Flat Hat April 19 2022

T HE F LAT H AT

Vol. 112, Iss. 4 | Tuesday, April 19, 2021

The Weekly Student Newspaper

LAW SCHOOL

Immigration clinic endorses House bill

H.R. 6577 proposes to establish independent immigration courts ABIGAIL CONNELLY FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

U.S. Rep Zoe Lofgren (D-CA 19th district), chair of the House Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship, recently introduced a landmark congressional bill that would establish immigration courts as independent and assist in the protection of immigrants’ rights in court. H.R. 6577, known as the Real Courts, Rule of Law Act of 2022, was introduced Thursday, Feb. 3 and was considered by the House Committee on Judiciary Tuesday, April 5.

Members of the Immigration Clinic at the MarshallWythe School of Law Studies have been working to garner attention and support for the bill in the local community. Dylan Abrokwa-Jassor ’24 is a government major interning at the Immigration Clinic and is responsible for the promotion of the bill.

“Basically, the bill would establish immigration courts as independent under Article I of the United States constitution," Abrokwa-Jassor said. "To understand why the bill is so important, you have to look at how immigration courts are structured now.

And, essentially, immigration courts are a part of, or are housed under the Department of Justice, and the Department of Justice is an executive agency headed by the United States Attorney General."

Professor Stacy Kern-Scheerer, acting director of Clinical Programs and the director of the Immigration Clinic, briefly summarized the Clinic’s overall interest in the bill.

“You know, we were really looking for something that we could do outreach on and educate the community about, something that folks could think about,” KernScheerer said. “It’s something that people may not find on their own, because it’s not on the front page of a lot of media, but it’s something that we are very interested in and passionate about because, as advocates who go into immigration courts and sometimes deal with immigration courts with our clients, we really see how the system is not independent” Kern-Scheerer explained that the interrelationship between the Department of Justice and its immigration courts has profound impacts on the system of immigration justice.

Abrokwa-Jassor also expressed concerns regarding current immigration courts, as the current function of courts under the jurisdiction of the Attorney General can be interpreted as an inherently political system, as it can represent the interests of certain presidential administrations.

“Another big reason that this is important is that the people who are called immigration judges are not actually judges at all,” Abrokwa-Jassor said. “They more so function as employees of the executive branch.

They actually don’t require any prior immigration law experience before becoming a judge, and they are just hired and can be fired by whatever attorney general is in the office at that point.”

Currently, there is a significant backlog of asylum and deportation cases under the Biden administration.

See LAW SCHOOL page 8

of The College of William and Mary

flathatnews.com | @theflathat

"AS YOUNG PEOPLE, THIS FUTURE IS OUR OWN"

GRAPHIC BY ANNA ARNSBERGER / THE FLAT HAT

The College of William and Mary, UVA students promote sustainability HANNAH RAY // FLAT HAT NEWS ASSOC. EDITOR Tuesday, April 12, students representing sustainability projects at the College of William and Mary and the University of Virginia came together to present the Climate Action Partnership webinar highlighting ways to stay green on a college campus. Hosts for the event included Madeline Bertagnolli ’22 and Olivia Wachob ’23 representing the College and Morgan Foster ’22 and Nora Raleigh ’24 representing UVA. The event featured two student speakers: Neel Simpson ’22 from the College and Julianne Feutcher ’22 from UVA. The Climate Action Partnership was established between the two schools to support each other’s initiatives of making campus carbon emissions net zero by the year 2030.

“It's been really great to see how similar our goals and actions from both universities are to kind of pull it together as opposed to almost like competing against each other," Wachob said. "So it seems very collaborative, which is nice."

The partnership focuses on three areas: sharing information and resources on climate action planning and implementation processes, collaborating on outreach and engagement opportunities within the universities and surrounding communities and supporting other institutions of higher education and their communities in Virginia with climate action.

“This presentation is the culmination of one of the byproducts of this partnership, wherein which student representatives will be talking about their involvement in their respective universities, partnerships for sustainability and then how we all come together to better further these initiatives that are set through

this partnership,” Foster said.

Wachob and Bertagnolli introduced the Climate Action Roadmap at the College.

The initiative’s central focus is learning and empowerment, with three different areas included to support that goal. Sustainability working groups on campus drafted the plan last year. These areas of focus are a carbon neutral campus by 2030, education and research, and community action in the College community.

The Climate Action Roadmap seeks to make climate sustainability an integral part of life at the College. In March 2022, the Environmental Science & Policy program was officially renamed to the Environment & Sustainability Program. There are also plans for student orientation sustainability programs, setting a price for carbon offsets for department vehicles and reducing municipal waste to landfills by 65%, among many plans.

Foster and Raleigh of the UVA Office of Sustainability laid out their university’s goals for 2030 as well. These consist of ten goals persisting to implementation at all levels of the university, engaging the community, becoming carbon free by 2030 and fossil fuel free by 2050, as well as promoting sustainability in their curriculum.

Following the rundown of each institution’s sustainability goals, Simpson gave a talk on how college students may work towards climate action in their everyday lives.

Throughout his time at the College, Simpson has promoted sustainable living among the student body.

“This is really important because as young people, this future is our own and it's

important to be able to live and practice what we preach and make sure that as we go forward with climate mitigation and plans that we are actively seeking to improve our own practices in our everyday lives,” Simpson said.

Simpson went over various ways students can reduce and reuse their everyday products instead of throwing them away in landfills.

“A lot of the time, the most sustainable option is just not buying something new,” Simpson said.

Simpson also explained ways to maximize recycling on campus. Recycling bins accepting a mix of plastic, paper, metal and glass are typically found outside academic buildings and residence halls. More particular items like plastic bags, batteries and lightbulbs may be recycled using special facilities found at Swem Library or the Sadler Center, for example.

However, contamination is important to take into consideration when recycling. A lot of recycled materials, like greasy pizza boxes, will just be thrown away to go to landfills, which should be avoided.

