Ring-tum Phi

It is hard to sit down and reflect on a year where so much happened. But it is also difficult to be general about it (pun fully intended). For many first-years, this past year was shaped by small, ordinary moments: common room run-ins, the Wednesday/Friday/Saturday night rotation and everything else in between. Instead of just reflecting, I want to offer some advice for next year’s incoming first-years.

📸By Chappell Carter
🔗Read more of Chappell’s story via the link in the bio

Kappa Sigma, Kappa Alpha and Phi Kappa Psi each received sanctions for hazing that occurred in January or February, according to Washington and Lee’s Campus Hazing Transparency Report.

The report, which was updated on April 21, includes each fraternity that the university has investigated and sanctioned for hazing, dating back to the 2022-2023 academic year.

The Interfraternity Council found Kappa Alpha responsible for hazing, including coercing new members to consume alcohol and food mixtures, in February. The university also found that the fraternity required its new members to “lay on the ground, face forward with their hands on their side, until told otherwise,” the report said.

📸By Kate Keeley
🔗Read more of Kate’s story via the link in the bio

A contract dispute over the restoration of a historic Rockbridge County mansion has launched a legal battle with millions of dollars at stake. Washington and Lee alumni are at the heart of the conflict.

O’Byrne Contracting filed a contract action lawsuit in February against the Generals Redoubt, a Washington and Lee alumni organization, and Executive Director Kamron Spivey, ’24. Now, Spivey is suing the contractor’s president – a fellow alum – for defamation. He is asking for a minimum of $1.1 million in damages, according to court documents.

Both lawsuits stem from a dispute over the Generals Redoubt’s restoration of the historic Fancy Hill mansion. O’Byrne Contracting started work on renovations in 2024, but the relationship between the two organizations fell apart due to disagreements over financial documentation, the safety of the work environment and tensions between Spivey and Elizabeth O’Byrne King, ’00.

📸Courtesy of Generals Redoubt
🔗Read more of Aiden’s story via the link in the bio

Former university president Kenneth P. Ruscio, ’76, will step in as interim president of Washington and Lee University beginning on July 1, according to a university-wide email sent on May 11.

“Ken brings not only a wealth of leadership experience to the role, but an innate understanding of the University and its various constituencies,” Rector Wali Bacdayan, ’92, said in the email. “We couldn’t ask for a steadier hand to guide W&L through this transition.”

📸Courtesy of Kenneth Ruscio
🔗Read more of Aiden’s story via the link in the bio

On Tuesday, April 28, the Generals women’s golf team finished second in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) championship behind Randolph-Macon, their biggest competitor within the conference.

Toral Bhatt, ’29, shot 2-under (70) in the final round of the tournament to win the individual title, helping lead the team to second place. The tournament was at the Williamsburg National Golf Club in Williamsburg, Virginia.

📸Courtesy of W&L Athletic Communications
🔗Read more of Alexandra’s story via the link in the bio

President Will Dudley is leaving Washington and Lee this summer after almost 10 years at the university. He will move to Claremont, California, to be the president of Claremont McKenna College.

The Ring-tum Phi sat down with President Dudley to share his favorite and hardest moments from his time at Washington and Lee, as well as what he is looking forward to in his next job.

📸Courtesy of Will Dudley
🔗Read more of Julianna’s story via the link in the bio

As Greg Johnson walked past the storefronts in Buena Vista, he pointed out the many stories behind the shops adorning Magnolia Avenue. When he reached a business on the corner, he stopped in and said hello to the shopkeeper.

Johnson owns Straws, a soda shop on Magnolia Avenue. He highlighted his establishment’s role in the community through a walking tour of the Buena Vista small business scene. Although unorthodox, the tour emphasized Straws’ community-driven nature.

“A lot of the small businesses here in town collaborate. We work together,” Johnson said. “We all meet together at least once a month, and we’re like, ‘Okay, what can we do together to kind of make things better?’ It’s really a perfect community for that sort of thing.”

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✍️ Dylan Hill 📸 Dylan Hill

Washington and Lee University’s production of “The Play That Goes Wrong” turned staged chaos into carefully executed performances in the Johnson Theatre from April 8 to 11.

The play is “a drama within a drama,” telling the story of a theatrical group that attempts to stage the play “The Murder at Haversham Manor.” During the performance, things start to go wrong —missing cues, collapsing sets and malfunctioning props. “The Play That Goes Wrong” won the 2015 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy and has been hailed as a “masterpiece of malfunction,” according to Mischief Theater.

The decision to stage “The Play That Goes Wrong” was driven in part by student interest. Director Suzanne Delle said the theater department selected the play after students expressed a desire to work on a production that emphasized physical comedy and offered opportunities to develop new skills, such as accents, stage combat and technical coordination.

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✍️ Cynthia Ye 📸 Suzanne Delle

Check out our website, print edition or mobile app for more campus news stories!

1. ✍️ Alisa Zhao 📸 Alisa Zhao
2.✍️ Emily Scaff 📸 Aiden Kelsey
3.✍️ Imani Gaskin 📸 Imani Gaskin
4.✍️ Madeline Smith 📸 Madeline Smith

In sports, the number three is special. A hat trick signifies three goals in soccer and hockey, a triple-double is one of the greatest statistical accomplishments in one game of basketball, and rarest of all is the triple crown.

The triple crown signifies leading the NFL in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Or in horse racing, it means winning the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes.

But in the case of the Washington and Lee women’s track and field team, the triple crown is winning Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) championships in cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field. Last season, the Generals won the program’s first triple crown and after conference championships in cross country and indoor track and field, they are an outdoor championship away from repeating their feat.

Read the full story on our website, app, or in our paper edition!
✍️ Edwards Settle 📸 W&L Athletic Communications