The student newspaper of Washington and Lee University

The Ring-tum Phi

The student newspaper of Washington and Lee University

The Ring-tum Phi

The student newspaper of Washington and Lee University

The Ring-tum Phi

Emma Malinak, Managing Editor

All content by Emma Malinak
Previous Fancy Dress themes include racist framing.

Lee’s image in Fancy Dress promotion sparked anger. It’s nothing new.

A poster featuring Robert E. Lee poses the question: What does the W&L tradition mean for an increasingly diverse student body?
Emma Malinak, Managing Editor
March 25, 2024
Donald Trump addresses students and praises Washington and Lee in a pre-recorded video.

Donald Trump wins Mock Convention’s GOP nomination

Trump’s win was no surprise, students said. But the speakers sparked disagreement and conversation
Emma Malinak, Catherine McKean, and Shauna Muckle
February 14, 2024
State chair Sam Griffiths, ’24, shares jokes about Michigan.

Ring-Tum Phi awards for best jokes by state chairs

Laughter filled the Tennis Center as state chairs threw insults at each other and themselves during the roll call vote
Emma Malinak
February 14, 2024
The new class schedule will include one additional class block each day, requiring classes to start earlier and end later.

New schedule with shorter passing periods will start next year

Classes will begin earlier in the day and end later under the new schedule
Emma Malinak
February 5, 2024
The student leaders of Mock Con bundled up to travel through Iowa in freezing temperatures.

Trump sweeps Iowa Caucuses, but Mock Con leaders aren’t ready to call the race

Students leading Mock Con are sharpening their predictions after visiting Iowa
Emma Malinak
January 22, 2024
DeLaney Center probes what it means to be a modern university in the historical South

DeLaney Center probes what it means to be a modern university in the historical South

Washington and Lee’s DeLaney Center’s first symposium brought southern studies scholars together to find answers
Emma Malinak
December 11, 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
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
A law enforcement officer carrying a rifle leaves a room in the Center for Global Learning, amid an hours-long campus search yesterday.

Washington and Lee community still shaken one day after lockdown

Students came in close proximity to rifles after a 'disjointed' threat was emailed to university officials
Emma Malinak, Fraley Williams, and Shauna Muckle
November 2, 2023
Students line Stemmons Plaza with flags representing lives lost in Israel on Wednesday.

Students mourn lives lost in Israel-Hamas war

Days after the outbreak of the conflict, members of the W&L community are uniting to find peace
Emma Malinak, Managing Editor
October 11, 2023
Brendan Hunt shares comedic stories of his Hollywood experiences with the W&L community.

‘Ted Lasso’ creator coaches W&L community

Brendan Hunt kicked off Parents and Family Weekend with stories about his Hollywood career and lessons on the entertainment industry today
Emma Malinak
October 9, 2023
Phi Zeta Delta’s letters have been scrubbed from the group’s former house, which has been converted to over-flow housing. Photo from September 2023.

Phi Zeta Delta suspended for 5 years

It’s unclear how the fraternity plans to move forward from last spring’s verdict
Emma Malinak and Shauna Muckle
September 25, 2023
A group of people talk near a small tree, which is inside a protective cage with balloons tied to the top.

W&L alum honors victims of Oklahoma City bombing, shares message of resilience

A planted sapling from the only tree to survive the bombing represents “the merging of two communities,” one student said
Emma Malinak, Arts & Life Editor
May 8, 2023
An art piece shows a family gathered around a kitchen table.

New art exhibits illuminate underrepresented narratives

The collections fill gaps in W&L representation of Arab American and Chicana artists
Emma Malinak, Arts & Life Editor
May 8, 2023
A group of male and female dancers in black and white Polynesian outfits half-kneel and spread their arms toward the audience.

Around the Globe hosts spring festival, celebrates culture with dance

The student organization's first year on campus concluded with a night of music and movement from around the world
Emma Malinak, Arts & Life Editor
April 11, 2023
A drag queen in a green wig, wearing a black and white striped dress and hat, accepts tips from dancegoers. Purple lights and strings of lights are behind her.

Equality Gala celebrates LGBTQ+ community

All proceeds from the event will be donated to a local LGBTQ+ resource center
Emma Malinak, Arts & Life Editor
March 28, 2023

Blue Ridge Mile celebrates first year of community work, plans for future impact

A team of student advocates helps Rockbridge residents reinstate their driver’s licenses
Emma Malinak, Arts & Life Editor
March 13, 2023
A table with a spinner, posters and information flyers.

SSA invites students to embrace liberal arts

Students will present their research and discuss their interests at the interdisciplinary conference
Emma Malinak, Arts & Life Editor
March 13, 2023
The recital showcased both experienced pianists and those who started learning recently. All participants had taken Applied Music: Piano classes.

Inaugural concert celebrates student pianists’ hard work

Nine W&L students took the stage for the "Let's Dance" recital on Feb. 5
Emma Malinak, Arts & Life Editor
February 14, 2023
Three people sit at a table, which is covered in shirts and tote bags with the Ukrainian flag colors.

‘This is my frontline’: W&L student fights for justice and visibility for Ukraine

Tania Kozachanska, '26, partnered with W&L organizations to host "Ukraine Week" and support her home country
Emma Malinak, Arts & Life Editor
February 14, 2023
Two young men wearing hair nets ladle soup from a pot into small cups.

Campus Kitchen’s Souper Bowl raises money to fight food insecurity

Proceeds from the event will fund Campus Kitchen’s backpack program
Emma Malinak, Arts & Life Editor
February 8, 2023
A woman gestures towards a pottery figure in a display case. Two other pottery artworks sit to either side.