“It doesn't only make that item unrecyclable, it can end up making an entire batch unable to process. While we want to emphasize recycling, I definitely want to emphasize that refusing, reducing and reusing are a lot more effective than recycling because of issues like this,” Simpson said.

Simpson also suggested composting as a way to reduce food waste. He explained that students can find a campus composting map and easily make a compost bin themselves if they live off campus like he did.

See CLIMATE page 8

ART

AAH Distinguished Lecture hosts Harvard Professor Eugene Y. Wang Guggenheim fellow presents on the electrification of art, formation of consciousness in China ABIGAIL CONNELLY FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

Tuesday, April 12, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Professor of Asian Art at Harvard University, Eugene Y. Wang gave a lecture titled “How was Art Electrified? The Formation of the Global Brain in China” in Andrews Hall. This lecture was sponsored by the College of William and Mary’s department of art and art history and contributes to the celebration of the Asian Centennial at the College. Wang is also a Guggenheim fellow and the founding director of the Harvard Chinese Art Media Lab, which is devoted to showcasing art and cultural works through multimedia representation and allows viewers to access archival work through modern, cutting-edge formats. Wang’s current research is centered on integral art and consciousness.

Wang was introduced by Dr. Xin ConanWu, the Margaret Hamilton associate professor

INDEX News Opinions Variety Sports News

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of art history and the associate chair of the department of art and art history at the College.

“Professor Wang’s scholarship probes into the depths of the long history of Chinese art with insights and interpretations of new materials and the rigorous reexamination of established canons,” Conan-Wu said.

“His current research centers on art and consciousness, integrating historical inquiry with cutting edge technology through digital humanities. The depth and the breadth of Professor Wang’s scholarship reminds us of the rigor of the discipline of art history itself,” Conan-Wu said.

Wang then began his lecture by introducing the basis of his research, briefly outlining the relations between artistic mediums and modern technological innovations.

“So, I want to talk about something that actually concerns nowadays a great deal, and that is ecology and art, and also the status

Inside Opinions

Williamsburg pollen needs to be addressed

This spring, Rachel Bartz '25 writes about how the severity of pollen in Williamsburg should not be overlooked. page 4

of photography in this day and age when digital culture makes so much change in our landscape. So, all of these kind of converge on the subject which I call ‘Art and Electricity’,” Wang said.

Wang displayed a list with three key notations which described three crucial components from 1897, marking critical moments in Asia and the United States. The list contained the name of Tan Sitong, the name of Nikola Tesla and the Shanghai south city power plant.

A photograph taken at the Picadilly of China Studio in Shanghai was then shown, featuring a grouping of modern intellectual elites from China, including the well-known Chinese politician and thinker Tan Sitong.

“The way that these figures are grouped is extremely, as I said, qualified and loaded,” Wang said. “And also, they were really some of the bigshots in China. The formation, the choreography actually do contain a number

of allusions. For one thing, if you count, there are seven of them, which is culturally very significant. It actually refers to the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove in early medieval China, when these eccentric figures would lounge around in nature, defying conventions.”

The photograph also alluded to a traditional Chinese “elegant gathering,” which was depicted in pieces such as Xie Huan’s handscroll, “Elegant Gathering in the Apricot Garden” from 1437 and involved scholars gathering in garden settings and exchanging poetry, making remarks and enjoying tea.

Wang discussed Tan’s eventual execution, which served as punishment due to his affiliation with a group of reformers who attempted to assassinate Empress Dowager Cixi. Though Tan had the chance to flee the country, he chose to stay in China, returning to his home in Beijing.

See ART page 8

Inside Variety

Inside Sports

Senior thesis musical "Spectacular" transforms Williamsburg into 18th century France through song, dance, wigs galore. page 5

Davis will serve as the sixth coach in Tribe women's basketball history. page 7

Spectacular: a royal extravaganza to remember

Erin Dickerson Davis named new women's basketball coach

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newsinsight

News Editor Anna Arnsberger News Editor Callie Booth News Editor Abigail Connelly fhnews@gmail.com

THE FLAT HAT | Tuesday, April 19, 2022 | Page 2

THE BUZZ

Itʼs something that people may not find on their own, because itʼs not on the front page of a lot of media, but itʼs something that we are very interested in and passionate about, because, as advocates who go into immigration courts and sometimes deal with immigration courts with our clients, we really see how the system is not independent. ̶ Professor Stacy Kern-Scheerer

FLAT HAT NEWS BRIEF Two men escape Eastern State Hospital, one apprehended Sunday, April 17, two convicted felons incarcerated at Eastern State Hospital located on Ironbound Rd. in Williamsburg escaped the facility. The men were identified by Virginia State Police as Austin Preston Leigh and Bryant Marcus Wilkerson, and both of them were described as being “armed and dangerous.” Leigh was apprehended on the evening of April 17 around approximately 5:45p.m. and is being held at the Chesapeake City Jail without bond. Wilkerson still remains at large.

Students at the College of William and Mary received an email on the night of April 17 from the Collegeʼs Emergency Management Team informing them of the situation, and advising them to be cautious in the greater Williamsburg community. The email also stated that Wilkerson is currently wanted for violating felony probation and for escaping a mental facility.

The email from the College also stated that Wilkerson is not believed to be in the vicinity of the College.

CALLIE BOOTH / FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

COURTESY PHOTO / CARA DAVIS

Cara Davis ʻ23 joined WCWM 90.9 FM her freshmen year after having a life-long love of music, and rose through the ranks to become the station manager.

Music lover to station manager

A THOUSAND WORDS

Cara Davis ʻ23 discusses her time at WCWM 90.9 FM, promotes WCWM Fest EMMA HENRY // FLAT HAT ASSOC. NEWS EDITOR

LULU DAWES / THE FLAT HAT

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WCWM Station Manager Cara Davis ’23 never expected to be involved with a campus radio station when she started thinking about college. But during her freshman year, the government major from Richmond joined WCWM 90.9 FM, the College of William and Mary’s student-run radio station, and never looked back.

