January 21, 2026

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Dynamic Decade: Women’s and Gender Studies Program Turns 10

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UMW students listen as Women’s and Gender Studies faculty and alums gather together to celebrate the program’s 10th anniversary. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

UMW students listen as Women’s and Gender Studies faculty and alums gather together to celebrate the program’s 10th anniversary. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Six years after graduating from the University of Mary Washington, Sam Carter ’14 still draws daily on some of the lessons she learned as an undergrad.

“Everyone has a different cultural experience,” said Carter, a Women’s and Gender Studies major who’s now a digital director for the House Budget Committee majority staff. “It’s important that we understand that.”

Carter was back on campus yesterday to celebrate the program’s 10th anniversary. Through this interdisciplinary major, students explore the intersections of gender, race, class, ethnicity and sexual orientation to gain an understanding of the breadth of human experience. Graduates use the perspectives they acquire in the classroom to inform careers in such fields as media, law, health, education and social work, and to influence and inspire future generations. Read more. 

PCOW: The Wash Post and November Meeting

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November/December 2019 Wash Post

The President’s Council on Wellness (PCOW) puts out a newsletter called the Wash Post which can be found across campus on bulletin boards and in campus bathrooms. An objective of the Wash Post is to educate all of us on wellness and encourage our students to attend campus wellness events and help them form good habits.

The November/December theme of the Wash Post is “Grattitude is Everything.” Being grateful and positive helps to improve our wellbeing emotionally and is contagious to others. Are you present in your surroundings and grateful for the little things in life? For some fun facts and ideas, check out the Wellness Website for the Wash Post, Volume 11.

Everyone is welcome to attend the PCOW’s next open meeting on Tuesday, November 12th at 8:30am in the UC Colonnade Room. President Troy Paino will be our guest speaker this month and we will be sharing updates from each of our committees. If you or your colleagues are interested in learning more or serving on the President’s Council on Wellness, please email wellness@umw.edu.

UMW Presents Jazz 4 Justice on Nov. 2

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UMW’s Jazz Ensemble has joined the Fredericksburg Area Bar Association and Legal Aid Works℠ (formally Rappahannock Legal Services) to present a special concert, Jazz 4 Justice™, on November 2 at 7:30 p.m. in Dodd Auditorium. General admission tickets cost $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. For more information, please visit https://umwmusic.com or call (540) 654-1012.

Come Be a Part of Unwind @ Mary Wash!

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Planned by the Office of Student Activities and Engagement, Unwind @ Mary Wash helps students de-stress before exams. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Planned by the Office of Student Activities and Engagement, Unwind @ Mary Wash helps students de-stress before exams. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Every semester during finals week, the Office of Student Activities and Engagement participates with other offices on campus to put together Unwind @ Mary Wash. A program that brings together free snacks, arts and crafts, and therapy dogs to help students unwind as they go through finals. This year, we are looking to expand to more departments on campus! If you are interested in participating this year, or if you have any questions, please reach out the Assistant Director of SAE, Crystal Rawls, at crawls@umw.edu.

Itzhak Perlman’s UMW Show ‘Hauntingly Beautiful’

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Violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman performed with the UMW Philharmonic on Saturday. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman performed with the UMW Philharmonic on Saturday. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman opened University of Mary Washington Philharmonic’s 49th season with a sold-out concert on Saturday, Oct. 26. Nearly 1,300 people packed Dodd Auditorium for the show, which was part of the Philharmonic’s annual Celebrity Concert Series. Perlman was the first artist to return to campus in the series’ 15-year history.

Perlman performed Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with the Philharmonic, which was met with a standing ovation. The program also included Jonathan Bailey Holland’s The Party Starter, Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations and Aram Khachaturian’s Three Dances from “Gayneh Ballet.” In addition, Perlman surprised concertgoers with an encore featuring his violin solos from the film Schindler’s List, written expressly for Perlman by celebrated composer John Williams. UMW Philharmonic Conductor Kevin Bartram described it as “hauntingly beautiful” and “a real treat for the audience.” Read more. 

Homecoming Recap and Sammy D. Eagle’s Reveal

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The new Sammy D. Eagle

The new Sammy D. Eagle

Temperatures climbed to nearly 70 degrees under sunny, blue skies for UMW’s Homecoming last weekend. Spirited alumni flocked to the Battleground, where Eagles athletes – and sometimes @UMWAlumni– competed in matches of field hockey, rugby, soccer, volleyball and tennis. After more than three decades as UMW’s mascot, a new Sammy D. Eagle made his “beak-tastic” debut before the Friday night Mary Rock concert. And, #BackIntheBurg, Mary Washington alumni from various years enjoyed happy hour, tailgating and other festivities.

 

Marginalized Histories of Korean Women Opens in Ridderhof Martin Gallery Oct. 24

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The Department of Art and Art History and UMW Galleries present the opening exhibition of Marginalized Histories of Korean Women Thursday, Oct. 24 from 5-7 p.m. in Ridderhof Martin Gallery. The exhibition is curated by Dr. Suzie Kim, Assistant Professor of Art History, and features the work of Youngjoo Cho, Dohee Kim, Sumita Kim, and Wonju Seo. The Marginalized History of Korean Women symposium will be held the following day, Oct. 25. Please see the UMW Marginalized Histories of Korean Women Exhibition and Symposium Flyer for more information.

