VARIETY // Guide to housing, on-campus and off, p. 6
Vol. 101, Iss. 45 | Tuesday, April 10, 2012
The Flat Hat
Greek life
The Twice-Weekly Student Newspaper
of The College of William and Mary
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Moving on up College begins selection process for new fraternity housing on campus by katherine chiglinsky Flat hat news editor
Fraternities at the College of William and Mary moved one step closer in the process of selecting the new fraternity housing Wednesday. After presenting before a panel composed of faculty, administrators, housing board members and non-affiliated students, a fraternity was designated as either a top-five chapter or a bottom-four chapter. Within the top five, the fraternities will be randomly selected for the new fraternity housing spots 1-5, while the bottom four will be randomly selected for spots 6-9 at a later date. The panel chose Alpha Tau Omega, Delta Phi, Kappa Delta Rho, Sigma Chi and Beta Theta Pi as the top five while Delta Chi, Kappa Alpha, Lambda Chi Alpha and Pi Kappa Alpha were in the bottom four. Selections were based on awards, honors, community involvement, academic integrity, philanthropic and service activities, alumni support and institutional history. Last year’s Inter-Fraternity Council proposed the selection process. The new fraternity housing complex will be comprised of 11 houses and one community building. Two fraternities, Sigma Pi and Kappa Sigma, are currently not eligible for the housing process. Sigma Pi failed to identify a facility board within their chapter and also failed to produce a letter of recommendation from their national organization, two requirements necessary in order to present to the panel. Kappa Sigma presented before the panel but was not allowed to select housing due to recent disciplinary action at the College. “That doesn’t mean that they will not get housing, it just means that a decision on how and when they get to move forward will be postponed for a bit,” Assistant Director of Student Activities Jennifer Leung said. “Those are two groups that are having some conduct issues. Both groups have very good intentions on how to move forward in a positive way; they just need to demonstrate that those good intentions are producing results. In the fall, they’ll get to revisit [the issue]. They still have plenty of time — they just won’t participate in the selection that’s occurring this semester.” In order to become eligible for the new housing, Sigma Pi and Kappa Sigma can emphasize improvement in any of the following areas: scholarship, community engagement, institutional structure and philanthropic and service activities. “If Kappa Sigma and Sigma Pi do not find themselves eligible for a new facility in the Fall of 2013, the unused buildings will be converted into independent housing, much like many of the units are today,” IFC President Ishan Bardhan ’13 said in an email. Lambda Alpha Chi was one of the fraternities placed in the bottom four after See HOUSING, page 3
dana dytang / THE FLAT HAT
courtesy photo / WM.EDU
Campus DIning SEries: Part III
Faculty
Ten College professors named in top 300 Dining develops Princeton Review selects top 300 undergraduate professors, 10 from College
by Meredith Ramey and Vanessa Remmers FLAT HAT assoc. news and managing editor
BY meredith ramey flat hat assoc. news editor
Professors at the College of William and Mary have long been praised for their work in the classroom, and now they may more proof to back up the boast. A study produced by the Princeton Review in collaboration with RateMyProfessors.com named 10 College professors on the list of top 300 undergraduate professors in the United States. The professors were chosen based on a combination of factors. The initial list of 42,000 decreased to 1,000 using RateMyProfessors.com’s student assessments of professors. Further input from school administrators, students and Princeton Review surveys produced the final list of 300. The 10 professors from the College who made the list are professor of English and American studies Elizabeth Barnes, associate professor of history Philip Daileader, associate professor of government David Dessler, William R. Kenan Jr. professor of humanities Melvin Patrick Ely, adjunct professor of psychology Frederick P. Frieden, distinguished associate professor of classical studies William Hutton ‘55, associate professor of geology Rowan Lockwood, premed advisor and adjunct professor of biology Beverly Sher, associate professor of psychology Peter Vishton, and Pullen Professor of history Jim Whittenburg.
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Addresses students’ concerns
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When asked about the study, many professors took the time to praise the College faculty as a whole, saying it reflects more on the school than on themselves. “We have one of the highest percentages of faculty in the top 300 across all schools in the U.S.,” Lockwood said in an email. “I think this reflects the incredible enthusiasm and dedication that [professors] Dessler have for teaching. Many schools say they value teaching, but William and Mary actually does.” Dessler agreed, noting that the study reflects a lot about the College, especially considering its smaller size. “What’s important isn’t who was selected, but the fact that so many were,” Dessler said in an email. “It’s a tribute to the uniformly high quality of undergraduate teaching and learning at the College.” Most of the professors on the list felt that their peers equally deserved to be recognized. “There are a lot of other people on campus who deserve to be on that list,” Hutton said. This is not the first program to recognize the faculty of the College. The institution has more
Inside opinions
recipients of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Outstanding Faculty Award than any other college or university. The College currently ranks No. 21 on RateMyProfessor.com with an average professor rating of 3.47 out of 5. Last fall, U.S. News and World Report ranked the College No. 8 on its list of Best Colleges for Undergraduate Teaching. In describing their roles as teachers, many of the 10 professors on Princeton’s list attributed their success to their students. “No one can be a good teacher without help from the students,” Dessler said in an email. “Faculty at William & Mary are extremely fortunate to work with students who are so serious about — and capable of — being good learners. Without them, professors here could never gain the Barnes recognition they do.” Frieden agreed, describing the qualities exhibited by students at the College. “They are the best and brightest, they are thoughtful, diligent, clever, witty, fun, a pleasure to teach,” Frieden said in an email. Barnes appreciated the methodology of the
Members of the Food Service Advisory Committee are faces that students rarely see when standing in lines at the College of William and Mary’s campus dining facilities, but they are responsible for significant changes to the dining experience of the campus community. Composed of students, ARAMARK officials and College administrators, FSAC’s mission involves bridging the gap between students and dining services and addresses everything from contractual issues to student concerns and recommendations. “There is a very open relationship with members of the committee, many of the committee member not only take the time to give us input during the meetings, but many of them take the time to pass on both positive and constructive ideas in between sessions. This allows us to stay abreast of student needs constantly,” Director of Dining Services Matthew Moss said in an email. According to a member of FSAC, the student voice on the committee is particularly valued, even if that voice is not always complimentary of dining services. “At the end of each meeting the students have 10 minutes or so to give their two cents about dining,” Mary Kate Kearney ’12 said. “Regardless of how we feel about Dining [Services] ... They are really good people.” According to Sikes, regular items on the committee’s
See PROFESSORS, page 3
See DINING, page 3
Spending money to lighten debt
The traditional methods of saving money and seeking employment are still the only ways to deal with student loan debt. page 6
Inside SPORTS
Blue Hens pluck Tribe
College opens up series with Delaware with 10-2 win, but ends the weekend with two consecutive heart-breaking losses. page 8