“I’ve always loved music my whole life, because my dad and my brother and my sister are very into music,” Davis said. “So I thought it would be a really cool thing to be a part of, to get my own radio show. But never in my life had I been to a radio station before college. I just went to the meetings, and everyone was super, super nice.”

WCWM dates back to 1959 and currently has a broadcasting range of about 30 miles. The station broadcasts 24-hours a day and is hosted by students and faculty members at the College. The programming consists of a wide spectrum of formats, and Davis herself emphasized the variety of shows that hosts are involved with, from interviews to call-ins to purely music-based shows.

“We broadcast with the intention of exposing listeners to a diverse selection of underground and independent music, whether it be from up-and-coming artists or from older, forgotten favorites,” the WCWM website says.

On campus, Davis is active in Alpha Phi Omega, a genderinclusive service fraternity, and is heavily involved with WCWM, moving into various executive roles before becoming a station manager. Davis mentioned that her main goal is to make the station an inclusive community for all members. She also meets with administration and the radio executive board to prepare for the radio station’s move to the Sadler West expansion this summer from their current location in Campus Center.

“It’s a lot of fun, it’s a lot of responsibility,” Davis said. “It’s a lot of just overseeing our different projects that are going on. We’ve been fundraising recently to get a storage unit to store our vinyl that won’t be able to fit in the new expansion.”

Prior to her current position, Davis acted as a genre director, library director and events director. She mentioned that her previous positions allowed her to become quite familiar with the station’s large collection of vinyl records and CDs. “We have over 20,000 vinyl records, and I think we’re something around the same ballpark of around 20,000 CDs as well,” Davis said. “We have one of the largest historical collections of vinyl on the East Coast, I believe.”

Davis added that working firsthand with this historical collection allowed her to become passionate about the preservation effort, even reaching out to the College and radio alumni to hear about what this collection means to them, as well as their experiences working with the collection as students.

“Before all of the computers and stuff, how people did their shows was with that collection. So, it’s really cool to still have all of the original records that were there when the station was founded,” Davis said.

The station is still collecting vinyl records but has slowed down over the years. Davis mentioned that typically, vinyl found a home at the station when record companies would send promotional records to play on air. Now, many records that the station receives are from smaller bands.

“We definitely want to hold onto the collection and make sure that it’s open to the public,” Davis said. “Long-term, we’d like to get a space on campus to preserve the collection and make it accessible to everyone on campus, kind of like how the library works. It’s a little hard to tell at the exact moment what’s going to happen, but we’d love to make it something that’s open to everyone. It’s such a great resource and a really cool historical artifact to have.”

Davis explained that she originally joined radio just so she could have a radio show, but that she has now met a welcoming

community and found many friends through the club. Some of her favorite shows from fellow student-hosts are “I Hate Music”

by John Dietz ’24, “Face for Radio” by David Lefkowitz ’22, “Jam and Toast” by Isabel Haber ’22 and “808s and Nephews” by Sophia Haile ’23 and Vivian Rust ’23.

“Most likely after college, I’m not going to work in radio, so I don’t know when else in my life I would be able to have just a block of an hour on air every week where I can do whatever I want,” Davis said. “It’s just a really fun outlet to have for creative expression.”

Davis’s current favorite artists and music include Jake Bugg, Bob Dylan, Lucy Dacus, Dolly Parton and the soundtrack of High Fidelity, a show about a Brooklyn-based record-store owner starring Zoë Kravitz.

“Radio’s important because it’s such a cool medium, although it’s somewhat going out of popularity a little bit. College is such a unique period where people can get involved in doing that.

It’s such a cool way to be able to explore different music genres,” she said.

Davis also enjoys the ability to feature local or smaller bands on air to give them more exposure. She’s even been able to play some of her friend’s sibling’s bands and the music of College alumni.

“When I first started radio, I was so nervous talking into the mic, I would script everything out beforehand,” she said. “And now I don’t really do any of that, honestly, I think it’s helped me with my public speaking a lot. I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable talking, even though you can’t see your audience when you’re just talking into a microphone in a room.”

She also expressed that those involved with radio do not necessarily have to have a show, with positions such as equipment director, underwriting director and social media director available to club members.

“We also have Vinyl Tap Magazine, which is not run by radio exec, but is an affiliate. And that is by Editor-in-Chief Isabel Haber, and that’s really fun. That’s a great outlet for us to have a magazine all about music and culture that is really exciting,” Davis said.

Davis also highlighted the variety of events that WCWM hosts for the campus community, as well as its members, during the academic year, including clothing swaps, movie nights, mending parties and, most recently, a Dungeons & Dragons game. The largest event of the year, however, is WCWM Fest, currently scheduled to occur on Saturday, April 30 from 4-9 p.m. in the Sunken Gardens.

“It’ll be a really big thing; it’ll be really fun. Lots of music, lots of activities to see, lots of space to just hang out on the Sunken Gardens and watch and hear some live music and support local bands. We’re very, very pumped about it,” Davis said.

WCWM Fest will feature seven student bands - Petite League, a band from Syracuse, NY, Sydney Gish, an indie artist, two dance performances from Syndicate, the College’s studentchoreographed hip hop dance team and W&M Griffin Bhangra, the College’s competitive bhangra team. Many campus clubs will also be participating in a variety of tabling activities - including Veggie Society, Nerf Club, Slacklining Club and Vinyl Tap Magazine.

For incoming students, Davis recommends trying out every club that may seem interesting.

