April 13, 2026

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Allison Seay Wins Prize for Poetry Collection

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UMW’s Arrington Poet-in-Residence Allison Seay ’02 has received the 2012 Lexi Rudnitsky First Book Prize in Poetry.

The award is a collaboration between Persea Books and the Lexi Rudnitsky Poetry Project to sponsor the annual publication of a poetry collection by an American woman poet who has yet to publish a full-length book of poems. The winner receives an advance of $1,000 and publication of her collection by Persea Books. Seay won the prize for her collection of poetry, “To See the Queen,” scheduled for publication in April 2013.

As the Arrington Poet-in-Residence, Seay teaches the advanced poetry workshop and the creative writing seminar in poetry at Mary Washington. A Midlothian, Va., native, she is the recipient of the 2011 Ruth Lilly Poetry Fellowship, one of the largest awards offered to aspiring poets in the United States, and two fellowships from the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Her work has been featured in numerous publications, including Poetry, Crazyhorse and The Southern Review.

For more information, read the full news release from January 25.

Student Wins English Department Scholarship for Creative Writing

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Helen Alston of Charlottesville, Va., has been selected to receive the Barbara Thomas Phillips Creative Writing Scholarship for the spring semester of 2012 at UMW. The scholarship is awarded annually to a junior or senior exhibiting excellence in writing.

A senior majoring in English with a concentration in creative writing, Alston is poetry editor of the Aubade, the university’s biannual literary magazine. She also is president of the UMW Hand Percussion Club and a tutor at the Fredericksburg campus Writing Center. Alston has been an orientation leader and has been named to the Dean’s List.

Matt Paxton ’97 of A&E’s “Hoarders” to Lecture at UMW

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Matt Paxton ’97, extreme cleaning expert featured on the A&E program “Hoarders,” will give a free lecture on Wednesday, Feb. 1. The lecture, open to students, faculty and staff with a ticket, will take place in Monroe Hall, Room 116 at 7 p.m. A limited number of tickets are still available through the Office of Career Services on a first-come first-served basis.

Paxton is the owner of Clutter Cleaner, an extreme cleaning and organizing company based in Richmond, Va. He will sign copies of his book, “The Secret Life of Hoarders,” at the event.  Limited copies will be available for purchase.

For more information, contact Katie Locke, assistant director of career services, at klocke@umw.edu or (540) 654-1272.

Great Lives Lecture Series Starts Next Week

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The Chappell Great Lives Lecture Series starts Tuesday, Jan. 24 with a lecture on Kurt Vonnegut, and continues through April. All lectures begin at 7:30 p.m. and are held in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium.

A full calendar of lectures is available at http://www.umw.edu/greatlives/calendar-of-lectures/.

The Free Lance-Star highlights the lecture series in the Jan. 19 issue: http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2012/012012/01192012/677222.

UMW Philharmonic Orchestra Tours Italy

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The UMW Philharmonic Orchestra in Rome

For the UMW Philharmonic Orchestra, the week between Christmas and New Year’s was filled with performances, trips and sightseeing as part of a tour of Italy. The 59-member group, led by Director Kevin Bartram, traveled to Venice, Florence and Rome, and performed concerts in the towns of Padua and Impruneta and in downtown Rome.

“We had such a wonderful experience meeting the Italians,” Bartram said. “They were very kind, and had such enthusiasm for music. I know that our students will cherish this experience forever.”

According to the UMW Philharmonic website, “The UMW-CSO touring program was established in 2006 as a means to offer international and cultural opportunities for our students and community musicians.” This is the third trip for the orchestra.

Students in Rome

Black History Month: My Black Is Beautiful: Footprints, Reflections and Paths

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Steel Drum Band

Wednesday, Feb. 1

7 p.m.; Great Hall, Woodard Campus Center

Join the James Farmer Multicultural Center for the commencement of the 2012 Black History Month Celebration as Ewabo plays an eclectic range of music that incorporates soul, R&B, and funk music on Caribbean steel drums.

