VARIETY // The Flat Hat makes its picks for the Oscars, p. 6
Vol. 101, Iss. 35 | Tuesday, February 24, 2012
The Flat Hat The Twice-Weekly Student Newspaper
of The College of William and Mary
COMMENCEMENT
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WILLIAMSBURG
Candidate considers
Jim Lehrer
signs on
Christina Carroll confirms potential run for City Council by katherine chiglinsky FLAT HAT news editor
for commencement
Courtesy photo / KUED.ORG
Reporter Jim Lehrer, former anchor of the Public Broadcast System’s top news program, will serve as the 2012 commencement speaker.
by BEcky koenig FLAT HAT managing editor
When the Senate Watergate Committee investigated one federal official after another in 1973, reporter Jim Lehrer helped to keep Americans informed by bringing continuous live coverage to their television sets. The celebrated anchor will address members of the College of William and Mary class of 2012 at their commencement ceremony May 13. Lehrer served as an anchor of the Public Broadcast System’s top news program for 36 years. He has moderated 11 presidential debates and was inducted into the Television Broadcast Hall of Fame in 1999. “For decades at PBS, Jim Lehrer stood in the forefront of the most knowledgeable and trusted voices on television news. He has also been a cherished friend of the entire Williamsburg area, including serving for years as a trustee of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation,” College President Taylor Reveley said in a press release. “Mr. Lehrer will be a
marvelous Commencement speaker.” Lehrer has worked in the field of journalism for more than five decades, starting his career as a reporter for The Dallas Morning News and then The Dallas TimesHerald. He next worked as a public affairs coordinator for PBS in Washington. As a correspondent for the National Public Affairs Center for Television, he worked with Robert MacNeil in 1973 to provide live, Emmy-winning coverage of the Watergate hearings. “Jim Lehrer has had a front-row seat for some of this nation’s most significant news events. There is no doubt he will draw on those unique experiences in his message to members of the Class of 2012,” Director of University Relations Brian Whitson said in an email. “The MacNeil/Lehrer Report” first aired in 1976 and won more than 30 awards in its first seven years. The next iteration of the show, “The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour,” premiered in 1983 and ran until MacNeil left in 1996. Lehrer anchored “The NewsHour
with Jim Lehrer” until 2009, when it was renamed the “PBS NewsHour.” He retired from the show in 2011. Lehrer has been honored with two Emmys, the Chairman’s Award at the 2010 National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences News & Documentary Emmy Awards, the 1999 National Humanities Award and the 2011 Fourth Estate Award, as well as Colonial Williamsburg’s Churchill Bell. A creative streak accompanies Lehrer’s journalistic objectivity; the anchor has written 20 novels, two memoirs and three plays. His 23rd book, “Tension City: Inside the Presidential Debates, from Kennedy-Nixon to Obama-McCain,” was released in September. Lehrer is the second broadcast journalist to address a College commencement ceremony in recent years. Tom Brokaw, former NBC anchor, spoke to the College’s class of 2009. “I wouldn’t say two broadcast journalists in four years is a trend but we are very much looking forward to Mr. Lehrer’s speech,”
Whitson said in an email. Two alumni will also receive honorary degrees at the ceremony: Jonathan Jarvis ’75, director of the National Park Service, and Carolyn Martin ’73, the first female president of Amherst College. Nominated to the position by President Barack Obama, Jarvis became the 18th director of the agency in October 2009, having served in its ranks since he started as a seasonal interpreter in Washington in 1976 after graduation. The Lexington, Va. native majored in biology at the College. Martin was elected the 19th president of Amherst College in 2011. She came to the College from Campbell County, Va., majored in English and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. Martin played for the women’s basketball team during her senior year, averaging almost nine points per game. Newly installed College Chancellor and recently retired U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates ’65 will give welcoming remarks at the ceremony.
