The Flat Hat January 25 2022

T HE F LAT H AT

Vol. 111, Iss. 14 | Tuesday, January 25, 2022

The Weekly Student Newspaper

Executive Order Number One

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of The College of William and Mary

DAY ONE ACTIONS AFFECT VIRGINIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Executive Order Number Two

Executive Directive Number Two

Governor's directive rescinds COVID-19 vaccine mandates for College staff, faculty MOLLY PARKS // FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

COURTESY PHOTO / THE HILL GRAPHIC BY MOLLY PARKS / THE FLAT HAT

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aturday, Jan. 15, on his first day in office, Governor Glenn Youngkin signed 11 Executive Actions, three of which affect public education institutions in Virginia — including the College of William and Mary.

Executive Directive Number Two directly affects all “executive branch employees," including higher education employees, while Executive Orders Number One and Two also affect Virginia K-12 public schools. The executive actions significantly roll back the policies of former Democratic Governor Ralph Northam.

Executive Directive Number Two states that executive branch employers are not allowed to require the COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of employment, meaning faculty and staff at the College are no longer required to be vaccinated or show proof of vaccination.

During the signing ceremony of the 11 executive actions, Youngkin addressed his stance on the COVID-19 vaccine. He noted that although both he and his wife have both been fully vaccinated and boosted, he is against vaccine mandates, arguing that they infringe upon personal liberties.

“Let me be clear, I continue to be an absolutely staunch advocate for the vaccine,” Youngkin said. “I’ve gotten the vaccine, I’ve gotten the booster; Suzanne has gotten the vaccine and gotten the booster. We believe it is the best way to keep your family safe. But we also believe that individual liberty counts, it matters. Therefore, rather than mandate, we’re going to work to educate, we’re going to work to have colleagues talk to colleagues, but allow people to make decisions about their own health.”

Governor Youngkin has not yet replied to The Flat Hat to comment directly.

In College President Katherine Rowe’s community conversation with members of the College’s COVID-19 response team, Chief Operating Officer Amy Sebring announced that the College will comply with the new directive. Though vaccines and boosters are still required for students, they are no longer required for the College's employees.

“William and Mary announced yesterday that we are moving to strongly recommend vaccines and boosters for all employees,” Sebring said.

“Although they are no longer required, the research continues to show that the best way to protect yourself is to be vaccinated and boosted as soon as you’re eligible. Executive Directive Two also goes further and says that mandatory disclosure of vaccine status is also prohibited. So going forward, William and Mary will no longer require that. Although, we do

ask employees if they are willing to provide information on the vaccination status, so that can help inform our testing response and quarantine and isolation should you need it.”

In light of this ruling rescinding vaccine mandates, some students and employees of the College are worried about the repercussions for the portion of employees yet to be vaccinated or boosted for COVID-19.

Student Assembly President Meghana Boojala ’22 spoke on the response from students that she has heard regarding Youngkin’s directive.

“On the net, students are pretty concerned, I think, so am I,” Boojala said.

“I think if there is one thing that made William and Mary very successful over the past three, four semesters, it has been the mask mandate and the vaccine mandate.”

Boojala also noted that students should be mindful towards professors, since they are often of older age and of greater risk for complications with COVID-19 than their younger students.

“If your professor isn’t vaccinated, then they’re more vulnerable to getting COVID, and they’re usually older than us; there’s that risk that students have to be wary of,” Boojala said.

However, as Sebring noted in Wednesday’s community conversation, the College has a highly vaccinated and boosted community, with vaccinations and boosters still required for students. According to Sebring, as of Jan. 18, over 96% of the campus’s students are vaccinated, with almost 82% of students boosted.

“For employees, we’ve got almost 95% of our employees vaccinated and, again, as of yesterday, over 75% reported that they’ve already received a booster,” Sebring said.

Although the College moved to “strongly recommend” vaccinations and boosters for its faculty and staff, some College employees are calling for the administration to take a more direct stance against the governor’s directive.

Jasper Conner is a Ph.D. Candidate of the College’s History Department and a long-standing member of the W&M Workers Union, where he is the social media chair. Conner took a strong stance against the governor’s new executive actions, calling for non-compliance.

“I would encourage President Rowe to ignore directives from the state that put us at risk," Conner said. "In the same way that my kid’s school district here in Richmond is choosing to ignore these policies that they think are destructive and believe that they have a legal right to do that. That is what needs to be done. People need to stand up and take responsibility

for the world we live in.”

Earlier this year, Richmond City School Board’s decided to challenge Youngkin’s Executive Order Number Two, which rescinds mask mandates in Virginia public K-12 schools. Richmond City is one of the many school boards across Virginia speaking out against the executive order.

Executive Order Numbers One and Two deal with issues in public K-12 schools, specifically mask mandates and the teaching of critical race theory.

According to Governor Youngkin, Executive Order Number Two, which prohibits mask mandates in public K-12 school, is “reaffirming the rights of parents in the upbringing, education, and care of their children.” The order allows parents to make the decision for their children, without needing to provide a reason, about whether or not their child wears a mask in public K-12 schools. The order nullifies the former governor’s mask requirement in K-12 public schools, while also rescinding Executive Order Number 79, regarding masking and COVID-19.

However, some school districts across the commonwealth are pushing back. Jan. 24, seven school boards across the state of Virginia announced that they are suing and challenging the constitutionality of Executive Order Number Two. The collective seven boards argue that the order violates Article 8, Section 7 of the Virginia Constitution, which states “the supervision of schools in each school division shall be vested in a school board.”

In a public statement on Jan. 21, Youngkin addressed the controversy and ongoing legal situation.

“I have said all along that we are going to stand up for parents,” Youngkin said. “Executive Order Two is not about pro-masks versus anti-mask, it’s about empowering parents. I am confident that the Virginia Supreme Court will rule in the favor of parents.”

However, Conner sees the actions of school districts as an empowerment of teachers.

“Teachers are a guiding light for the labor movement right now,” Conner said. “They have gone on strike when they are not allowed to.

They are organizing and fighting for their own jobs, but also for the welfare of the children they teach. When the school districts back the teachers fighting for these things it’s even stronger. So, more power to them all. Across the state they all need to step up and protect the kids.”

See YOUNGKIN page 8

COVID-19

College establishes protocol for re-opening amid Omicron College continues to mandate indoor mask usage, requires booster shot for students DANIEL POSTHUMUS THE FLAT HAT

Monday, Jan. 10, the United States reported 1,433,977 new COVID cases in one day — an indication of the Omicron variant’s ability to rapidly spread. By Friday, Jan. 21, the number of new cases had dropped to 825,052, still more than double the pre-Omicron nationwide high of 301,138. Facing this ongoing challenge, the College of William and Mary will resume inperson classes this Wednesday, Jan. 26, using vaccines and mask mandates to keep students.

Wednesday, Jan. 19, the College’s senior administration officials held a community conversation to address the College’s health policies, answering pre-screened questions from students, faculty and staff. Three members of President Katherine Rowe’s Public Health Advisory Team (PHAT) joined Rowe for the conversation, which some students, such as Class of 2024 President Mia Tilman, found dissatisfying.

“I find it frustrating that the university would

INDEX News Opinions Variety Sports News

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advertise a community ‘conversation’, implying a back and forth where students can express our opinions and share our thoughts in hope of influencing college policy,” Tilman wrote in an email. "Yet having this conversation a week before classes start, when policies are clearly already set in place, makes it difficult for student opinion to have the type of influence we want it to and are told it has.”

During the conversation, Rowe began by outlining the administration’s six basic principles when making public health decisions: keep goals simple, make decisions in a phased way, adapt with intentionality and care, remember that everyone is in the same storm but not everyone is in the same boat, recognize that every semester is different and communicate consistently and thoroughly. The representatives of the PHAT then went through different questions, the responses to which emphasized the college’s use of its ‘tools’ to keep students safe from COVID. “We’ve got three big things: we have vaccines, we have boosters, and we have indoor masking,”

Professor of Kinesiology Carrie Dolan said. “And all three of these things work together to help decrease and minimize the transmission as well as the severity of disease.”

Despite the surge in cases nation-wide, the College has no plan to delay the start of classes.

Officials emphasized pre-arrival testing, the College’s system of COVID case managers and high-quality masks as preventative measures against a COVID surge on campus. The College also recently ordered 40,000 K-N95 masks for distribution among students, emphasizing their reliance on masks as a preventative tool.

Sebring explained the decision to not delay inperson classes in a follow-up.

“William & Mary has relied on delayed opening and/or remote starts in past semesters, and we are in continual communication with peer institutions in terms of discussing our COVID response,” Sebring wrote in an email.

“For the Spring 2022 semester, William & Mary benefited by a start date that is later than many other institutions; many that were scheduled

Inside Opinions

Inside Variety

Isabelle Fortiz '24 writes that the dining services at the College are in need of improvement in terms of options, food quality and value. page 3

Alumni Lamar Shambley ’10, founder of non-profit Teens of Color Abroad, shares personal abroad experience, importance of study abroad for Black students. page 5

From raw chicken to limited dietary options, the dining halls need help

Taking the World by Storm

to start in early January opted to delay to midJanuary. In contrast, undergraduate classes at W&M start January 26. That said, delays are very disruptive, especially for a highly residential campus community.”

However, Tilman views the the College's decision with skepticism.

