A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff
On behalf of many members of our community, ODR would like to announce a series of programming for Disability Awareness Month, celebrated in October at UMW.
We encourage all to participate in these opportunities to raise awareness and continue to reach towards our ASPIRE Principles and Values.
Please feel free to contact Office of Disability Resources (ODR) with any questions!
Join us (virtually) for Homecoming 2020!
This year for Homecoming, you won’t be #BackInTheBurg…Instead, #StayHomecoming with us online!
Because large, in-person events are impossible this fall, we had to think outside the box for Homecoming. The result is #StayHomecoming: a week-long host of events and offerings with something for everyone.
Monday: College of Education/Alumni Educators affinity group event
Tuesday: College of Business young alumni networking event
Wednesday: “Between Two Ficuses” young alumni video launch
Thursday: Kahoot! Trivia with UMW Alumni and the LGBTQ+ Affinity Group
Friday, 10/23: FXBG alumni virtual beer tasting w/ Adventure Brewing, plus MaryWash memorabilia with Dean Rucker
Saturday, 10/24: (Homecoming Day!): Bartending and tailgate food tips
Throughout the week, we’ll also have social media initiatives, including contests that can win you some big prizes. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter so you won’t miss out.
For more information and updates, check the Homecoming web page, and follow the Homecoming event on Facebook.
Then watch your email–we’ll let you know as soon as registration is open!
We hope you will #GetDirtyGoWash with us from a distance this year. Go Eagles!
Rep. Rob Wittman
The University of Mary Washington will host a public political debate between candidates for Virginia’s First Congressional District Monday, Sept. 21, at 7 p.m.
Incumbent Rep. Rob Wittman (R) will face off against opponent Qasim Rashid (D) live via Zoom, with public viewing accessible through YouTube. Viewers may submit questions for consideration for inclusion in the debate using an online form until 11 a.m. on the day of the event.
“It’s going to be as close to a normal Mary Washington debate as possible,” said moderator Stephen Farnsworth, a UMW professor of political science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies.
Qasim Rashid
The event is hosted by the University’s College Republicans, Young Democrats, and Legislative Action Committee of the Student Government Association. It’s co-sponsored by the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce, The Free Lance-Star and the Fredericksburg chapter of the League of Women Voters.
News Director Ted Schubel of WFVA Radio and Editorial Page Editor Barbara Hollingsworth of The Free Lance-Star will ask questions of the candidates during the hourlong event. Read more.
As part of this year’s Common Experience, first-year students are listening to “Good Trouble: UMW,” an 18-episode podcast that chronicles the long history of student activism at Mary Washington. Logo by Peter Morelewicz at Print Jazz.
Eliza Vegas marched in her first protest this summer for Black Lives Matter. The University of Mary Washington is inspiring her to do more.
“An overwhelming sense of home and community brought me here,” said Vegas, a Mary Washington first-year student who learned of the University’s long history of student activism when she listened to a new podcast on the topic. “Now I have a deeper appreciation for my new school.”
Since 2015, incoming students have read and discussed written works with the UMW community as part of the Common Experience. This year, instead of a book, they’re exploring four timely and topical podcasts about COVID-19 and civil rights, connecting events of the past to the present. They’re also listening to “Good Trouble: UMW,” a new podcast named for the late Congressman John Lewis’ lifelong philosophy, which he shared in his 2011 Commencement address at Mary Washington.
The 18-episode podcast series chronicles Mary Washington student activism throughout the decades, relating back to Lewis’ directive to get in “good trouble, necessary trouble.” Read more.
Safe Zone is excited to announce several upcoming programs, including our Fall Book Club. The UMW Safe Zone program offers programs 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. All of our programs are free and open to all faculty and staff.
We will be offering a Basic Safe Zone workshop on Wednesday, October 7th from 9-11:30 a.m. (via Zoom). This training focuses on terminology, issues related to privilege, increasing awareness and sensitivity, and how to support the LGBTQ+ population on campus. This is an opportunity for any faculty or staff member to become a Safe Zone ally. Space is limited and registration is required. All participants get cool Safe Zone swag!
We will be offering an Advanced Safe Zone workshop on Thursday, October 22nd from 1-3:30 p.m. (via Zoom). The advanced training is for faculty and staff who have already completed the basic training and covers more complex topics, including bystander intervention. Space is limited and registration is required. All participants get cool Safe Zone swag!
We will be offering our Fall Book Club as a two-part program on Tuesday, October 20th from 4-5:30 p.m. and Tuesday, October 27th from 4-5:30 p.m. Meetings will happen through Zoom. We will be reading Born Both: An Intersex Life by Hida Viloria. The first 14 people to register get a free book! Plus, all participants get cool Safe Zone swag. Space is limited and registration is required.
