Jogging Student Avoids Gunman
September 1, 2010
Anne Elder/Bullet
On Monday, Aug. 30, a UMW student was jogging downtown when she was approached by an armed male cyclist, according to a campus crime alert sent out Tuesday afternoon.
The 20-year-old student left the scene unharmed and the Fredericksburg police are actively investigating the incident, according to Fredericksburg Police Department Public Information Officer Natatia Bledsoe.
“We have assigned this case to a detective,” Bledsoe said. “We are aggressively pursuing any information we receive.”
According to the crime alert, the jogger noticed a bicyclist following her while she was near William and Sophia streets. When she reached the intersection of Sophia and Charlotte streets, the male approached her asking if she knew where Bragg Hill is located.
After replying “no,” she directed him to a nearby coffee shop for directions. He proceeded to reach into the black drawstring bag he was carrying and pulled out a handgun, according to the alert.
The jogger ran up Charlotte Street yelling, “He has a gun,” which caught the attention of several males who were standing near the Fredericksburg Visitor’s Center on Caroline Street. The males proceeded to chase the suspect, who was last seen riding toward the Chatham Bridge, according to the alert.
The alert informed students that the police searched the area, but were unable to find the suspect or the “Good Samaritans” who chased him away.
“We’re hoping they’ll come forward,” Bledsoe said of the Samaritans. “Any details are really helpful.”
In light of the incident, Bledsoe encourages students to be aware of their surroundings, and not to use iPods or other music players to the extent that hearing is restricted.
Bledsoe also said that the police department doesn’t recommend carrying defense tools such as mace, but instead recommends wearing a whistle, which can alert bystanders and scare the potential attacker away.
Despite the crime, Bledsoe said that generally speaking, Fredericksburg is a secure area.
“I think Mary Washington and the surrounding communities are very safe,” Bledsoe said.
She said the majority of crimes that occur in Fredericksburg happen between people who know each other and crime between strangers “just doesn’t happen that often.”
Tuition Increased By up to 9 Percent
September 1, 2010
BY OLIVIA SNIDER
Though the tuition increase for this year is higher than it has been for Mary Washington in the past, it is still lower than at many other universities in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
“The overall driver for the university is affordability,” said Dan Steen, the new rector for the Board of Visitors.
As the new rector, Steen will work with both the BOV and the administration on upcoming changes for the campus. Steen emphasized the university’s new master plan, brought forth in a presentation earlier this year by President Hurley and his staff.
This plan encompasses three major points, according to Steen. The first is overseeing a successful transition to the new three-college system.
The second facet of the master plan is construction, specifically geared toward improving residence halls, Steen said. The third is advancement of the university, communication and external affairs.
Steen said this includes “creating a buzz about Mary Washington.”
The establishment of the new colleges and the construction projects on campus have created significant costs for the university, and the BOV has already garnered a capital contribution of a total of $75 million to help offset costs, said Steen.
Still, according to Steen, donations and fundraising are vital to the university in order to compensate improvement costs while maintaining the balance between faculty salaries and student tuition.
State revenues have been in decline over the last few years, Steen said. Because Fredericksburg is not technically located in Northern Virginia, the faculty at Mary Washington does not receive monetary compensation to offset the high cost of living, like at other
universities such as George Mason.
As the May 7 news release from the Mary Washington website indicates, the cost of tuition, other fees and room and board for all students living on campus has gone up $1,200.
This increase resulted in overall cost increases ranging from 3.4 percent to 9 percent.
“I barely have nickels and dimes to rub together with my current student loans,” senior Katie Flench said. Flench currently lives off campus.
Despite this change, Mary Washington is still one of the most affordable public universities in Virginia. Of the 15 public universities in Virginia, UMW has the 10th lowest cost.
For students who are not working, these tuition increases may require taking on employment. For those who already are, it may push them to take on more hours, which could affect their academic performance.
“[The tuition increase] affects me personally and academically,” said Flench.
Cara MacDonald, a senior and out-of-state student, is also concerned with the increase.
“My family has been hit hard by the economy, and to avoid high interest rates of loans, my parents have been trying to pay up-front,” she said. “Any increase at all is going to put a burden on us.”
