Skip to Main Content
Independent student newspaper of Washington and Lee University

The Ring-tum Phi

Independent student newspaper of Washington and Lee University

The Ring-tum Phi

Independent student newspaper of Washington and Lee University

The Ring-tum Phi

Annual course loads for the 2023-2024 academic year at peer liberal arts schools. Graphic by Shauna Muckle, ‘24

Class sizes will increase as faculty teach fewer courses next year

The change came abruptly after years of professors’ discontent with teaching requirements
Shauna Muckle
December 11, 2023
Professors’ newest publications are always available to purchase in the University Store. Photo by Emma Malinak, ’25

University’s emphasis on teaching over research still strains some professors

Professors share their experiences with balancing publishing and teaching at a liberal arts university
Claire Hamlet
December 11, 2023
 Over the past decade, Washington and Lee had the lowest average percent of arts majors compared to other liberal arts colleges. Graphic by Kate Keeley, ‘26

Washington and Lee lags behind other colleges in number of arts majors

Despite requiring students to take at least one class focused on the arts, W&L attracts fewer arts majors
Kate Keeley
December 11, 2023
(Left to right) Dmitri Tulloch, ‘27, and Weyimi Agbeyegbe, ‘25, show excitement for their team heading into the NCAA Division III men’s soccer Final Four. Photo courtesy of Generals Athletics

‘Different shoes’: Men’s soccer’s journey to the Final Four

The seniors leave behind a legacy of the most national wins for an individual class in program history
Andrew Arnold
December 11, 2023
The media has taken the Kelce/Swift  “romance” way too far

The media has taken the Kelce/Swift “romance” way too far

What better pair than a football player and a pop star?
Teddy Kavanagh
December 11, 2023
Seventeen Virginia State Police officers responded with local law enforcement to four different scenes on Nov. 1, 2023.

New details emerge about police searches during W&L lockdown

Virginia State Police spread across Lexington after Washington and Lee University received an email threat and a UPS driver reported possible shots fired near downtown
Luke Fountain
November 30, 2023
Some children of alumni grow up with Washington and Lee as a central part of their lives, especially when they attend events such as Young Alumni Weekend. Photo by Julianna Stephenson, ‘26

W&L to keep legacy admissions after affirmative action strike-down

The admissions office is facing new challenges this year. Legacy admissions isn’t one of them.
Julianna Stephenson
November 30, 2023
Law enforcement continues to clear buildings on campus.

Angry professors, students and parents want answers following W&L lockdown

Frustration has been building in the two weeks since the Nov. 1 threat
Emma Malinak and Fraley Williams
November 17, 2023
Kayla Richardson, a first-year student, had her first month of college turned upside down when this video was posted on YouTube, and a wave of death threats started. (Screenshot courtesy of Young America's Foundation YouTube)

She challenged Matt Walsh on gender-affirming care. Then the death threats started.

Kayla Richardson had her first month of college disrupted after a video of her was posted to a right-wing YouTube account
Shauna Muckle, Editor-in-Chief
November 13, 2023
Mock Convention's Executive Committee allocations in the year preceding a convention have varied significantly in recent cycles. This year, Mock Convention received less compared to 2011 and 2015, according to public data shared by the EC.

Inside the EC’s budget allocation process

Some clubs didn’t get the funding they asked for from the Executive Committee this year
Erika Kengni and Shauna Muckle
November 9, 2023
Ricardo Vergara will spend six years in prison and five on probation.

Grand jury indicts former Washington and Lee first-year on rape charges

Lexington police arrested Ricardo Vergara in February for allegedly sexually assaulting a fellow student a month earlier
Jenny Hellwig, Editor-in-chief
November 7, 2023
Jesse Friedrichs, co-owner of New Dimension Masonry, explains how stones are cut and placed to replicate the 18th-century structure.

One foundation, many lives: 200 years of history unfold at Structure Nine

The archaeology department is ensuring the memories of Liberty Hall Academy students and the enslaved people who lived on the land are preserved
Emma Malinak
November 6, 2023
Load More Stories