The Flat Hat

VARIETY >> PAGE 6

SPORTS >> PAGE 8

Students and townies enjoy the delicious addition to the area’s eateries, Extraordinary Cupcakes.

The Tribe fought hard at conference-best Drexel but came up two points short.

Williamsburg’s sweet treats

Vol. 101, Iss. 33 | Friday, February 17, 2011

College drops nail-biter

The Flat Hat The Twice-Weekly Student Newspaper

of The College of William and Mary

Flathatnews.com | Follow us:

RANKINGS

Warmly welcomed New Campus Climate Index rates colleges and universities on overall LGBT friendliness

by grace thomas the Flat Hat

The Campus Climate Index, a new system of rating colleges for their “friendliness” on policies, programs and practices toward LGBT groups on campus, rated the College of William and Mary as a 3.5 on a five-point scale.

The survey shows that the College received perfect scores in the category of LGBT support and institutional commitment and in the category of student life. However, the College fell short on both campus safety and policy inclusion, receiving a 1.5 and 2.5 respectively.

Lambda Alliance Co-President Cassie Cole ’12 said that the shortcomings are not entirely the school’s fault.

“Being a Virginian public school ... when could we get a five in the next 10 years? A lot of that is the political climate,” Cole said.

The state government controls several of the issues that the survey addresses, especially gender-neutral housing.

“The state law in Virginia requires us to house students according to their legal birth certificates,” Director of Residence Life Deb Boykin said.

The state government has also attempted to further control issues that the survey addresses. In May 2010, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli sent a letter to Virginia public universities that asked them to eliminate campus policies that ban discrimination based on sexual orientation. “[Cuccinelli] sent out a letter to the public universities in Virginia saying that they didn’t have the authority to include gender identity and orientation in their campus-wide anti-discrimination policies,” Cole said. “And that happened in part because William and Mary was about

to include it.”

Among institutions of higher education, the College placed in the middle of the pack with an average score of 3.5, with the University of Virginia also receiving a score of 3.5. American University was one of the few campuses to receive a perfect score of 5, while Old Dominion University and Hampden-Sydney College only received 1.5 stars each.

While the College received an aboveaverage ranking, some members of the campus community recognize that there is room for improvement. Lambda Alliance secretary Mikki McCall ’13 recalled an instance when she and a group of friends were called “a bunch of faggots.”

“We do have harassment that does occur,” Cole said.

According to campus safety records, the problem is relatively contained, with only one incident of a hate crime of any sort occurring in the last 10 years.

As Thomas Heacox, professor of “Literature and Homosexuality,” suggested, such harrassment may result from ignorance.

“The students who come here are simply more mainstream in their background and upbringing,” Heacox said. “I think they haven’t had quite as much experience of sexual and cultural diversity as some of the students in other schools.”

Heacox recognized a general change in the general campus atmosphere toward LGBT issues.

“Things are getting better,” Heacox said.

Campus organizations continue to work to improve campus attitude toward LGBT issues. Kim Green, a SafeZone coordinator, has helped to plan events to raise awareness for LGBT issues.

“We have three workshops and we See RANKINGS page 4

COURTESY PHOTO / GLOBALVOICESONLINE.ORG

Finances

STUDENT ASSEMBLY

Tuition increase at College is second highest for any public institution in Virginia

dining changes

College addresses state funding cuts SA to publicize by ellie kaufman FLAT HAt chief staff writer

Tuition and fee increases at public institutions in Virginia

Index News Insight News News Opinions Variety Variety Sports

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Today’s Weather

Sunny High 59, Low 34

by meredith ramey Flat Hat assoc. News editor

While still trying to maintain the quality of

Medical amnesty and changes to the meal-plan policy were subjects of discussion at the Student Assembly Senate’s Policy Committee meeting Wednesday at the Student Assembly House.

The committee discussed ways to raise student awareness of meal-plan policy changes, especially the requirement that, starting with the class of 2015, all students living on campus must purchase a meal plan. Committee members stated this would also apply to resident assistants.

“Students will not be going to restaurants off campus and eating out,” Senate Chairman Noah Kim ‘13 said. “That could negatively affect Williamsburg.”

More students would likely live off campus to avoid required on-campus dining options, while those on campus will be forced to relinquish Cheese Shop sandwiches in favor of Sadler Center Dining Hall togo boxes.

See EDUCATION, page 3

See POLICY page 4

Percentage increase

Tuition has increased by 48.8 percent over the past six years at the College of William and Mary according to a report released in January by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. This percentage is the second highest increase among public institutions in Virginia.

ACTA analyzed higher education institutions in Virginia in terms of cost and quality. Thirtynine public and private universities were included in the study, including all 15 of the state’s public institutions.

State financial support for the College has decreased by 30 percent since 1980, and currently makes up less than 13 percent of the school’s budget. College President Taylor Reveley outlined three main steps the College has taken to address cuts in state funding: an attempt to become more cost effective in how the university operates, a push on philanthropic capacity, and an increase in tuition.

“When you have an undergraduate program of our caliber and you have such a good studentfaculty ratio, it is going to cost more,” Reveley

Policy changes questioned

Source: American Council of Trustees and Alumni report

Virginia universities GRAPHIC BY KEN LIN / THE FLAT HAT

Christopher Newport University experienced the greatest increase in tution and fees, followed closely by the College.

said. “We are dealing with William and Mary’s financial need in three ways simultaneously, and each of them has to succeed.”

Inside OPINIONS

Greek housing renaissance New fraternity housing at the College of William and Mary can either return Greek life to former glory days or send brothers packing. page 5

Inside SPORTS

Tribe edges VCU

College’s second-half defensive effort sparked a 66-63 win in Richmond Thursday, ending a fivegame losing streak. page 8

newsinsight “

The Flat Hat

| Tuesday, February 17, 2011 | Page 2

THE BUZZ

All The News that’s unfit to print

The Virginia Department of Transportation plans to add an extra turning lane on Monticello Avenue to alleviate traffic from the Route 199 intersection, The Virginia Gazette reported. The current intersection has had a high frequency of accidents, and the proposed $2.4 million project is intended to mitigate traffic at an intersection that averages 30,000 vehicles per day.

“

THE PULSE

News Editor Katherine Chiglinsky News Editor Vanessa Remmers fhnews@gmail.com

“Maintaining William and Mary’s academic excellence means that our students — the people benefiting from a William and Mary education — need to contribute more toward what it costs to provide this education.”

—College President Taylor Reveley

BEYOND THE ‘BURG

A bill that would require all people convicted of driving under the influence to pass a breath test in order to start their cars won approval from the Virginia Senate Tuesday, The Washington Post reported. The bill requires that breathalyzers be installed in the vehicles of convicted drunk drivers from the first conviction onwards. As it stands today, Virginia only requires ignition interlock devices to be installed on the second or subsequent offense or when the driver’s blood-alcohol level exceeds 0.15 percent.

Noroviruses, lice strike campuses Several universities have been hit hard by calamities reminiscent of the biblical plagues of Egypt. Two northeast colleges, Rider University and George Washington University, have seen scores of their students sickened by a serious norovirus, while Huntington University in Indiana has been hit by an infestation of lice.

According to the Huffington Post, the norovirus affecting both George Washington University and Rider University is a gastrointestinal illness that causes nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, though the symptoms typically clear up within a few days. According to nj.com, the outbreak at Rider sickened more than 200 students and apparently spread to Princeton University, where more than 100 students came down with the infection.

Rider officials have faced some criticism for continuing to hold campus events even after learning of the outbreak.

Officials at Huntington University have not released figures for the number of students infected, but one official stated that the lice were likely introduced by a group of students that returned from a service trip in India at the beginning of the semester. At least four dormitories have been infected, leading the school to begin distributing special shampoo and arranging laundry services for students.

The Virginia Department of Transportation is investigating the cause of a 30 foot sign collapse on Interstate Highway 66 in Fairfax, the Daily Press reported. The collapse occurred Saturday afternoon, and although the sign struck a pickup truck, no injuries resulted. Strong winds may have been a factor in the collapse.