Flaws in Eagle Landing Cause Mixed Emotions
September 1, 2010
Anne Elder/Bullet
Eagle Landing, the $60.5 million new apartment building, has gotten off to a rough start.
Now that all the students have moved in, residents are beginning to find many problems that went unnoticed during construction.
Chris Porter, director of residence life, describes this as fairly normal for new buildings.
“Any time you move into a new complex, there is a ‘shake down’ period where maintenance issues are discovered that were not found during building testing,” Porter said.
According to Porter, the biggest complaints she has received from students have been the temperature of the shower water not being hot enough and the “far too sensitive” fire alarm system.
Since the building opened, the fire alarm has gone off eight times, with the most recent yesterday at 3:15 p.m. Each time the fire alarm goes off, all residents within the 156-bedroom apartment building are forced to evacuate.
“[The reason for the numerous fire alarms] is a sensitive fire alarm system that evacuates the entire building if a person creates too much smoke or steam while cooking,” Porter said.
Junior Eric Behringer experienced the fire alarm first hand.
“My suitemate set off the fire alarm,” Behringer said. “The fire marshal came in and said it wouldn’t have gone off if it wasn’t designed incredibly poorly. Apparently the exhaust in the microwaves comes out by the smoke alarm.”
When asked about the statement, Institutional Fire Safety Officer Robert Parker said that’s not something he would say.
“I feel that people should just learn to cook,” junior Kane Kashouty said. “The fact that people have to open their windows and doors to cook is ridiculous.”
Sophomore Ellen Smethurst agreed.
“It’s been somewhat stressful cooking and having to worry about the amount of steam being put out,” Smethurst said.
Residents have also complained about the behavior of the building staff at the hall meetings at the beginning of the year, where the student building supervisors yelled at residents regarding rules and expectations in Eagle Landing.
“Opening meetings are intended to introduce staff to residents, lay out the expectations of the community and highlight community services,” Porter said in an e-mail to residents addressing the complaints. “I apologize that the message did not come across as intended.”
“They basically just screamed at us,” Kashouty said. “They yelled at the sophomores because they had been drinking and weren’t supposed to be there in the first place. I’m sure sophomores were kind of upset.”
In the e-mail, Porter included, “All community members living in Eagle Landing have a right to be there and are welcomed.”
Senior Erin Burke had mixed feelings on the issue.
“Our room’s consensus is that we understand why the meetings were harsh, but [we] feel that they carried [the meetings] out in an immature and rude way,” Burke said.
However, students have also voiced their compliments about the apartment building.
Porter says the biggest compliment she has heard has been that people like only having two people to one bathroom and residents are enjoying the rotunda and the courtyard.
“It’s definitely a nice place to live,” Burke said.
“I love it so far,” Smethurst said.
She said that her favorite things about Eagle Landing are the trash chutes, a well-accommodated kitchen and air-conditioning.
“It definitely lived up to expectations,” sophomore Matt Willett said.
UMW Shines in National Reports
September 1, 2010
BY HANNAH MILLER
This year, UMW was placed on Parade magazine’s “College A-list” in the best small state schools category.
Other publications have given UMW high rankings recently as well.
U.S. News and World Report ranked UMW fifth among public southern institutions in its “universities-masters” category.
In their public masters universities category, Washington Monthly Magazine ranked UMW first in the Mid-Atlantic region and third in the nation. They ranked UMW 19th along with private universities that offer masters programs.
Hurley Ushers in Redesigned Master Plan
September 1, 2010
In an interview yesterday with the Bullet, President Rick Hurley indicated that during the presidential turmoil last spring, he felt the time was finally right for him to apply for the job. As president, he said, he is now focused on improving faculty salaries and Mary Washington’s name recognition, along with creating a new Master Plan and setting a limit on increased student enrollment.
“When the university was searching for Dr. Hample, that’s when I knew that I did not want to apply,” Hurley said.
He said it would have been too risky to apply for the position during his time as acting president. If he had applied and been rejected, he said, he would have felt that he needed to leave the university.