“I trust the decisions of medical professionals and feel that for the most part, W&M does have appropriate measures to keep students safe (and hope these aren’t further rolled back throughout the semester, regardless of what our Governor may say),” Tilman wrote. “However, I would deeply disapprove of William & Mary returning to a solely in-person format. It is clear that these last few Covid semesters have been hard on students, physically and mentally….

While I am glad we are returning in-person for those of us who need in-person education, I hope the university is adequately prepared to accommodate ALL students.”

See OMICRON page 8

Inside Sports

Men's Basketball defeats Drexel 83-75

Tribe Men's Basketball moves back to .500 in Colonial Athletic Association with Saturday's win over Drexel. page 7

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THE FLAT HAT | Tuesday, January 25, 2022 | Page 2

THE BUZZ

If the university is struggling to pay its employees properly then there needs to be some re-budgeting happening. Universities are being run sort of business-like right now. In the same way that businesses who canʼt afford to pay their workers proper wages, probably arenʼt running their businesses properly, itʼs sort of the same thing.

̶ Katie Grotewiel ʻ23

FLAT HAT NEWS BRIEF

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newsinsight

News Editor Alexandra Byrne News Editor Charles Coleman News Editor Molly Parks fhnews@gmail.com

Governor Youngkin set to speak at 2022 Charter Day Friday, Jan. 7, the College of William and Mary announced that recently-elected Governor of Virginia Glenn Youngkin will be the keynote speaker of the College’s 2022 Charter Day celebration. Charter Day is the College’s annual celebration of the its founding when it received its royal charter Feb. 11, 1693.

In addition to speaking, Youngkin will receive an honorary degree from the College. This event follows the College’s longstanding tradition of inviting the commonwealth’s newlyelected governor to speak at the Charter Day celebration.

“We look forward to a lively Charter Day in this, our 329th spring. We will celebrate our community and set a course for W&M’s future through Vision 2026,” College President Katherine A. Rowe said in a press release. “We welcome Governor-elect Youngkin to that celebration while he plans for the future of the commonwealth. We are also pleased to honor Congressman Scott for his extraordinary career of public service and Howard Busbee – who has served in nearly every volunteer leadership role at William & Mary – for his commitment to his alma mater and our students.”

This year, Feb. 11 will mark the College’s 329th birthday. In addition to Youngkin, U.S. House of Representatives member Robert C. Scott VA-3 and Howard J. Bussbee ‘65 J.D. ‘67 M.L.T ‘68 will also be recieving honorary degrees.

CHARLES COLEMAN / FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

A THOUSAND WORDS

CALLIE BOOTH / THE FLAT HAT

CORRECTIONS The Flat Hat wishes to correct any fact printed incorrectly. Corrections may be submitted in email to the editor of the section in which the incorrect information was printed. Requests for corrections will be accepted at any time.

Taking care of business

Lawrence B. Pulley retires as dean of Raymond A. Mason School of Business CALLIE BOOTH // THE FLAT HAT Before the beginning of the Spring 2022 Semester at the College of William and Mary, Dean of the Raymond A. Mason School of Business Lawrence B. Pulley ’74 announced that this would be his last full semester in his position. In an email sent to students and faculty of the College on Tuesday, Jan. 11, Provost Peggy Agouris announced that Pulley would be retiring from his position effective June 30, 2022, after serving as the Dean of the Business school for 24 years.

Pulley’s connection to the College runs deep, from family ties to academic connections.

“I have a lot of family connections to William and Mary,” Pulley said. “My father and four of his brothers and sisters went here from our farm family in Ivor, Virginia in Southampton County across the James, and my brother and sister and I went here. I graduated in 1974 and was an economics and math major here, got a PhD in economics at UVA then taught at Brandeis for several years before taking a leave at UVA and then coming down and joining the business school faculty in ‘85 and was an associate dean.”

When he joined the faculty of the business school in 1985, Pulley’s coursework and research focused on banking industry regulations and structure, international business and managing portfolios. After taking over the dean position in 1998, Pulley changed his focus to the administrative side of the business school. One of the main projects he oversaw during his tenure was the construction of Alan B. Miller Hall to house the entirety of the business school within the same building for the first time since its inception.

“The university, with an MOU [memorandum of understanding] that our foundation created, appointed our foundation as the developer of Miller COURTESY PHOTO / WM.EDU Hall and the university would be the owner, but we did it in partnership with Lawrence B. Pulley ʻ74 was the dean of the Collegeʼs business school for 24 years. the university and in partnership with a lot of private alumni and donors,” Pulley said. “Two thirds of the funding for the building came privately, expansion of the academic programs offered by the school. In particular, and we had folks on our board and a couple of our faculty members who the school has expanded its online graduate programs to include online oversaw the design and programming so we could save expenses, and the master’s degrees. Additionally, Pulley has greatly increased offerings within building actually came in a little bit under budget. We moved in in July of the business analytics program.

2009, and it has been a remarkable facility for us ever since.”

“We have also expanded what we’re doing in analytics, data Another project that was accomplished during Pulley’s tenure was the science with a business analytics undergraduate major, our residential masters, a very successful master of science in business analytics, very successful online master of science and business analytics and off we go, you know,” Pulley said.

One unique aspect of the business school that Pulley is especially proud of is its recent growth in the executive partners program. Executive partners are a group of local business executive experts from a variety of industries who offer support, guidance, networking and career advice to business school students. Students enrolled in the full-time MBA program will be assigned with an executive coach to help them focus on leadership development.

“They do all kinds of mock interviews and activities with our undergraduate students,” Pulley said. “They sit in on our studentmanaged fun and often times entrepreneurial courses, and other courses, and that’s just a remarkable asset.”

Reflecting on his time at the College, Pulley expressed gratitude for the connections he formed with students, faculty and staff.

“I don’t think much about legacy, quite frankly,” Pulley said. “You know the Mason School is in a great place now. There are 15 folks in the Mason school on our administration and staff that I work with most closely. When I announced to them a couple weeks ago, I also wrote them personal notes in appreciation to our board and a similar note to our alumni.”

The College plans on conducting a national search for the next dean of the business school, and Agouris is working with other administrators to develop a search committee that will include faculty, students and staff members.

“What just keeps washing over me again and again, is gratitude,” Pulley said. “Gratitude for the opportunity to be in this role so long at my alma mater, COURTESY PHOTO / RAYMOND A. MASON SCHOOL OF BUSINESS FACEBOOK and also for the overwhelming support and engagement and contributions Lawrence B. Pulley ʻ74 joined the Collegeʼs faculty as a Professor of Economics in 1985. of others to Mason school and to William and Mary.”

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Alan B. Miller hall houses the Raymond A. Mason school of business at the College of William and Mary. The hall opened in 2009 under the leadership of Pulley.

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GUEST COLUMN

STAFF COLUMN

It’s time for us all to take responsibility in the fight against climate change Molly Parks

FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

I was on one of my many walks through my hometown just after New Year’s Day when my Spotify queue jumped to a podcast about a phenomenon called “climate doom.” As I paced forward, my ears were filled with rhetoric about how screwed we all are. We can’t do anything. This problem is way bigger than us as individuals.

Hearing these words, I felt angry. Yes, the issue of climate change is a deep-seated systemic issue that will feel the most significant change from governmental, economic and corporate overhaul. However, this does not mean we, as individuals, can give up the issue of climate change to our ruling powers. These ruling powers have continuously failed to put the issue of climate change at the forefront of legislative priority and of corporate responsibility. These ruling powers have failed to hold the ultra-wealthy and the large corporations of our society accountable for the climate problems they have made significantly worse and choose to actively ignore. Like any revolution, the climate revolution begins with the actions of individual people. If we want change, it starts from the people and trickles up. We need to abandon the recently-popularized lackadaisical attitude of “this is no longer my problem, this is somebody else’s problem.” This is our problem, this is everybody’s problem. This is a corporate issue, this is a capitalist issue, this is a governmental issue, but it is also my issue, and it is your issue.

As college students, it is easy for us to take the easy way out. I know I can easily fall into the trap of blaming my piled-up history readings on why I need to get to Swem Library in the most efficient way. I can blame the lack of hours in a day on why I need to get this iced coffee in a single-use plastic cup, since I don’t have enough time to go back to my dorm for a reusable mug. But these small decisions add up.

While struggling to conceptualize whether my actions and the similar actions of students around me really matter, over winter break I spoke to Professor Randolph Chambers. Chambers is the Director of the Keck Environmental Field Lab and a Professor of Biology and Environmental Science. He spoke to the importance of a community effort built by the actions of individuals.

“We’re watching greenhouse gases go up in the atmosphere relentlessly, and what are we doing to turn that around?” Chambers said. “But again, I think that brings up the point that even if it’s at the level of William and Mary, is that making a difference? But, you don’t want students to despair and say ‘It’s not going to matter if I bike to school rather than drive my car.’ A lot of these things have to build up at the individual level.”

With these words in mind, I began to contemplate what I can do, specifically as a College of William and Mary student, to play my part in the climate revolution. The following tips are part of the result of my thinking. As we move into a new year, here are some tips written by a student looking to become more environmentally sustainable, for students looking to become more environmentally sustainable.

At the beginning of the spring term, I would recommend taking a carbon footprint test to see where you fall in terms of carbon emissions and to see how many earths it would take to sustain your lifestyle if everyone lived like you. The Ecological Footprint Calculator from the Global Footprint Network is a good measure, breaking down your footprint by land type and consumption category and giving you resources to learn how to cut down on your emissions, but there are plenty of options on the internet. At the end of the term, you can retake the test to see how your lifestyle has changed.