The Coalition for Justice for Civil Rights is backing up amateur oyster farmer Greg Garrett in his fight against York County, the Daily Press reported. Garrett is appealing a decision of the York County Board of Zoning Appeals, which ruled that Garrett’s oyster farm was unauthorized because he lacked a permit to own and operate the farm. Garrett claims his farming equipment was illegally seized, and that since his property is zoned for agriculture, he may engage in water-based cultivation of oysters.

A Pekingese named Malachy won the prestigious Westminster Dog Show Tuesday after beating out a Dalmatian, a German Shepherd, and a Dachshund. That dog, which bears a striking resemblance to a Furby, was awarded Best in Show

by Judge Cindy Vogels. Malachy is owned by Iris Love, David Fitzpatrick and Sandra Middlebrooks. Fitzpatrick described the dog as “dignified, devoted and a wonderful companion,” as well as “charming.”

A THOUSAND WORDS

COURTESY PHOTO / WIKIPEDIA.ORG

A parasitic head louse seen up close. An infestation of lice has forced Huntington University in Indiana to take precautionary measures to curb its spread.

Child prodigy to publish advice

Bias allegations lead to professor’s resignation According to Inside Higher Ed, Paul Derengowski resigned from his position at Tarrant County College in Texas after Muslim students challenged the way he taught Islam in his world religions class. The students felt he was only focusing on the negative aspects of Islam. When the students disrupted and then walked out of the class, Derengowski filed a report with campus police and tried to get them suspended from the school, in addition to receiving a failing grade for the course. When the school did not act on his proposal, he resigned.

Moshe Kai Cavalin enrolled in college at age 8 and graduated from East Los Angeles Community College at age 11 with a 4.0 grade point average.

Now, according to the Huffington Post, the 14-year-old is about to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in math from University of California, Los Angeles and to re-publish his first book, “We Can Do.” “We Can Do” was published in Chinese first, partly because Cavalin’s mother is Chinese.

Cavalin translated it to English in the hopes that it will offer inspiration to youth in America.

CITY POLICE BEAT

1 DANA DYTANG/ the FLAT HAT

CORRECTIONS The Flat Hat wishes to correct any facts printed incorrectly.

Corrections may be submitted by e-mail to the editor of the section in which the incorrect information was printed. Requests for corrections will be accepted at any time.

The Flat Hat

Feb. 6 to Feb. 12 Monday, Feb. 6 — Bicycle stolen at Taliaferro Hall; its value is estimated at $50.00.

2

Monday, Feb. 6 — Bicycle stolen on Landrum Drive; its value is estimated at $250.00.

3

Saturday, Feb. 11 — Bomb threat on campus; the threat was evaluated and deemed non-credible by law enforcement.

4

Sunday, Feb. 12 — An individual was arrested on charges of underage possession of alcohol, drunk in public, resisting arrest, and possession of a fake ID.

‘STABILITAS ET FIDES’ | ESTABLISHED OCT. 3, 1911 ‘STABILITAS ET FIDES’ | ESTABLISHED OCT. 3, 1911

25 Campus Center, The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Va. 23185 25 Campus Center, The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Va. 23185 Newsroom (757) 221-3283 — Advertising Dept.

(757) 221-3283 / ads@gmail.com Newsroom (757) 221-3283 — Advertising Dept. (757) 221-3283 / ads@flathatnews.com Editor flathat.editor@gmail.com Opinions fhopinions@gmail.com Editor editor@flathatnews.com Opinions opinions@flathatnews.com News fhnews@gmail.com Variety flathat.variety@gmail.com News flathatsports@gmail.com news@flathatnews.com Varietyflathatphotos@gmail.com variety@flathatnews.com Sports Photos Sports sports@flathatnews.com Photos photos@flathatnews.com

Mike Barnes Editor-in-Chief Mike Barnes Editor-in-Chief Becky Koenig Managing Editor — Jill Found Executive Editor Becky Koenig Ellie Managing Editor —Staff Jill Found Kaufman Chief WriterExecutive Editor Ellie Kaufman Chief Staff Writer Katherine Chiglinsky News Editor VanessaChiglinsky RemmersNews NewsEditor Editor Katherine Hailey Arnold Variety Editor Vanessa Remmers News Editor Katie Demeria Editor Hailey Arnold Variety Variety Editor Jared ForetekVariety SportsEditor Editor Katie Demeria Jared Sports Editor Ariel Foretek Cohen Assoc.

News Editor

Chase Hopkins Assoc. News Editor ArielKen Cohen Assoc. News News Editor Editor Lin Assoc.

Chase Hopkins Assoc. News News Editor Editor Maggie Kern Assoc.

LinAssoc.

Assoc. News News Editor Editor Meredith Ken Ramey Maggie Kern Assoc.

Assoc. News News Editor Editor Rob Marty Meredith RameySenior Assoc.News NewsWriter Editor Chris McKenna Rob MartyAssoc.

Assoc.Sports News Editor Editor Chris Weber Chris McKenna SeniorVariety News Editor Writer Abby Boyle Assoc.

WeberAssoc.

Assoc.Variety Sports Editor Editor BaileyChris Kirkpatrick Abby Boyle Assoc.

Assoc. Variety Variety Editor Editor Sarah Caspari Bailey Kirkpatrick Assoc. Variety Variety Editor Editor Sophie Mason Assoc.

Sarah Caspari Assoc.

Variety Editor Editor Ellen Wexler Assoc.

Opinions Sophie Assoc.

Variety Editor Editor Elliott Mason Hay Assoc.

Opinions Ellen Wexler Assoc.

Opinions Editor Zach Hardy Assoc.

Online Editor Elliott Hay Assoc.

Opinions Editor Harika Peddibhotla Assoc.

Online Editor Alex Bramsen Copy Editor

Elizabeth DeBusk Opinions Editor Stephanie Hubbard Copy Chief Elizabeth DeBusk Opinions Editor Katherine Hubbard Hoptay Copy Stephanie CopyChief Chief Michelle Gabro Photo Katherine Hoptay CopyEditor Chief Walter Hickey Michelle GabroOnline Photo Editor Walter Hickey Online Alex Bramsen Copy EditorEditor Colleen Leonard Copy Editor Betsy Goldemen Copy Editor Garrett Hendrickson Copy Editor Claire Hoffman CopyEditor Editor Lauren Becker Copy Colleen Leonard Copy Editor Liz McGlynn Copy Editor Lauren Elmore Becker Copy Megan Copy Editor Editor Megan Elmore CopyEditor Editor Meredith Luze Copy Meredith Luze Copy Editor Allison Hicks Cartoonist RachelAdair Steinberg Copy Editor Molly Cartoonist AllisonBrooks Hicks Cartoonist Rachel Cartoonist Molly Adair Rachel PulleyCartoonist Cartoonist Rachel Brooks Cartoonist Alex Cooper Editorial Writer Rachel Pulley Cartoonist Nara Yoon Business Manager Alex Cooper Editorial Writer Karin Krause Social Media Manager Nara Yoon Manager Anita Jiang Business Assoc. Photo Editor Karin Krause Social Media Manager John Lee Assoc. Photo Editor Anita Jiang Assoc. Photo Editor

News in brief Confucius Institute to showcase culture In anticipation of its grand opening, the College of William and Mary Confucius Institute will host a Chinese Culture Semester, with events including lectures, film screenings a parade and a gala. WMCI, a collaborative partnership between the College, Beijing Normal University and the Office of Chinese Language Council International, will aim to promote Chinese language and culture in the local community and to facilitate cultural exchange. The College hopes to expand its global reach through the study and teaching of Chinese by providing professor training and study abroad support. All events will take place in Williamsburg in February and March.

College dubbed “military-friendly” The College of William and Mary was recently listed as one of “America’s Top Military-Friendly Colleges and Universities”

by Military Advanced Education magazine.

Schools were selected based on support and on-campus assistance for military families, among other factors. Fourteen other Virginia colleges and universities appeared on the list, including Virginia Tech, Norfolk State University and Old Dominion University. The recognition comes just a few months after G.I Jobs magazine recognized the College for its provision of excellent services aiding the transitioning of military personnel into civilian life following their terms of service.

