October Monthly Recap
October Monthly Recap
(Bill Miller, ‘72, with Associate Editor Dominic Vogelbacher, ‘27 | SOURCE: The Spectator)
(10/30) — Ken Mitchell Speaks
College Democrats hosted a conversation with Ken Mitchell, the Democratic candidate for Virginia’s sixth congressional district, moderated by W&L journalism professor Kevin Finch. Mitchell served 24 years in the military, the last six of which were active duty. After retiring, he worked in telecommunications before founding a construction company.
The conversation ranged from how Virginia apportions legislative districts to providing better resources for rural schools. Mitchell believes that the region’s school and many universities can be used to better leverage a knowledge economy. He also felt that the district would benefit from embracing “green technology and find out if there’s medium to light industry that could produce panels” and other products for the green transition.
(10/24-10/26) — W&L Hosts Capital Campaign
On the final weekend in October, W&L hosted its Leading Lives of Consequence campaign. The $650 million dollar campaign had already raised $475 million. $30 million was raised to fund scholarships at the School of Law.
W&L received a record $132 million gift from William “Bill” Miller III, ‘72. The donation was announced on October 24 at the school’s capital campaign kickoff. The gift provided the necessary funds to establish a permanent need-blind admissions process. Dominic Vogelbacher, ‘27, provides further coverage on Miller’s donation.
(10/24) — Jason Riley Speaks
Jason Riley, author of The Wall Street Journal’s “Upward Mobility” column, and a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, spoke on October 24. Riley’s talk, titled “The Trouble with Social Justice,” was held in Lee Chapel, National Historic Landmark. Riley discussed social and economic inequality, a focus of Riley. The Southmayd Center For American Ideals and The Spectator invited Riley to speak on campus, with over 100 community members attending the event.
(10/14) — Stephen Moore Speaks
Stephen Moore, the founder of the Club for Growth and a Heritage Foundation Senior Visiting Economist, spoke in Northen Auditorium on October 14. Discussing the “(Un)Economics of Renewable Energy,” Stephen Moore used his economic expertise to analyze modern climate policy. Nearly 50 people attended Moore’s speech hosted by The Spectator.
(10/8) — Julie Woodzicka Delivers Acceptance Lecture
W&L’s Julie Woodzicka gave a lecture in acceptance of the William R. Kenan, Jr. Endowed Professorship. The professorship is granted by the Kenan Charitable Trust and was previously held by a series of history professors, lastly William Patch. Woodzicka is the first cognitive and behavioral science professor at W&L to hold the position.
Woodzicka’s lecture examined the misalignment between anticipated and actual reactions to stressful situations. She reviewed her past work into the subject, including “Real versus imagined gender harassment” (2001), which recently trended on X. Each study compared how participants predicted they would respond to their actual response when confronted with sexist or discriminatory comments.
“These folk theories about how we behave lead us to judge other people really harshly, when we hear them in lots of situations behave in a way that we think we would not behave … We have no idea what we would have done — we don’t know how we’re going to behave until we’re in that stressful situation,” Woodzicka said.
(10/7) — W&L Students Honor the Memory of October 7, 2023
(Vigil attendees arrange candles in a Star of David. | SOURCE: Daniel Straub / The Spectator)
On the anniversary of the terrorist attack, Washington and Lee and Lexington community members held a vigil. Students and professors spoke, and those with personal connections to the attack shared their testimonies. The remembrance ended with candles being placed in the shape of the Star of David. David Lee, ‘28, provides further coverage of the day’s events.
(10/4-10/6) — Parent’s and Family Weekend Held
W&L hosted Parents and Family Weekend from October 4-6. Friday primarily saw open houses for various academic programs at W&L. The weekend saw several themed events and sports contests.
(10/4) — Judge Marvin Quattlebaum, Jr. Speaks on Originalism
Judge Marvin Quattlebaum Jr., a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, spoke to students on Friday, October 4. Quattlebaum’s discussion, titled “Originalism: Why and How?” was held at the Millhiser Moot Court Room at Sydney Lewis Hall. Quattlebaum expounded upon and defended originalism, and gave advice to the audience of W&L Law students. Akash Abraham, ‘28, provides further coverage of Quattlebaum’s speech.
(10/3) — Ramaswamy and Bolton Debate at VMI
Vivek Ramaswamy, venture capitalist and former presidential candidate, and John Bolton, former U.S. National Security Advisor, debated American foreign policy on October 3. Hosted by The Steamboat Institute and held at Virginia Military Institute, the isolationist and hawkish wings of the Republican Party clashed. David Lee, ‘28, provides further coverage of the debate.
(10/3) — Meghan McCain Comes to Campus
Meghan McCain spoke at Lee Chapel on October 3. Invited by W&L’s Contact Committee, McCain, the daughter of the late Senator and Republican presidential nominee John McCain, discussed topics ranging from her introduction to politics, her time on The View, and this year’s presidential election. McCain proudly touted herself as a “double-hater,” refusing to vote for Vice President Harris or now President-elect Trump in the presidential election, objecting to much of the modern Republican Party. McCain additionally discussed the future of the Republican Party, her family, her workload as a podcaster, and advice for college students.
(10/1) — Former Washington Post Editor Baron Discusses Book
Martin Baron spoke in a conversation at Stackhouse Theater on October 1, 2024. Baron discussed his 2023 book Collision of Power: Trump, Bezos, and the Washington Post. Baron gave opinions on President Donald Trump, Jeff Bezos, the owner of The Washington Post, and more. Caden Brousseau, '27, provides further coverage of Baron’s talk.
(10/1) — College Republicans Host Ben Anderson Before VP Debate
Ben Anderson, the chairman of the Republican Party for Greenbrier County, West Virginia, spoke on October 1, before Washington and Lee College Republicans’ viewing of the Vice Presidential Debate. Anderson stressed the opportunities that college-educated, young conservatives have to influence the Republican Party and politics in general.
(Greenbrier County Republican Party Chairman Ben Anderson speaks to W&L College Republicans | SOURCE: The Spectator)