In terms of quick tips to lower your ecological footprint, here are some things you can do to start…

Tap into campus resources: The Committee on Sustainability is an excellent resource for students to use. Professor Chambers recommends subscribing to their sustainability listserv email newsletter to receive updates about weekly green efforts on and off-campus.

“One of the things I would recommend for any student is to get on the sustainability listserv,” Chambers said. “Then, you get a weekly announcement of what sorts of stuff is going on on campus, off campus, what other communities are available for students to get involved in on campus and off campus. I am really impressed with the broad coverage of sustainability topics that they present each week in that newsletter.”

Use the composting bins found around campus. Use the campus garden behind DuPont Hall. Take courses to educate yourself on the environment and what you can do to help it. Chambers recommends ENSP 101, a team-taught intro to environmental science and policy course taught by one science and one humanities professor. In the courses you take, make sure to use virtual note-taking options.

Walk, bike and carpool: fortunately, the College is quite a walkable campus (just under a mile from The Wren Building to the Recreation Center). Try to budget your time so you don’t have to drive – leave enough time for yourself to walk to class, to Swem, to The Rec center and to Colonial Williamsburg. If you need to get somewhere far offcampus like New Town Shopping Center or College Creek, then carpool. There is always someone else on campus who needs to go to Target or Trader Joe’s, so pop a text in your group chat when you’re headed off-campus to save someone else the drive.

Eat smart and eat green: According to a 2013 study by the United Nations FAO, greenhouse gas emissions from livestock supply chains amount to 14.5% of all manmade greenhouse gas emissions. Curbing your support for the meat and dairy industries is a great way to start a sustainability journey. After doing the right research, try eating vegetarian or vegan in the dining halls. There are plenty of meat-free and dairy-free options at the deli, maize, salad and mosaic stations in Sadler and Caf. Also, try to stick to dining halls with reusable plates and silverware or bring your own.

Coffee consciously: Like many Tribe students, I rely on coffee. One of my New Year’s resolutions was to stop drinking coffee in single-use plastics. If you bring your own coffee cup or tumbler to The Daily Grind or Swemromas, you can get a discount on your cup of joe. If you make your coffee at home in a single-cup coffee machine like a Keurig, try using a reusable k-cup and filling it with your own grinds.

Be thrifty: Use online campus resources like William and Mary People Selling Their Clothing or Facebook Marketplace to get rid of old clothes or buy new ones. Utilize the Goodwill right by campus and other thrift stores nearby. Buy used or online textbooks from the bookstore instead of buying new ones.

Pragmatically, there are many everyday changes students can make to live a more sustainable lifestyle. We can recycle our paper more, wear reusable masks and closet swap with our friends for new events. However, it is our voices and our votes that will make the biggest difference in the long-term battle against climate change. Systemic change begins from the ground up; from individual people banding together, raising their voices up loud enough to not be ignored by large corporations, rich people and governmental powers. In VA District 2 and in the state of Virginia, we live in a contentious district and state. Join groups like the Sunrise Movement, who lobby federal and state legislators to make climate-ethical decisions. Call local leaders and tell them to only support legislation if it is sustainable. Encourage them to support the Green New Deal and other climate legislation. Most importantly, educate yourself. I recommend the books Half-Earth by Edward O. Wilson and This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs The Climate by Naomi Klein. Listen to reputable podcasts and keep up with decent climate journalism. As we move into a world where climate change becomes a greater threat to humanity with every day that passes, it is important that we understand the scope of the problem and act upon what we can do individually to help.

Molly Parks ‘24 is an English major from New Jersey. On campus, Molly is a news editor for The Flat Hat, involved in the social sorority Kappa Alpha Theta and club tennis.

Molly loves to run, write, drink green tea with honey, play with her dog, and is passionate about the importance of journalism. Email Molly at mmparks01@email.wm.edu.

To view citations visit flathatnews.com.

From raw chicken to limited dietary options, the dining halls need help Isabelle Fortiz

completely separate issue.) The menus located on-screen in Sadler have not been updated regularly either, and we are apparently on day four of London broil for dinner. On top of that, the lack of accurate signage in regard to dietary restrictions and food allergies What is known as “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” to is appalling. I have heard countless times from not only my peers many people around the world is actually considered one of the but also passersby about how Marketplace served their vegetarian most dreaded times for College of William and Mary students to eat friend a pepperoni calzone when they ordered cheese or that Caf at a dining hall. With the semester coming to a close, this signals mislabeled a station as gluten-free and now their friend is painfully the beginning of reduced food options and the repetition of the waiting for their small intestine to heal. It is a shame that Sadler minimal options that are provided. In a 2016 story published under keeps a poster up claiming that we have an A+ rating for vegan the College’s online News and Media section, they boasted that diets as this is wildly inaccurate. Furthermore, there are simply not the school ranked 17th nationally on BestColleges.com’s review on enough protein options, especially for people that consume planttop dining halls. In contrast to this, Niche.com’s “2022 Best College based diets.This is a problem that should not and cannot continue.

Food in America” list gave the College’s campus food score a solid We are in urgent need of a guideline revision and training for food C- and listed it halfway through page 52 of 56 on their website. handling and the process of posting signage and information.

The College’s The College ranking was requires that students too poor to living on campus buy even earn a meal plan while a number offering an impractical placement meal plan petition among almost claiming, “William 1,400 schools & Mary Dining and was Services are able to unbelievably accommodate students far past the top with allergies to gluten, 17. It’s sad to wheat, soy, shellfish, see that such dairy, eggs, peanuts a prestigious and tree nuts as well as and renowned vegetarian and vegan institution dietary restrictions, can score an so citing these dietary overall grade restrictions are not of A+ but still typically approved manages a as a reason to be low C- rating released from the in not only meal plan,” yet they campus food incredibly fail to make but dorms as fair modifications and well, but that’s adjustments for such a problem for a large proportion of another time. their students’ dietary Throughout needs (not to mention GRAPHIC BY TARA VASANTH / THE FLAT HAT the semester, how they take pride in all three dining halls are open from breakfast to dinnertime, serving Halal-certified meat only at Caf, Monday through Friday.…

Monday through Thursday. However, from Friday afternoon Don’t Muslim students still eat on the weekends?). through Sunday, Marketplace is closed, offering only mobile orders Two of the most popular meal plans bought by students are limiting the convenience and availability of fresh food options for Block 175 (175 swipes per semester) and Gold 19 (19 swipes per the freshman Outer Limits community. According to Google Maps, week), which cost approximately $5200 per year. This means that the walk to Sadler from the closest Outer Limits dorm, Willis, is depending on what plan is used, each meal is valued at $12.70 a total of eight minutes long, which makes it the longest distance per swipe on Block 175 and $8.40 per swipe on Gold 19 when to the closest dining hall from any on-campus dorm exceeding subtracting the Dining Dollars allocated to each meal plan. At the time it takes to get to Caf from GGV or Sadler from Lemon and Marketplace, a swipe is priced at $8.00, meaning you lose up to $5 Monroe. This doesn’t even take into consideration the 10-minute per meal there, and maybe even more for more limited meal plan walk to Sadler from Brown Hall and the 11-minute haul from Reves options. So where is the money going? Is this for the reopening or Hunt Hall (my freshman dorm — shoutout to Hunt 2nd!). I’ve of a Jamba Juice smoothie place in the Rec Center or for funding witnessed firsthand how Marketplace’s limited hours have caused Chancellor’s Bistro? Perhaps this is to bring back the Wholly detrimental effects on freshmen and are carried on throughout their Habaneros and 1693 BBQ food trucks? Maybe it is to reinstall The college careers, like eating little snacks in place of a meal or nothing Crust, Pita Pit, and Mooyah for Tribe Square. Either way, for a at all rather than risk walking all the way to Sadler or Caf to face school that costs over $40k per year for in-state students and over the reality of there being nothing to eat. These actions can lead to $60k per year for out-of-state students to attend, we surely can do disordered eating habits and unhealthy behaviors that can reduce better than a food servicing company that caters to hospitals and one’s overall health and quality of life due to nutrient deficiencies facilitates prisons in other countries. and a lack of energy.

To conclude this piece, I invite anyone from the Dining Services The College’s Dining Services promotes an app called Bite by Team or College administration, including the Board of Visitors, to Sodexo, which is helpful when looking at upcoming menus before join me for a meal at a dining hall, and don’t worry, you can leave choosing where to eat. However, after about a month into the your lunchbox at home. semester, we realized that the app was not showing accurate menus Isabelle Fortiz ’24 has plans to major in kinesiology with a minor in for any of the dining locations. It was really disappointing to go to psychology. She is currently the head coach of the College’s club swim Sadler for taco night only to find yet another variation of (uncooked) team, a violinist in the W&M Symphony Orchestra and a member of the jerk chicken, soggy cinnamon- and garlic-coated vegetables and Kinesiology and Health Sciences Club. Email Isabelle at iafortiz@email. crunchy rice. (This is not a rare occurrence either: poultry is a prime wm.edu. source of complete protein, so it’s always upsetting when I cut open To view citations visitflathatnews.com. my chicken to see that it is still raw. This is unacceptable and a .