W&L museums showcase female artists’ pottery with two new exhibits

The "Born of Fire" and "Mother Clay" exhibits opened on Feb. 1
Emma Malinak, Arts & Life Editor
February 8, 2023
A crowd of people stand in a circle holding flashlights and signs. Behind them are lit up buildings with tall columns.

Students protest University Chapel speaker in lead-up to MLK Day

Over 100 students staged a silent walkout during a speech by Rodney Mims Cook Jr., '78, honoring Robert E. Lee
Bri Hatch, Emma Malinak, and Shauna Muckle
January 23, 2023
A crowd of people sit and look at a person speaking at a podium. They are all in a large room with a high ceiling.

‘Sing a song of hope’: W&L honors MLK with reflection on the past, focus on the future

Students and community members learned and celebrated through a week of programming
Emma Malinak, Arts & Life Editor
January 23, 2023
A projected slide in a dark room shows a photograph of a young man in a white outfit. The slide reads, All for Eli #closertosafe

BirdieLight educates students on dangers of fentanyl

W&L organizations worked together to bring Dr. Beth Weinstock to campus
Emma Malinak, Arts & Life Editor
January 23, 2023
Sion Jang ,’24, prepared pork and kimchi dumplings for the PAACE table.

Students celebrate culture with food at POC-luck

Multicultural clubs shared family recipes and traditions
Emma Malinak, A&L Editor
December 14, 2022
Four panel members sit behind a table with a W&L tablecloth and a screen behind them projecting their biographies. One student stands at a podium next to them.

Alumni share challenges, benefits of being first-generation students

Washington and Lee celebrates students that were the first in their family to attend college
Emma Malinak, A&L Editor
November 15, 2022
Clara Albacete, wearing a sunflower shirt and jeans, stands on a stage with phone in hand. She is gesturing to welcome students to poetry night.

Students embrace their identity with slam poetry

Diversity and LGBTQ+ peer counselors invited students to share original poetry
Emma Malinak, A&L Editor
November 8, 2022
Reporter in a mask and floral shirt holds a boom microphone out to two men holding Black Lives Matter signs in a protest march.

W&L alum says sociology background enhances her reporting

Caleigh Wells, ‘17, said SOAN prepared her to work with data and prioritize diversity
Emma Malinak, Arts & Life Editor
October 26, 2022
Professor Ted DeLaney, the centers namesake, outside his office in Newcomb Hall. The longtime professor passed away in late 2020.

W&L launches DeLaney Center

Emma Malinak, Arts & Life Editor
October 14, 2022
The University Singers made a cameo at the March 15th performance at Wilson Hall. 
Photo by Jess Kishbaugh ‘24.

‘Existing is not enough:’ Winter Choral Concert celebrates the joy of love and live performances

Two years after Washington and Lee’s campus-wide pandemic shutdown, two choir ensembles joined forces for a moving Winter Choral Concert.
Emma Malinak
March 29, 2022
Despite the lack of letters written by Baptiste herself, Mitchell is working to piece together a timeline of her life. Photo by Emma Malinak, ‘25.

Dr. Robin Mitchell uncovers hidden history of Suzanne Simone Baptiste

Students gained unique insight into the research process behind the first biography of Toussaint Louverture’s wife
Emma Malinak
March 15, 2022
“The Adjacent Possible” and “honeypot” are available for purchase online and in the W&L Bookstore. Photo by Emma Malinak, ’25.

Brown and Womer share debut poetry collections

Julie Phillips Brown and Visiting Assistant Professor Brenna Womer read original poetry for students
Emma Malinak
February 15, 2022
George Packer, in conversation with politics professor Robert Strong, speaks at University Chapel. Photo by Emma Malinak, ’25.

George Packer offers “last best hope” for American democracy

One journalist’s argument on what could save the future of America
Emma Malinak
February 15, 2022

Lenfest will host ARTrageous, a multidisciplinary performance, April 28. Photo by Elena Lee, ’25.

The show must go on: 2022 Lenfest Center season brings performers and audiences together again

This season at Lenfest Center for the Arts will bring performers and audiences together again
Emma Malinak
February 1, 2022
The play was the first live show at Keller Theater since 2019. Photo by Emma Malinak, ’25.

Estrella Burks-Parra shines in The Dramatic Circle: first live play since 2019

Burks-Parra waited three years to perform in-person
Emma Malinak
December 14, 2021
Tran read from his recent book of poetry in Northen Auditorium. Photo by Brenna Womer, visiting assistant professor of English. 

Dr. Tran shares poetry, encourages students to “find joy in dark times”

The up-and-coming poet read from his first book, “The Gutter Spread Guide to Prayer”
Emma Malinak
November 23, 2021
The “I Love the Female Orgasm” event was held in Stackhouse Theater on Thursday, Nov. 4. Approximately 150 students attended. Photo by Emma Malinak, ’25.

Sex Week fosters safe, healthy campus culture to “reduce harm” and “promote connection”

Sexual Health Awareness Group (SHAG) hosts its annual Sex Week after one-year hiatus
Emma Malinak
November 9, 2021

Latinx culture shines through Hispanic Heritage Month events

Over 300 students attended the Latinx Student Organization’s first dance, or “Baile."
Emma Malinak
October 26, 2021
Dear Evan Hansen, a movie adaptation of a Broadway musical, was released to theaters Sept. 24. Photo by Lilah Kimble, 23.

Dear Evan Hansen shines from Broadway to box office

Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical now available in Lexington theaters.
Emma Malinak
October 12, 2021
Both the first edition (front) and the centennial edition (back) of the Ring-tum Phi are shown here. The first issue was released Sept. 18, 1897.

New organization emerges, aims to explore and preserve local history

Students for Historical Preservation started ‘in the midst of a controversy.’
Emma Malinak
September 27, 2021
Load More Stories

Comments (0)

All The Ring-tum Phi Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest