March 13, 2026

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Get your free pocket Constitution – and register to vote

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To the campus community:

UMW is commemorating national Constitution Day in partnership with the Center for Community Engagement. Stop by the table on Campus Walk between noon and 3 p.m. on Friday, September 17, to get your free pocket Constitution!

In addition, the Center for Community Engagement and UMW Votes will be sponsoring National Voter Registration Day in Ball Circle on Tuesday, September 28. National Voter Registration Day will feature games, music, information, voter registration stations, and other activities. Additional copies of the pocket Constitutions will be available. 

Constitution Day, once known as Citizenship Day, became a federal observance in 2004 and commemorates the Sept. 17, 1787, signing of the Constitution. UMW’s Constitution Day events are a joint effort between the Office of the Provost and the Center for Community Engagement.

For more information, please contact Sarah Dewees, associate director of the Center for Community Engagement, at 540-654-1122.

Flu clinics @ UMW

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From the Student Health Center:

Flu season is coming! The Student Health Center is collaborating with Giant Pharmacy to administer flu shots to everyone on campus. They will be in the University Center Lobby from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. the following days:

  • Thursday, October 14th
  • Tuesday, November 16th

On these dates, other vaccines will also be available, including the COVID vaccine (Pfizer and J&J) and non-flu vaccines such as Meningitis ACWY, Meningitis B, Tetanus and/or Pertussis, Shingles, Pneumonia vaccine.

Make sure you stay healthy this school year! Come get your flu shot!

Contact the Student Health Center at 540-654-1040 or healthcenter@umw.edu with questions.

Eagle Pipe Band Wins First at the Virginia Scottish Games

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Assistant Professor of Historic Preservation and Eagle Pipe Band Leader Lauren McMillan. Photo by Karen Pearlman Photography.

Assistant Professor of Historic Preservation and Eagle Pipe Band Leader Lauren McMillan. Photo by Karen Pearlman Photography.

The UMW Eagle Pipe Band, led by assistant professor Lauren McMillan, competed at the Virginia Scottish Games on September 4th. The band won first place in their grade. This was the first time the band has competed since 2015. Two UMW students also competed in solo contests and took prizes in their grades: AJ Gluchowski (2024), bagpiper, took 6th, and Audra Young (2023), snare drummer, took 3rd.

UMW Claims Strong Showing in Two Sets of National Rankings

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University of Mary Washington earned top spots this week in two national college rankings, ‘Washington Monthly’ and ‘The Princeton Review.’

University of Mary Washington earned top spots this week in two national college rankings, ‘Washington Monthly’ and ‘The Princeton Review.’

The University of Mary Washington took top spots in a pair of prestigious national college rankings, each released this week.

Encouraging college students to be active citizens, Washington Monthly’s 2021 College Rankings cite schools’ ability to promote social mobility, research and service. “We rate schools based on what they do for the country,” states the website for the publication, which included UMW in not one but two categories: Best Master’s Universities and Best Bang for the Buck.

Washington Monthly, which judges schools on their commitment to contributing to the greater good, recognized UMW for providing marketable degrees at affordable prices. The Princeton Review’s college rankings, based on feedback from actual students, placed Mary Washington in the top 14 percent of the nation’s thousands of four-year colleges and universities. Read more.

Common Experience Encourages Critical Thinking, Connections

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“We don’t need most of the fast-thinking system processes that were used thousands of years ago to survive,” said first-year student Bridget Zagrobelny (right), who learned from the PBS episode that autopilot thinking in modern life often results in mistakes and poor decisions. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

“We don’t need most of the fast-thinking system processes that were used thousands of years ago to survive,” said first-year student Bridget Zagrobelny (right), who learned from the PBS episode that autopilot thinking in modern life often results in mistakes and poor decisions. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Bridget Zagrobelny has heard that first impressions matter. But the University of Mary Washington freshman decided on a different strategy for making friends in college.

“We’re prone to judging others too quickly,” she said, “so it’s important to tap the brakes in our brains when we meet new people.”

She gained that insight after watching Living on Autopilot, an episode from the PBS Hacking Your Mind series exploring the mental processes at play in rational versus quick decision making, as part of this year’s Common Experience. Launched in 2015, this shared academic milestone gives incoming UMW first-year students the chance to engage in critical thinking and college-level discussions with professors, staff and peers as soon as they arrive on campus.

“We hope to challenge them to think about the material in new ways, learn about themselves and connect with their classmates,” said Assistant Professor of Biology April Wynn. As the First-Year Experience director, she oversees a variety of initiatives, including first-year seminars, living and learning communities, and peer mentorships, all designed to help freshmen successfully transition to life at Mary Washington. Read more.

