Mary Washington Students Follow Rules As City Flouts Protocols

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — The University of Mary Washington and the city of Fredericksburg are teaming up in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus in the local community.

When in-person classes resumed at UMW on Sept. 14, after a three-week delay prompted by the pandemic, the university enforced a strict monitor, mask, distance and clean policy, with reminders and precautionary measures set up across campus.

With large numbers of college students back in the Fredericksburg area, a COVID-19 Joint Task Force, composed of city officials and university administrators, began meeting weekly in August to ensure compliance both on and off campus. The task force is seen as a “bridge” between the city and the university.

“The open dialogue of this task force between the City and UMW is very helpful for tracking the efforts and effects of COVID-19 both on campus and elsewhere in the City,” Fredericksburg Fire Chief Michael Jones said Tuesday in a statement.

Along with Jones, the task force includes Fredericksburg Police Chief Brian Layton and Director of Economic Development Bill Freehling, along with UMW Chief of Police Mike Hall, Assistant Director of Athletics Caitlin Moore and Director of Transfer and Off-Campus Student Services Chris Porter.

“We are working together to make sure our students are doing what they should be doing,” Porter said. “We are not turning a blind eye.”

UMW has asked students to be diligent in wearing masks and social-distancing, with gatherings limited to groups of no more than 10. A system of checks and balances, including a program that asks students to monitor each other’s behavior, helps keep them accountable, and administrators have made it clear that the guidelines apply beyond campus boundaries.

While Fredericksburg police are not in a position to enforce UMW policy, officers are charged with monitoring activity within city limits according to public safety recommendations issued by Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, and can issue reminders of university protocol, according to the city of Fredericksburg.

Fredericksburg police officers and their supporters, however, have not been adhering to the protocols outlined by the state as strictly as UMW students.

During a pro-police march in Fredericksburg in June, for example, the vast majority of city residents and people from the region participating in the march were not wearing masks and were not following social-distancing recommendations. Many police officers on patrol that day, including the chief of police, also were not wearing masks.