Vol. 107, Iss. 11 | Tuesday, April 18, 2017
The Flat Hat The Weekly Student Newspaper
of The College of William and Mary
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STUDENT LIFE
COURTESY PHOTO / NAIRUTI SHASTRY
This past week, the Books Not Bombs campaign at the College of William and Mary launched a week of events in partnership with Amnesty International to urge the College to “save seats” for Syrian refugees in the undergraduate admissions process.
Students rally to save seats
Campaign calls for College to lower barriers for Syrian refugees SARAH SMITH // FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR Sunday, April 16, students gathered on the Sunken Garden for the Rise for Refugees Vigil, ending a week of events designed to encourage College of William and Mary students to support “saving a seat” for students displaced by conflict in Syria. This week was in support of Books Not Bombs, a growing campaign at the College. In an event advertised as a vigil, students gathered to demonstrate what saving a seat would actually look like. Nairuti Shastry ’17, the founder of the College’s Books Not Bombs campaign, got her inspiration for the initiative while studying abroad in Belgium. There, she worked with primarily disadvantaged, Middle Eastern populations, many of whom were refugees. After a terrorist attack in Belgium, she said that many of the people she was working with changed how they treated the disadvantaged populations, which upset her because she was working with an organization that highlighted values such as diversity and inclusion.
COLLEGE SEARCHES FOR 28TH PRESIDENT April 11, Provost Michael Halleran sent a campus-wide email informing the College of William and Mary community about the presidential search commmittee and open forums for community members. The committee is comprised of multiple members of the Board of Visitors, Class of 2018 President Laini Boyd ‘18, former SA President Yohance Whitaker ‘16, Director of the William and Mary Tax Conference Eric Chason, Africana studies Professor Iyabo Osiapem and chair of the English department Suzanne Raitt. This committee is responsible for conducting the nationwide search to replace College President Taylor Reveley, who will retire June 30, 2018. In Halleran’s email, he also announced that Wednesday, April 19, the College would be hosting forums for students and faculty to discuss the search. There will be three sessions, one for staff, one for faculty and one for tsudents. The presidential search committee will meet for the first time Friday, April 21, while the BOV is in session. — Flat Hat News Editor Sarah Smith
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Books Not Bombs is a student-led campaign that goes along with the Institute for International Education and the Syria Consortium, which was founded in 2012. The Institute for International Education is made up of 75 universities and advocates for students seeking admission at colleges and universities. If the College were to join the Institute of International Education, it would “save seats” for Syrian refugees in the undergraduate and graduate admissions process. According to Shastry, this would lessen educational barriers for those students displaced by the conflict. “This is to make sure we are living up to our values of a strong, liberal arts institution with a strong international focus,” Shastry said. “We need to be true to our community of Tribe Pride.” March 14, Shastry presented her campaign to the Student See SYRIA page 3
POLITICS
Tom Perriello visits College, advertises gubernatorial campaign Former U.S. representative discusses Sanders’ endorsement, Affordable Care Act in visit NIA KITCHIN FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR
Friday, April 14, at an event co-hosted by the Young Democrats and VOX, Virginia gubernatorial candidate Tom Perriello said that he would not have chosen to run had Donald Trump not won the presidential election. A former U.S. representative of the 5th congressional district of Virginia, Perriello spoke of forming an opposition to hate and creating a positive agenda for change. “I think we also need to not just resist, we also need to offer a positive vision that will leave no one behind,” Perriello said. “We always want to continue to work on transformation of hearts and minds.” A self-described pragmatic populist, Perriello’s last-minute campaign has excited crowds and garnered national attention. He received the endorsement of Bernie Sanders April 4, and he continues to lead a tour around the Commonwealth, including in coal country. Meanwhile, his opponent, Lieutenant Governor of Virginia Ralph Northam, has received the endorsement of nearly every Virginia elected official. The two will go head-to-head in the primary June 13. The reason for Sanders’ endorsement became clear as Perriello described his
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When she returned to the College, Shastry, who is an immigrant herself, decided to start an initiative that focused on refugee populations, particularly one that would lower institutional and financial barriers that refugees face. “We did a lot of research, and we stumbled upon Books Not Bombs,” Shastry said. “It has a lot of university affiliates across the country, including big names like the University of Virginia, Dartmouth and Columbia. I didn’t see William and Mary though. We wanted to bring this campaign to our campus since we have such a strong international focus, and we work with lots of organizations that are committed to social justice.” According to Shastry, 11 million people have been displaced because of conflict in Syria. The United Nations considers 4.5 million of these people to be refugees. Within the United States, there are 12,000 college-aged Syrian refugees and 2,500 collegeaged students unable to pursue higher education due to financial barriers.