 

Library Exhibit: Celebrate Black History Month

Feb. 1-29

Simpson Library will feature written and digital resources from the UMW libraries collections that highlight prominent African-American women and African-American history and culture.

 

Dinner: Cuisines of Black Cultures

Monday, Feb. 6

Seacobeck Hall

Dinner cost: one meal-plan meal or $10.30 plus tax

Eagle Dining will feature African and Caribbean cuisines.

 

Social Justice Brown Bag Lunch Discussion: Prison Industrial Complex

Wednesday, Feb. 8

Noon; Woodard Campus Center, Meeting Room 4

 

Film Discussion: The Prep School Negro

Wednesday, Feb. 8

6 p.m.; Combs Hall, Room 139

André Robert Lee’s film portrays how a full scholarship to a Philadelphia prep school was supposed to be his way out of the ghetto, how he paid a high personal cost for the elite education, and looks inside today’s continuing racial naïveté. Co-sponsored by the James Farmer Visiting Professor Committee, James Farmer Postdoctoral Fellow in Civil Rights and Social Justice, Office of Student Affairs, Department of History and American Studies, and Department of Sociology and Anthropology.

 

An Evening of Jazz: A Tribute to America’s Great Black Artists

Thursday, Feb. 9

8 p.m.; The Underground, Lee Hall

The UMW Faculty Jazz Ensemble will feature works by legendary African-American jazz musicians. Co-sponsored by the UMW Department of Music.

 

Gospelfest

Sunday, Feb. 12

4 p.m.; Dodd Auditorium, George Washington Hall

An evening of gospel music and spiritual uplift with choirs, singing groups, and praise dance teams. Co-sponsored by Voices of Praise.

 

James Farmer Visiting Professor Lecturer and Black History Month
Keynote Speaker: Angela Davis

Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012
7 p.m., Dodd Auditorium, George Washington Hall
Co-sponsored by the James Farmer Visiting Professor Committee

An icon of the nation’s quest for social justice, activist and scholar Angela Davis has spent decades building communities of struggle for economic, racial, and gender equality. The author of eight books, Davis has served for the last 15 years as professor of feminist studies and professor of history of consciousness, an interdisciplinary doctoral program, at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Co-sponsored by the James Farmer Visiting Professor Committee, James Farmer Multicultural Center, and the AT&T Student Leadership Colloquium.

 

Essence of African-American Culture: Fashion and Arts

Friday, Feb. 17

7 p.m.; Great Hall, Woodard Campus Center

The Black Student Association will celebrate African and African-American culture with a talent show and Pan-African fashion show.

 

Lunch: Cuisines of Black Cultures

Monday, Feb. 20

Seacobeck Hall

Cost: one meal-plan meal or $8 for lunch.

Eagle Dining will feature Creole and Southern soul cuisines.

 

American Red Cross Blood Drive

Tuesday, Feb. 21

Noon-6 p.m.; Great Hall, Woodard Campus Center

Co-sponsored by the Black Student Association and Talk to the Hands.

Donate blood or to volunteer to assist with this event, email tragland@mail.umw.edu.

 

The Color of Sisterhood: African-American Camp Fire Girls, Girl Scouts, and Social Change

Wednesday, Feb. 22

7 p.m.; Combs Hall, Room 139

Georgetown University Assistant Professor of History Marcia Chatelain will explore the role of African-American women’s activism in desegregation and in transforming national girls’ organizations. Co-sponsored by the Women’s and Gender Studies Program and the Department of History and American Studies.

 

22nd Annual Step Show and Competition

Saturday, Feb. 25

7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.); Dodd Auditorium, George Washington Hall

Cost: $7; $5 with UMW ID

An array of the area’s most talented step teams will engage in a high energy, entertaining competition. Co-sponsored by Women of Color and the Black Student Association.

