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 […]
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.
Associate Professor of Sociology Eric Bonds published a commentary in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on January 22nd on the need for greater transparency in data center water use. The column is titled “How Will the Data Center Boom Impact Virginia’s Waters. Secrecy on this Topic Doesn’t Bode Well.” Read the full commentary in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
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 […]
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 […]