“I’m very grateful to be in the position I am as station manager,” Davis said. “I have loved being part of radio so much, and the fact that I’m now helping to run radio is really just wonderful to me and really exciting to be part of. It’s really cool to be a part of continuing that history, and I’m very excited for Fest on April 30th, and I cannot wait to see the William & Mary community come out to it.”

opinions STAFF COLUMN

Survival guide: dining halls

Opinions Editor Adam Jutt Opinions Editor Caitlin Noe fhopinions@gmail.com // @theflathat

THE FLAT HAT

GUEST COLUMN

The severity of pollen in Williamsburg should not be overlooked Rachel Bartz GUEST WRITER

swipe and it is normally good. However, I would strongly recommend against going to regular Sadler for dinners.

THE FLAT HAT Sadler dinners tend to be my least favorite, although I know it’s somewhat better than the other dining halls The food at the College of William and Mary is always a for vegetarian options if you are looking for that. Marketplace highly criticized aspect of the school, and generally for valid dinners are good in quality, but you can get sick of them reasons. The criticism has reached new heights this year quickly. Caf has the most dinner options and you get the with the Virginia Department of Health recently finding most for your swipe, but the quality can be low. Due to health violations in campus dining halls. In response, these reasons, I prefer to use my dining dollars for dinners Sodexo, the College’s food provider, has made corrections to more than lunches. Occasionally, I will order a pizza from address the violations and promised to make improvements Dominos with dining dollars. But more regularly, I go to Cosi, to the student’s dining experience. The College also made Qdoba, or Chick-fil-A. noticeable changes by closing Sadler Center on weekends On the weekends for lunch and dinner I tend to go to Caf and expanding the options at The Caf. since there are fewer dining options on weekends anyway The closing of Sadler is not ideal. However, this past weekend, and I am the most busy then. I also eat off campus the most I noticed the increase in options and a slightly higher quality of on the weekends with my friends. I sometimes get food food at The Caf when compared to previous weekends. While I from the coffee shops on the weekends too because they appreciate these changes, this should just be the beginning. The are higher in quality than the dining halls and I like to do number of food offerings should remain similar at The Caf and work while in the coffee shop atmosphere. The Daily Grind, Sadler should be reopened on weekends. This does not seem Aromas Cafe at Swem and the Bake Shop are all open on like too much to ask of the College, especially considering the weekends. limited amount of dining dollars each student has to spend on I recommend spending dining dollars at any of the the weekends. coffee shops on campus because Given that they are either Starbucks or significant changes to Aromas products, all of which dining at the College I love. On campus, we have are unlikely to occur in Swem Aromas and The Daily the short-term, here are Grind for Aromas coffee fans. some suggestions for We also have Starbucks at the surviving your dining Integrated Science Center and experience. Some food the Raymond A. Mason School options are on a rotating of Business. Additionally, you schedule in the dining can buy coffee with dining halls. If you learn what dollars at Bake Shop in Colonial you like, you can be Williamsburg. I consider coffee GRAPHIC BY ISABEL LI / THE FLAT HAT very particular about to be the only category in when you choose to eat which good quality options are at each of the dining halls. It will also help you plan when to use plentiful. But be careful if you are a fellow coffee lover; a meal swipes versus dining dollars. You may not always have time daily coffee is the easiest way to run out of dining dollars. to plan meals, but I would suggest doing so when you have the Additionally, Bake Shop food is good and you can get time. As a disclaimer, I do not eat breakfast regularly, so I won’t a breakfast or lunch there. The Goody’s Goodies bagel mention suggestions for breakfast. sandwich is one of my favorites. I also love the drop Let’s start with lunch. I have some days a week where I biscuits. The snacks and pastries at Swem Aromas and The always get the same lunch and use a swipe. On Tuesdays, Daily Grind are also good. I like the spinach croissant and I head to The Caf for one of my favorite foods on campus: chocolate muffin the most.

General Tso’s chicken. On Wednesdays, I go to Marketplace Another category I want to touch on is small dinners for “Wing Wednesday.” Wing Wednesdays give students the and snacks you can get with dining dollars. Tribe Market option between wings or chicken tenders. They also give you in The Caf and Student Exchange both have to-go-options a choice of barbeque sauce or buffalo sauce. The sides are that are fine if you want to change things up. For dinners, mac n cheese, vegetables and fried cauliflower. On Thursday, I sometimes get sushi from one of these two places just to I head to the Tribe Truck, which has a new food each week have something different. The sushi is grocery store-like in with two options, normally one meat and one vegetarian. quality, so it’s good but not great. Tribe Market sometimes Even though the food truck has something new each week, has to-go mac and cheese that you can make in your the options are consistently good. Last week, the Tribe microwave that is okay. Student Exchange sometimes has Truck had a Mediterranean bowl. It was one of the best food sandwiches that are fine. Both Tribe Market and Student options for a swipe you will find on this campus.

Exchange have many good snack options, although you For Monday and Friday lunches, I do not have as strong should keep in mind that everything is more expensive than of a meal preference. Therefore, I tend to go to whichever they would be in a regular store. I find the higher price point dining hall is closest to my next class and hope for the best is sometimes worth it for convenience. on one of those days. Sometimes on the other day I use Overall, the food at the College is not good, but there are dining dollars at Cosi, Chick-fil-A, or Qdoba. I like the Cosi ways to make your experience incrementally better. I hope TBM sandwich, the Qdoba burrito and the Chick-fil-A spicy the College chooses to invest more in improving food quality. chicken sandwich. These options are a step up from dining But since we cannot rely on that, it never hurts to plan your hall food, but no one has enough dining dollars to be able to meals out more to get the best possible experience. go to these very often.

Caitlin Noe ’24 is a government major. In addition to Moving on to dinner, I find it harder to plan this due to working as the opinions editor for the Flat Hat, she is a my club meetings Monday through Wednesday. I also find member of Alpha Phi Omega, the service fraternity and dining hall options disappoint me more for dinners than works as a research assistant for AidData on the TUFF team. lunches. If I want to use a swipe, I try to go to Sadler Express.