Entwined within the recent political history of Korea—Japanese colonial period (1910–45), liberation from it, the division of the Korean peninsula into north and south at the end of World War II, the Korean War (1950–53), the New Village Movement by the former president Park Chung Hee in the 1970s, the Gwangju Uprising (1980), and the democratization of the south in the 1980s—are Korean women whose histories have been often ignored or marginalized for contradicting conventional values of marriage and family, and the messages of political regimes. It is possible to expose the silenced histories of women in a society with deep roots in traditional Confucian ethics if we follow Chandra Talpade Mohanty’s vision of decolonizing feminism and acknowledge the complexities that characterize the lives of women in countries other than the West. The focus of the exhibition will be on accounts of Korean women in daily life, in fluid historical conjunctions, and in latent opposition to collectivism.

This exhibition presents four contemporary Korean artists, Youngjoo Cho, Dohee Kim, Sumita Kim, and Wonju Seo. Their art epitomizes the intersection of personal and collective histories of Korean women, and illustrates contemporaneous conversations against militarism, patriarchy, and nationalism.

Peace, Love, Mary Wash Event Oct. 26

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UMW faculty and staff (as well as students and members of the Fredericksburg community) are invited to join UMW Campus Recreation at Ball Circle on Saturday, October 26 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. to enjoy a day of free yoga and mindfulness, mental health and local vendor tables, and a food truck where food will be available to purchase! Kids are welcomed! Learn first-hand how practicing yoga and mindfulness can be relaxing, enjoyable, and help combat stress.

Schedule:

  • 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.: Music, Check-in and local vendor tables open
  • 11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: Fun Flow Vinyasa Yoga (presented by Kassi and Susan [UMW Alum!] representing Dragonfly Yoga Studio)
  • 12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.: Functional Movement and Grounding Practice (presented by Kiersten Kennedy, a Fredericksburg yoga instructor)
  • 1:15 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.: Yoga Meditation (presented by Catie representing the Yoga Foundation of Fredericksburg and Latitude Yoga)

Vendors:

  • UMW Talley Center for Counseling Services
  • Mental Health America
  • UMW President’s Council on Wellness
  • Latitude Yoga
  • Yoga Foundation of Fredericksburg
  • Dragonfly Yoga
  • Kimman’s Co
  • Katora Cafe UMW
  • UMW Campus Recreation

Giveaways! We will be giving away UMW Campus Rec branded yoga mats, UMW Beanies, UMW Water bottles, t-shirts, and swag bags throughout the course of the day. You don’t want to miss it!

This event is free thanks to our amazing partners (above)! Please let us know that you’re planning to come by joining the Facebook event! Please bring your own towel or yoga mat. This is an outdoor event and free water stations will be available.

COAR Invites Faculty/Staff Families to Pumpkin Palooza Oct. 27

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Community Outreach and Resources would like to invite you and your families to our second event of the semester, Pumpkin Palooza, on October 27th from 1-4pm. For this event we invite local children and their parents or guardians to enjoy games, fall-themed crafts, and trick-or-treat tours! We encourage both parents and children to come in costume! The event is held in the Chandler Ballroom inside the University Center, and the trick-or-treat tours will take place on campus. This event is free, but we encourage you to bring nonperishable food items for our food drive. We would be honored to see you there! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out!

 

 

Reeves and Laufer Debate for 17th District Senate Seat Oct. 29

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Amy Laufer

Amy Laufer

Sen. Bryce Reeves

Sen. Bryce Reeves

On Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m., Republican incumbent Sen. Bryce Reeves will share the podium with Democrat Amy Laufer in the race for the District 17 seat in the Virginia Senate. The 17th District Senate Debate will be held in Monroe Hall, Room 116, on UMW’s Fredericksburg Campus.

A military veteran and insurance company owner, Reeves is co-chair of the Military and Veterans Caucus, serves on the Secure Commonwealth Panel and is the Senate representative on the Virginia Military Advisory Council to the Governor. Laufer is a former middle-school teacher and Peace Corps volunteer who served seven years on the Charlottesville City School Board. She launched Virginia’s List, an organization that supports Democratic women running for state office.

District 17 includes Fredericksburg, all of Orange County, and parts of Spotsylvania, Culpeper, Albemarle and Louisa counties, and stretches to the suburbs of Charlottesville.

Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies, will serve as moderator and a panelist at each debate. The other panelists will be Ted Schubel, news director of News Talk 1230/WFVA and WBQB radio, and Editorial Page Editor Barbara Hollingsworth of The Free Lance-Star. Written questions from the audience can be submitted in person shortly before the start of each debate.

The debates are co-sponsored by UMW’s College Republicans, Young Democrats and the Legislative Action Committee of the Student Government Association, as well as The Free Lance–Star, the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Fredericksburg Area League of Women Voters.