VIMS grad student receives award Virginia Institute of Marine Science doctoral student Erica Holloman received a $100,000 Community Action for a Renewed Environment grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to work with the community in Newport News in relation to the toxic pollution in the southeast region. Fewer than 10 percent of CARE grants applicants receive the award, and very few are graduate students. CARE programs aim to help communities better understand environmental problems through local partnerships. Hollman’s work will inform southeast residents about toxic pollutants in their environment and how the pollutants affect their health.

Page 3

Friday, February 17, 2012

The Flat Hat

Williamsburg

Mobile app connects merchants and students

MeNetwork hopes to bridge communication gap with new platform for ads and promotions

by chris McKenna flat hat senior staff writer

Got a wad of ones and zeroes burning a hole in your Express pocket? The College of William and Mary wants to help you find new ways to spend your digital dollars — and maybe save a couple of real ones along the way.

The College’s widely-known Express program allows students, faculty and staff to transfer money to a debit account tied to their school-issued personal identification cards. They can then use this money to make purchases around campus and at a number of off-campus locations, but not without some snags.

“What I have discovered in the time that I’ve been here is that it’s very difficult for our [off-campus] merchants to communicate … back to the student population,” Auxiliary Services Director

Carolyn K. Davis said.

Her solution: give Express merchants the medium to speak to the students directly. Using MeNetwork, a free mobile marketing platform available for iOS and Android devices, businesses can do just that — in real time. Using a smartphone’s GPS capabilities, the MeNetwork application finds participating merchants nearby and displays them on the familiar Google Maps interface. Users can then subscribe to their favorite stores or restaurants to receive up-to-date offers and specials.

“What really makes it unique is that it sends these pop-up messages on your phone and it allows the merchants to send real-time promotions,” Davis said.

For example, if a bar wanted to offer half-off drinks for happy hour, it could get the word out to its MeNetwork subscribers instantly instead of relying on signs or

fliers to attract passers-by.

“It gives us a chance to get our specials out to students where we haven’t been able to before,” Retro’s Good Eats owner Sharon Scruggs said. “Basically, what we’d like to do is use it to bring students in when business is slow.”

Retro’s, along with the rest of the Express merchants in Williamsburg, is already listed on College’s MeNetwork— although not all have posted specials to the marketing platform yet. Interested students can download and use the app now, which already has some early adopters.

“I downloaded it just because I heard about it,” Chris Beacham ’13 said. “I’m always a little wary of the new tech thing, but sometimes they take off. Why not?

Williamsburg needs to be shook up.”

Davis said she has several ideas for the service in the works, including

courtesy photo / WWW.THEMENETWORK.NET

A new mobile application allows Express merchants to communicate students in new ways.

establishing loyalty programs at participating locations and expanding the network to include on-campus student organizations.

“It will really allow for that quick communication back and forth between

organizations and clubs if they so choose,” she said.

According to its web site, MeNetwork is currently in use in more than 70 cities nationwide. The College is the first university to utilize the service, Davis said.

Final candidate for Dean of Arts and Sciences takes questions

Interim Dean Tracey expresses concern about the amount of focus placed on College finances by chase hopkins flat hat assoc. news editor

The father of interim Dean of Arts and Sciences and physics professor Eugene Tracy wanted his son to learn practical and employable skills in high school. As a result, Tracy studied to be a draftsman — albeit one aspiring to something greater.

During his presentation Tuesday as part of the selection process for the new dean, Tracy emphasized the significance of his liberal arts education at Johns Hopkins University, like that provided at the College of William and Mary, in shaping his life. He asserted that renewing the College’s liberal arts spirit is the key to its future success.

“The liberal arts is a form of education that acknowledges the hunger to connect — to truly connect with other human beings in heart and mind,” Tracy said. “It speaks intentionally to the nature of

creativity, of beauty, of being and doing and ways of knowing things.”

Discussing the importance of Arts and Sciences at the College, Tracy was quick to emphasize that they are a large component of the College’s overall operations.

“Ten thousand people come to work here every day, and the lion’s share are in Arts and Sciences — three-fourths of the students, 70 percent of the faculty,” Tracy said.

However, some members of the faculty raised concerns that Tracy emphasized the image of a liberal arts university without devoting enough attention to the question of funding its activities — anxiety perhaps exacerbated by decreasing levels of state support and the increasing strain on the College’s resources.

“Obviously, especially for the challenges of reallocation [of funds], one of the ways to help with [finances of Arts and Sciences] may be to have more money coming in,” English professor Suzanne

Hagedorn said. “Despite the fact that we seem to be poster children for the liberal arts, in our overall campaign I do not think enough of the fundraising is directed at arts here.”

Another faculty member voiced further concerns about the misallocation of funds away from growing needs within Arts and Sciences, particularly with regard to the activities of the Campaign for William & Mary, a project raising funds for the College.

“At the end of the talk, I was left with questions about how the priorities were going to be set for what [funds] were reallocated to what,” classical studies professor Barbette Spaeth said. “[Tracy] talked about raising money to solve the whole reallocation problem … but how [is he] going to structure doing the whole reallocation?”

However, Tracy stressed there is more to the position of dean of Arts and Sciences than simply moving money around. He emphasized concerns

that the College may have become too focused on finances alone.

“It’s not just about money,” Tracy said. “Money is important, but it’s also about spirit. First, we need to regain our self-confidence. … We seem to be timid about dreaming big dreams these days. We seem to think we are stuck with little ones. …We are going through a few tough years, but that is no reason to not dream big dreams in the longer term.”

Tracy continued to focus primarily on reshaping the mentality of the College. He said he believed that the attitude of many administrators and faculty is not best for the achievement of the goals of Arts and Sciences, which he outlined repeatedly. “[We must] finally and fully embrace what we have become: a leading liberal arts university with a serious research agenda,” Tracy said. “Goal one: Re-commit ourselves to the liberal arts. Goal two: Promote the creative life of our people.”

Administrators defend tuition hikes Makeup of student body deemed exceptional EDUCATION from page 1

education and to bring in more tuition, one option would be to increase the size of the student body. This would also result in an increased studentfaculty ratio. Currently, the College’s student-faculty ratio is the lowest in the state at 12:1, compared next to the University of Virginia’s 16:1.

“If you are a peopledependent organization, your costs are going to go up every year unless you get rid of people or unless you are a school with more tuition-paying students and less faculty,” Reveley said.

“Maintaining William and Mary’s academic excellence means that our students — the people benefiting from a William and Mary education — need to contribute more toward what it costs to provide this education.”

Out-of-state students pay approximately $23,000 more in tuition each year than do instate students.

“We do need more tuition, and we particularly need more tuition from in-state students,” Reveley said.

Over the past 10 years, the College has increased the overall size of the student body by 9.7 percent, while other institutions in the state have increased as much as 70 percent since 2000. To avoid increasing the size of student body, the College has turned to cutting corners in the budget.

“What we have done historically — over the last three years — we have reduced expenditures by $9.1 million,” Vice President for Finance Sam Jones said. “Because the state reduces our money so quickly and because our money is so tied up in people, we end up doing some of it with cuts and some of it with tuition.”

Jones noted that while other public universities may not

have increased tuition at such a high percentage, circumstances for the College are different.

The College is made up of approximately 65 percent instate students and 35 percent out-of-state students. In the past three years, the College has also opened three major facilities: the Integrated Science Center, the School of Education and Alan B. Miller Hall.

“We have more out-of-state students than other public institutions. The state provides no money for out-of-state students,” Jones said. “We have also opened three main facilities. The state gave us no operating money for those facilities.”

The report also noted that the College has increased administrative spending proportionally more than instructional spending between fiscal years 2002-2003 and 20082009, with a 42 percent change in spending on instruction and a 60.8 percent change in spending on administration.

“During the years in question, William and Mary increased spending on instruction by 33.5 million while increasing spending on administration by far less — 7.6 million,” Reveley said. “The dollars in this instance are much more telling than the percentages.”

That said, the College continues to maintain an economical budget for the quality of education produced.

U.S. News and World Report ranked the College No. 33 in overall quality and No. 97 in financial resources.