Email Caitlin at I’ll get dinner there once a week. You get a lot of pasta for a cjnoe@wm.edu.

Caitlin Noe

When I introduce myself to someone here and the question, “Where are you from?” inevitably arises, I always do a little half-smile before I respond, “California.” So far in Virginia, I have survived the horrid, humid time that was freshman orientation and the snowy, frigid weeks of January. I have been rained on without an umbrella or boots, slipped on endless bricks and watched as my hair routine tripled in difficulty as I tried to deal with all these freakish weather events. But no one, not one person, warned me about spring. No one thought it wise to mention, as I decided to come here or even long after I arrived, that if you have seasonal allergies, the South is like your own personal hell.

If I had realized the gravity of the allergy situation, I might not have come here at all — that is how intense my suffering has been. It all started when my friend began aggressively blowing her nose a week ago. All of us in the dorm thought the foghorn-esque noises she made were hilarious and we laughed off her pain. For two days, her nose ran almost constantly and she worked her way through an entire roll of paper towels that quickly began overflowing from her trash can. She claimed her allergy medication wouldn’t kick in. We all laughed some more. I thought that was the end of it. It had been years since my seasonal allergies had bothered me back home in California.

I had nothing to worry about.

The next day, I knew something was wrong.

But I reasoned with myself. I would be fine.

I took one of my old, off-brand allergy pills.

I would definitely be fine. I probably would have been fine too, on any normal day, but the pollen that morning hung thick in the air like a curtain. My first class was outside, and as I approached the rickety wooden tables I saw a heavy layer of yellow dust. The rest of the day

GRAPHIC BY MONICA BAGNOLI / THE FLAT HAT

COMIC

Fuzzy 11: Fuzzy Reencounters Fluffy at Phi Ewe Mixer COMIC BY ARIANNA STEWART / THE FLAT HAT

| Tuesday, April 19, 2022 | Page 3

I sneezed and blew my nose, but still harbored some hope. I didn’t feel that bad yet. It was just a little inconvenience. I asked a friend for one of her allergy pills and placed it on my desk to remind me to take it in the morning, hoping it would be more effective.

Then morning came. I felt like roadkill.

My nose had drained into my throat for what must have been the entire night because it was swollen and tender. Tears leaked from my eyes when I blinked. I sneezed a total of fourteen times trying to get to the bathroom.

Nevertheless, I grabbed my things and hiked off to class, albeit rather slower than I had the day before. Things grew progressively worse as the day wore on. I was blowing my nose religiously in classes and still, the snot wouldn’t stop. I could feel the stares I was garnering, likely from people worried I was sick with COVID-19— I couldn’t explain that my real ailment was a sensitivity to pollen. My energy levels dropped so low I skipped sampling the new Tribe Truck menu in favor of an emergency nap. That night, pushed to the limit of human sanity, I turned in early. I had taken two different medications in two days. I had ordered a third that afternoon in a desperate haze for relief. As I drifted off to sleep, I said a little prayer that tomorrow would be better.

So, reader, I am happy to report that I have improved. The new medicine works better. I am still stuffy. There are still emergency tissues in my backpack. But now I can function almost normally. So if you are one of the many students on this campus who can lay around the Sunken Gardens and not so much as sneeze, I ask that you appreciate your lot in life. Thank the universe, your genetics, anyone or anything. And if you are one of us folk whose spring regimen involves stuffing toilet paper from the Earl Gregg Swem Library bathroom into your jacket pockets, I salute you. At least the flowers the administration has planted around campus look nice.

Rachel Bartz ’25 is most likely an International Relations major. When she isn’t writing the occasional Flat Hat article or arguing in the William and Mary Debate Society, Rachel can be found cooking, watching a movie or taking long walks in Colonial Williamsburg. Email Rachel at ribartz@wm.edu.

THE FLAT HAT

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

Page 4

STAFF COLUMN

GUEST COLUMN

Why Should You Care About the College Replacing Henry Broaddus?

Hannah Dow

It’s way harder than you think to come up with opinion article ideas

GUEST WRITER

GRAPHIC BY GRACE PAYNE / THE FLAT HAT

Picture this: It’s almost time for lunch. Your phone buzzes — it’s a notification from Outlook. You glance at the subject line, which simply reads: “Henry Broaddus.” You don’t recognize that name, so either you swipe to delete the notification or tap to figure out what this is talking about. You find out that an administrator is leaving and that he will be replaced soon. You didn’t know the guy anyway, and you aren’t in charge of hiring the replacement, so this doesn’t concern you, right? *Message deleted.* We might need to rethink how much the message in this email, sent by President Katherine Rowe on March 25 to students and faculty, involves us, the student body.

The email tells us that Henry Broaddus has served as the College of William and Mary’s vice president for strategic initiatives and public affairs for more than two decades. That sounds like a fancy title, but do you know what his job entailed?

If you really want to get the low-down on Broaddus’ job description, his bio on the Strategic Affairs and Public Affairs webpage says that he “oversees the offices of economic development and business innovation, enrollment (admission and financial aid), sustainability and university communications. He also leads university-wide projects related to entrepreneurial opportunities and operational efficiencies.”

Rowe’s email to the community omitted one important indicator of Broaddus’ influence on this campus: He is one of only five senior administrators whose authority is just one step below President Katherine Rowe and Provost Peggy Agouris on the hierarchical ladder of our administration. (In case you were wondering, the other four are currently Director of Athletics Brian Mann, Chief Operating Officer and COVID-19 Director Amy Sebring,Vice President of Student Affairs Ginger Ambler and Vice President of University Advancement Matthew Lambert.)

Suppose you are on staff with the opinions section of The Flat Hat. Furthermore, suppose you are scheduled to write an article roughly once every four weeks. Further still, suppose that this week happens to be one such week. The first time you sit down to start drafting your piece, you find yourself staring blankly at an equally blank Word document. For some reason, no good idea is coming to you. No worries. It’s only Tuesday, after all, and your article isn’t due until Sunday (technically Saturday, but you’re the bad boy of the section and play by your own rules). So, you stand up, close your laptop and go play racquetball with a few friends.