plans for economic and educational change in Virginia, including a $15 minimum wage, two free years of community college or career and technical training and a detestation for trickle-down economics. He also emphasized that he wants to invest more in people, green energy and infrastructure, and he did not shy away from mentioning the possibility of raising taxes. “We should wake up in the morning with a sense of urgency,” Perriello said. “We have a system right now that’s not investing in people.” Perriello also spoke about Virginia’s outdated criminal code. He said that the Commonwealth has a code that is 50-60 years out of date, underpaid public defense attorneys and extremely high bail levels, all of which lead to extremely high numbers of imprisoned people. He said that Virginia needs to focus its resources on crimes that actually threaten public safety. “In Virginia we make it a crime to be poor,” Perriello said. Faisal Alami ’20 raised concerns about the Affordable Care Act and how Perriello would go about helping the uninsured. “Many people are still underinsured or uninsured because private healthcare companies carry a lot of power,” Alami said. Perriello agreed and said he believes fights like this can be won not in Richmond
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that it is possible right now because of the momentum progressives currently have. “We can win this thing because all the intensity is on our side,” Perriello said. “When I talk to Trump supporters now there’s not a lot of fist-pumping, no ‘He really stuck it to the refugees today.’” Haley Arata ’17 said she also feels the excitement of Perriello’s campaign. The Virginia gubernatorial race has traditionally been a test of the new president, as it is the first election to follow any president’s inauguration. Arata volunteered on Perriello’s campaign for Congress but said that she especially feels the momentum of this race given current events. “When Perriello announced his candidacy it was like a breath of fresh air,” Arata said. “This is what democracy is about.” Perriello said that given the extremism of the White House, now is the time to capitalize on traditionally Republican voters. He said he believes that given the choice of voting party-line or voting for the needs and well-being of their families, Virginia Republicans will switch over. “People don’t identify with the extremism,” Perriello said. “We need to See PERRIELLO page 4
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but in Lee County and Wise County and areas that are not as populous and powerful as Richmond. He also emphasized that he wants to treat addiction as a disease and not as a crime. “Hopefully if the circus about whether or not to keep the Affordable Care Act is over we can focus on how to strengthen it,” Perriello said. Perriello discussed gerrymandering and how he would veto any gerrymandered proposals for redistricting, even if they were bipartisan. He also spoke about voting laws in Virginia and said that they make voting extremely difficult. “We are the birthplace of American democracy; we are also the birthplace of slavery,” Perriello said. “Why on earth are we still voting like it’s the 18th century? I’ve literally been in war zones with easier and more efficient voting than here.” When asked about money in politics and how he can bring other progressives in on his coattails if he wins, Perriello said he believes the House of Delegates is in play, and that he would much rather have a slate of more diverse candidates than more money. He said the amount of money in politics is “ridiculous” and “corrupt,” yet admitted to benefitting from it himself. Perriello said that any reform in Virginia would be a step forward, and
Sam de Vignier-Awad ’20 is hopeful for the change that Reveley’s retirement will bring to campus. page 5
The Tri-Wizard Tournament comes to the Tribe Students compete in Tri-Wizard Tournament inspired escape rooms. page 7