VARIETY >> PAGE 7-8
The College's untold love stories Faculty and staff couples share how they met and their plans for Valentine’s Day
Vol. 102, Iss. 34 | Friday, February 12, 2013
The Flat Hat The Twice-Weekly Student Newspaper
Flathatnews.com | Follow us:
of The College of William and Mary
CHARTER DAY
“Public universities have gone from being
state-supported
to state-assisted
to state-located
”
—Robert Gates ’65 during his 320th Charter Day speech
ze fu / THE FLAT HAT
Gates critiques state’s decreased investment in higher education at Friday’s ceremony by Meredith Ramey flat hat News editor
For the College of William and Mary’s 320th birthday, College President Taylor Reveley welcomed back Chancellor Robert Gates ’65 as the Charter Day speaker for the second year in a row. During Friday’s ceremony, Gates expressed happiness at being away from political world of Washington, D.C., as politicians discuss finances for the upcoming budget season. “Well, Taylor, you don’t have to worry about any of that, because you hardly get any money at all from the government,” Gates said. Gates continued this financial trend throughout his speech, bringing attention to the Charter’s allocation of “one thousand nine hundred and eighty-five pounds, fourteen shillings and ten pence,” along with land to create the College in 1693. Gates went on to describe the desire of the English monarchy to invest in and further higher education, “the engine driving America to a better future for all its citizens.” “Thus, from its first day, this ancient college was seen by the government as a public good, an investment in the future,” Gates said. “And [the] royal government was willing to put its money where its royal mouth was.”
With numerous cracks at the government’s expense, Gates gave a historical rundown of governmental policies and laws that supported and developed the higher education of the United States, including the G.I. Bill, the Land-Grant college system and the Morrill Act, but concluded on a less positive note. “Public universities have gone from being state-supported to state-assisted to state-located,” Gates said. An Illinois State University study
concluded that state aid to universities declined by nearly 8 percent between 2011 and 2012. State funding has fallen to less than 15 percent of the College’s operating budget. Gates described this trend as the redefinition of education as a “private consumer good” — something from which only individuals benefit. “While programs for the elderly, which now consume more than half of all federal spending, are considered politically untouchable, there is no such resistance
to cutting support for higher education, an investment in future generations,” Gates said. “To be blunt, Americans are mortgaging the future of our country to pay benefits to my generation, while sacrificing the engines of economic and social growth for the coming generations. This is a formula for national decline.” Despite dwindling support from the state government, Gates commended the use of the finances that could be attained to ensure that the College continues to work to the best of its ability. “Despite extremely low levels of state support, both William and Mary and the University of Virginia are ranked by the Princeton Review as being among the top five best values for students in America among public universities,” Gates said. “This is a remarkable tribute to the leaders, faculties and staff at both universities.” However, education should be one of the principle concerns of government in the wake of the election. “My hope is that now that the election is behind us, whatever adults remain in the two political parties will make the compromises necessary to put this country’s finances back in order,” Gates said. Gates warned the College to continue to
ze fu / THE FLAT HAT
The Ebony Expressions sang “Happy Birthday” to the College on the 320th Charter Day celebration.
See gates page 3
board of visitors
campus
Mason institutes new undergraduate fee
College moves off-campus for input
Students to pay semester charge by ariel cohen FLAT HAT staff writer
The College of William and Mary’s Mason School of Business struggles to find financial resources to match the quality of experience they attempt to provide, according to Business School Dean Lawrence Pulley. Due to this lack of funding, all incoming undergraduate business majors will have to pay an extra fee to take advantage of opportunities in Alan B. Miller Hall. The Board of Visitors passed the motion during their meetings prior to Charter Day and will implement the fee beginning next semester. “While an undergraduate business school fee is new to See Fees page 3
BOV coverage inside For information on the Committee on Financial Affairs, Committee on Strategic Initiatives and New Ventures and full BOV board meeting see page 3.
Index News Insight News Opinions Sports Sports Variety Variety
Today’s Weather 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Dining, parking services hold open sessions to gain student perspecby matt esporrin FLAT HAT assoc. NEWS EDITOR
When students don’t know how to address a problem, they ask a professor. When the College of William and Mary has trouble doing the same thing, it hires consultants. Campus Dining, Inc. has been hired to complete a comprehensive study of the dining services on campus in order to understand the criteria necessary to complete the rebidding of the dining contract. John Byxbe, Interim Director of Auxiliary Services at the College, explained that these consultations are required each time the dining services contract expires. The current contract is a five-year deal with five additional one-year extensions. “The Commonwealth of Virginia requires the College to follow procurement guidelines at the end of a dining contract,” Byxbe said. “The consultations will provide a basis for our request for proposal during the rebidding of dining services. The entire process will end in May or June of 2014 when the rebidding is
anita jiang / THE FLAT HAT
Dining Services is holding consultant sessions with outside organization, Campus Dining Inc.
completed.” The College hopes that the consultation process will be holistic in order to meet its future needs.
Inside opinions
Inside SPORTS
When scandal becomes routine
Partly sunny High 59, Low 40
More colleges are misrepresenting admissions data to achieve higher rankings. Such scandals happen so frequently that they no longer dissapoint us. page 4
“The analysis will be engaging students, faculty and staff. It is going to be an inclusive See consultations page 3
College snaps 11-game losing streak with win against Towson
Head coach Debbie Taylor adjusted her starting lineup and it paid dividends Thursday as the Tribe powered past Towson, 59-50. page 8