You’ll come up with an idea by Thursday.

Thursday comes, though it has brought no ideas along with it. Your Word document, currently titled “article,” is as blank as ever. Once again, no problem. It isn’t your first rodeo. You didn’t have the idea for the last article you wrote until the weekend it was due. Everything will be fine. Still, you silently concede to yourself that this time feels different. You’re not sure an idea is coming. You try to take your mind off the impending crisis with some racquetball, a strategy which always works like a charm.

For what it’s worth, all the practice is paying off; you’re no Kane Waselenchuk yet, but you’re good. Last time you played a little crowd even developed outside the box to watch you and your buddy smack the ol’ rubber back and forth. Is the racquetball arena called the box? Is “smacking the ol’ rubber” a real expression for playing racquetball? Probably no on both counts.

Regardless, you’re getting good.

It’s Saturday, April 16. You are having a full-blown meltdown.

You beg and plead with God, imploring him to give you an idea. It doesn’t even have to be a good one, just something passable. God refrains. The most promising fruit of your brainstorming session — which has just elapsed the two-hour mark — is to write about how much fun racquetball is. You know it’s a terrible idea, but it’s all you have at the moment. On a separate note, you might have an addiction to racquetball. No time to think about that now, though. Absent last-minute divine intervention, you conclude that the only way to preserve your journalistic dignity is to resign from the newspaper.

As I’m sure you’ve surmised, the scenario I just put you through mirrors the events of the last week of my life, with respect to this article, nearly inimitably.

Let’s take a step back.

I knew this day would come. The instant I took on a role with the opinions section of The Flat Hat, I knew this day would come.

I knew I would run out of opinions eventually. So, I developed a contingency plan: in the event I am scheduled to write but simply cannot articulate a single defensible stance I have on anything related to the College of William and Mary, I will write about how hard it is to come up with good opinions related to the College. It would save my hind for the week, and it might even get a laugh or two.

However, I did not expect this day to come so quickly. I assumed this article topic would need to be called to action in my waning days as a second semester senior, after I had developed a reputation around campus as a hard-hitting, straight-shooting editorialist who always has something to argue and doesn’t care what people think about it (just kidding about the “doesn’t care what people think about it” part; my primary goal in every article I write is to avoid making people mad at me). I did not think I would be tapping into this well as a fresh-faced freshman who has written just four articles. Yes, you read that correctly. I managed to muster out only four opinions before finding myself bled dry of unique takes. Four. That’s less than one-third the number of U.S. Open titles belonging to racquetball legend Kane Waselenchuk.

I maintain that the problem lies not with me, but with the system.

A BITS AND PIECES COMIC

BY ARIANNA STEWART

Henry Broaddus answered to few people and his decisions carried considerable weight.

To be clear, this is not an article bashing the career of Broaddus. He dedicated a significant portion of his life to improving our college and the impact it has on our region — especially with sustainability efforts. Our college has benefitted from his innovation and will continue to do so as we implement his strategies long after he leaves his office at the end of May. Instead, let’s talk about the potential the next person to fill this position will have for improving our college, especially in one particular (and narrow) aspect of the job description: demographics of enrollment.

Given a blatant lack of student racial and socioeconomic diversity on campus, this position opening brings a unique opportunity for the College to hire a replacement for Broaddus. For the first time in a long time, there is an opportunity to hire someone that is sensitive to increasing diversity on this campus by recruiting, admitting and enrolling more Pell Grant students, students of color, international students, non-legacy students and those of other generally underrepresented groups on campus.

Students of the College should care about who ends up filling this role because it will have a lasting impact on the future of our college’s demographics, legacy and campus culture. The two most important areas on which the next vice president of strategic initiatives and public affairs can immediately focus on are increasing socioeconomic and racial diversity on our campus.

One measure of socioeconomic diversity on campus is the percentage of students receiving a Pell Grant, which is a federal grant given to students who demonstrate a significant need for financial aid, as determined by students’ completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Currently, the share of students at the College who receive a Pell Grant is the lowest among all public universities in the nation and lower than all Ivy League schools. The College’s enrollment of Pell Grant students has stagnantly hovered at around 11%, roughly one-third of the national average (around 34%). The lack of Pell Grant students on campus highlights our college instituting a significant barrier to accessing quality education for students from lowincome and working-class backgrounds.

When students from lower-income families do enroll at the College, they succeed. Despite having unspeakably low rates of enrollment for Pell Grant students, the College boasts the second-highest graduation rate for Pell Grant students in Virginia at 88%, with the highest being found at the University of Virginia.

Because it is known that we have the funding, resources and alumni network to make anything happen for any of our students, the College has the potential to serve as a catalyst for improving its students’ socioeconomic mobility. As it stands right now, our admissions arguably reflect the small-scale perpetuation of inequality in our society. Right now, the rich are enrolled and after they graduate, they get richer. The possibilities are endless for so many other groups of students, but how can they benefit if they’re not on our campus?

The lack of representation of students of color on campus is no secret to anyone who has ever heard of our school. Despite our location near Norfolk and Newport News, whose populations are both around 40% Black, we are comprised of only 6% Black students. Virginia’s population consists of around 20% Black residents. Why does a public, state-funded university not at least reflect the demographics of its home? What makes a university with national influence incapable of matching America’s demographics of being at least 14% Black?

If the College is planning on preparing its students for the global workforce, it must consider how its students can compete when they are accustomed to an environment that does not represent what the rest of the world looks and thinks like.

Rowe’s “From Acknowledgment to Action” statement from June 2020 laid out plans for “inclusive curriculum and classrooms,” but cultural competency courses do not constitute actual inclusion of students of color in our classrooms.