FLAT HAT GUEST WRITER

INDEPENDENT GRAPHIC

Students happy to be back, but feel homesick as well GRAPHIC BY TARA VASANTH / THE FLAT HAT

THE FLAT HAT

Page 4

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

With Glenn Youngkin’s inauguration, policies are already changing

Elaine Godwin

FLAT HAT ASSOC. OPINIONS

The last two years of the pandemic have not been easy, but the College of William and Mary has waned in its accommodations for students who may struggle with so-called COVID-19 University.

As a neurodiverse person, I have particularly struggled, and entering my last semester here has only increased the pressure to succeed. In recent weeks, however, I’ve had to focus more on the political and how it will affect both my personal and professional lives; suffice to say, it has been nerve wracking.

Glenn Youngkin officially entered the gubernatorial office on January 15, 2022 for the state of Virginia. As a Republican, he has already shown himself to be rather red in just these past few days, and his policy stances have come out into the light. In particular, his executive order ending mask mandates in Virginia public schools has caused a lot of outcry amid growing Omicron concerns.

In my home city of Chesapeake, there is even a lawsuit against Governor Glenn Youngkin based on this decision. Many parents and school employees are worried what a lack of masks and other preventative measures might contribute to the overall case numbers and health of the population. Many other cities have also vowed to fight this order, and are instead keeping masks a requirement of physically attending class.

Youngkin’s administration has been quick to assert that they will be contesting those who are against the order, even up to withholding funding if necessary.

Of course, this is only the top of the many orders Governor Youngkin has been eager to release in these last two weeks that concern education and schools. The administration also fulfilled its goal of restoring “individual freedoms” by removing the vaccine mandate which applied to state employees.

This will only go to reinforce the harmful antivaccine narratives circulating the country, as well as a larger risk to immunocompromised individuals who rely on both mask and vaccine mandates to help keep them safe.

One of the other concerns is the removal of Critical Race Theory from public education, which leaves only an extremely white-washed history for young students to learn in its wake. While most schools are not explicitly teaching Critical Race Theory now, Youngkin’s Executive Orders directly say, “By virtue of the authority vested in me as Governor, I hereby issue this Executive Order to ensure excellence in K-12 public education in the Commonwealth by taking the first step on Day One to end the use of inherently divisive concepts, including Critical Race Theory, and to raise academic standards.” If anything, public schools already have a low bar set when it comes to intersectional values, so this only eradicates the previous bare minimum.

Kimberle Crenshaw, activist and professor of Critical Race Theory, wrote that “We are a society that has been structured from top to bottom by race. You don’t get beyond that by deciding not to talk about it anymore. It will always come back; it will always reassert itself over and over again.”

As a liberal arts student, one who is both queer and as mindful as possible to POC and their unique experiences of oppression, this is quite frankly terrifying. I’ve already encountered enough cishet and/or white male professors (not to mention other students) utilizing a very narrow mindset when it comes to the history and literature that I study, espousing white supremacist ideologies in small doses here and there. Many of these professors are tenured and the College is unwilling to change this — but to now have it codified within the state legislature is absurd, even if it only affects K-12 at the current moment.

It is difficult to retain hope during these times as both a student and as a political activist when so much is working against myself and the values I hold. We are only seeing the tip of the iceberg for what’s to come from conservative administrations bent on worsening the state of our society, Governor Glenn Youngkin included. I encourage my fellow students, especially those with inherent privilege, to recognize this and do everything in our power to fight against the system; simultaneously, I encourage the College itself to be empathetic towards our difficult circumstances during this semester of increased COVID-19 rates and constrictive policies.

Elaine Godwin ‘22 is an English and Data Science double major. As a queer person, they have a unique view on the world and is dedicated to inclusion for the LGBTQ+ community. Email Elaine at sgodwin@email.wm.edu.

STAFF COLUMN

N95 masks are the only option right now Taylor Robertson

FLAT HAT BUSINESS MANAGER

If you’re not wearing an N95 to class, I assume you don’t give a s—t anymore.

But also, that’s okay: Barely any of us have given a s—t since last spring. Because I didn’t see much of anyone wearing an N95 last fall.

When two people are not wearing a mask, it takes 15 minutes to transmit an infectious dose of COVID-19 from an infected to a non-infected person. When two people are wearing cloth masks, it takes 27 whole minutes to transmit an infectious dose of COVID-19.

This data is according to this chart, accessed via the Wall Street Journal, published in Spring 2021 by the Pandemic Task Force at ACGIH, a scientific organization that studies occupational and environmental health issues.

Note that these figures are Pre-Delta and Pre-Omicron, which are known to be even more transmissible. Basically, since last March, every time you sat down in a fifty-minute long class with just a piece of cloth on your face, you were saying you really didn’t care about catching COVID-19.

Because if you did, you’d be wearing an N95.

Wearing an N95 affords 2.5 hours of protection from an infectious dose of COVID-19, even if an infected person in the room isn’t wearing a mask at all. You’ll get 3.3 hours of protection if the infected person is wearing a cloth mask, but note that both afford protection that exceeds the time you’d be sitting in a class with an infected person. If both the infected and uninfected people are wearing N95s, protection lasts for 25 hours.

What conclusion does this data lead us to? If you’re not wearing an N95 in class this semester, you’re asking to get COVID-19. But also, if all you did was wear your school-mandated piece of cloth all last fall, you weren’t too concerned then either.

So why would you start being concerned now?

Personally, I think this data shows us that assuming personal responsibility is the only true form of COVID-19 protection. Only by wearing an N95 personally can you expect to not be infected by COVID-19 during the length of time you’re sitting in a classroom.

Honestly, you and your friend and your friend’s roommate’s girlfriend are all likely to get COVID-19 in these first few weeks we’re back. It’s almost impossible we don’t see a spike of infections like every other college in the nation that’s gone back.

The College of William and Mary has actually committed to disseminating 60,000 KN95 masks to the student body. I was shocked at that email, but I also thought,“ Good on the administration.”

So, you should be getting four or five KN95s from our lovely university. Personally, I wore an N95 to class every day last semester, $1 apiece from the Food Lion on Richmond Road. (I mean, I had to wear something, and if I had to wear something I might as well wear the only thing that would actually do anything.)

We haven’t been dealing with any lack of supply of N95s for a year. Basically, there’s no excuse for not wearing one if you don’t want to GRAPHIC BY TARA VASANTH AND catch COVID-19. (Good luck with that, by the way!)

HEADSHOTS BY ANGELA VASISHTA But of course there’s still the perfectly valid AND KAYLA PAYNE/ THE FLAT HAT

GRAPHIC FROM @WSJ ON INSTAGRAM

STAFF COLUMN

response, “I don’t care, though. I’m 20, COVID-19 is endemic and I’m likely to get it every year for the rest of my life no matter what I do.” And you’d be right on the money, and I’ll wait with you patiently for the hopeful future semester when the mask mandate gets lifted and cows jump over the moon.

My friend at Notre Dame last semester didn’t have to wear a mask at all, and they have the same vaccine requirements as us. Wonderful, right? The logical acceptance that if there’s not an N95 mandate, we’re really just performing COVID19 theater?

If the College wants to institute an N95 mandate, that’s fine. I’ll wear it and say, “At least they’re consistent.” But cloth masks just haven’t made sense for a year now.

Let’s saddle up with that reality.

Because really, the College should take the mask mandate away if the type of mask does not matter. What’s 27 minutes of protection doing for us, especially when that cloth mask is nowhere to be found at College Delly, which has hundreds of sardine-packed students crossing through the door on weekends.

The cloth mask is doing nothing for us.

If assuming the personal responsibility of wearing an N95 can provide someone hours of protection from an infectious dose of COVID-19 and our school mandates we all wear a piece of loose cloth that only affords us less than half an hour of safe breathing, then it’s obvious what mask choice an individual with COVID-19 concerns should make for themself.

And until that concerned individual puts on that N95 and saves themself from the worst illness since the Black Plague, the mask mandate should be removed and is a mostly useless attempt at shoving responsibility onto the shoulders of other students who are ready to move on from the pandemic era and highly thought of “worst time of our lives so far.”

Or the College can all-around mandate an N95, and follow the science that way.

Either way, power to them. I just ask for consistency and reason, not a stymied sense of new normal for the sake of keeping up appearances. COVID-19 theater: The show must NOT go on. Because I’d like to see people’s faces instead of hearing choice remarks from some rando with cartoon cacti on the piece of billowing cloth falling off their face who is throwing stones from their glass house.glass house.

Taylor Robertson ’23 is from Lynchburg, Virginia. A finance major and accounting concentration, he is the business manager of The Flat Hat and a founder of the writer’s circle on campus, Novelquest. Email Taylor at trobertson@email.

STAFF COLUMN

Top five classes you should take before you graduate

Alyssa Slovin

FLAT HAT OPINIONS EDITOR

As a senior here at the College of William and Mary, tomorrow marks my final First Day of Classes, and the idea of that is both terrifying and exciting.

Over the last few years, I’ve really enjoyed my classes.

I’ve had the opportunity to explore new topics with the general education requirements, as well as delve deeper into my special interests through classes in my majors, marketing and English. While I’m in a reflective mood, I wanted to use this time to recommend five different classes, on varying topics, that anyone can take here at the College, whether it’s to fill a requirement or to try something new.

My first recommendation is New Religious Movements in America, and my professor was Dr. Annie Blazer. I chose to take this class for a few reasons, and admittedly, a strong factor in that decision was that it qualified as a COLL 300, so it was the perfect way for me to knock out that requirement.