But the events pertaining to former President Hample’s resignation unfolded after he had announced his pending retirement. Since everyone knew he was leaving, he already had a backup plan, so there was less risk involved.
“When she announced her resignation and they asked me to be acting [president], I immediately began to think, to wonder if I wanted to do this, should I do this, should I apply,” he said. “The answer was yes. If I didn’t get the job, I could go ahead and retire.”
Although he said in his August address to UMW faculty and staff that he didn’t feel ready to lead during his first run as acting president, he feels more than ready now, after a year of previous experience.
“I just felt like I was an experienced president,” Hurley said.
Hurley is officially recommending an undergraduate enrollment cap of 4,500 students to the Board of Visitors. Undergraduate enrollment is currently about 4,300 students.
Name recognition is also a key issue on Hurley’s mind now that he is in office. He said the more that UMW’s name is seen and heard, the more likely it is that people will ask about the university, thus increasing its familiarity.
“It’s less a reputational thing, which to me has a quality kind of definition to it, so I’ve very deliberately been saying increased knowledge of our existence,” he said. “If people do research on us, the reputation part will take care of itself.”
Hurley hopes to increase the university’s presence in the surrounding area by encouraging faculty and staff to get involved in places nearby, like in Quantico, where Hurley hopes to create a campus similar to the Dahlgren one.
He also said three billboards are up along two major highways in Richmond, Interstate 95 and Interstate 64. They advertise UMW as “Virginia’s Only Best Value,” a phrase given to Mary Washington by Fiske college reports.
Currently, Hurley said Mary Washington is working with other universities and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) to examine faculty salaries.
“George Mason has been the point institution in this effort to get SCHEV to understand that cost of living should be considered when determining faculty salaries,” he said. “[Our] recommendation is that you should consider the cost of living when considering faculty salaries. SCHEV has to decide if this will be on their agenda.”
Hurley said SCHEV was supposed to vote on the issue in July, but that it was pulled from the agenda. He is not sure when they will consider it again.
Along with cost of living, Hurley is trying to move UMW into a different peer group for financial comparison. Mary Washington faculty salaries are compared to several different public and private universities in the nation, which together comprise a peer group that Hurley feels doesn’t give UMW an accurate representation right now.
He said that if UMW were in a more comparable peer group, the university will be eligible for state-provided increases in faculty salaries that Mary Washington currently misses out on.
“I am optimistic that we can change the faculty peer group,” Hurley said. “The peer group is the important factor there. I take issue with the schools that they identify as our peers, and I’m trying to get that changed.”
With the help of many committees, Hurley is in the process of developing a new Master Plan and Strategic Plan for the university.
The Master Plan focuses on the physical development of the campus, while the Strategic Plan focuses on programmatic aspects, Hurley said.
“One’s focused on buildings, [and] the other’s focused on programs and services,” he said.
A draft of the new Master Plan, which calls for residence hall renovations, a new performing arts center and a new dining hall and student center, was presented to the Board of Visitors in July. Hurley said it’s time now to begin having conversations with students, alumni and the City of Fredericksburg about how they feel about it.
“The plan will be presented for student and employee input during the fall semester,” he said.
He also confirmed that the hiring freeze, put into effect by Hample, has been lifted.
“We believe that were beyond any additional budget cuts, so we have been replacing and, where necessary, creating new positions,” Hurley said.
One of the new positions being created is the Special Assistant to the President for Diversity and Equity. Hurley said it’s the right thing to do in light of his attempt in the Strategic Plan to address poorly coordinated diversity initiatives.
“I can’t remember the whole cost, but let’s assume the cost of the position was $150,000,” he said. “I budgeted half of that, figuring I could hire someone in the fall to begin in January. I haven’t even started the search yet, [though]. I’ll be working on that through the month of September, getting that all underway.”
Police Beat June 11 to Aug. 24
September 1, 2010
June 11- A party with underage drinking in the UMW Apartments resulted in nine administrative referrals.
July 8- Three pieces of jewelry were stolen from a top desk drawer in Trinkle room 213.
July 26- A gas tank and fuel assembly from a johnboat, a small flat-bottomed boat, owned by the Geology Dept. was stolen from Facilities Services.