One of the elements of point 3.a. in Rowe’s Vision 2026 is: “Increase the diversity of W&M’s student body, faculty, and staff to deepen our skills and talents.” The administration has indicated that they acknowledge a need for change in terms of shifting our performative talks about diversity, equity and inclusion towards real action.

Now is arguably the first time the College will get a chance to prove its commitment to point 3.a. of Vision 2026. In putting together a search committee to replace Broaddus, our administration should appoint not only committee members who are sensitive to the dire need for increased diversity on this campus but also members who experienced the college process as first-generation students, students of color, international students, etc.

So, what can you do? We are stakeholders in this hiring process. Write letters to the administration expressing the qualities you think should be valued in selecting a search committee to find Broaddus’ replacement. I recommend that identity- and culture-based student organizations compile statements supporting and emphasizing the need for Broaddus’ replacement to work towards intentionally changing the demographics. Reach out to your favorite advisors and professors to see if they can recommend you to be placed on the student stakeholder group that will have a chance to meet with the finalists for the position.

In addition to making your voice heard in regards to the changes you want to see in enrollment strategy, encourage your parents, alumni friends and anyone you know to donate to the Center for Student Diversity in order to support the students from underrepresented backgrounds that are already on this campus. The CSD actively enhances diverse student experiences and fosters an inclusive, welcoming climate for our students.

Hannah Dow is an academic junior from Danville, Virginia, majoring in American Studies at the College of William and Mary. She is heavily involved in advocacy for the College’s FirstGeneration and/or Low-Income Student Organization and participates in other organizations that foster her love for music, calligraphy and community service. Email Hannah at hedow@wm.edu

Adam Jutt

FLAT HAT OPINIONS EDITOR

It is basically impossible to come up with interesting, novel opinions related to the College. You have already been made privy to my testimonial on the issue, but — being the discerning, no-nonsense, sharply critical readers you are — I know that my individual experience is unlikely to persuade you of such an audacious statement. So, to convince you of my point on a more rigorous level — a level which I pray will meet your unscrupulously high standards — I will share with you two systemic factors that make this job tough.

First, consider the fact that there are roughly 1,440 opinion articles already on the website, and further that the record only extends back to 2007. While technically there is no policy against repeated topics and stances, I think most writers, staff and guest alike, would prefer to develop and submit pieces with which flathatnews.com is yet to be acquainted. I envy the members of the first Flat Hat administration, back in 1911. Back in those days, someone could publish an article entitled “registration sucks” or “all dorms should have air conditioning” (AC was invented in 1902, so yes — the timeline works) and be labeled a real William Randolph Hearst, by golly. As more and more articles get published, the pool of potential groundbreaking, persuasive, cogent, envelope-pushing ideas shrinks.

Second, the college environment itself is uniquely unconducive to opinions articles, namely because not much changes around here. In the outside world, things always seem to be happening — developments, scandals, controversy, slaps, wars, Supreme Court Justices, firings of USA racquetball executive directors, etc. There are always new things to latch onto and develop opinions about. Life at the College is different.

Seldom are there meaningful developments on the institutional level. The things that are bad this semester, for the most part, were bad last semester. The things that are good have been good for a while. That’s not to say things don’t happen, or that it’s boring here. It is just to say that the calm, steady churning of the watermill that we know as the academic calendar, coupled with the oft-discussed long history of the College, promote a strange sort of misty sleepiness in the air, providing the acute and peculiar sensation of either insignificance or peace, depending on one’s disposition. Of course, often we aren’t able to see the watermill as some distant and controlled force, namely because we live inside it. Inside the watermill, everything seems chaotic and important and stressful. But in those moments when we gain enough perspective to look upon it as a system external to ourselves, we are struck by its predictability, not its volatility. We see, as the Bible puts it, that “what has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” The metronomic makes for good musing and good poetry, but, unfortunately, not for good editorial journalism.

My argument must be qualified slightly. I am not saying that there are no good thus-far-unpublished opinions out there. We as a paper put out a steady stream of impressive, insightful articles that are very much uncharted territory. Sometimes we do this by verging outside the realm of college life to the events of the world at large, sometimes by paying attention when something noteworthy does happen on campus, and sometimes by simply arguing something no one has ever thought to argue, finding a diamond in the rough.

If I am not declaring the death of the section, then what am I saying? Four things.

First, I am saying exactly what the title of this article says I am saying: It is really hard to consistently think up new opinions, and — given the relative stability and repetitiousness of college — it’s only getting harder. It’s harder than hitting a Z-serve up set point against undisputed racquetball GOAT Kane Waselenchuk.

Second, I am saying that if you disagree with that general point — if opinions flow through your mind like the milk and honey of the promised land — you should reach out to me, either to start writing columns regularly or to give me your ideas so I don’t have to pull a stunt like this again.

Third, I am saying that if you ever want to play racquetball against me, let me know. I am in.

Fourth and finally, I am saying that I am scared. If my pieces have already devolved into the quasi-meta nonsense you are reading right now, I am deeply worried about what they will look like late next fall. I apologize in advance.

Adam Jutt ’25 is planning on double majoring in economics and math. Aside from being an opinions editor, he is a member of Club Tennis and involved with InterVarsity. Feel free to email Adam at adjutt@wm.edu.

variety

S P EC TAC U L A R :

JUSTIN SHERLOCK // THE FLAT HAT

Variety Editor Vivian Hoang Variety Editor Madeleine Harris flathat.variety@gmail.com // @theflathat THE FLAT HAT | Tuesday, April 19, 2022 | Page 5

a royal extravaganza to remember

For two nights, senior thesis musical “Spectacular” transforms Williamsburg into 18th century France through song, dance, wigs galore NAOMI FRASER // VARIETY ASSOC. EDITOR Saturday, April 9, music, drama and laughter filled Sadler Center’s Commonwealth Auditorium. For the second and final night, College of William and Mary students put on “Spectacular,” a brand new musical comedy. Extremely catchy songs coupled with a talented cast and inspiring tale made the Saturday performance of “Spectacular” a night to remember.

