedom and Equality:  Celebrating our Past and Shaping Our Future.”  Programs and events that relate to the theme are encouraged, however any programs or events that examine the experiences and contributions of Americans of African descent are welcome.  The program proposal forms are due on Friday, November 16, 2012 by 5 p.m. You can send the completed forms via email to Ms. Greta Franklin at gfrankli@umw.edu, or send them to the  James Farmer Multicultural Center in  Lee Hall, room 211.  Go to the James Farmer Multicultural Center’s website at  http://students.umw.edu/multicultural/programs/black-history-month/ to obtain the program proposal form.  Please contact the James Farmer Multicultural Center at 540-654-1044 for questions regarding Black History Month.

We invite members of the University of Mary Washington community to submit program proposals for the annual Women’s History Month Celebration. Proposals are due by Wednesday, December 12, 2012 and the sponsors will be notified promptly. Approved programs will be included on the Women’s History Month calendar as well as in print and electronic publications. Preference will be given to programs and events relating to the 2013 theme, “Women Inspiring Transformation.”

The program proposal form can be found at http://students.umw.edu/multicultural/programs/womens-history-month/.  Please include as much information on the form as possible.

Return forms and appropriate attachments to:

Women’s History Month Planning Committee
James Farmer Multicultural Center
Attention: Marion Sanford
Lee Hall, Room 211
1301 College Avenue
Fredericksburg, VA  22401
Email at msanford@umw.edu

Hundreds of UMW students gathered on Ball Circle on Wednesday, Aug. 29 for the fall semester Club Carnival. Club Carnival is held at the beginning of the new semester as a way for students to get together and learn how they can get involved.

Leaders and members from each club braved the heat and sun to educate their peers about their group, showcase their clubs accomplishments and recruit new members.

With roughly 120 active clubs and organizations on campus there are plenty of options for students to volunteer with an issue they care about, further their studies, play sports or just meet with peers who have similar interests. A full list of the clubs offered at UMW, from biology and politics to Latin dancing and scuba diving, can be found at http://students.umw.edu/studentactivities/student-clubs-and-organizations/list-of-student-clubs/.
Local organizations such as the Rappahannock Emergency Services also attended the club fair to give students opportunities to get involved in their community outside of campus. Even some downtown Fredericksburg favorites like Sammy T’s made an appearance to give out free samples and coupons.

At the Sorensen Institute of Political Leadership’s College Leaders Program, party lines are set aside. Participants are not allowed to disclose their political affiliations to each other.

“It bonds everybody together,” Brendan Oudekerk said. “It is really refreshing to get along with everybody…and know we are working toward common goals. Each person brings different qualities to the table.”

Oudekerk, a 2012 graduate of the University of Mary Washington, and UMW seniors Meghan Hobbs and Sean Simons are among 18 college students or recent graduates who were selected for the four-week-long summer program held at the University of Virginia.

The College Leaders Program, now in its eighth year, brings together youth leaders from across Virginia with a focus on ethics, bipartisanship, public policy and civic engagement. The Sorensen Institute was founded as the Virginia Institute of Political Leadership in 1993 in hopes it would identify and bring together Virginia’s emerging political leaders. More than 1,200 Virginian students have graduated from the Institute.

For Oudekerk, who is working toward a career in economic development, the program is a chance to network and learn more about Virginia politics.

“As a graduate, I’m using it to be more well-rounded,” he said. “It helps to come together with people from different backgrounds.”

The 18 program participants are divided into three groups – economics, higher education or transportation – to develop policy proposals. The groups will present their findings at the end of the program, in hopes a Virginia legislator will want to adopt the proposal.

One of last year’s groups actually got a bill passed, Hobbs explained.

“That’s everyone’s aspiration,” she said.

Hobbs, an international affairs and political science major, plans to attend law school after graduation, but also is interested in politics.

“I have been wanting to get a look into state politics,” she said, “so this program is really helping me with that.”

On Tuesday, June 12, the students met with Sen. Mark Warner and Sen. Jim Webb at the U.S. Capitol Building.

Simons, chair of UMW’s Legislative Action Committee and an intern in President Richard V. Hurley’s office, got to introduce the senators to the group: “It was an honor to have that privilege,” he said.

When the program ends on June 23, Simons says the experience of a respectful, bipartisan atmosphere will stick with him.

“A lot of issues are played in the media as being very polarizing, but people, especially my age, are much more willing to compromise and come together to find solutions,” he said. “I have a greater appreciation for what I think our generation can do.”

The undefeated UMW women’s basketball team will host the sectional rounds of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament in Fredericksburg on Friday, March 9 and Saturday, March 10. On Friday, George Fox University will take on Bowdoin College at 5 p.m., with Mary Washington facing Lebanon Valley College at 7 p.m. On Saturday, March 10, the two winners will meet with a trip to the Final Four on the line.

The seventh-ranked UMW team beat Messiah College in the second round of the tournament on Saturday, March 3.

Tickets for each day will cost $7 for adults and $4 for students. Senior citizens and all UMW faculty, staff and students with a valid I.D. will be admitted free of charge.