 

Film Discussion: Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin

Tuesday, Feb. 28

6 p.m.; Chandler Hall, Room 102

A disciple of Gandhi, a mentor to Martin Luther King Jr., and the architect of the 1963 March on Washington, Bayard Rustin was an openly gay man during the fiercely homophobic ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s. This documentary explores his activism for peace, racial equality, economic justice, and human rights. Sponsored by PRISM- People for the Rights of Sexual Minorities.

Click here to view this calendar as a PDF

Faculty, Staff & Students: Send Story Ideas

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The Office of News and Public Information is on the lookout for interesting, impactful and timely story ideas for possible web features, videos, press releases or social media posts.

If you or your students are involved in a unique project or have an idea for a human interest piece or other newsworthy story, please send us an email at mmorris3@umw.edu or bboyer@umw.edu.

Examples of recent web features include “Geography Students Spend Winter Break in Cambodia,”  “Reaching New Heights: UMW Student Climbs Mount Everest” and “Where Great Minds Get Creative.”

For helpful information, read the updated Guide to Working with the Media.

 

Message from Marty Morrison, Director of News and Public Information, and Brynn Boyer, Assistant Director of News and Public Information

CVC Campaign Extended Through January 31

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There are still several ways to give.

A list of approved CVC charities may be found at http://www.cvc.vipnet.org/donors/directorylist.htm or in a paper directory for 2011 Charities.

Methods of giving include:

  • Give online through EmployeeDirect (CREDIT CARD ONLY) through midnight, January 31.  To give now, Click on https://edirect.virginia.gov/EDL/Start.aspx
  • Give by check, cash, credit card, or payroll deduction using a paper pledge card.  Your CVC agency coordinator has a supply of cards or print your own form by going to http://www.cvc.vipnet.org/volunteers/materials.htm and selecting Pledge Card.  Complete and give to your CVC coordinator (mail to GW 307) or mail it directly to CVC/DHRM, 101 N. 14th Street, 12th Floor, Richmond  VA  23219.  The CVC team will ensure that it is processed quickly and your agency is credited with your gift.  If you missed your agency’s payroll cutoff for the first pay period of 2012, your total annual gift will be divided among the remaining pay periods.  Be sure to make a copy for your files and a copy for payroll if you are giving by payroll deductions.

For questions about the CVC Campaign visit http://umwcvc.umwblogs.org/.

New Weight Watchers Session Starts January 25

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The following information is provided by Human Resources and the UMW Weight Watchers at Work group:  

A quick Google search reveals that losing weight is the number one New Year’s resolution. Get a start on that resolution and join UMW friends who have already lost over 1,000 pounds! Read this testimonial from one of our members:

“There comes a time in one’s life when you are no longer comfortable in your own skin.  I got to that point last spring.  My clothes felt tight, I had trouble sleeping and my back and joints ached.  I was reluctant at first to join Weight Watchers.  After all, I wasn’t FAT and didn’t want to eat SPECIAL FOOD.  Plus, I wasn’t sure I would fit in.  I was wrong on all counts.  Weight Watchers is flexible and easy to follow.  The on-line tools make tracking what I ate a breeze.  I loved being able to enter my favorite recipes and restaurant entrees and find out how many points they are per serving – an eye opening experience!  I lost weight by making simple modifications  to my diet.  I didn’t have to buy special food or deprive myself of the foods I love.  The work support group provided encouragement , tips, and great camaraderie.  I really liked getting to know other people on campus.  The meeting time fit easily into my lunch hour and was very convenient.  I met my goal and enjoy the group so much I plan to keep coming.  I am truly grateful for this terrific benefit.”  (Catherine)

Weight Watchers is Ranked #1 Weight-Loss Diet by U.S. News & World Report. Inaugural rankings from U.S. News & World Report put Weight Watchers in the top slot for weight-loss diets. Read more here: http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=111661&sc=3046

The new Weight Watchers at Work session begins Wednesday, January 25. Join us and take advantage of special pricing for state employees.

Wednesday, January 25

Noon-12:30 p.m.

Red Room, Woodard Hall

Contact Pam Taggert (ptaggert@umw.edu) 654-1018 with any questions.