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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

All content by Luke Fountain
Donald Trump Jr. slams the Biden administration and calls for support for his father’s presidential campaign.

Donald Trump Jr. confuses students with disorganized speech and conspiracies

The former president’s son slammed the Biden administration and defended the events of Jan. 6
Luke Fountain
February 14, 2024
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp waves to the audience after sharing his thoughts on the future of the Republican Party.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp outlines a new vision for the Republican Party

The Georgia governor shared his goals for how the party can regain trust among voters ahead of the November election
Luke Fountain
February 14, 2024
The Massachusetts float recreated the Boston Tea Party.

Students show off state pride at Mock Con parade

Virginia’s first lady, Suzanne Youngkin, presented Puerto Rico, California and Louisiana with awards for best floats
Hana Chang, Luke Fountain, and Veronika Kolosova
February 14, 2024
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
Rockbridge County High School faced shooting threat on top of bomb scare Oct. 10

Rockbridge County High School faced shooting threat on top of bomb scare Oct. 10

New information uncovered shows that there was a shooting and bomb threat on Oct. 10. School officials have previously mentioned only a bomb threat
Luke Fountain, Digital Editor
November 16, 2023
A group of law enforcement officers, including a K-9 unit, patrol Washington and Lee’s campus during an hours-long police search on Nov. 1, 2023. Photo obtained by the Phi

Washington and Lee placed under shelter-in-place order Nov. 1

The university has confirmed there "has been no active violence" after a possible threat Nov. 1
Shauna Muckle and Luke Fountain
November 1, 2023
Jackie Harris said she hopes to increase local public trust and youth voter turnout before midterm elections. Photo by Luke Fountain, ’25.

Local election official sees public mistrust as the biggest threat to 2022 midterm elections

Jackie Harris is working to increase public understanding of the election process and youth turnout
Luke Fountain
April 12, 2022
The Lexington Police Department is on Fuller Street. Photo by Jess Kishbaugh, '24.

Lexington urged to increase pay for city workers

Minimum-wage city workers and police officers in Lexington are particularly underpaid
Luke Fountain
April 12, 2022
Salaam signs copies of his most recent book “Better, Not Bitter: Living on Purpose in the Pursuit of Racial Justice” while meeting students, faculty and community members who attended his talk. Photo by Grace Mamon, ’22

Yusef Salaam calls for more political participation to end systemic racism

Salaam spoke about his unjust conviction as part of the Central Park Five and his refusal to give into the narratives police and media had defined for him
Luke Fountain
February 1, 2022
Members of Washington and Lee’s Chanoyu Tea Society prepare matcha tea to serve at their MLK Day ceremony. The event was part of a larger slate of activites the univeristy held in honor of MLK. Photo by Janet Ikeda Yuba.

MLK Day and Lee-Jackson Day celebrations coincide

Different events supporting Lee-Jackson Day and MLK Day struck a contrast over MLK weekend.
Luke Fountain
February 1, 2022

Don’t go virtual

March 2020: Pandemic, Zoom, virtual learning; our educational experience turned upside down.
Luke Fountain
January 5, 2022
Concern about Omicron Variant hits W&L campus

Concern about Omicron Variant hits W&L campus

Students fear study abroad cancellations and more restrictions. Campus health officials are cautious, but not panicked.
Luke Fountain
December 14, 2021
A float with Santa and Mrs. Claus proceeded down Main Street as part of Lexington’s Christmas parade. The annual event was downsized last year due to COVID-19. Photo by Shauna Muckle, ’24.

Lexington’s annual Christmas festivities return

Lexington residents kicked off the holiday season with a Christmas parade and a holiday-themed race.
Luke Fountain
December 14, 2021
A sign outside of Napa Thai advertises that the restaurant is hiring. Photo by Shauna Muckle, '24.

Labor shortages and supply-chain disruptions hit Lexington businesses

Several downtown shops said they are dealing with a lack of workers and shipment delays, a byproduct of the pandemic-era economy’s slow recovery
Luke Fountain
November 23, 2021

Mock Trial aims high

The W&L club hopes to qualify for the national championship for the first time since 2017
Luke Fountain
November 9, 2021
The Center for Global Learning houses resources like the Center for International Education, the Global Discovery Laboratories and numerous language departments including Arabic and Russian. Photo by Lilah Kimble, ’23.

Spring Term Abroad returns

Students and professors remain cautiously optimistic in light of COVID-19
Luke Fountain
October 12, 2021
Washington and Lee continues to implement COVID-19 policies and regulations in the new academic year. Photo by Lilah Kimble, 23.

COVID-19 policies remain for new year

COVID-19 is back with a vengeance for the 2021-2022 academic year.
Luke Fountain
September 28, 2021
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