SPORTS // For Tre McBride, football and family go hand in hand, p. 7
Vol. 102, Iss. 10 | Friday, September 28, 2012
The Flat Hat The Twice-Weekly Student Newspaper
of The College of William and Mary
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Williamsburg
Student assembly
City Council discusses goals
Teicher wins 2016 presidency
Council pushes for more student-oriented retail bY claire gillespie Flat hat staff writer
really, for the College?” Mills said. Other senators were happy with the election results in light of recent efforts to revamp the SA image. “One of the big things that we talked about is making the SA more relatable and transparent,” Dallen McNerney ‘14 said. Elections Commission Chair T.J. O’Sullivan ’13 thought the race was much cleaner than the last spring’s SA election even though two candidates were kicked off the ballot for either not disclosing financial information or failing to complete an election test. “In terms of these elections, it is actually pretty good,” Sullivan said in regard to voter participation. “With the senior class, roughly 20 percent came out, which is good considering that they ran unopposed.” While 20 percent of the senior class showed up to vote, roughly 30 percent of every other
Increasing student and community-focused retail and diversifying industries are among Williamsburg’s upcoming projects. The City Council and Williamsburg residents met last Thursday evening to discuss the goals, initiatives and outcomes for 2013 and 2014. One of the biggest plans for the future is a push for more professional services. “Our engines now are tourism, hospitality and education. That’s what drives our revenue in the city. When you rely on one or two industries, there’s always a danger,” Michele DeWitt, the economic development director, said. An incentive program in the arts district gives tax cuts to creative businesses that position themselves in the area. Examples of creative businesses include software engineers and architects in addition to artists. Another big push is student-oriented retail near the College that would follow in the footsteps of Tribe Square and Brickhouse Tavern. “There has been a lot of progress with mixed-use development and the trolley. This is what people mostly care about in college — having places to go and things to do,” Danielle Waltrip ’14 said. Waltrip serves on the Neighborhood Relations Committee, which sends reference material to students about off-campus housing and city rules such as trash day regulations and public library hours. The Committee also works to maintain effective relationships between landlords, city residents, college students and neighbors. “The relationship between the city of Williamsburg and the College, in the seven years I have been here, has drastically improved,” Chris Connolly ’15, a Williamsburg native and a member of the Planning Commission, said. “The establishment of the Neighborhood Relations Committee and the work that it does allows more communication and alleviates some of the tensions between students and long-term residents. This has helped a lot.” Other upcoming plans are sidewalk improvements and increasing the number of units per acre, which would allow for more apartments or rooms in off-
See election
See city council page 3
Ethan Teicher ’16 garners 20 percent of vote to secure victory for freshman class president Thursday night ze fu / THE FLAT HAT
Student Assembly President Curt Mills ’13 leads freshman President-elect Ethan Teicher ’16 to his victory party.
by vanessa remmers flat hat managing editor
former SA Presidential candidate David Alpert ’13, with helping organize his campaign from the beginning of the semester. “I definitely look up to him,” Teicher said. “We sat down right before the campaign got started, and we planned out what to do.” SA President Curt Mills ’13 made it a point not to become as involved in the election as previous SA Presidents but still thought Teicher was the best man for the job. “My predecessor got actively involved in elections, and I didn’t think it was appropriate, so I can’t say I read every platform,” Mills said. “Ethan ran a hard-fought race. It was a very tight race between him and the second opponent. [He is] as qualified a class president as I‘ve ever seen.” Teicher’s drive was the main thing that impressed Mills. “First of all, someone who has the initiative to run for freshman class president is generally someone who is of high caliber. Three weeks into school — how detailed a plan can a student have,
Ethan Teicher ’16 claimed the position of Student Assembly freshman class president in a close election where one percent made all the difference. Roughly 30 percent of the freshman class voted Thursday between nine candidates all vying for the spot of freshman class president. “I’m at a loss for words. The idea that I beat [eight] other competent people. It came down to campaigning as hard as I could,” Teicher said. Teicher ran on a platform that pushed for greater freshman unity and more philanthropy. “I really wanted to run on philanthropy. It is very near and dear to my heart. And then freshman unity — I noticed in my freshman hall [that] we are all separating and doing things,” Teicher said. In order to promote unity, Teicher hopes to create a College social network as well as a freshman prom. Teicher credited his cousin,
administration
Williamsburg
Religious holidays Tourism revenue rises in Virginia in 2011 affect organizations Williamsburg sees little increase in tourism revenue due to lack of diversity
Rosh Hashanah alters sorority Bid Day by meredith ramey flat hat news editor
Leaders of student organizations at the College of William and Mary receive a scheduling flyer at the beginning of the fall semester reminding them of the major events they should be aware of when scheduling programs throughout the year. The flyer includes fall break and parents weekend, as well as the Christian holiday of Easter. Easter is the only religious holiday listed. Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement, began at sundown Tuesday. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, began at sundown Sunday Sept. 16. The Muslim Festival of Sacrifice, Eid al-Adha, is Oct. 26. The Office of the Provost reminds faculty and staff of the College of a variety of major religious holidays throughout the semester. The religious accommodations policy urges faculty, staff and administrators to remain sensitive to those students celebrating holidays of organized religions on and off campus. “We urge administrators, faculty members and staff to be sensitive to the religious holidays to avoid conflicts as much possible,” Provost See Holidays page 3
Index
News Insight News Opinions Variety Variety Sports Sports
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Today’s Weather
Stormy High 82, Low 63
by annie curran the flat hat
It seems that more families are discovering whether Virginia really is for lovers. Gov. Bob McDonnell announced that tourism revenue surpassed $20 billion in 2011. This is an eight percent increase from 2010. Yet, while the state is enjoying positive trends, tourism in Williamsburg increased only slightly. Bob Harris, senior vice president at the Greater Williamsburg Chamber and Tourism Alliance, noted that the lack of diversity in tourism for Williamsburg poses a challenge for the area. Additionally, tourism in the area focuses on leisure, not business. Harris, however, still finds some of the data for the year 2011 encouraging. “We were up 10,000 [hotel] rooms, which is an achievement considering we lost so many rooms during the summer and from Hurricane Irene,” Harris said. “That was a tough blow for us.” The hurricane hit during the normally
john anderson / THE FLAT HAT
Officials explained that the lack of diversity in tourism for Williamsburg poses a challenge for local businesses.
lucrative Labor Day Weekend. Meal revenue was up $6 million from 2010. On a smaller scale, room revenue increased by $158,000. One factor that can skew tourism data is the fact number of timeshares — 6,500 — in Williamsburg. These are often listed as estate ownership and do not always factor into
Inside opinions
Jobs on the mind
Right-leaning columnist Andrea AronSchiavone and left-leaning columnist Alex Cooper debate which presidential candidate will help the job market the most. page 4
tourism revenue. Some local business owners feel they have not seen an increase in business. “It’s been about the same,” Margaret Adams, a manager at The Cheese Shop, said. Billy Scruggs, the owner of the Fife and See tourism page 3
Inside VARIETY
Michelangelo at the Muscarelle
Lesser-known works of the Renaissance artist make their way to the College this spring. page 5