“On an apples-to-apples basis, the College has the fourth lowest number of executive, administrative, and managerial staff among the 25 universities in our peer group,” Reveley said.

“We are not spending money wisely or unproductively on our academic program or on our administrative structure.”

ACTA also reported that the College has the second-highest freshman retention rate in the state among public institutions at 95 percent, lagging behind U.Va. by only 1 percent. Similarly, the College’s graduation rates were the second-highest in the state behind U.Va. “From the input side, it is very reaffirming to see this because we know that we are bringing in some outstanding students and clearly that means that they are exceptionally prepared,” Senior Associate Dean of Admission Tim Wolfe said. “The quality of the students entering into the college is fantastic.”

Wolfe and Reveley both look highly on the school’s high retention and graduation rates, but Reveley stated that particular improvements could still be made.

“I would like to see top 10 in the country on graduation rates, but we are not just quite there,” Reveley said. “Again, it is a function of not having enough staff. I think if we had enough staff we could do a better job of finding the really tiny segment of undergraduates that are struggling.”

Reveley relates the College’s high graduation rankings to the school itself.

“The answer is the people,” Reveley said. “We really do have an undergraduate program that is exceptionally well glued together and we have a support apparatus that is exceptionally well glued together, so you put it all together and you would expect to get really great results.”

The Higher Education Report compares cost and quality issues at 15 of Virginia public fouryear institutions and 24 private institutions.

The American Council of Trustees and Alumni created this report to compare higher education institutions within the state. The report found that the cost of tuition totals more than 40 percent of Virginians’ median household income at almost half of the schools studied.

Page 4

Friday, February 17, 2012

The Flat Hat

student assembly

Bills proposed to fund health acts, game upgrades Senators consider possibility of installing campus condom dispensers and replacing old video games in the Sadler Center by merdith ramey Flat hat ASSOC. NEWS EDITOR

The Student Assembly senate meeting opened with a moment of silence for Troy Pelish ’15, followed by encouragement to pursue methods for suicide prevention.

Chairman Noah Kim ’13 also clarified with the senators and executive members present that as SA members, they are nonpartisan in elections, specifically with regard to the upcoming City Council elections.

The senate discussed various pieces of new business, including the proposed Feed the Children and their Parents Act, which would provide $3,000 to fund the supply of pastries and coffee for prospective students on Admitted Students Day. “We could say ‘Brought to you by Student Assembly,’” bill sponsor Ryan McManus ’13 said.

“Hopefully, as students walk around they’ll see that SA logo. … [It will] show that we are a really active college in that regard.”

Douglas Haynes Law ’12 also proposed two bills. The End of the “R-Word” Day Funding Act would allocate additional funds for an event put on by the SA Executive Department of Health and Safety to raise awareness on campus for the harmful consequences of derogatory use of the word ‘retarded.’

The Gamers Have Needs Too Act would allocate Student Assembly funds to update the games currently available in the Sadler Center gaming area.

“There are older games [in Sadler] that aren’t really as fun,” Haynes said. “[The gamers of the College] would like some money to put toward putting new games there.”

The last piece of new business was the proposed Administrative Council of the Student Assembly Creation Act, which would replace the currently unused Joint Facilitation Committee with an Administrative Council to cover the SA’s internal affairs.

The senate also discussed a number of pending bills. The proposed Condom Dispenser Act is returning to debate after interest expressed by the Public Health and Safety Committee.

Research is continuing on the proposed Economist and Wall Street Journal Act after committee debate tabled the bill.

Efforts to pass the proposed Student Health Act III and 1/2 are also continuing.

“We’re going to be pushing it harder and harder than ever,” Haynes said.

The Senate is also continuing work on the proposed HPV Vaccine Subsidization Act and the proposed Fiscal Responsibility Act. “We will be working with the health and safety department to move forward with this,” Kim said.

dana dytang/ THE FLAT HAT

The Student Assembly discussed proposals for new condom dispensers and upgrading video games in the Sadler Center .

student government

Candidates for Honor Council elections put names on ballot Election will result in eight new council members, one for each social class, from a pool of 58 candidates by ellie kaufman Flat hat chief staff writer

The Undergraduate Honor Council will hold elections Feb. 23 to select a council of 24 members for the new academic year.

Students may vote for eight candidates from each social class in the elections.

An unlimited number of candidates can compete for the eight spots open to their respective social class.

The e-ballot will be available to students between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on the election day.

Results will be publicized that evening.

“We had 58 people apply,” Vice Chair of the Undergraduate Honor Council and Chair of the Election Committee Jason Gangwer ’12 said.

“Particularly this year, we have seen relatively

strong numbers in the sophomore and junior class than perhaps historically.”

In order to publicize the Honor Council prior to elections, the council held twice the usual number of information sessions at the beginning of the semester.

“We ended up getting a really great range of people at all of those meetings, and I was really proud of a lot of transfers and people other than freshmen,” Chair of the Undergraduate Honor Council Zara Stasi ’12 said. “This year our ballot has the most returning freshmen, but the other two classes are represented better than they have been in the past.”

Candidates in the elections are not allowed to campaign in any way.

Instead, candidate profiles are released a week prior to the election.

questions that are designed to assist students in making an informed decision.

In addition to assisting the Honor Council with the election process, Stasi serves on the Honor Systems Review Committee, which is working to make suggestions for improvements to the code.

“Elections are always a hard topic because while we are members of the council, that is when we are discussing our bylaws,” Stasi said. “It is a hard thing to step back and say what is best for the community.”

Gangwer noted the importance to take time to read the candidate biographies and to vote in the upcoming elections.

“It is a really important part of making the Honor Council not just a group of people but a peer-elected and community-supported group of people,” Gangwer said.

“Our elections are unique in that there is no campaigning, so candidates aren’t allowed to promote themselves,” Gangwer said. “It is just based on their reputation of being an honorable member of the community. We do release a profile of information.”

In an effort to inform the student body about the candidates without encouraging competition between them, the council added information to the candidate profiles in this election.

“The ballot itself has more information this year about each candidate,” Stasi said. “There are three essay-like questions that are really only about 200 words [maximum]. We really want to give as much information about this as possible.”

The profiles will soon be available online at wm.edu/honor. They include basic information about each candidate as well as answers to

College ranks above average for LGBT friendliness in campus climate survey RANKINGS from page 1

already have people on our waiting lists,” Green said. “I hope this will increase campus safety because more people will know how to talk about [the problems of homophobia and heterosexism].”

Academics at the College have also continued to change to support an atmosphere of LGBT friendliness.

“Gay material is finding its way into many, many courses,” Heacox said.

Additionally, Earl Gregg Swem Library contains more than 1,000 books dealing with LGBT subjects and more than 20 periodicals with gays and lesbians as their target audience.

In the category of health care and counseling, the College received an score of 3.5.

According to Director of Student Health Virginia Wells, the Student Heath Center staff is trained in a program entitled “Advocating for LGBT Cultural Competency in Medical Settings.”

“A recent survey revealed that none of the students indicated gender identity as a barrier to seeking care,” Wells said.

While the survey pointed out various areas of improvement in the handling of LGBT issues for the College, the rating established the College as an LGBT-friendly school.

“I think overall it’s very positive,” Cole said.

Campus climate rankings of universities

College of William and Mary

university of virginia

3.5

out of 5

3.5 out of 5

james madison univeristy

3.0

out of 5

Virginia Tech

Old dominion univeristy

out of 5

5.0

1.5

out of 5

4.0

out of 5

American University

Memorial service planned for student Students and administrators will gather for service by ken lin Flat Hat assoc. News editor

The College of William and Mary community will gather Monday in remembrance of Troy Pelish ’15, who died earlier this week.

The campus will hold a memorial service at 4:00 p.m. Feb. 20 at a location yet to be announced. The Pelish family held visitation hours for mourners at Oakey’s Funeral Home yesterday; the funeral service was held this morning at Mineral Springs

Baptist Church.

Pelish, a chemistry major and a German minor at the College, graduated valedictorian in 2011 from William Byrd High School in Vinton, Va. Outside school, Pelish was active as an Eagle Scout and a member of the Order of the Arrow.