However, I did not just blindly pick a class to fulfill my COLL 300. I wanted to take a Religious Studies class at some point during my time at the College, and this was the perfect class with which I could start because the COLL 300 notation implied that most of the students would be non-Religious Studies majors, and it was a way to get around taking an “Intro to” class as my first instead. In this class, we discussed new religious movements such as Heaven’s Gate, Mormonism and Nation of Islam, religions outsiders often deem “cults,” but we had the opportunity to learn an unbiased history of each religion from multiple sources in order to understand their motives, their beliefs, and what went wrong. Dr. Blazer made the information digestible, and group discussions allowed us to talk through our questions in a judgment-free zone. Although the class was on Zoom when I took it, it’s normally in the Christopher Wren Building, which I know is on so many students’ bucket list.

Next on my list was a dance class I took freshman year, Modern I, with Professor Janelle Smith-Ings.

I danced for 15 years before college, but there is no experience required to take any entry-level dance classes. If you do have experience, you can try out to place into a higher level class, but I wanted to avoid a potentially stressful audition process and just enjoy the dance experience. This class was a great source of exercise and creativity with choreography projects, but it was also just hilarious. I think of it like a gym class in high school. Gym was a time when students who would never usually have classes together would be paired up for the first time, and the combined energy is always somehow harmonious and chaotic at once. This class was exactly the same. My class had frat guys, gymnasts, freshmen, upperclassmen, typical nerds, obvious dancers and the people who clearly only took the class to fulfill their Arts Requirement. Watching us all perform the sequences across the floor was oddly wholesome, and I miss the ragtag group. Besides the choreography projects, we were mostly graded on our progress throughout the class, so as long as you improve in some way, you’ll probably do well.

Do you hate Shakespeare? I thought I did until I took Shakespeare’s Late Plays with Dr. Alicia Andrzejewski in my sophomore year, completely skipping the Intro to Shakespeare class (I’m sensing a theme here). So many people told me that I couldn’t be an English major and not enjoy Shakespeare, so in an attempt to redeem my high school experiences, I took a shot on this class. Dr. A’s passion for the plays as well as the engagement from every student actually made me start to realize what was so universally appealing about Shakespeare. Pro tip: if you’re having trouble following the plot, which I often did, either read a short summary before each act so you know what plot points to look out for while reading, or follow along with a recorded stage version of the play while reading. As basically a Shakespeare novice compared to many of the other students in the class, I was still able to succeed in this class, and you totally can, too. It will take some extra time reading and writing in preparation for class, but it’s worth it.

Okay, first I talked up Shakespeare, and now I’m about to do the unthinkable: recommend you take a class called Legal Environment of Business with Professor Iria Giuffrida. Me-from-six-monthsago does not even recognize myself, considering how much I was dreading taking this class, but it’s required for all business majors, so I had to do it.

Despite daunting readings and concepts about which I knew nothing, I was able to learn and grow so much after taking this class. The textbook and Professor Giuffrida both make something as complex

as our legal system digestible and entertaining. If you are planning on going to law school, I definitely recommend this course because it’s an introduction to so many different concepts that you will cover in more depth later, so you might as well know a little bit about them beforehand. And even if you’re not going to law school, like me, this information will likely come in handy either in your career or in your daily life. While studying and reading take a considerable amount of time, the workload is spread out well and manageable alongside other demanding courses. This course is major restricted for the first week of registration, and considering that it’s required for business majors, I’m not sure how many open seats there are for other students, but it’s definitely something worth looking into.

Finally, I want to recommend African-American Women Writers with Professor Suzette Spencer. The class is cross-listed with Africana Studies, English and Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies, so it covers a lot of bases. This class is heavily discussionbased, which I always really enjoy because each student contributes something unique to the class discussion. We read authors from Bell Hooks to Toni Morrison to Audre Lorde to Harriet A. Jacobs and several others across a few different genres. Another unique aspect about this class was that our writing assignments for our midterm and final were not traditional essays, but instead a series of 10 general questions each on five readings of our choosing, which makes the writing assignments feel like a discussion itself. They are more casual than an essay, no fluff, purely content and analysis, which I found really helpful in getting to the “so what” of my writing.

Also, Professor Spencer bans the word “interesting” in class and in writing because she wants to know why something is interesting instead of just the fact that it is, which can be challenging at first, but makes everyone stronger writers and speakers. This class definitely requires a time investment, but it’s an important class in terms of content and writing skills.

Especially now as Glenn Youngkin is challenging and erasing the critical race curriculum in Virginia, you will learn so much pivotal information in th I hope you look into some of these classes in your future studies here at the College, and if you end up taking any of them, feel free to reach out to let me know what you thought of them afterwards. afterwards.

Alyssa Slovin ‘22 is an English and marketing double major. Besides her work at The Flat Hat as Opinions Editor and Flat Hat Magazine as Editor-inChief, she is involved in The Gallery. Email Alyssa at amslovin@email.wm.edu.

variety

Variety Editor Ashanti Jones Variety Editor Madeleine Harris flathat.variety@gmail.com // @theflathat

THE FLAT HAT | Tuesday, January 25, 2022 | Page 5

Taking The World By Storm

COURTESY IMAGES / LAMAR SHAMBLEY

Alumnus Lamar Shambley ʻ10, founder of non-profit Teens of Color Abroad, shares personal abroad experience, importance of study abroad for Black students ASHANTI JONES // THE FLAT HAT VARIETY EDITOR In 2018, alumnus Lamar Shambley ‘10 founded his nonprofit organization Teens of Color Abroad (TOCA) to encourage language learning and provide needed guidance to Black and Brown teenagers aspiring to study abroad. The Brooklyn native’s passion for language learning blossomed in his hometown.

“I was born in Brooklyn and here in New York, Spanish is everywhere,” Shambley said. “I developed an affinity for the language at an early age. It wasn’t until middle school and high school where I really dove into the grammar and actually holding conversations.”

Shambley was introduced to the idea of studying abroad in high school, but was unable to go due to financial reasons. He carried the hope of studying abroad into college and was able to pursue his dream through the College of William & Mary’s Somos.

“The academic advisor for Somos sponsored my first passport,” Shambley said. “I’d never been out of the country before I came to William and Mary. He provided me with my first passport and my first opportunity to travel abroad.

At William and Mary, I was able to get the experience on top of the language learning.”

Somos is a student-run research organization on campus focused on conducting “sustainable, community-based public health research”. The organization’s primary focus is on the town of Esfuerzo del Paraíso in the Dominican Republic.

According to their website, preCOVID-19, members of the club would travel to the Dominican Republic and “gather data, conduct interviews, identify needs, and collaborate with the community.”

During his time with Somos, Shambley recognized the many potential possibilities available through language learning.

“OK, you’re learning Spanish: what can you do with that?”

Shambley said. “You can now translate for doctors. You can now do ethnographic research in the community. You can now build a community across languages.”

Following his experience with Somos, Shambley studied abroad again with the College’s sixmonth-long semester program in Sevilla, Spain. During his time in Spain, Shambley lived with a host family, studied at Universidad Pablo de Olavide, and interned at Movimiento por La Paz where he would teach English to Spanish speaking children.

“I was teaching English to a child, I believe she was about six or seven years old, which was actually a really great way to practice my Spanish and make mistakes,” Shambley said. “I would be making mistakes in Spanish and she would just be laughing hysterically then teach me how to say things the right way.”

Through his course work and internship, Shambley felt that he was able to connect more with the people of Sevilla than he would have been able to through a traditional study abroad program.

“It was a really cool way to connect with the people of Sevilla,” Shambley said. “For many people, when they study abroad they immediately find the other Americans, connect with the other Americans and then stay with them.

I’m really thankful that for my study abroad experience, I got to really work with the local community.’

Shambley recalls one of the most memorable programs at the Universidad Pablo de Olavide, known as exchange hours, where exchange students would be matched with locals and other exchange students to give them the opportunity to talk to one another and build lifelong connections.

“I went to one of the horas de intercambio and I got to meet a couple of people,” Shambley said.

“One guy was from Sevilla and the other girl, she was from France.

We connected and they just started inviting me to everything, so I would start to go to barbecues or bars with them… Actually, I’m still in touch with these people to this day. We have a group chat together and they’ve been supportive of TOCA which is really cool.

Following graduation from the College, Shambley returned back to Brooklyn to become a high school Spanish teacher and promote to Black and Brown students the benefits of language learning. It was by sharing his passion for language learning and struggles with studying abroad with his students that Shambley recognized the need for an organization like TOCA. “When I began teaching high school Spanish, it was my students who said ‘Mr. Shambley, how did you learn Spanish so well?’” Shambley said. “And I said, ‘I studied abroad in college and it changed my life, you’ve got to do the same.’ I started doing research on high school study abroad programs and saw that many of these organizations didn’t cater to students who look like my students and the leadership of these organizations didn’t look like me either… Seeing

the language learning divide, seeing the low participation numbers for Black students in study abroad programs and reflecting on my own experiences then listening to what my students wanted, it was just clear to me that this is what needs to be created in order to make a difference.”

Shambley believes that language learning can have enormous benefits for students by helping them develop needed skills for global citizenship such as cultural empathy and a sense of connectedness.

“There’s so much power in learning a second language,” Shambley said. “Learning a language breeds cultural empathy. More often than not, when people study another language, they get to know more about people from different backgrounds and find ways to connect with people.”