July 29- The UMW police department assisted the Fredericksburg Police with two arrests involving the possession of marijuana on College Ave. One of the individuals involved was a UMW student and was issued an administrative referral.
August 1- A scooter, tricycle and two helmets were stolen from the bus stop area of Double Drive.
August 9- A Bible, a notebook and a pair of glasses were stolen from Trinkle Hall near the basement elevator.
August 24- A Garmin GPS unit was stolen from a vehicle in the Sunken Road parking lot. There were no other reports of theft or motor vehicle tampering in the lot.
August 24- A box of items was stolen from the Eagle Landing courtyard from a student who was moving in.
Eagle Landing Opens Doors
August 19, 2010
Anne Elder/Bullet
By ANNE ELDER
Driving up College Avenue, many students were taken aback as they looked across Route 1, some viewing the completed Eagle Village buildings for the first time.
After many months of construction, the Office of Residence Life welcomed the first official residents of Eagle Landing this week.
As students walked around marveling at and exploring the newest addition to the university, many voiced their compliments.
“It definitely lived up to expectations,” sophomore Matt Willett said.
“…and more,” sophomore Alec Constantine echoed. “It’s much better than dorms; like a five-star hotel.”
Senior Erin Burke has been looking forward to Eagle Landing as soon as she found out about the opportunity for new student housing, with the reduced room and board rate of $5,950 being the selling point for her.
After living in dorms for the past three years, Burke was enthusiastic about living in a space where everything was brand-new.
“I was excited, but I was skeptical it wouldn’t be done,” Burke said. “It’s definitely a nice place to live.”
However, according to Director of Residence Life Chris Porter, there was never any fear that the construction would not be finished on time.
“Perhaps one of the best things about this project is that I never had any doubts that it would be ready,” Porter said. “The project manager was up-front about progress and when they fell behind, what they were doing to catch up. I had complete confidence they’d be finished when they indicated they would be.”
Jeff Rountree, CEO of the UMW Foundation, said that a prompt completion was one of the top priorities for the project.
“All of Eagle Village Phase I was ‘On Budget and On Time’,” Rountree said in an e-mail. “That was our saying from day one, and it was achieved.”
Rountree said that Eagle Village Phase I includes Eagle Landing, the apartments for students, the pedestrian bridge across Route 1, and the “Mixed Use Building” next to the apartment building.
The “Mixed Use Building” is currently home to a parking garage to fit 560 cars and will house 30,000 square feet of new retail space and 36,000 square feet of office space, according to Rountree.
“All total, we designed, permitted, constructed and opened nearly 500,000 square feet of space, on seven acres, in 496 days,” Rountree said.
Currently, businesses that are confirmed to be a part of Eagle Village are Blackstone at the Village, a coffee shop, Home Team Grill, a sit-down American cuisine restaurant, a new Quiznos, Salad Creations and Pancho Villa Express, a sit-down Mexican restaurant, according to the Eagle Village Web site.
Rountree said that the Web site, www.eaglevillage.com, will be updated as more businesses confirm their spots.
As the first residents move in, they are beginning to notice the first flaws that may have been overlooked while Eagle Landing was unoccupied.
“Any time you move into a new complex, there is a ‘shake down’ period where maintenance issues are discovered that were not found during building testing,” Porter said. “We have had a few issues such as clogged drains reported.”
Burke, who moved in Thursday morning, had some complaints about the aesthetics of the new building.
“I hope they put artwork on the walls,” Burke said.
Her mother, Rae Burke, agreed.
“The halls are very empty,” she said.
While moving in, the mother-daughter duo commented on the awkward shape of the bedrooms, noting that it didn’t seem as though the floor plan was created with the furniture in mind.
All of the bedrooms come with lofted beds, which students have the option to “de-loft”. If de-lofted, arranging furniture in the 15.6 feet by 11.6 feet rooms can create a puzzle for the residents.
Rae Burke also had some hesitations about the student responsibilities for the kitchen. Residence Life warned students that the granite countertops will stain easily and they recommended for each student to seal the surface to prevent stains.