Vice President for Student Affairs Ginger Ambler ’88 Ph.D. ’06 informed the College community that donations and condolences can be sent to Pelish’s parents, Bruce and Martha Pelish, at 623 E. Augusta Ave., Vinton, Va. 24179.

Draining funds complicate SA plans POLICY from page 1

According to Sen. Dallen McNerney ’14, these changes will aid in funding the proposed renovations to the Sadler Center, including a possible second floor.

“Do we have a better solution?” Secretary of Student Rights Zann Isacson ’13 asked. “We also want the pretty new [Sadler] building.”

The committee members found themselves in a conundrum.

The new requirement is intended to provide additional revenue to improve food services.

The dining plan changes are part of a long-term goal with current short-term setbacks.

“The problem is dining options are terrible,” Kim said. “If they improve what the dining options are, more people will get on [the meal plan].”

opinions

Opinions Editor Elizabeth DeBusk Assoc. Opinions Editor Elliott Hay fhopinions@gmail.com

The Flat Hat | Friday, February 17, 2012 | Page 5

Staff Editorial

E

By Molly Adair, Flat Hat Cartoonist

Express yourself: Student swipe woes extra buttons.

The worst offender is Chipotle. Newly arrived in August, a friend of mine tried to pay for her dinner with Express only to be told Chipotle didn’t currently accept it. I had to pick up her tab that day. Although I have tried several other times over the last six months, their system has never Flat Hat Assoc. Opinions Editor been functional, yet they are still listed on the Express page.

Chipotle’s abuse of the system is nothing more than a bait and switch; Chipotle promises a service that they do not, in College of William and Mary Express is a benefit to the businesses that choose to accept it. No one forces businesses fact, provide. It is reprehensible false advertising on their part. If Chipotle wishes to no longer offer Express, then it to accept Express as payment. In choosing to do so, however, they agree to offer a service to students, and some businesses is their duty to customers to take the initiative to remove themselves from the Express locations list. appear to be failing to uphold their part of the agreement.

Not all businesses struggle with the system; places like Using Express around town is a hit-or-miss experience.

More than once, I have been rejected at Aromas due to the Wawa, Subway and Retro’s show it can be used with ease. system being down. In the case of occasional, temporary For the most part, I don’t have difficulty using Express at technical issues, I side with the businesses. The Express the locations listed on the College’s website.

It is totally understandable for a business to choose not system is fickle, and even places that normally accept it to accept Express. Many locations near like Wawa and Bloom have both had campus choose not to do so for one glitches with my card once or twice in Honest businesses build reason or another, whether because the past. it is costly to set up and maintain or Where I take issue, however, is with customer loyalty from because the system runs quite slowly the businesses that advertise Express college students. over a phone line and eats up customer services and yet do not properly train processing time. While a beefier, more their staff on how to use the system.

At the Williamsburg Applebee’s, I have twice had my waiter stable system would be ideal, it’s realistically not a priority leave to ask the manager if they accept Express, even though for the College when the system is used regularly by only their business is clearly listed on the Express webpage. Twice a small percentage of students. The only businesses that “owe” students the ability to use Express are those within is enough for me not to make a repeat visit.

Tribe Square. Those restaurants are not yet listed but If that wasn’t off-putting enough, I had the exact claim that they will be soon. same issue at the Sadler Center cafeteria. Issues with I will continue to patronize of businesses that offer understanding how to use a student credit system at promised locations off-campus is one thing, but having these Express, as well as locations where I have to use other forms of payment. Honest businesses build customer same issues at a College-run cafeteria is another entirely. If loyalty. Those that continue to misinform College you have agreed to offer a service, students should be able students should reconsider their business practices if they to do so without difficulty. It seems that both on and off campus, people are not being properly trained how to accept want repeat customers.

Express. All it takes in order to do so is pressing a couple of Email Elliott Hay at mehay@email.wm.edu.

Elliott Hay

“

“

Strong signal

very weekend students at the College of William and Mary are faced with the sad realization that Williamsburg nightlife seems stuck in 1693. After-hours entertainment for students at the College means drudging to the units, standing in line to get into the same three delis or heading to an AMP event. This lack of opportunities leaves students frustrated and constantly wondering: Isn’t there anything else?

A new program, Mobile Me, created by the College strives to make students aware that there are other off-campus options.

The application will send discounts and flyers to students via text messages and emails. Participating Williamsburg businesses will have better access to students for advertising, and students will have more information about discounts and events happening in Williamsburg. It’s a win-win situation for both businesses and students.

We’re excited about this plan because it gives students a chance to get off campus and save money. It is important to note that the College is spearheading this partnership between students and businesses. In attempting to get students on board with this program, the College sees this plan as a way to create better town-gown relations and to get students more involved with the Williamsburg community. Currently, residents seem to believe that students don’t contribute anything more than noise violations to the city. This program encourages students to spend money off campus, generating more revenue for both local businesses and the city itself. The College must be commended for trying to help students utilize the resources available to them in the city and perhaps to overturn some of the negative feelings that Williamsburg lacks any sort of social scene.

While this program is an effort by the College to bridge the gap between the city and the students, it is not a very large step. The major drawback to this deal is that the only businesses currently involved in the messaging system are the ones that accept William and Mary Express. While we understand that the College needs to protect and promote the businesses with whom it already has partnerships, the current choices are just too limited. Even though there is a significant list of businesses that accept Express, students seem to use Express primarily at Wawa. Students are not taking advantage of discounts at other Express-accepting locations, and Express is not what draws students to off-campus businesses.

Students are enticed by good deals. By only helping these select few locations, the program is taking a huge bite out of students’ offcampus-options.

By taking this first step, the College is moving toward improving the options students have available to them, while simultaneously opening a new dialogue between Williamsburg and the College.

As students on tight budgets, we’re always enthusiastic when the College offers us new ways to save some money — we just want to see more. In order to build a better relationship between the city and the College, the College needs to open this opportunity to more businesses.

Until then, we hope that students take advantage of all of the deals this new program offers to find new haunts in Williamsburg.

Maybe they’ll find that Williamsburg is more than an extensive retirement community with people dressed in colonial garb.

The staff editorial represents the opinion of The Flat Hat. The editorial board, which is elected by The Flat Hat’s section editors and executive staff, consists of Mike Barnes, Jill Found, Ellie Kaufman, Elizabeth DeBusk and Alex Cooper.

The Flat Hat welcomes submissions to the Opinions section. Limit letters to 250 words and columns to 650 words. Letters, columns, graphics and cartoons reflect the view of the author only. Email submissions to fhopinions@gmail.com.

Comments @theflathat

Street Beat

What did you do for Valentine’s Day?

“ “

Who let the no fun monster out of its cage?

“One football of my good guy friends “The game.

Go Tribe!” got One Accord to serenade me with ‘Shining Star’ by Michael Buble.”

Sam Meadows ’12 Kelly O’Toole ’14

“Friday’s pranked. events My girlfriend — the parade, “Studying for Calc 2 all day in “Went “The homecoming to a Thai restaurant step show withand “I got the I are pep RAs rally, in Botetourt, and the block and my after girlfriends party that and theexchanged Black Student and Swem.” sheparty sent all — my seems residents like a Jonas legit day, valentines Organization and puts gifts.”on.”

Brothers a day of valentines fun.” from me.”

Angela Lemondre McIntosh Watson ’13 ’13 Cheryl Williams ’13 Sherry Yu ’15 Poorna Dharmasri ’13 Kiara Shawn Savage Burley ’14‘13 Emma Zhao ’15

“ “

Editorial cartoon

—David_Robbins on “Sorority events reevaluated”

This system seems similar to the curriculum in high school, where instead of picking a class that plays to the student’s strengths and interests, all requirements are thrown together in a set of classes.

—Jillian_Feinstein on “Raising the banner for improved GER”

­— photos and interviews bY Michelle Gabro

Movin’ Out: New fraternity housing is bid for improvements to Greek life David Alpert Few things possess

Flat Hat Staff Columnist

With spring rush over and the fraternity complex just 18 months from completion, I began to wonder how the new complex will change Greek life at the College of William and Mary.