If you would like to register for any of these events, please email Mindy Erchull at merchull@umw.edu.
If you would like more information about Safe Zone, to see the list of allies on our campus, or access LGBTQ+ inclusion resources, please visit the website at bit.ly/UMWsafezone.
Calling all Northwest Virginia and North Central Virginia alumni, plus those in nearby regions! Join us for a virtual cider tasting with Wild Hare Cider.
How does a virtual cider tasting work?
When you register, you will receive a confirmation email with a coupon code and a Zoom link. Anytime before the event, stop by one of Wild Hare’s 3 locations (Leesburg, Middleburg, or Warrenton) and pick up your discounted 4-pack of cider. On the night of the tasting, join our Zoom session. We’ll taste each cider as a Wild Hare representative gives us the background on each flavor and discusses the process of making the cider.
Wednesday, September 23
7:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Online (via Zoom)
After the tasting, there will be time to reconnect virtually with other Mary Washington alumni. We are sending this invitation not only to Northwest and North Central Virginia alumni, but also to alumni in Fredericksburg, DC, and other nearby networks. Join us!
We look forward to seeing you online!
Has COVID-19 caused significant stress for you? Are you experiencing COVID fatigue? Mindfulness and meditation are very useful tools for addressing these challenges.
Learn about the practice of mindfulness, and experience the benefits in your own life in our 7-week Intro to Mindfulness and Meditation online course.
This course is offered live on Zoom on Monday evenings from September 28 to November 9. Registration closes September 24!
6:00-7:30 p.m.
Zoom Meeting ID is provided once registration is complete.
$15
Welcoming students back to campus is the right decision for Mary Washington. That’s what UMW President Troy Paino said in a video released late yesterday, in which he announced that, following a three-week delay of in-person classes, students will begin returning to campus on Sept. 10 and to limited in-person learning on Sept. 14.
“I will state the obvious,” Paino said in the nearly 19-minute video. “There is no consensus on how to proceed.”
He said he made the painstaking decision after conferring with medical experts, presidential colleagues, parents and others, always keeping the health and wellbeing of students, faculty, staff and area residents foremost in mind. He made the call, he said, for two primary reasons: his belief in the commitment of UMW students and University community members to make personal sacrifices for the greater good, and his confidence in a strong and adaptable plan thoroughly developed by faculty, staff and administrators throughout the past six months.
With an effective, widely available vaccine as far away as 18 months, Paino said, he was forced to weigh the risks of bringing students back to Mary Washington against those of going fully remote, foregoing the meaningful relationships and self-discovery that come with campus life.
“We cannot put this generation on hold for that long,” said Paino, the father of a college student and a recent college graduate. “They need to see that despite the challenges this virus presents, we can move forward with our lives.” Read more.
UMW received high marks from Washington Monthly’s 2020 College Guide and Rankings. The guide rates four-year schools on their contributions to the country and their commitment to public service and activism.
Less than two weeks into its fall semester, the University of Mary Washington has received a nationwide ranking that speaks to the heart of its mission.
Washington Monthly’s annual College Guide and Rankings placed UMW 24th among Top Master’s Universities and 21st in the Best Bang for the Buck Southeast Colleges category.
“We rate schools based on what they do for the country” and the public good, states an intro to the 2020 rankings, which rate four-year schools on their contribution to the public good, considering factors such as social mobility, research, public service and activism.
The guide’s Best Bang for the Buck category evaluates colleges on their success at recruiting and graduating non-wealthy students, and their ability to provide marketable degrees at affordable prices.
“The question we’re asking … is this,” Washington Monthly magazine editors Paul Glastris and Grace Gedye write. “Which colleges deliver the best results for taxpayers – who invest more than $150 billion annually in student financial aid – and for typical students, especially those who are minorities, the first in their family to attend college, or of modest means?” Read more.
At the first-ever virtual Eagle Gathering, administration, faculty, staff, current students and alumni welcomed new Eagles to UMW through a livestream on Zoom and YouTube. Volunteers lined Campus Walk with 1,129 luminaries, each representing a new student at Mary Washington.
Online trivia, virtual dance parties and outdoor fitness classes are in this fall. High fives, handshakes and hugs are out, at least for now.
Activities and engagement are as much a part of college life as academics. That’s why staff and student volunteers at the University of Mary Washington have worked tirelessly this summer to ensure that campus traditions like Club Carnival and Eagle Gathering draw first-year and transfer students into the UMW experience. Going virtual for the first time, these events will continue to foster community and connection, even when students are apart.
“All students go to college to get a degree, but their experience is often defined by their involvement in activities outside the classroom,” said Sandrine Sutphin, director of Student Activities and Engagement. Read more.