Fall Safe Zone programs

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The UMW Safe Zone program offers workshops that are designed to educate members of the University community about lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ+) issues to increase the safety and inclusion of all campus citizens. At the end of each workshop, participants have the opportunity to become a Safe Zone ally for our campus. Safe Zone allies are individuals who will:

  1. Be understanding, supportive, and trustworthy if LGBTQ+ individuals need help, advice, or just someone to talk to.
  2. Not tolerate homophobic, transphobic, and heterosexist comments and actions and will address them in an educational and informative manner.
  3. Have received training and can provide information regarding on- or off-campus resources.

We offer several types of Safe Zone programs every semester for faculty and staff. All faculty and staff are welcome and encouraged to attend these workshops, including adjunct faculty and part-time staff.

  • We will be offering a basic training on Tuesday, September 14 from 2:00-4:30 p.m. (in-person on campus). This training focuses on terminology, issues related to privilege, increasing awareness and sensitivity, and how to support the LGBTQ+ population on campus.
  • We will be offering an advanced training on Wednesday, September 22 from 1:00-3:30 p.m. (in-person on campus). The advanced training is for faculty and staff who have already completed the basic training and covers more complex topics, including bystander intervention.
  • We will be holding a two-part book club for Faculty and Staff on Tuesday, September 28 from 4:00-5:30 p.m. and Tuesday, October 5 from 4:00-5:30 p.m. (in-person on campus). We will be reading Megan Rapinoe’s memoir titled “One Life.” Megan Rapinoe is a star for the United States Women’s National Soccer team and a vocal activist for a range of issues, including LGBTQ+ inclusion, racial justice, and equal pay. We will offer a free book to the first 12 people to sign-up. Participants are expected to attend both book club sessions because this is a two-part discussion.

If you would like to attend one or all of these events, please email Laura Wilson at lwilson5@umw.edu. Registration is required to attend. Please also keep in mind that all participants are expected to wear a mask and to wear that mask correctly throughout the entire Safe Zone program. If you do not comply with this policy, then you will be asked to leave.

Please stop by the Safe Zone table in the lobby of the University Center on Monday, August 30 from 11:00-1:00 or Tuesday, August 31 from 12:30-2:00. We will have helpful resources and awesome swag to give out. If you have questions about the Safe Zone program, please reach out to Dr. Laura Wilson at lwilson5@umw.edu or check out our website bit.ly/UMWsafezone.

If your office, department, or students would like to schedule a training, then please email Laura. If you would like more information about Safe Zone at UMW, to see the list of allies on our campus, or access LGBTQ+ inclusion resources, please visit our website at bit.ly/UMWsafezone. Also, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram @umwsafezone.

MARY TALKS: “How to Feel: the Science and Meaning of Touch”

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Join us ONLINE for the first Mary Talk of the 2021-22 academic year!

In these times of the internet and digital communication, some say we are out of touch. Many people fear that we are trapped inside our screens, becoming less in tune with our bodies and losing our connection to the physical world. But the sense of touch has been undervalued since long before the days of digital isolation.

Because of deeply rooted beliefs that favor the cerebral over the corporeal, touch is maligned as dirty or sentimental, in contrast with other forms of communication and perception. In this Mary Talk, journalism professor Sushma Subramanian will explore the scientific, physical, emotional, and cultural aspects of touch, reconnecting us to what is arguably our most important sense.

Wednesday, September 8
7:30-9:00 p.m. (EDT)
Online (via Zoom)

To watch the Talk online, register here. You then will receive a link to the streaming video, which can be watched live or at a later time. You also will have the opportunity to submit questions to be asked of the speaker at the end of the Talk.

We look forward to seeing you online!

Register now.

Campus Recreation Fitness Classes, Beach Volleyball and Personal Training

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UMW Group Fitness Classes Schedule Fall 2021

UMW Group Fitness Classes Schedule Fall 2021: Classes are back in swing! Take some time for yourself and register for a fitness class with some of our amazing Group Fitness Instructors! On Fridays, we offer Happy Hour. Happy Hour classes differ each week, so check our social media for announcements! Register at campusrec.umw.edu

 

 

 

 

 

 

IM Beach Volleyball: Starts 9/12/2021 from 7:00-9:00 PM. Open to all IM pass holders. IM passes are $25. Participate in playing at our beach volleyball season for a chance to win an IM Champion T-Shirt and a Freddy’s Promo Card! No experience is needed to join! Registration is now open at campusrec.umw.edu.

 

 

 

Personal Training flyerUMW certified personal trainers create safe and customized fitness programs and provide you with the attention you deserve. If you’re looking for professional assistance in moving towards your fitness goals, then hiring a personal trainer is a step in the right direction! To sign up visit campusrec.umw.edu. Click “Log In” in the top right corner of the webpage. Once you’re logged in, on the home page, click the “Personal Training” icon. Then, select the training package of your choice. Finally, follow the steps to make your payment on an external site! You must submit your payment and continue through until the Successful Payment Confirmation page pops