“It’s kind of silly to think all students will seal their own granite countertops,” Rae Burke said.
In an e-mail and handout given to residents, the Office of Residence Life warned students regarding damages to the new apartments.
“This is a new facility and charges will reflect the cost needed to maintain this building at move-in quality,” the handout states. “Please be advised that this means that charges will be greater than what has been previously charged in other buildings.”
Despite the precautions, residents of Eagle Landing say they have a lot to look forward to.
“I think it’s lovely,” Rae Burke said. “It’s not a normal place for college students [to live].”
Residents of the Fredericksburg area who witnessed the construction and progress of Eagle Village were equally impressed.
Tracy Mahone, who has lived in the Fredericksburg area for almost twenty years, remembers when Route 1 only had two lanes, which high school students at the time referred to as “The Strip”.
“I think it’s beautiful,” Mahone said regarding Eagle Village. “[The University of Mary Washington] is going to grow.”
Bill and Mary Greenup, who live in Snowden Hills, have been impressed by the speed of construction and expansion of the campus.
Mary graduated from Mary Washington College in 1958 and is excited to see what other changes the University makes.
“I would like to see Giant changed and be more upscale [in comparison],” she said.
Her husband, Bill, praised the construction of the project.
“They moved it quickly, [but it] goes with the territory,” he said. “They’ve done an attractive job.”
–Heather Brady contributed to this report.
Under Hurley, Enrollment May Rise by 400 to 1,000
April 22, 2010
courtesy of Charlotte Sandy
BY COURTNEY WOODBURN
As Acting President Rick Hurley gets ready to step officially into the role of president, he faces a pressing question: How much should the University of Mary Washington expand student enrollment?
According to Hurley in an interview with the Bullet, the university is currently in a process to complete a master plan that looks at two models for student enrollment growth. The first model investigates the maximum use of academic buildings already on campus to provide room for 400 to 450 new students without being overcrowded, according to Hurley.
The second model investigates what new buildings would be needed for a 1,000-student increase.
According to the College Board, there are 4,258 degree-seeking undergraduates and 983 graduate students enrolled at the university.
The Board of Visitors is looking into growing beyond the 4,000, Hurley said.
“We have had a self-imposed unofficial cap at 4,000 for this campus,” Hurley said. “We ought to think about adding a few more students, as long as that doesn’t destroy the character of the institution. Next year I will probably ask them to make a decision that we can move up to, let’s just arbitrarily say, 4,500 [undergraduate] students over the next five years.”
An increase in student population would demand more professors.
“As the number of students increase, the number of faculty would most certainly increase,” Doug Searcy, vice president of student life, said. “Part of our core values at UMW are small class sizes and close student-teacher relationships.”
“We want to maintain the ‘small school feel,’ ” Lawrence Webb, assistant dean of admissions, said. “We pride ourselves on small class sizes and a high level of interaction between professors and students.”
“It’s a complex issue, because once you say you’re going to increase enrollment, then what is it you’re going to do to make your institution special so that more students want to apply?” Hurley said.
In response, the University is planning changes to academic programs and campus facilities. Due to lower-than-expected numbers of students signing up for campus housing contracts for the upcoming school year, plans for the fall include closing Mason and Randolph Residence Halls for renovation. This will be made possible by the addition of Eagle Village, which provides housing for about 400 additional students.
According to the school Web site, the University has spent $115 million constructing Phase One of Eagle Village.
As well as a proposed increase in students, Hurley would like to see renovation of campus dining facilities and the Woodard Campus Center. Seacobeck is going to be too small for a growing population on campus, Hurley said.
While there may be wide-scale growth in the works, university administrators are firm in their desire to maintain high academic standards.
“We have no intention of compromising academics to increase numbers,” Martin Wilder, dean of enrollment, said.
This year the school received around 4,500 applications for 950 spots in the freshmen class, Hurley said.
“All 4,500 students don’t have high GPAs and SATs and extracurriculars,” Hurley said.
The main challenges to maintaining admission standards, according to Hurley, are a currently decreasing number of high school graduates and intense competition among Virginia schools for out-of-state students, since they must pay higher tuition.