To know where fraternity life is going, it’s critical to examine where it is today.

According to a January report from the Office of Greek Life, there are 19 social fraternities, with an average membership of 32 brothers. To put that in perspective, the average fraternity has four fewer brothers than the number of beds in each unit of the current fraternity complex.

Fraternity membership at the College

has been on the decline since the ’70s.

As membership decreased, chapters struggled to fill their houses. Many chapters, like those at the College, were required to pay for vacancies, which caused a shift in chapter dues away from desired programming and toward the cost of empty rooms. As chapters began to have less bang for their buck in terms of dues money, recruitment was negatively affected and membership decreased further.

The new complex will consist of one community building and 11 houses, each with 17 beds. Associate Director for Greek Life and Leadership Anne Arseneau said that in order for a chapter to be eligible to apply for the new housing, it must have a three-year average of at least 34 members.

The hope is that size is a significant enough buffer for the new complex to remain a perfect for a long time.

Arseneau expects recruitment to

benefit from this change. Having 11 chapters on campus will highlight the diversity of the Greek community in a way that will better appeal to the diverse student body.

While Arseneau said that the new complex will be a great showcase for rush, there is also a possibility that the move to smaller houses might drag down chapter sizes in the long-term, as chapters no longer worry about keeping a unit full.

For the four fraternities who currently occupy an entire unit, the move to the new fraternity complex will halve their number of beds on-campus. Some have speculated that the new complex will lead to a heavier off-campus social scene.

Arseneau disagrees.

She pointed to 2009, when three fraternities voluntarily left the units, because filling them became costprohibitive. The change will allow chapters to be able to offer the flexibility

that brothers want when making their housing choices, to be an RA or live in a nicer dorm rather than requiring them to live in the unit.

The success of the new complex remains to be seen, but change is definitely coming, and the Office of Greek Life is betting big on the new complex.

Email David Alpert at daalpert@email. wm.edu.

Read more of David’s column at

FLATHATNEWS.COM

Graphic by Rachel Pulley /the Flat hat

variety

Variety Editor Katie Demeria flathat.variety@gmail.com

Extraordinary Cupcakes The Flat Hat

| Friday, February 17, 2012 | Page 6

COURTESY PHOTO / EXTRAORDINARY CUPCAKES

FLA TH HE /T SS LA AG TIN RIS

College students are always looking for the next big thing, and every campus has their own claim to fame. The University of Virginia has The Corner, James Madison University has Jimmy Johns and the College of William and Mary has the ever-popular Wawa — although the rumors are not true, it is not the highest-grossing Wawa in the country.

However, Extraordinary Cupcakes, a new cupcake shop that recently opened on Richmond Road, is now giving Wawa muffins a run for their money. This new shop provides creative, affordable and delicious cupcakes — all within walking distance from campus, a clearly strategic position.

“It’s close enough to the College for kids to still want to come, and it’s on Richmond Road so people driving by can see it, and it’s local, but not competing with Merchant Square traffic,” Adam Steely, one of the owners, said.

Steely and wife Dyana, amateur baker and cupcake connoisseur, opened the shop Jan. 25 to a huge crowd. They have since received a lot of traffic, often running out of certain varieties of cupcake before the end of the business day.

The Steelys lead a busy life in Williamsburg, not only owning and managing the shop but also working second jobs. Dyana is a sixth-grade earth science teacher at Hornsby Middle School and Adam is the general manager of the Blue Talon Bistro. Both have long been active members of the Williamsburg community and they started the shop because of his business skills and her passion for cake.

“Her [Dyana’s] favorite food is cake, any flavor of it,” Steely said. “And there are so few places in Williamsburg that make any kind of cake. After four years of thinking about it, we finally saw the opportunity and decided to try it.”

Bright blue walls catch the patron’s attention upon entering the store and a row of stands with upside-down glass beakers showcase the daily featured cupcakes on a table at the front of the store. Looking over

the shop is an enormous scene of a peacock stretching across the entire wall behind the front desk, with numerous cupcakes sitting on the platforms of the giant rotating circle that frames it.

A list of the flavors, painted in scrawling silver script in a very inviting mural of colors and forms, greets customers. The artist is a personal friend of the Steelys named Happy the Artist, whose work can be seen all over the Richmond area in restaurants, banks, schools and numerous other places.

“The shop is so pretty. I love the colors and decorations inside — it’s a pretty small space, but the decor is so classy and inviting you do not even notice,” Briana List ’15 said.

“The location is really convenient for a quick treat on your way to or from the grocery store, but just far enough that you aren’t tempted to go all the time.”

Extraordinary Cupcakes features different cupcakes on a rotating schedule.

“We have 12 flavors that rotate in and out, that we make from scratch,” Steely said. “The 12 we chose came from flavors that we most wanted to include or got the best feedback about from friends or family. We have incarnations of chocolate, adding salt to caramel, coconut creme and maple bacon cupcakes.”

The cupcakes come in a variety of flavors and unite unexpected tastes. These popular options frequently sell out by early afternoon.

“Eating the cupcakes is a magical experience,” Naomi Slack ’15 said. “They’re welldone, in both presentation and taste. If you’re lucky enough to catch the cupcakes they’ve just put out when they’re still a bit warm, they take on a whole new level of deliciousness.”

According to the owners, the shop aims to ultimately bring the community together over a love of sweets, from students to local families.

It has already proved to be a popular hangout spot for students, with large groups of friends planning cupcake excursions.

“Hopefully, rather than being creative or new, we want to echo what we, and people in general, love about cake,” Steely said.

“We want the moment you come in to be an escape that takes you to a happy place.

Cupcakes are not supposed to be stressful or high maintenance.”

CH

BY BAILEY KIRKPATRICK FLAT HAT ASSOC. VARIETY EDITOR

AT

Local shop sweetens student lifestyle

COURTESY PHOTO / EXTRAORDINARY CUPCAKES

AT

H AT

A

IN

ST RI

S/

G

S LA

L EF

TH

CH CHRISTINA GLASS / THE FLAT HAT

The sweetest new edition to Richmond Road, Extraordinary Cupcakes, was opened on Jan. 24 by Williamsburg residents Adam and Dyana Steely. They sell 12 different flavors of cupcakes that rotate daily.

CHRISTINA GLASS / THE FLAT HAT

Friday, February 17, 2012

The Flat Hat

Page 7

CONFUSION CORNER

Getting old isn’t all it’s cracked up to be

e l c f t e i n g R

Dasha Godunova

confusion corner columnist

COURTESY PHOTO / 123RF.COM

Performance incorporates audience but fails to immerse

BY IAN GOODRUM FLAT HAT STAFF WRITER

‘How very clever,’ I thought as I sat down in the Studio Theatre at Phi Beta Kappa Hall.

‘They’ve made the classroom into a stage.’

As time passed, those three words became something of a mantra.

‘How very clever, the audience is on the mats with the actors.’

‘How very clever, the games in the play are including bystanders.’

Now, there’s nothing wrong with cleverness.

It’s a quality worth admiring, and certainly one worth praising when found in a piece of theater. Under ordinary circumstances, its presence in a production of Annie Baker’s “Circle Mirror Transformation” would be considered a boon to the performance. But this is no ordinary production, and it’s not trying to do ordinary things. Under director Larissa Kruesi ’12, this “Circle Mirror” is meant to be an articulation of environmental theater precepts, where a play set in a specific space actually takes place in that space. In this case, the scenes in question are part of a ‘creative drama’ class, in which community

Watch

center patrons from ages 16 to 60 do abstract exercises meant to spark pure feeling and expel overthinking in performance.

“Are we going to be doing any real acting?” a character plaintively asks, frustrated with the endless sound games and physical activities.

Unsuspecting audience members, unused to the rapid-fire vignette style of the play, may find themselves asking the same question.

But for this experiment in environmental theater to be effective, the experience should be one of complete immersion. “Circle Mirror,” with its fragmentary nature and long story span — the play gives us almost two months’s worth of classes in two hours — breaks up the action so often that it’s nearly impossible to get settled into the idea that we are really in the space and not in some representation of the space. Marty, the 55-year-old instructor played with delicate restraint by Hannah-Lee Grothaus ’14, welcomes me to the class, but once the lights go down for the tenth time, I’m clearly still watching a play.

