VARIETY // Award-winning filmmaker Spike Lee gives advice on education , p. 6
Vol. 101, Iss. 42 | Friday, March 30, 2012
The Flat Hat The Twice-Weekly Student Newspaper
of The College of William and Mary
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Shining the light
Senate urges loan reform
Student debt addressed bY maggie kern
Flat hat staff writer
Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, took to the floor of the U.S. Senate to challenge student loan policies Tuesday. In an attempt to restructure how higher education loans will operate, Durbin proposed a bill that would forgive student debt if the person holding the loans entered bankruptcy at any point in time. Durbin expressed his discontent with the loan process which financially straps struggling students to a life of debt, and ultimately has negative effects on the economy. Durbin also called out Congress for largely ignoring the predicament of many college students. Both students and administrators agreed that loans recently have become a fact of life for many students at the College of William and Mary. Jennifer Meier, assistant director of the Financial Aid Office, counsels students who rely on student loans to attend the College. “For some students, loans are a necessary thing for them to come to school here — especially for out-of-state students,” Meier said. “It’s a shame that college is no longer affordable. It’s become something that’s really blown out of proportion.” “To attend an elite college in this country, it’s almost a necessity to take out student loans,” Chris Salvi ’12, who uses loans to pay for tuition at the College, said. Others take a more positive outlook on loans. “While I am personally not on student loans, I’m all for student loans that make it possible for a lot of people to go to this school that otherwise could not afford to do so,” Megan Burns ’12 said. Some students feel ambivalent about the implications of absolving student debt in the case of bankruptcy. “There’s a bit of a moral hazard with the idea of student loans being absolved. It almost gives an incentive for bankruptcy,” Salvi said. “However, certain restrictions and [forgiveness] make sense.” Burns also found the idea of pardoning debt hazardous. “I don’t think that it’s fiscally sustainable for the government to absolve students of their loans,” Burns said. “A better practice
Students hold a vigil for Florida teen Trayvon Martin by jared foretek FLAT HAT sports editor Tears streamed and candles flickered among a sea of hooded students and community and faculty members as student leaders and professors stood and spoke of how, according to them, justice had yet to be carried out. The tragedy that happened over 700 miles away when an unarmed Trayvon Martin was shot by a community watch captain Feb. 26 hit home for the hundreds of College of William and Mary students
who organized and attended a vigil in the Wren Courtyard calling for justice for the black 17-year-old in Sanford, Fl. Hoods were worn to protest comments made by Geraldo Rivera of Fox News asserting that Martin’s hoodie was just as culpable in his death as George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch captain who shot Martin and claimed selfdefense, saying that the teenager attacked him, repeatedly slammed his head into the pavement and ultimately went for his gun. See vigil, page 3 michelle gabro / THE FLAT HAT
crime
See loans, page 4
mental health
Student assaulted College purchases new mental health program Police unable to find suspect
“At-Risk” program uses avatars to explain campus resources for students
bY jill found Flat hat editor in chief
bY ellie kaufman Flat hat chief staff writer
A female College of William and Mary student was assaulted Wednesday night by an unidentified white male between the ages of 20 and 25. In a campus-wide email to the College community, Vice President for Student Affairs Ginger Ambler ’88 Ph.D. ’06 explained that the suspect approached the student around 9:40 p.m. on the cul-de-sac on Harrison Avenue. He then grabbed her and repeatedly struck her on the buttocks before running away. Despite the startling nature of the attack, the suspect did not seriously injure the student. “Anytime we learn of a student who has been assaulted, either by a stranger (as was the case in this instance) or by a non-stranger, we reach out to offer support,” Ambler said in the email. “The trauma that comes from having been physically
You are an Avatar named Jesse. Throughout the day, you walk around campus, encountering four friends and discovering their various emotional issues. After a series of social situations, you are put to the test. Should you be concerned about your friends? How do you approach them? What resources are available at your college to help them? All three questions are answered in the new virtual suicide prevention simulation
See assault, page 4
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made available to College of William and Mary students March 26. The simulation is designed to help students recognize their peers’ problems before a situation becomes unmanageable or dangerous. You have the lead role in the suicide prevention program, “At Risk: Friends in College,” accessed through the Kognito website under the Office of Health Education link on Wm.edu. “Mental health issues and suicide prevention in particular really require that we take a multidimensional approach,” Vice President for Student Affairs
Inside opinions
courtesy photo / arus.kognito.com
Using avatar guide Morgan, the program shows students how to handle concerns.
Ginger Ambler ’88 Ph.D. ’06 said. Ambler cited suicide as the second leading cause of death
among all college students in a See mental health, page 4
Inside SPORTS
At Risk: New suicide prevention program The College of William and Mary should do whatever possible to encourage students to participate in a new suicide prevention program. page 5
Tribe squashes Spiders
Behind freshman first baseman Michael Katz’s big day, the College scored a 9-5 road victory over Richmond Tuesday. page 8