“I think we’ve got to figure out what can we add that really would make us distinctive,” Hurley said. “We have a great reputation for having a real strong academic liberal arts program. I don’t think that’s enough in and of itself to carry us. What is it we can put in our boutique, our array of programs, [to] make people want to come
here?”
While the plans for these changes are still in the making, Hurley declined to comment on the details.
“You’ll have to come back in August and hear my speech,” he said.
– Casey Snyder, Nate Winston and Hyerim Yang contributed to this report.
After 11 Months, IT Exec Returns
April 21, 2010
Just weeks after the demotion and resignation of Khalil Yazdi, UMW announced Dana Byer German as the replacement vice president for Information Technologies and chief information officer.
German, who left her position in May 2009 after serving for 14 years as the executive director of Data Management and Information Systems, is returning to UMW, according to a press release sent yesterday by George Farrar.
“We could not have found a better candidate for this key position,” Acting President Rick Hurley said in the press release. “Dana has the technical expertise, management skills and in-depth knowledge of the university and our people. I am delighted she will rejoin our faculty staff.”
German has 20 years of experience in the information technology field, as well as many years of experience at UMW.
“I feel privileged to be returning to Mary Washington, and I look forward to working with the many wonderful people that make the university such a special place,” German said in the press release.
The Bullet reported that Yazdi was investigated for not appropriately following Virginia laws when purchasing computer software. Yazdi was demoted on Hurley’s first day as acting president, leaving the position open. Yazdi then resigned a week later.
The allegations made against Yazdi through a state employee fraud, waste and abuse hotline were found to be substantial by UMW Director of Internal Audit Tera Kovanes, according to an audit report.
Library Glitch Causes Fines to Add up
April 21, 2010
By GRACE WEAVER
There has been a glitch in the Simpson Library system that notifies students of overdue library materials, leading to several surprised students facing large fines.
According to Library Director Roy Strohl, when a patron checks out an item, he or she is given a paper receipt with the date the item is expected back. When the item is about to be due, the patron should also receive a notification via e-mail, but apparently this isn’t always the case.
Senior Kat Saunders attempted to check out some books for a paper she was writing only to discover that she owed the Simpson Library $120 in fines.
“People aren’t getting e-mails anymore when their books are about to be due,” Saunders said. “I had no idea I owed that much.”
Senior Nate Delano found himself in a similar situation. After checking several materials on March 19 for his history thesis, he went to turn them in about a month later and discovered he owed $130 in late fees.
“I just never got an email,” Delano said. “I think it’s unfair to just arbitrarily stop notifying students when their books are due.”
According to Strohl, however, this glitch in the system affects less than 1% of the student body.
“If a person returns their materials on time, then the entire matter would be moot,” Strohl said. “The overdue notices that have not gone out for one reason or another are more of a courtesy than anything.”
Strohl said that although it is difficult to pinpoint when the problem first occurred, in the beginning of the semester fewer items are due back. As the semester progresses, the momentum of circulation transactions increases, causing confusion in the system.
“The maddening thing about this particular problem is that it hasn’t been the same sort of problem day-to-day,” Strohl said. “Software handles virtually all of the transactions, as it should, but then a record comes along that isn’t processed correctly. There doesn’t seem to be a pattern or identifiable issue that would account for the problem.”
According to Strohl, the reason behind the glitch has been identified as a software problem that appeared in the current release of Simpson Library’s integrated library operating systems. This problem may be unique to this library and could possibly be influenced by the converging issues related to the school’s particular computing hardware, the campus network and the student record database.
Additionally, Strohl notes that the library is short of systems personnel and because of the larger operating needs of the library, the personnel has not been available to fully focus on this issue.
This means this situation will have to wait until the semester ends to be fixed. In order to install the needed software, Strohl said the entire system would have to be down for several days, making bibliographic records unavailable via the catalog in addition to closing off all circulation transactions until the system restarted.
Strohl also noted that the school is considering bringing in some outside help from the vendor in Blacksburg. In the meantime, patrons are able to go online and check their record to find out when the items are due back and even renew their checkout if so desired.
Loading ...