Shambley also finds that language learning is especially important to Black and Brown students as it provides them agency in telling their unique experience to those around the world.

“I think that our experience is so rich and so important to share with other people who don’t know about the Black American experience,” Shambley said. “To be honest, there is no one Black American experience.

Our stories deserve to be told. When you learn another language, you build cultural empathy, but you also get to build community. What that looks like for me is being able to explain systemic racism in a country that doesn’t often think about it in their own language.

Since its creation, TOCA has helped over 300 students, sponsored 20 passports, and awarded $10,000.00 in scholarships. When COVID-19 hit just two years into Shambley’s journey, he found creative ways to connect with students and promote language learning.

“I’m thankful that I’m a snake person and grew up at the very beginning stages of the internet,” Shambley said. “I have been able to address educational gaps that exist.

‘What was I doing when I was 16?’

I was in chat rooms. I was meeting people from different countries and practicing my Spanish on MSN Messenger. So, how can we do that virtually for students in a safe space?

We haven’t been able to travel but we’ve now created this virtual language learning program where students can study languages with refugees from around the world.”

Shambley shares that the design for several programs TOCA offers were directly inspired by his time

abroad, specifically the emphasis on cross-cultural connection. Currently TOCA offers virtual language learning classes in Spanish, French and Arabic taught by refugees from various countries including Syria, Senegal, Uganda, Venezuela, South Sudan and more. Students also participate in cultural exchange workshops with their teachers in order to learn about them and their home countries. Shambley believes this aspect of the program is especially important given the current social climate surrounding immigration and refugees.

“In the US, we currently have the second largest Spanish speaking population in the world, and by 2050, we’re going to have the largest,” Shambley said. “When we think about where this country is going, it is growing into a culturally diverse, linguistically diverse society, so it’s important that we prepare our students for the future. With the Trump administration, we are hearing things about ‘illegal people’ and just vitriol that’s being spewed from high places about people from different backgrounds than us, and I don’t want young folks to feel like that’s normal.”

Shambley in partnership with several other alumni from the College created programming centered around music, dance, and cooking to connect students to a variety of cultures. With Mama Boakye ‘07, Shambley created Collabs where guest chefs prepare traditional dishes from their native countries. With Juan Jorquera ‘11, Shambley started a monthly event called Fresh Fridays where DJ’s from different cultures play traditional and modern music on Twitch. Shambley is very grateful for the outpouring of support from the College community “I’m really so grateful and glad this has been a William and Mary endeavor in so many ways.”

Shambley said.

As for the future of TOCA, Shambley hopes to continue to expand the online program and soon sponsor students in an in-person experience highly similar to his own.

“I would love to begin to take students abroad,” Shambley said.

“The school that TOCA is partnered with in Spain is the school I studied abroad with. For the in-person program, our students would be taking three hours of Spanish a day, living with a homestay family and then doing culturally immersive activities in the afternoon like museum tours, flamenco dancing, cooking classes so that students would be fully immersed.”

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Page 6

A look inside Camp Kesem Making memories, spreading joy throughout the Williamsburg community and nationwide CRYSTAL WANG // THE FLAT HAT

COURTESY PHOTO / CAMP KESEM

Magic. That is what Kesem means in Hebrew, and that is the first thing that comes to mind when members of this national organization describe Camp Kesem.

Camp Kesem is a free summer camp for children whose parents are diagnosed with cancer. It is almost entirely run and organized by students of universities throughout the United States. The College of William and Mary’s chapter is led by a coordinator board made up of 18 students, with Nick Wessman ’22 as one of two directors.

“We have a team of coordinators that take care of everything from outreach, to finding new members, to planning what happens at camp, to fundraising,” Wessman said.

In addition to the coordinator board, Kesem is made up of a group of over 100 general body members, including Sammie Chaitovitz ’25, that meet regularly with the coordinator board.

“The meetings aren’t super strict,” Chaitovitz said. “They’re very laid back, and people in the audience will talk because they all feel super comfortable, and they all encourage each other.”

The coordinator board and the general body run the dayto-day operations of Kesem.

The directors of the College’s chapter of Kesem are in contact with Camp Kesem Nationals to coordinate what needs to be done weekly, such as sending training videos, Kelsey McAlister ’24, a coordinator of outreach at the College’s chapter of Kesem, explained.

“In terms of camp, everything is done by us,” McAlister said.

Despite it being seen primarily as a summer camp, Kesem is active year-round. The members fundraise thousands of dollars throughout the year.

Their biggest day of donations is Giving Tuesday, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, since no fees are applied to social media donations throughout the day.

This school year, they were able to raise $48,000, nearly half of their yearly goal of $100,000.

“My co-director got an anonymous $1,000 donation, and he has no idea who it’s from. People see this cause, and they really recognize it as important,” Meredith Webb ‘23, co-coordinator of fundraising, said. “Giving Tuesday was just so special. We always say it’s Kesem Christmas.”

In addition to fundraising throughout the year, members of Kesem also offer year-long support to the children whose parents have been diagnosed with cancer. Often, this support is found in letter writing campaigns that both the coordinator board and general body members are involved in. Students send cards to child participants of Kesem for their birthdays, as well as either when their parents are undergoing treatment or on the anniversaries of their parent’s deaths. The coordinators of outreach will even go to funerals for the kid’s parents to show Kesem kids support.

Kesem is more than just a summer camp. It is a year-round support group for children who are dealing with their parents having cancer.

ZACH LUTZKY / THE FLAT HAT

“Kesem nationally is really trying to communicate that message,” Wessman said. “For years they have been ‘Camp Kesem.’ They are changing their name to just ‘Kesem.’ The camp is just one part of the overall support network that we are trying to provide.”

This aspect of constant support is part of why Kesem holds such a special place in many hearts. Even those new to the organization like Chaitovitz can feel the community that Kesem provides.

“Everybody always talks about Kesem magic,” Chaitovitz said.

“They call it magic because it’s kind of unexplainable how special it is to be in that kind of environment.”

Kesem provides a place for kids to just be kids, away from the worries and challenges of their parents having cancer.

“We give them a space where they can just be their full, authentic self and get an oasis away from the sickness that is in their home,” Webb said. “It just creates this environment where they can grow and be confident.”

Kesem also provides a space for children to be vulnerable as they are surrounded by people who understand what they’re going through. McAlister explained that Kesem is able to exist as both an escape from the troubles of a parent’s cancer through a fun summer camp, but also as a space to talk about their hardships.

“You can, if you want to, open up, and know that people around you probably have a better idea of what you might be feeling versus they would at school,” McAlister said.

It is not just the children that feel the effect of Kesem.

Counselors and members say that they gain so much from being part of the organization.

It provides a place for these students to get away from their own troubles as well.

“As college students, we’re so busy, and we can get really caught up in our own lives and our own career paths and what’s going to make us successful and stuff,” Webb said. “But taking these moments to take part of Camp Kesem and bringing joy to people who need it is so special.”

Many students find that they also learn from the children that come to camp. McAlister spoke about the impact that these children have had on her. “ You can see human perseverance so much through children,” McAlister said.

“They’re not consciously knowing that they’re pushing through, they just kind of do it. Seeing their perseverance honestly makes me want to persevere more.”

Even those who were never affiliated with Kesem see its potential for good. Wessman shared that many anonymous donors on Giving Tuesday were people who said they wished that they knew of Kesem when they were eligible to participate.

“Someone donated and said, ‘My dad died of colon cancer when I was six. I wish there was something like this back then,’” Wessman said.

Ke s e m o f f e r s a s p a c e f u l l o f support for children whose parents are diagnosed with c a n c e r. I t ’s e f f e c t e x t e n d s f a r b e y o n d a s u m m e r c a m p.

It is magic.

sports

THE F LAT HAT | Tuesday, January 25, 2022 | Page 7

MENʼS BASKETBALL

JUSTIN SHERLOCK / THE FLAT HAT After falling behind early, heightened defensive effort earned the Tribe a six-point advantage at halftime against Drexel on Saturday, and it exorcised its lead, relinquishing demons to hold on for an eight-point win amidst a second-half Dragon rally.

Tribe downs Drexel 83-75 to move back to .500 in CAA play Kochera nets 23, Wight adds 21 and 11 boards as College holds off second half Dragon rally NATHAN SEIDEL FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR William and Mary (4-15, 3-3 CAA) continued its solid conference play Saturday, Jan. 22, beating Drexel (8-8, 3-3 CAA) 83-75 to return to .500 within the CAA on the season.

Defense was the hallmark of the win, with the Tribe forcing the Dragons into less than 40% shooting overall including seven for 27 on threes.

“For the vast majority of the game, I thought our guys were just terrific on the defensive end,” head coach Dane Fischer said. “[Drexel’s] Cam Wynter, who is a great player, we really made him work for his opportunities and didn’t let him get going off ball screens. We really protected the paint and did a good job of flying out at shooters.”

The Tribe pushed its lead to 34-28 at intermission and outscored the Dragons by two in the second half to hold on. Fischer emphasized the growth of the team in this area, which has struggled to hold onto

leads this season.

“This was really important for us,” Fischer said. “We had a game like this at home when we had the lead against JMU and let it slip away. For us to be in somewhat of a similar situation and hold on is one thing, but it’s a whole other thing to do it on the road.”

Sophomore guard Connor Kochera paced the College with 23 points on 64% shooting. Nineteen of his total came in the second period to keep the Tribe ahead. Sophomore forward Ben Wight contributed 21 and 11 boards, contributing to occupy a major role in the offense.

