Professor of Sociology Eric Bonds and two UMW students — Aaliyah Anderson and Tabitha Van Doren — published a guest column in the Richmond Times Dispatch titled, “One Virginia Jail Thought it Could Fix its Budget by Detaining Immigrants. It was Wrong.” The column is the outcome of a semester-long research project on the role of local jails in immigration enforcement in Virginia. Anderson is a double major in American studies and English: creative writing. Van Doren is a recent UMW graduation with a degree in sociology. Read the commentary in the Richmond Times Dispatch.

In addition, Bonds was mentioned by Virginia Mercury in an article titled, “Local governments race to attract data centers, often in spite of concerns from their constituents.” The piece mentions research by Bonds and his students, which found evidence that non-disclosure agreements are commonly signed between localities in Virginia and data center developers, allowing projects to move forward with little to no public participation. Learn more from Virginia Mercury

Professor of Sociology Eric Bonds was selected to receive the 2026 Laurence E. Richardson Citizen Award by the Virginia Coalition for Open Government (VCOG) in recognition of his work to promote greater transparency in data center development and efforts to use the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.

Bonds was featured by the Fredericksburg Free Press in an article titled “UMW’s Bonds to receive award from Virginia Coalition for Open Government.” The article notes how the VCOG named the winners of its 2026 Freedom of Information and open-government awards, and that Eric Bonds, a sociology professor at the University of Mary Washington, and the City of Newport News were selected as this year’s government honorees. Read more in Fredericksburg Free Press.

Professor of Sociology Eric Bonds was selected by the Virginia Coalition for Open Government’s 2026 Laurence E. Richardson Citizen Award in recognition of his work to promote greater transparency in data center development and his efforts to include undergraduate students in research using the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.

Sociology Professor Eric Bonds and two UMW students worked together to publish a commentary in the Virginia Mercury urging greater public transparency in the use of isolated confinement in regional and local jails. The students—Aaliyah Anderson, an English creative writing and American studies double major, and Tabitha Van Doren, currently studying sociology—helped research for the article, titled Could increased transparency reduce the use of solitary confinement in Virginia’s local jails? The work is based on research the team conducted over the fall semester. Read the full piece published in the Virginia Mercury.

Professor of Sociology Eric Bonds was featured in an NBC News article titled “How NDAs Keep AI Data Center Details Hidden from Americans.”

The piece examines how major tech companies are requiring local land sellers to sign non-disclosure agreements that restrict public knowledge about the construction of artificial intelligence data centers, raising concerns among communities about transparency. Bonds contributes his expertise by sharing findings from his research, which revealed that 25 of 31 localities in Virginia had signed NDAs with prospective or existing data centers — agreements that effectively limit discussion about how these projects may negatively affect nearby residents. Read more. 

 

Professor of Sociology Eric Bonds was quoted in Arizona Luminaria in an article examining the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) by public officials in data center development projects. “Part of due diligence for elected officials is to know the company so they can scrutinize how it can behave elsewhere,” said Bonds, who has written extensively on data center transparency, particularly in Virginia. Read the full story.