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The Flat Hat
Vol. 105, Iss. 2 ¦ Tuesday, September 1, 2015
The Weekly Student Newspaper
NATIONAL
of The College of William and Mary
Fading out the Confederate narrative
CAMPUS
Bill addresses sexual assault
Would change college response NATE WAHRENBERGER THE FLAT HAT
In the midst of a national debate on how college campuses handle rape allegations, House Republicans have proposed new legislation to regulate the issue. The Safe Campus Act of 2015 (H.R. 3403) was introduced in the House of Representatives July 29 by Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ). The bill is currently under review in the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. The bill would change how federally financed colleges respond to reports of sexual offenses, as well as how they adjudicate those offenses. It also works to reestablish specific Title XI directives, which prevent colleges from forcing gender-exclusive student groups to integrate, and it mandates sexual assault education in all collegiate institutions receiving federal funding. If the bill becomes law, students alleging sexual offenses will have a choice of whether to press for a criminal investigation after reporting an incident to the school. If the student chooses not to do so, campus officials would not be allowed to launch an independent investigation or enforce disciplinary measures against the accused for conduct code violations. Should the alleged victim choose to report the incident to law enforcement, a criminal investigation would ensue, during which campus officials could establish no-contact orders, class or dorm changes or other interim measures against the accused. Only after the legal investigation would campus officials be allowed to pursue disciplinary proceedings. These proceedings would be determined through a hearing in which colleges would be required to give due process to the accused. Due process rights include the right of both the accused and the accuser to hire a lawyer at their own expense and to “safely confront witnesses,” among other rights. Schools would be allowed to choose their own burden of proof. See SAFE CAMPUS page 3
AMELIA LUCAS // FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR
College of William and Mary President Taylor Reveley notified the College community Aug. 14 about changes to two historic artifacts on campus. A commemorative plaque previously displayed inside the Sir Christopher Wren building was moved to special collections in the Earl Gregg Swem Library due to a Confederate flag emblem. Similar imagery was removed from the ceremonial mace. The College uses the mace during the Convocation, Charter Day and Commencement ceremonies. For the rest of the year, it is displayed in the special collections section of Swem Library. Alumni, faculty and students presented the mace to the College in 1923 as a gift. Nine emblems lie around the circumference, each marking a different period in the College’s history. Every new College president’s name is also engraved on it. Because the mace is used infrequently, discussion primarily focused on
the commemorative plaque. According to Director of Historic Campus and history professor Susan Kern Ph.D. ‘05, discussion about moving the plaque from the Wren building and changing the emblems on the Mace between her department and the president’s office started at the beginning of the summer. Kern said that the initial discussion about moving the plaque focused on the issue of physically moving the plaque without damaging it. “The idea was not just ‘let’s remove it,’ it was also ‘let’s move it somewhere else,’ so that was all with due deliberation,” Kern said. Kern commented that the plaque was noteworthy because it differed from the other plaques created in the twentieth and twenty-
WILLIAMSBURG
String of summer robberies strikes Peninsula Richmond Road branch of Langley Federal Credit Union targeted NICOLE WALSH FLAT HAT STAFF WRITER
A series of local armed robberies plagued the Chesapeake Peninsula this summer, coming within half a mile of the College of William and Mary. A July 9 alert streamed to the College community through email and text message contained urgent information
regarding an armed bank robbery that took place at the Richmond Road branch of Langley Federal Credit Union. This Williamsburg bank was the fourth establishment of its kind to be targeted in a series of robberies. The earliest known incidents occurred in Newport News, Va. at the Old Point National Bank and Bayport Credit Union on March 5 and April 20, respectively.
July 9
March 5
Aug. 5
April 20
June 10
GRAPHIC BY MADELINE BIELSKI / THE FLAT HAT
Armed robbers struck five banks on the Chesapeake Peninsula. One of the banks was in Williamsburg.
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Further robberies also occurred at two Wells Fargo locations — in Hampton, Va. June 10 and, most recently, Newport News Aug. 12. The robberies were not initially connected. “We had received notice of bank robberies that happened, but we had very little information, and there was no indication at the time that they were linked,” Major Greg Riley of the Williamsburg Police Department said. “Once our robbery happened, we were able to make that linkage.” Master Police Detective Lloyd LeGrande of the Newport News Police Department explained that accounts of the robberies described recurring characteristics of the perpetrator, such as a ski mask and a handgun. “We got together after the third robbery and, based on the MO of the suspect, the description, the way he carried himself [and] the way he acted in the bank … we concluded that there was a possibility that it might be the same person or persons that committed these five robberies,” LeGrande said. The suspect is purported to be a middle-aged black man between 5 feet 8 inches to 6 feet and 175 to 200 pounds. LeGrande also cautioned that there might be more than one individual committing these robberies. The suspect stole an undisclosed sum See ROBBERIES page 4
Inside Opinions
first centuries located in the entry hall of the building. Unlike those plaques, which recognize people who died in battles, the plaque that was moved recognized those who left the College in 1861 to join the Confederate armed forces. The commemorative plaque is inscribed “to the memory of the professors and the students who left the College of William and Mary in May, 1861 and in patriotic devotion fought in defense of the Confederate States of America,” with a list of names of faculty and students following that inscription. “It was a very thin slice of Civil War history,” Kern said. “I think that’s actually a marvelous opportunity for history because then how should we be talking about William and Mary’s See CONFEDERACY page 3
VIRGINIA STATE SENATOR IMPLICATED IN RECENT ASHLEY MADISON DATA HACK Virginia State Senator and Republican Majority Leader Tommy Norment J.D. 73, R-District 3, was recently linked to the Ashley Madison data hack, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. A customer Norment using Norment s name and personal information made three payments to the online adultery service. Norment admitted this past April to an affair with a lobbyist. He is
married. Norment serves as an adjunct professor of law and government at the College of William and Mary and is also an advisor to College President Taylor Reveley. He has served as an on-campus attorney in the past. According to Associate Vice President for Communications and University Relations Brian Whitson, Norment s role as an attorney for the College ended in 2011. Norment has not publically commented on the Ashley Madison hack. — Flat Hat Editor-in-Chief Aine Cain
SUSPICIOUS MALE REPORTED OUTSIDE GREEN AND GOLD VILLAGE William and Mary Police Chief Deborah Cheesebro sent out an email to the College of William and Mary community about a suspicious incident involving an unknown male and College student Friday, Aug. 28. The student reported that the man, who was in a vehicle parked in the area of Green and Gold village, called and/or motioned to them. In the email, Cheesebro went on to explain that this incident was similar in nature to others reported over the summer. All of the incidents reported included a description of a black male in his 40s, and most
of the descriptions of the man also included details such as balding, missing teeth and a southern accent. The description of the vehicle is not consistent. Cheesebro stated that the man has not been reported to have shown aggressive behavior. However, she warned that the incidents are nevertheless suspicious and students should be aware of their surroundings. She asked anyone with information related to these incidents to contact the WMPD immediately. — Flat Hat Managing Editor Madeline Bielski
Sports
Reflections on the Confederate flag s history
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Professor Scott Nelson shares his experience with the Confederate flag and the place it has in our history as a college. Page 6
Women s soccer splits weekend
The Tribe returned home for a win over ECU before suffering its first loss at No. 21 Duke Sunday night. Page 10