When her husband James, a one-note Nick Hampson ’13, brushes by me and says, “Excuse me,” it’s a nice touch, but I and the rest of the audience seated around the room are rarely noticed again. And when the scenes between

good-natured, slightly obsessive Schultz, Ryan Warsing ’15, and flighty Theresa, Alison Bushey ’13, seem stagey and unpolished, the conceit of the whole thing rings false. Not even the expertly crafted recalcitrance of Mikaela Saccoccio ’12 as the troubled, confused teenager in the group can make up for the overwhelming theatricality of a production meant to de-emphasize the theatrical.

Because Kruesi’s “Circle Mirror” attempts to dodge the conventions of traditional theater, there are very few technical flourishes of which to speak.

The lights come up, and the lights come down. The characters say their lines, play their games, and give something of themselves into it all. The play is marvelous, a piercing look into the lives of people looking to enrich their lives.

But in this setting, it’s like watching a slideshow of a great vacation while someone describes it to you. You can’t see the whole thing; you weren’t there! It would be a lot better if the actor would just be quiet and let the pictures speak for themselves.

Listen

Join garage/psychedelic rock band The Suzan for Tonight and tomorrow at both 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. in the Sadler Center Commonwealth Auditorium, coffee and a chat on Saturday afternoon from 1:30 AMP will be screening Disney’s The Muppets. p.m. to 4 p.m. in Washington 315. The Suzan is an The 2011 movie stars Jason Segel, Amy Adams all-girl group whose music is classified as “multigenre,” combining and a few of your favorite elements of pop, dance, childhood friends, such punk and garage as Kermit the Frog. In the rock. The fifth annual fictional “Smalltown,” Global Film Festival, the Muppets’s theater is which takes place this in danger of being sold weekend, is what brings and destroyed at the the Tokyo-based group hands of an oil magnate. to Williamsburg; they To save the theater, the will be performing later protagonists must raise on in the evening at The $10 million. In addition Crust. To date, the Suzan to receiving high critical has released one EP and reviews, the film’s song two full albums, the most “Man or Muppet” is recent being “Golden currently in the running Week for the Poco Poco for the Academy Award COURTESY PHOTO / THISGUYOVERHERE.COM Beat,” in 2010. for Best Original Song.

Laugh

Ever since I was 10 years old, hungrily munching on Pixy Stix and Lunchables at prodigious rates, all I ever wanted to be was a grown-up. It didn’t matter how, when or at what cost, but the idea was paradise itself — to be in charge of my own life, to finally buy and wear the forbidden bright green eye shadow — a decision I find myself agreeing with — or to go to an R-rated movie without my parents buying my ticket and ensuring all sorts of embarrassment in the process.

So as my senior year at the College of William and Mary looms, imagine my complete loss for what to think now that growing up comes with a few more complications than I previously had imagined.

First and foremost, at the ripe old age of 12, the prospect of being responsible for my own decisions sounded like the perfect future. In fact, it meant that at some point, I would have free reign to eat KitKats for breakfast, rent and drive a red convertible to California to hang out with Orlando Bloom and stay up until 3 a.m. very night watching Hey Arnold, Lizzie McGuire and Home Alone 2.

Unfortunately, now that I’m in my 20s, responsibility has a slightly different definition. It now means that I have to figure out some reasonable way to fill out my 1040 tax forms, find some sort of income to subsidize my shopping whims and driving habits and, last but not least, innocently forge an “excused absence” note so that I can spend a day lazily on the couch watching Maury and People’s Court re-runs.

I also used to love the idea of growing up and having complete and utter freedom. Whether that meant going to the airport and buying myself a plane ticket to the Bahamas or buying Chinese food and Dairy Queen Blizzards for lunch every day, I imagined growing up as freedom in its truest sense.

Sadly, I now seem to be coming across some limitations as a grown-up too. For example, free time is now a bit of a fairytale, an alternative state of being that in no way exists during the week. If it does somehow fall in your lap, however, it’s usually now wasted on doing the very things I used to find so boring about adults — catching up on emails, organizing my planner or simply sitting on a warm bench in the sun.

Last but not least, at 10 years old, I believed growing up meant having cash — unlimited amounts of it.

Instead of having to make do with allowances of seven dollars per week, I would be rolling in the green, struggling each day to stuff my oversized wallet into my even more oversized and expensive purse.

At the same time, I also would also have complete freedom to buy as many racecars, private beaches, unicorns and horse stables as I could ever desire — and then spend my day camping in the mountains or enjoying my Sunny D by a crystal blue pool.

However, even the simplest hope for my very own horse was quickly crushed by financial aid applications, rent payments and, of course, groceries. Even the Lunchables of which I had once dreamed, going at a non-discounted rate of $3.48 per pack, are now a bit too much for my slim wallet and newfound love for lattes and Frappuccinos.

Even though I just ranted on why growing up isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be, it’s inevitable nevertheless. So what can we do but make the best of it? In the meantime, whether it’s skipping a few classes this week or taking an impromptu beach trip, the one thing you should never leave behind is your five-year-old self. At the end of the day when there is nothing grown-up to smile about, your smile is the one thing that never changes — and the one thing you should never have a reason to change.

Dasha Godunova is a Confusion Corner columnist, and despite the knowledge that her 11th birthday and subsequent chance to be accepted into the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has long passed, works hard to act, whine, complain and laugh like a 5-year old each and every day.

Learn

Learn about media representation of women Combine music and comedy Saturday with AMP in Lodge One, where Jen Kwok will be with the Student Assembly senate Sunday at a performing. Kwok — a comedian, actress, writer screening of the film Miss Representation. The documentary exposes the and musician — ­ presents emphasis that the media a unique routine involving in our society places on the a mixture of comedy and value of a woman’s “youth, musical stylings on the beauty and sexuality, and not ukulele. Known for her in her capacity as a leader” “velvety voice and razorand highlights prominent sharp wit,” Kwok is based women such as Condoleezza in New York and has Rice, Katie Couric and Gloria performed everywhere Steinem. Written, directed and from the Gotham Comedy produced by Jennifer Siebel Club to college campuses.

Newsom, Miss Representation The New York Times, PBS was selected to premiere at the and MTV are just a few 2011 Sundance Film Festival prominent media sources and has since been broadcast that have recognized her. on the Oprah Winfrey Network.

The performance begins The film will be screened in at 9 p.m., and there is no COURTESY PHOTO / JENKWOK.NET Tyler 102 at 3 p.m. charge for admission.

sports

Sports Editor Jared Foretek Assoc. Sports Editor Chris Weber flathatsports@gmail.com

The Flat Hat | Friday, February 17, 2012 | Page 8

LACROSSE

MEN’S BASKETBALL

College falls in nail-biter Drops to 0-3 with one-goal loss at Navy

BY CHRIS WEBER FLAT HAT ASSOC. SPORTS EDITOR

HAYLEY TYMESON / THE FLAT HAT

Sophomore guard Brandon Britt scored 12 points on 5 of 7 shooting but turned the ball over four times in the Tribe’s 63-61 loss to Drexel Tuesday. The team shot 60 percent in the second half.

Drexel fends off surging Tribe, 63-61 Second-half shooting sparks comeback but College comes up short against CAA’s best

BY JARED FORETEK FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR

Coming off the best win of its season — a 79-54 beatdown of Northeastern — William and Mary continued its streak of hot play, taking conferenceleader Drexel to the wire before falling by a score of 63-61 in Philadelphia.

After leading by one with 3 minutes, 30 seconds to go in the game, Drexel (22-5, 14-2 CAA) grabbed hold of the game down the stretch, extending its lead to six points with just 43 ticks remaining.

But the College (5-23, 3-13 CAA) fought back with a pair of quick layups, followed by intentional fouls. Sophomore guard Brandon Britt then knocked down a long three pointer to make the score 62-61 in Drexel’s favor with 2.4 seconds left. The College fouled immediately on the ensuing inbound, and Dragons guard Frantz Massenat went to the line.