Graduate transfer Brandon Carroll also had a double-double with 18 and 10.

“He was phenomenal,” Fischer said of Carroll. “He’s really committed himself to the defensive end first. When he goes to rebound, it’s really hard to keep him off the glass with his athleticism.

He made a ton of plays to help us today.”

Fischer was proud of the team’s effort on the offensive end, particularly down the stretch.

WOMENʼS BASKETBALL

Sports tlight Spo

Depth concerns hamper College in second straight road matchup

Montella injury forces guards to play extra minutes JAKE FORBES THE FLAT HAT William and Mary (6-10, 1-4 CAA) fell to Northeastern (10-6, 4-2 CAA) 67-57 on Sunday, Jan. 23 at the Cabot Center.

“The second leg of a trip, especially when you have to fly, is tough,” head coach Ed Sawnson said. “But I thought we played with great energy, great effort, throughout the entire game.”

Coming off a victory at Hofstra, the Tribe continued their road trip up to Boston with

JAMIE HOLT / THE FLAT HAT Redshirt senior Sydney Wagner contributed 10 points in the 67-57 loss against Northeastern Sunday, Jan. 23.

depth concerns. It started off strong on offense to take an 18-16 lead after the first quarter.

Northeastern turned things around in the second quarter and limited William and Mary to just eight points. The Huskies took advantage in the paint, outscoring the Tribe 38-24 in the game.

In 18 possessions during the second quarter, the Tribe turned the ball over eight times. Three turnovers led to Northeastern fast breaks, and the home team held a 33-26 lead at the half.

“Live-ball turnovers are a killer,” Swanson said. “And we took some quick bad shots, I thought. Turnovers and quick shots are the first pass to a fast break. That’s what the game came down to.”

William and Mary kept the contest close in the third quarter with an efficient offense. They shot 7-13 from the field and 2-5 from beyond the arc. Early in the fourth quarter, graduate student Kate Sramac stole the ball and passed to redshirt senior Sydney Wagner who converted on a layup to cut the Huskie lead to four points.

Unable to capitalize on two more turnovers, the Tribe were unable to get any closer.

Northeastern junior Kendall Currence drained a short jump shot halfway through the quarter to extend the lead. On the same play, junior Bre Bellamy was called for a foul in the paint.

Northeastern retained possession and graduate student Riley Casey fouled Northeastern freshman Claudia Soriano who drained both free throws. The four point play increased the Huskies’ lead to 56-46.

“We’re not a team that scores in bunches right now, and a 10-point lead sometimes is like a 15 or 20-point lead because of how hard we work to score,” Swanson said. “We get very few transitional baskets. A 10-point lead in the fourth quarter is tough for us to overcome at this time.”

Casey and Wagner played all 40 minutes of the game. Casey finished with 15 points and shot 6-13 from deep. Bellamy and Wagner finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Riddled with injuries, a long break will prove useful for the Tribe.

The Tribe will host Delaware on Friday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m. in Kaplan Arena.

“I thought our guys were playing with a ton of confidence on offense and made big shots and big plays,” Fischer said. “Obviously, we had trouble with their pressure, but we were able to answer the bell and make a couple of plays down the stretch to get the win.”

The Tribe sputtered initially, falling behind by seven midway through the first quarter, but dialed up the defense after that, holding Drexel to 3/18 shooting to close the half and take a six-point lead.

Following intermission, the College kept its foot on the gas, pouring in shots to extend the advantage to 72-51 with just over seven minutes to play. Drexel responded strong, however, going on a 22-4 rip to make it close once again, 76-73 with about a minute remaining. Free throws down the stretch held the advantage, and the Tribe pulled out its third CAA win of the year and fourth of the season.

The College will next take the court on Tuesday, Jan. 25 against the College of Charleston (9-8, 1-4 CAA) as it attempts to get its conference record above .500 once again.

MENʼS GYMNASTICS William and Mary placed fourth at the Navy Open on Saturday, Jan. 22 in Annapolis, Maryland. The Tribe totaled 367.45 in the team competition, an improvement of 5.05 points compared to their tally at the West Point Open on Jan. 14. Top performers for the Tribe were junior Aiden Cuy, sophomore Sam Lee and senior Christian Marsh.

JUNIOR AIDEN CUY FINISHED 4TH IN

THE ALL-AROUND (73.3). HE TIED HIS CAREER HIGH ON VAULT WITH 14.05

TO PLACE 5TH AND PLACED NINTH ON FLOOR WITH A 12.85.

AIDEN CUY

SENIOR CHRISTIAN MARSH POSTED A 13.45 ON PARALLEL BARS TO PLACE

4TH. HE LED THE TRIBE WITH AN 11.55

ON POMMEL HORSE TO PLACE 8TH AND PLACED 6TH ON RINGS WITH A 13.2.

CHRISTIAN MARSH

SOPHOMORE SAM LEE FINISHED TIED FOR 10TH ON FLOOR WITH A 12.6. HE

ACHIEVED THE TRIBEʼS TOP SCORE ON

HIGH BAR WITH A 12.35 AND FINISHED 7TH ON PARALLEL BARS WITH A 12.9.

SAM LEE COURTESY PHOTOS / TRIBE ATHLETICS GRAPHIC BY NATHAN SEIDEL / THE FLAT HAT

Page 8

THE FLAT HAT

Tuesday, January 25, 2021

CAMPUS

Students advocate for Orientation Aides to receive pay

Campus organizers demand payment for students working as OAs to compensate for long hours, hard work

DANIEL POSTHUMUS THE FLAT HAT

In August 2020, Katie Grotewiel ’23 voiced her frustrations with the the long hours, lack of free parking and lack of pay that comes with serving as an Orientation Aide at the College of William and Mary. Grotewiel’s roommate suggested she unionize with her co-OAs. That afternoon, the Pay OA movement was born.

In spring 2021,Grotewiel approached the W&M Workers Union about the possibility mobilizing OAs for better worker treatment and a better orientation process.

After a summer of Zoom meetings and struggling to get people excited about mobilizing, Grotewiel, the undergraduate organizing lead for the union, struck upon the central plank of the movement: pay.

For the fall 2021 orientation, “OAs are unpaid” buttons appeared on the backpacks of OAs and nonOAs alike. With an op-ed in the Flat Hat and those ever-present buttons, the campus had found an issue that connected national conversations about workers’ rights with an on-campus issue. But despite the ongoing movement, OAs still do not receive compensation from the College for their work during orientation.

There are two levels of student staff employed by STEP during orientation: Orientation Area Directors (OADs) and OAs. OADs are paid — in 2021, the ten OADs employed by the College received a one-time lump sum payment of $1,000 for 11 months of work.

OAs, on the other hand, remain unpaid.

Director of Student Transition Engagement Programs (STEP) Lauren Garrett is responsible for the operation of orientation, but says that her office has limited control over OA pay. Garrett argues for a clear distinction between the unpaid OA role and the paid, more comprehensive OAD role.

“The Orientation Aide is a targeted-time commitment with a singular focus of welcoming and supporting new students and families as they join the W&M community,” Garrett wrote in an email.

“Orientation Area Directors build upon this work and are engaged with the STEP Office for an almost full year as they help plan the orientation program and hire/train the Orientation Aides they ultimately manage during the program itself.”

This distinction helps explain Garrett’s justification for the OA position’s unpaid nature: OADs are the higher-level employees, while OAs are volunteers: peers who help new students orient to campus. According to Garrett, this emphasis on OAs as peers is essential to the culture and philosophy of orientation at the College.

“Our philosophy here is that students want to meet and interact with other students,” Garrett wrote. “We lean into ours that it needs to be a student-focused, student-based, student-run program.”

However, Grotewiel argues that the idea that OAs are peers to new students is false, pointing out in her op-ed that OAs are required to report student welfare issues such as Title IX violations or hazing. They are also required to act as Campus Security Authorities according to the Clery Act, which designates certain campus employees as mandatory reporters of crimes they witness or hear about.

However, Garrett argues that introducing pay would heighten the sense of disconnect between OAs and their constituents.

“As soon as you introduce monetary pay, other

factors come into play,” Garrett wrote. “Expectations around compliance, training, and reporting. So, it’s no longer a peer sometimes you’re talking to. It’s a staff member.”

But for OAs like Grotewiel, who described having to work late into the night in case one of her constituents got lost or encountered any sort of problem, the changes that accompany pay could be beneficial.

“If pay does make it a different thing entirely, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing,” Grotewiel said. “We sit in Sadler for 15 hours a day for trainings, if that changes that, that might be a good thing.”

Another reason why OAs aren’t paid has to do with funding, and the lack of available money in the operating budget of Auxiliary Services, which houses STEP. Auxiliary Services are entirely reliant on user fees and can’t dip into the same sources of revenue, such as tuition and state support, that other programs which are housed under Education and General can. STEP’s entire budget is dependent on new students’ orientation fees for revenue. Therefore, any increase in STEP’s budget must be matched by an increase in orientation fees.

“At W&M, we have determined that the STEP program is best categorized under auxiliary services,” Chief Operating Officer Amy Sebring wrote in an email.

“Each institution must determine which of its programs may fall under those E&G categories.”

Although the College’s Auxiliary Services budget is more restricted than other programs housed under Education and General, Garrett pointed out that other universities have different policies, allowing the usage of funds from tuition and other sources of revenue to fund orientation.