The race for May’s Williamsburg City Council election has started to heat up with the recent announcement of another potential candidate. Christina Carroll ’05 J.D. ’10 confirmed that she is considering a potential bid for a seat on the council. According to Win Sowder, Williamsburg’s voter registrar, potential candidates for the council must file with the city by March 6. Candidates must also submit a petition with 125 signatures from registered voters in the city, along with other paperwork. With the announcement, Carroll joins a field of four other potential candidates. The three incumbents, Mayor Clyde Haulman, Vice Mayor Carroll ’05 J.D. ’10 Paul Freiling ’83 and city council member Judith Knudson, have already announced their own bids. Felix Schapiro ’15 has also announced potential plans to run. “One of the things that the College of William and Mary does great is that it trains students to serve others and serve the community,” Carroll said. “I think we’re so privileged to receive an education that it’s an obligation for us to give back to our community. For me, I think City Council is the best way to give back.” Carroll has yet to declare her candidacy officially, but she plans to make an official decision before the deadline of March 6. “I’m talking to lots of people around the community at this point,” Carroll said. “I want to be educated about what issues are affecting City Council before making a final decision.” Carroll currently serves as the manager of institutional advancement at the Muscarelle Museum. She volunteered at the museum for two years while enrolled at the Marshall-Wythe School of Law before accepting a job with the museum. “Christina just made an immediate impression — she was very sharp,” Muscarelle Museum Director Aaron De Groft said. “She was so full of potential, and that’s why we hired her full-time.” Carroll began her time in Williamsburg as a government major at the College. As an undergraduate, she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority and served on the Panhellenic Executive Council. See CARROLL, page 3
General assembly
Dining: Special series, part I
Watson pushes for additional funding
College works to accomodate special diets
Dining Services labels food stations to alert students with allergies
Amendments to fund construction by michael thompson the FLAT HAT
While the Commonwealth of Virginia has steadily decreased its funding for the College of William and Mary over the last 30 years, it appears the state will be sending some aid to the College soon. The office of Del. Mike Watson, R-93, announced the Feb. 17 inclusion of two amendments to the House of Delegates’ version of the state budget that would affect the College. The first amendment would grant additional funding authority to construct the planned fraternity housing complex. The second would grant additional fund authority to renovate the Brafferton in addition to Watson the state’s matching funds. Christopher Barret Sowers ’11, Watson’s legislative aide, explained that the amendment for the fraternity housing See WATSON, page 3
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bY ARIEL COHEN Flat hat assoc. news editor
On days when there are peanut butter cookies on the menu, Susan Johns ’13 can’t even go near the Sadler Center Dining Hall. Having a severe peanut allergy can make finding food on campus difficult, but the director of the Commons Dining Hall met privately with Johns her first week on campus freshman year and showed her around to the food stations. Two and a half years later, she is still on a meal plan thanks to the help of Dining Services, allergy food labels and some careful planning. Whether they avoid ingredients for medical or personal reasons, students with special diets have received more attention at the College over the past few years. At the beginning of this school year, Dining Services met with approximately 100 new students dealing with special diets in order to better accommodate their needs.
DANA DYTANG / THE FLAT HAT
Dining Services met with approximately 100 students at the beginning of the year to accomodate special diets.
“In the beginning of the year we get acquainted with the students with a special diet and find out what they need. If that particular student comes in later that evening, we try our best to make sure there is a meal option available to them. It may take a little longer, but 95 percent of the time
Inside opinions
Beyond the Burg
The College of William and Mary will benefit both culturally and academically through increased diversity. page 5 Rainy High 74, Low 40
Inside SPORTS
we can accommodate them,” Dining Services Director of Operations Larry Smith said. Approximately 3 percent of the College’s population is lactose or gluten intolerant, and See dining, page 3
College bests Hofstra at home
A late three-pointer from sophomore guard Brandon Britt iced a 75-71 win at home for the Tribe. The College held Hofstra to 31.3 percent shooting in the second half. page 8