Massenat would miss the first before connecting on the back end, and the game hung in the balance as the Tribe set to inbound, down two with just two seconds to go.

Junior guard Matt Rum sent a long pass to senior forward Quinn McDowell, who stood about 30 feet from the hoop, but McDowell was unable to gather the pass and keep his feet, falling to the floor as the clock expired.

The win was the 14th straight for the Dragons.

“We’ve played two really fine ball games in a row,”

head coach Tony Shaver said. “High-level games. We went toe-to-toe at Drexel with a team that hadn’t lost at home.”

Coming off the bench for the second game in a row, freshman guard Marcus Thornton led the way for the Tribe’s offense, scoring 13 points, grabbing four rebounds, and dishing two assists while turning the ball over just once.

Britt scored 12 but had four turnovers, and senior guard Kendrix Brown scored 11. Sophomore center Tim Rusthoven also had a big day, scoring 11, grabbing eight boards and logging two assists, one block and three steals.

“Tim’s playing great right now,” Shaver said. “He’s playing with a really high level of toughness. He missed a lot of our season, and he’s really rounding into his own right now. Drexel’s a big, physical basketball team, and Tim did a terrific job offensively, defensively, on the boards, every stretch of the imagination. He’s playing with a lot of heart.”

The game was a tale of two halves, as the College’s offense struggled mightily to find a rhythm over the first 20 minutes, shooting just 37.5 percent from the floor. But the defensive effort was solid, holding Drexel to an only slightly better 38.7 percent mark in the first, and the Tribe kept the Dragons within reach as halftime came with Drexel up 31-25.

A layup by Dragon Samme Givens to open the second half gave Drexel its biggest lead of the second period, but the Tribe continued to hang

around, cutting the lead to just one. After a Drexel miss, Shaver took a timeout, but whatever was drawn up didn’t work very well as Rum was forced into a desperation three with the shot clock winding down at the 11:21 mark. The shot was off, and Derrick Thomas pushed Drexel’s lead back up to four with a trey on the next possession. It wasn’t until 3:30 was left in the contest that the College actually took its only lead of the second half with a Rusthoven layup.

The second half saw a much-improved offensive output for the College, as the Tribe shot 60 percent from the floor in the final period. The defense remained strong, as Drexel finished the game at 42.3 percent. Shaver attributed some of that to the lineup changes that have, among other things, moved Thornton out of the starting five (the freshman is still receiving ample playing time, he logged 26 minutes in Philadelphia).

“Our defense has really improved. We’ve been up and down defensively,” Shaver said. “But we made some lineup changes that have been a factor. Right now our best offensive lineup is our worst defensive lineup, so we’ve had to make some adjustments with that. … As a result, all the guys seem to be getting better and that’s exciting.”

With three games left before the conference tournament, the Tribe will next travel to Lexington, Va. for a Bracketbusters matchup Saturday with Big South opponent Virginia Military Institute.

Following losses to two nationally ranked top-five teams, William and Mary traveled to Annapolis in search of a much-needed win.

Instead, Navy held on to edge the Tribe, 13-12.

It was the first time in three seasons that the Mids (1-1) got the best of the College (03), which was ranked in the top 20 nationally the last two times the teams met.

Three Tribe players notched hat tricks in the contest, as junior attacker Kyrstin Macrides, sophomore attacker Taelor Salmon and freshman attacker Kaleigh Noon all found the back of the net three times. Salmon also logged a career-high five ground balls while forcing two turnovers.

Navy opened the scoring early, jumping out to a two-goal lead before the Tribe got on the board with 25 minutes, 23 seconds left in the half. As teams traded scores and possession, three quick unanswered goals gave the Tribe its first lead of the afternoon.

But the Tribe couldn’t hang on to the advantage, as the two squads went into halftime in an 8-8 deadlock. Freshman goalie Lucy Ferguson stood stout in goal, finishing with a game-high 12 saves.

As the second half got underway in Annapolis, sophomore midfielder Hannah Clarke scored first for the College. The Mids responded, however, launching a 4-1 run to give Navy a 12-10 lead with 18:39 to go.

With just 2:03 remaining, Noon completed her hat trick to make the score 13-12 in favor of the Mids, but before the comeback could be completed, Navy regained possession and ran out the clock.

The game featured six ties and four lead changes, with neither team building up a lead of more than two. The College finished with 24 fouls, while Navy committed a sky-high 40. The Mids dealt out 16 more fouls than the Tribe in the first half alone.

While the Tribe’s non-conference record fell to 0-3, the team has traditionally performed well within the CAA. The only other team in the conference whose season has already kicked off is George Mason, which rolled to an easy win over St. Francis.

Part of the issue in the Tribe’s first three games has been its lack of offensive production.

The team has been outscored 50-29 thus far, and has racked up just four assists in three games while opponents have put up 20.

The College will wrap up its three-game road trip when Virginia Tech plays host to the Tribe in the Hokies’s season-opener next Saturday in Blacksburg.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Tribe stops five-game losing streak, edging VCU on road

Defensive intensity down the stretch helps Tribe to 66-63 win

BY JARED FORETEK FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR

William and Mary ended its five-game losing streak Thursday, knocking off Virginia Commonwealth in Richmond, 66-63.

The win keeps the Tribe (10-15, 3-11 CAA) tied for the 10th spot in the conference with Northeastern, which beat Georgia State Thursday.

It was anybody’s ball game midway through the second half with things knotted at 45. But junior center Jaclyn McKenna’s three-pointer gave the College a 50-47 lead with 9 minutes, 1 second to go. Despite being tested down the stretch, the Tribe wouldn’t relinquish the advantage.

Junior guard Taylor Hilton later capped off an 8-2 Tribe run with a pair of free throws to give the College a seven point lead with just over five minutes to go. But VCU (14-11, 7-7 CAA) wouldn’t go away, responding immediately with a 6-0 run of its own. The Rams couldn’t close the gap, and McKenna hit a layup with 1:04 left that put the Tribe up 62-57. Still, the Rams fought back, as VCU’s Courtney Hurt hit a free throw on the ensuing Rams possession. When she missed the second, VCU came up with the offensive board and Aprill McRae put it back up, drawing a foul from McKenna. McRae hit both of her chances from the stripe to cut the College’s lead back down to two.

But the College wouldn’t buckle when the Rams sent them to the line, and senior guard Katherine DeHenzel knocked down a pair of free throws to give the Tribe an insurmountable four-point lead with 25 ticks left. DeHenzel would

TALE OF THE TAPE TRIBE

VCU

9

TURNOVERS

19

32

REBOUNDS

46

40.3

SHOOTING PCT.

42.2

finish four and tied senior guard Taysha Pye for the team-high with 15 points.

It was not the best offensive night for the College, which shot just 40.3 percent from the floor. But the Tribe protected the ball well, committing just nine turnovers, and played stingy defense in the second half, holding VCU to 37.1 percent from the floor over the final 20 minutes and forcing 19 turnovers on the night.

After scoring the first basket of the game, the Tribe actually trailed for most of the first, and with 9:13 left in the first, a layup from McRae opened up a 19-11 lead for the Rams. The College responded with a 9-1 run to tie it at 20 before VCU took a 3129 lead into the half. In the first period, the Tribe was outshot 48.3 to 40.6 percent, but bore down on the defensive end in the second period.

Pye — making just her fifth start of the season despite entering the night in a tie for the secondhighest points per game average on the team — finished with 15 points on 5 of 18 shooting, seven rebounds and four steals. Hilton also came off the bench to make a big contribution, scoring 10 on 4 of 5 shooting and pulling down four boards in just

CHRISTINA GLASS / THE FLAT HAT

Freshman guard Kyla Kerstetter scored two points in the Tribe’s victory over VCU Thursday. The win stopped a five-game slide.

17 minutes.

The win could have seeding implications for the conference tournament, which starts March 8. With four conference games to go, the Tribe is fighting for the No. 10 seed with Northeastern.

Current No. 9 seed Old Dominion will be almost impossible to catch as the Monarchs have a threegame lead on the College.

The Tribe will return to action when it hosts UNC-Wilmington Sunday.