afiliatr Archives

Gwen Hale Resource Center (GHRC) is seeking someone interested in solving food insecurity on-campus! There’s an opening for any UMW employee (Classified, AP Faculty, or Faculty) to serve in the GHRC as a Coordinator for spring 2026. The position requires roughly 5 hours per week, and you’ll receive a stipend of $2,500 toward the end of spring semester.

Summary: The GHRC Coordinator works alongside the full-time AmeriCorps VISTA member to help stock and manage the GHRC, coordinate with community partners, manage student and other volunteers, and record statistics about the usage of and need for the on-campus food pantry, clothing and toiletries resources.

Volunteers at the Gwen Hale Resource Center

Duties include:

Assist with coordination of volunteers, particularly for weekly grocery pickups (working alongside the AmeriCorps VISTA member)
Assist with training volunteers, organizing and cleaning up the GHRC and making improvements to operations as needed (working alongside the AmeriCorps VISTA member)
Coordinate and communicate with organizations such as Giant Foods, the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank (FRFB), the Fredericksburg Food Coop, and the Virginia Community Food Connections to schedule food pickups and deliveries (working alongside the AmeriCorps VISTA member)
Manage reporting of various metrics internally and externally to establish need for and usage of the GHRC
Manage a virtual Foundation credit card to purchase bulk food items biweekly and complete forms to assign purchases to the correct account
Market the GHRC at tabling events and other opportunities on campus periodically
Assist the AmeriCorps VISTA member with grant applications and reporting as needed
Help distribute food to GHRC in Lee Hall and Food for Thought in Simpson Library
Occasionally assist with weekly pickups at the FRFB
Work with faculty and staff as needed as they conduct studies and surveys relating to students’ basic needs
Maintain food safety standards

If you are interested, please email resource@umw.edu. We’ll be happy to discuss the job with you!

Students, faculty and staff at the University of Mary Washington gathered last month for a public debate examining a question at the center of ongoing legal and creative disputes – does training artificial intelligence (AI) models on copyrighted works without permission violate copyright law.

Hosted by UMW’s Center for AI and the Liberal Arts, the event brought together many perspectives, with faculty members from computer science and the humanities there to role-play opposing sides of the argument. Following the debate, audience members posed questions and comments and were invited to take a post-debate survey.

“This event provided an excellent opportunity to engage in an important discussion about the intersection of technology, creativity and the law,” said Professor of Communication and Digital Studies Anand Rao, who is Director of the Center for AI and the Liberal Arts. “It’s a timely and thought-provoking topic.”UMW Librarian Amy Filiatreau opened the program by outlining the legal concepts that framed the discussion, including the four pillars of Fair Use – the purpose of use, the nature of the work, the amount used and the effect on the market. She noted that U.S. policymakers have yet to establish comprehensive regulations for AI tools, leaving decisions to the courts where disputes are currently unfolding.

Arguing the affirmative position, Matthew Franks, adjunct faculty in the Department of Cultural and Philosophical Inquiry, contended that AI companies benefit from copyrighted works in ways that require permission or compensation. He explained how AI companies claim their tools “learn” in a manner similar to humans but said the technology does not create or transform work in the same sense and may reduce opportunities for human creators.

“When an AI corporation uses copyrighted material for the purpose of generating profit, that work must at the very least by used with permission, acknowledged and compensated,” he said.

On the opposing side, Evan Coleman, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science, argued that using copyrighted works to train AI models constitutes a transformative use under Fair Use doctrine. Coleman described the training process as the adjustment of statistical patterns rather than the copying of expressive content. He compared current concerns about AI to earlier anxieties surrounding the introduction of the VCR, radio and other disruptive technologies.

“Training is not theft. It’s research. It’s progress,” Coleman said. “We want innovative industries to keep popping up.”

After the debate, audience members commented and raised questions about deepfake technology, the impact of AI mimicking artistic styles and the implications of differing international regulations.

“The goal of the debate was not to resolve anything,” said Rao. “Some of the biggest courts in the land haven’t been able to resolve these issues. But we certainly learned a lot.”

Mary Washington’s Center for AI and the Liberal Arts is dedicated to exploring the implication of AI through the lens of the liberal arts, fostering public understanding and interdisciplinary dialogue.

*AI tools were used to assist in drafting portions of this article; all content has been reviewed and edited by a UMW staff author.

Part-Time Paid Position Available at the GHRC Food Pantry on Campus

UMW Hosts Debate to Explore AI Innovation and Copyright Protection