“A lot of my peers work with both what’s called a student fee, how we operate here, and they also work with university funds, which would be an E&G budget,” Garrett said. “That’s how they’re able to keep fees low while still doing other things.”

This constraint on where STEP gets its money puts Garrett’s office in a tough spot.

“I don’t know that our budget will ever be at a point where we will be able to pay the number of orientation aides that we have at present,” Garrett said. “Unless there was some change in financial support, then we would need to look at how we can continue to offer a quality program that builds relationships and offers resources, how do we deliver that with fewer student staff members, fewer student leaders involved.”

Garrett is wary of any fee increases. The College already leads Virginia state universities in tuition costs.

Therefore, Garrett argues that drastically increasing student fees could dissuade some prospective students from attending.

“Sometimes students can swing tuition, fees are sometimes what put people over the top,” Garrett said.

However, Grotewiel is skeptical of the budgetary constraints of the STEP office.

“If the university is struggling to pay its employees properly, then there needs to be some re-budgeting happening,” Grotewiel said. “Universities are being run sort of business-like right now. In the same way that businesses who can’t afford to pay their workers proper wages, probably aren’t running their business properly, it’s sort of the same thing.”

The fight for better working conditions at the College does not end with Orientation Aides: the W&M Workers Union platform includes a universal demand for a

$15 hourly wage for all hourly workers, and Grotewiel emphasized the need to pay all student workers, including those who do what the university now considers ‘volunteer’ work.

“We don’t have as effective an orientation as we could if we had a student worker population whose needs are being met,” Grotewiel said. “That also goes for tour guides. A lot of the small things are done by volunteers, and they should be paid for that work. By not paying orientation aides, they’re sort of cutting off all sorts of students. Not being paid, in terms of actual consequences for student workers, means low-income students are not able to be orientation aides.”

In addition to being unpaid, OAs are prevented from working another job during orientation, cutting off another potential stream of revenue for those who need it.

Garrett emphasized STEP’s flexibility regarding students’ financial needs, writing that when a student faces financial conflicts, STEP does anything it can to accommodate for that student.

Ultimately, the College doesn’t deny the points made

by Grotewiel and other students regarding the need for OAs to be paid. STEP has worked to reduce the negative effects of unpaid OAs, acknowledging that these are valid concerns worth addressing, while using distinct justifications for OAs to remain unpaid. This ongoing tension, between a student body clamoring for OAs to be paid and an office stuck in a monetary bind, connects to a larger fight among workers on campus.

The Pay OA movement sits squarely within a larger, campus-wide push for workers’ rights, which has come to the forefront in recent years. The W&M Workers Union was formed three years ago, when a group of graduate workers in the humanities department, including Jasper Conner, a history PhD Candidate at the college and former president of the union, began to talk about their lack of compensation compared to STEM graduate workers. After forming a union, these same graduate students expanded their reach to include all workers on campus. Recently, the union won its biggest victory since its establishment: the university will now be paying 60% of the healthcare premiums owed by humanities graduate workers.

The Pay OA movement is intertwined with the Workers Union. While undergraduate members aren’t official members of the union, because they don’t have to pay dues, Conner applauded the many undergraduates who help out with the union. Conner immediately saw the connection between graduate workers’ cause and OAs. “At William and Mary, it was a no-brainer when we started talking about OAs, our minimum demand is $15 an hour, no question on whether they supported that demand,” Conner said. “There is a similar sense to OAs as there is with grad workers.”

Yet, there hasn’t been a lot of progress in achieving the Pay OA movement’s goals. This will be a grind, Grotewiel said, since the Board of Visitors ultimately controls the fate of OA pay. Though there is student support, even amongst Student Assembly, changes may take a long time to implement.

Class of 2024 President Mia Tilman said Student Assembly doesn’t have much say in the matter beyond just advocating for the Board of Visitors to adopt policies supporting OA pay.

“I personally believe that Orientation Aides should

be compensated for the work they do…. financing OA salaries through Student Assembly would likely go against this guideline within our code, so I think it would be unlikely for us to see a bill to fund OA salaries,” Tilman said.

Evan Koch ’22, President of Young Democrats, and Kieran Mangla ’23, President of Young Independents, expressed support for paying OAs (Koch expressed his opinion on behalf of the Young Democrats organization while Mangla expressed his personal opinion).

“Young Democrats call for Orientation Aides to be paid,” Koch wrote in an email. “The movement for OAs to be paid is part of a greater effort to support workers’ rights on campus.”

“I believe that most students (myself included) support OAs being compensated for their work through some sort of stipend, hourly wage,” Mangla wrote in an email.

Despite student support, the university is also unlikely to open the door for OA pay by moving STEP from Auxiliary Services to Education and General.

“Moving any program currently funded under auxiliary services to E&G would require a thorough review and careful planning,” Sebring wrote. “We can’t speculate on what state support may look like in the years ahead, but what we do know is that it has trended downward over the years.”

Furthermore, the introduction of a new Virginia governor causes ripples that affect campus-wide policies at the College.

“Part of what we find concerning about Youngkin is that he has released very little information about what policies he supports,” Koch wrote. “We fear that Youngkin may follow Republican precedent and roll back workers’ rights and protections across Virginia, which would have an effect on workers’ rights here at William & Mary.”

Youngkin will also begin appointing members to the Board of Visitors this January, which could change the composition and ideology of the group who ultimately controls the fate of OA pay.

All of this comes amidst a more immediate and existential challenge for the Pay OA movement: Grotewiel doesn’t know who will take over the movement when she graduates this May. “Looking for the next person who’d take my place as the organizing lead, I’m keeping my eyes peeled for people who have the same sort of energy,” Grotewiel said.

While Grotewiel and Conner described actions that students can take now — such as signing the petition or withholding support for STEP by refusing to apply to be an OA — the movement is destined to be a “long conversation” and a slow grind, even as its leader is graduating.

“On the second day of Orientation, numerous OAs were talking to me about how we should strike,” Grotewiel said. “I’d be very excited to see that energy grow and take off. Boycotts can be a very effective tool to prove not only how many people are behind your cause but also just how essential you are to the labor that an employer/corporation/etc. may require. Personally, I love a good boycott.”

Conner also continues to hold out hope.

“There’s power in unity,” Conner said. “OAs should be getting together, talking, and figuring out how they can improve their conditions. That’s the bedrock of how you create social change.”

POLITICS

Governor Youngkin takes legislative action towards public schools

During first day in office Youngkin signs three major executive orders affecting education in Virginia Youngkin also announced Executive Order Number One “to ensure excellence in K-12 public education in the Commonwealth by taking the first step on Day One to end the use of inherently divisive concepts, including Critical Race Theory, and to raise academic standards”. The order bans the teaching of Critical Race Theory, a subject that is already not widely taught in Virginia public schools.

Although Executive Directive Two is the only action that directly affects the College, Boojala also

noted that there may be an affect on how students pay attention to gubernatorial politics.

“I think especially with the current governor and with the recent EOs and EDs with COVID, I think it’s forcing us to tune in more, because at the end of the day, any effect will trickle down to the students,” Boojala said. “So if anything, anytime SA feels like students are about to be negatively impacted, we will elevate our voices more.”

Boojala also noted that students and employees of the College are in good hands with the current COVID

“Teachers are a guiding light for the labor movement right now. ̶ Jasper Conner

“

YOUNGKIN from page 1

response team.

“Regardless of the governor, I think our university has a really really good team countering COVID right now,” Boojala said.

“I see the way they move and it’s very flexible and multifaceted all the time. Be educated with what the university is doing.

Read the path forward page, read the emails from the chief operating officer. Read those emails, because a lot of those details actually help a lot. Stay in touch with what’s happening in Richmond, but also keep in touch with what’s happening at the university.”

COVID

College prepares to begin semester amidst Omicron COVID variant College encourages vaccinations, provides K-N95 masks to prevent spread of COVID for Spring semester OMICRON from page 1

Meghan Gates ’22 also expressed her frustration with returning to class amidst the Omicron wave.

“I’m pretty anxious about going to class in person,” Gates wrote in an email.

“We started online in past semesters & with the VA/

national case levels the way they are, it makes no sense to me why WM isn’t doing the same now. If WM admits omicron transmits more easily & more quickly, why aren’t we doing what’s safer? WM can decide to start online for a few weeks & even bring back prevalence testing, but

it’s not, and the community will suffer for it.”

However, some students, like Student Assembly President Meghana Boojala ‘22, remain cautiously optimistic about the College’s operating procedures.

“No plan is going to be 100% effective — even the University will be modifying

its plan and guidelines as the semester unfolds,” Boojala wrote in an email. “I think students should expect a spike in COVID-19 cases at some point in the semester, and that they should make decisions accordingly.

However, I also believe that we will be able to overcome any disruption, just as we

have in the past. We have to protect ourselves by wearing the right masks in academic buildings, following school and CDC guidelines, and familiarizing ourselves with new University updates as they come out.”

City Councilman Caleb Rogers ’20 echoed this sentiment, emphasizing

caution among students to control the spread of the variant.

“Personally, I have not heard concerns from constituents about the return of students to campus,” Rogers wrote in an email. “We did hear that frequently before the Fall semester of 2020

started, but it became clear that the University’s administration and the students were taking COVID-19 seriously as outbreaks never reached the extent they were at other colleges. Omicron is a quickly-spreading variant that I’m sure students will take seriously.”