VARIETY >> PAGE 5
SPORTS >> PAGE 8
Farm to Fork reflects continuing movement towards sustainability at the College.
Leah Zamesnik’s goal off a penalty corner is the difference in the Tribe’s 1-0 win.
Fresh food is in
Vol. 102, Iss. 9 | Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Field hockey slips past Hofstra
The Flat Hat The Twice-Weekly Student Newspaper
of The College of William and Mary
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Administration
Laura Flippin resigns from BOV Flippin sends letter of resignation to Governor McDonnell, cites respect, concern for the College
by Jared Foretek and matt giattino flat hat sports editor and flat hat staff writer
In the wake of her public intoxication conviction and allegations of lying under oath, College of William and Mary Board of Visitors member Laura Flippin ’92 resigned herself from the BOV Friday in a letter to Gov. Bob McDonnell. “I am committed to ensuring that William and Mary continues to be one of this nation’s preeminent institutions of higher education, grounded in its historical legacy and focused on its dynamic future,” read Flippin’s letter,
submitted prior to the BOV’s September meetings. “To avoid distraction from that mission, I hereby submit my resignation from my position as board member. My decision is guided by my respect and concern for the faculty, staff, students, alumni and other members of the William & Mary community.” The sequence of events leading up to her resignation began last September, when Flippin was arrested outside the Green Leafe Cafe on Scotland Street for public intoxication, a Class 4 misdemeanor. At her trial this June, the arresting officer testified that when he arrived at the scene, Flippin was bloodied from a fall
and straddling a chain line, clutching her car keys. According to the criminal complaint he filed, Flippin’s speech was “extremely slurred,” she needed to be held up to keep from falling again, and at one point, she walked into a wall. Flippin At the trial, Flippin told Williamsburg General District Court judge Colleen Killilea that she had just one drink at the bar and was headed to her car to retrieve her cell phone to call a cab.
“I didn’t feel intoxicated,” Flippin said. After the arresting officer said she registered a blood alcohol content of .253 — more than three times the legal driving limit of .08 — from a breathalyzer test, Killilea found her guilty, ordering her to pay a $25 fine. “In my mind, I don’t believe her testimony today,” Killilea told Flippin’s attorney, Virginia Senate Majority Leader and Marshall-Wythe Law School professor Thomas Norment J.D. ’73. “I think she lied to the court.” Flippin, who received her bachelor’s degree from the College in 1992 before earning her master’s and law degrees from
the University of Virginia, immediately filed an appeal, but then dropped it before the hearing. Before being appointed to the Board of Visitors by McDonnell in 2010, Flippin served as Special Assistant to President George W. Bush, Clearance Counsel at the White House and Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice during the Bush administration. She remains a partner at the DLA Piper law firm in Washington, D.C. During her time on the BOV, Flippin earned a reputation as a tireless advocate See flippin page 3
academics
academics
Provost addresses lag in rankings
Faculty pay raises concerns
Calls for greater focus on E-learning
by jill found flat hat editor-in-chief
by ken lin flat hat assoc. news editor
The full College of William and Mary Board of Visitors faced faculty resource issues in a time of increasing applicants during the presentation of the provost report Thursday afternoon. Provost Michael Halleran, whose office encompasses academic and strategic planning for the College, remarked on the College’s rankings in the U.S. News and World Report. While he noted that the College has Halleran remained No. 33 among national universities, he also brought attention to the gap between that ranking and See pROVOST page 3
Finance
BOV discusses financial stability Faculty salaries named top priority by claire gillespie the flat hat
Faculty salaries and long-term financial stability were key concerns at a meeting of the College of William and Mary Board of Visitors’ Committee on Financial Affairs. The committee reviewed the College’s investments and altered its six-year financial plan Friday morning in order to address any financial problems. The BOV resolved that Goldman Sachs Jones Asset Management will take on the role of large cap growth manager, managing $2 to $3 million of the BOV’s endowment fund. Forty percent of the College’s income is fixed, although even the fixed income depends on state funding and the global economy. The College’s investments have generally increased, however. This year alone they have risen by 5.4 percent. Joseph Montgomery ’74 from the Optimal Service Group in Wells Fargo Advisors spoke of the importance of diversity for College investments. See finances page 3
News Insight News Opinions Variety Variety Sports Sports
The Committee on Academics discussed its six-year plan concerning faculty compensation and academic innovation at its meeting Thursday. “We’re not going to really become the leader in academic innovation without being able to realize our six-year plan fully,” Robert Scott ’68, Chair of the Committee Scott, said. “But, conversely, we’re not going to be realize the six year plan without continuing to work hard and make difficult judgments about the innovative mission.” The BOV adopted the six-year plan last fall with the aim to make the College the best liberal arts institution in the country by focusing on hiring and retaining excellent faculty. The plan had three components: striving to pay faculty at market rates, rewarding excellence in teaching and research, and academic innovation to find
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Today’s Weather
Sunny High 77, Low 57
zack quaratella / THE FLAT HAT
In its first meeting of the semester, the College’s Board of Visitors met to discuss academic affairs and faculty pay.
new ways of financing the aims of the College. “This is a competitive market,” Scott said. “If you want to the very best talent, you’re going to have to be able to compensate at the rate at which the market demands. We currently do not do that.”
Dean of Arts and Sciences Kate Conley pointed out that though the College has been able to retain some its faculty for lower than market rate, the lack of funds would make it = See ACADEMICS page3
administration
College background check policy examined Freeh report prompts reevaluation of campus violence policies at College by katherine chiglinsky flat hat news editor
Index
BOV examines various ways to retain faculty despite lack of funds
The College of William and Mary Board of Visitors’ Committee on Audit and Compliance met early Thursday morning to review the Auditor of Public Account’s Report and receive a briefing on campus compliances. Auditor of Public Accounts Laurie Hicks gave a report to the committee, detailing only one discrepancy in the College’s intercollegiate athletics program. Within the athletics program, there was a question about the timeliness of the deposits of ticket revenue with the Bursar’s Office. “They’ve gotten their procedures in place to fix that,” Hicks said. “We’ll be following up on that when we start the next one.” During the review, the auditor also found some problems with Blackboard access. “We’ve found that both at William and Mary and Richard Bland,” Hicks said. “Normally we do a brief overview of users. This year, we had
University background checks University of Virginia William and Mary (effective March 21, 2012) (effective Oct. 1, 2011) The college runs criminal background checks, reference checks, and any other checks that may be performed, such as verification of degrees, certifications or credentials, credit report or financial background checks, drug screening or driving record history checks.
information courtesy of VIRGINIA.EDU; WM.EDU, graphic by zachary frank / THE FLAT HAT
First implemented in fall 2011, the College’s background check policy is currently under review.
someone in-house who had received some training with Blackboard. He was able to see some folks that needed to have their access tweaked a bit.” The College of William and Mary was given an unqualified opinion by the Auditor of Public Accounts, one of the highest ratings.
Inside opinions
How to grade professors
UVA’s background checks include Social Security Reports, Examination of Federal Debarment Lists, Criminal History (domestic and international, if applicable), Employment Verification, Degree Validation, Sexual Offender Registry.
When professor evaluations are completed by students, colleges should learn how to improve effectiveness and account for biased reviews. page 4
University Compliance and Policy Officer Kiersten Boyce also delivered a report to the Committee. Over the summer, Boyce worked with the athletics department to implement policies See audit page 3
Inside SPORTS
Football falls to 0-4 on year
The Tribe once again fell to a conference opponent in a lightningdelayed game, losing to Delaware 51-21 Saturday night. page 8