“Spectacular” developed from the creative mind of Paul Hardin ’22. In addition to producing, Hardin wrote the book, music and lyrics for the show. After studying the dynamic and interconnected political and theatrical scenes prevalent throughout 18th century France, Hardin felt inspired to write a musical based on this historical period.

As one would expect, “Spectacular” was not written overnight.

“I think the first song I wrote my freshman spring towards the end,” Hardin said. “And then it’s kind of been a slow burn process from then.”

But three years later, “Spectacular” is complete and has become a campus hit.

“Spectacular” follows the respective stories of Nicolas Vernay, an aspiring French playwright played by Adam Farris ’24, and Princess Leonor, a Spanish princess and the soon-to-be French Dauphine played by Alexia Alvarez-Burock ’24.

Each of the characters find themselves trapped in unfavorable situations. Vernay longs to produce his retelling of “Pygmalion” but is impeded by royal official Richelieu, played by Luke Hemmingson ’22, highlighting the play’s

critique of the superficiality of the French court. Princess Leonor, on the other hand, is forced into a loveless marriage with the French Dauphin, leaving her feeling disillusioned by her new role as the Dauphine and unable to express her true self.

However, things begin to change after Leonor reads Vernay’s play and finally feels seen.

“In his story the statue is a metaphor for the Dauphine,” Alvarez-Burock said. “So the reason he has so much trouble getting it produced is because it’s very anti-monarchy. And Leonor reads this and is like, ‘Oh, this story is about me.

It’s a metaphor for me being used as a prop and not being allowed to be a person.’ So, of course, she also wants to get the play produced because she wants people to see: ‘Hey, I hate it here. And this is why.’”

With the Dauphine now in his corner, Vernay continues his strides against the monarchy and towards artistic freedom.

An inspiring and heartwarming story combined with a talented and professional cast, pit and crew made Spectacular a pleasure to see.

But the most spectacular (sorry, not sorry) aspect of the musical was that the entire show was student-led. “Spectacular” is indebted to the stage, musical and technical direction of Katy Shinas ’22, Joshua Conway ’22 and McKinley Sprinkle ’22, the pit leadership of Aidan Stawasz ’24, the choreography of Marlaina Horewitz ’23, the scenic, lighting and sound design of Erik Wells ’23, Rachael Ponticiello ’24 and Julia Tucker ’25, as well as the hard work and creativity of so many

more students. “Spectacular” was truly a labor of love in which every participant involved in its creation should take pride.

Beneath the music and fun of “Spectacular” was a powerful message about fighting to make your dreams a reality despite the challenges you may face — a lesson that Farris believes the students of the College should take to heart.

“I feel like a lot of people, especially at William and Mary, have a lot of big dreams that they want to pursue,” Farris said. “And a lot of times they don’t necessarily do it because they think like: ‘Someone out there is better than me, so I won’t get it or whatever.’ It’s like, no — I mean, if you push hard enough, like, something’s going to happen.”

To Farris, the trials and eventual success of Vernay exemplify this sentiment.

“But literally every possible thing that could have gone wrong, went wrong. And he still turned out fine,” Farris said, referencing Vernay’s persistence throughout “Spectacular.” “And like, I would just say, you know it’s never the end of the road, but you can always keep pushing for it.”

While sitting in the audience, the chemistry between and the energy of the cast was evident. It looked as though every cast member was happy to not only perform before an audience, but also to create art with a passionate group of friends.

When discussing his favorite part of putting on “Spectacular,” Hardin expressed how much he enjoyed getting to know his fellow castmates and being able to create something wonderful with them.

“It’s just been a really great experience to kind of bond with the cast,” Hardin said. “And also, just the experience of putting on a full musical together with a group of friends is really just fun and rewarding — to see it kind of, you know, come together.”

“Spectacular” was truly a can’t miss event.

All the hard work put into the show paid off.

The audience couldn’t help but give the cast a standing ovation during the curtain call. After the cheering died down, flower bouquets appeared as the cast stood smiling on stage. To express gratitude to members of the production staff, cast members called out their names and handed them a bouquet as the audience recommenced their rounds of applause.

After receiving flowers of his own, Hardin gave the last bouquet to his mother for being an indispensable part in the production of “Spectacular” and his theatre career.

The gratitude displayed on the stage throughout the production was exemplified

by Alvarez-Burock when speaking about her involvement in the show.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity, to Paul for writing the show, Josh for orchestrating it and everyone involved for all of their support,” Alvarez-Burock said. “Just gratitude. This has been the most absolutely wonderful experience.

I think it is my favorite show that I’ve ever been a part of.”

Though this was officially the last performance, “Spectacular” will hopefully live on and grace another stage sometime soon.

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

Page 6

THE FLAT HAT

Spreadi n g Paws-i t i v i t y D D Marisol Lambert brings joy, comfort to the College with weekly corgi visits

COURTESY PHOTOS / MARISOL LAMBERT

MILES MORTIMER // VARIETY ASSOC. EDITOR

In a college environment, one of the most important things for students to learn how to do is to find positive and beneficial ways to deal with stress and stressful environments. In recent decades, studies have shown that one of the most effective ways to do this is to interact with therapy dogs. While such an option has long been unavailable for students at the College of William and Mary, thanks to Marisol Lambert, who herself graduated from the College in 1980, and her four corgis, Nellie, Louie, Tucker and Humphrey, students can meet professionally trained therapy dogs in Earl Gregg Swem Library every Friday at 2 p.m.

Pets have always been something incredibly important to Lambert.

“I’ve had an animal ever since I was born, and animals have always been a huge part of my life,” Lambert said.

Lambert admitted that the transition to campus living was challenging, primarily due to the fact that she could not have her pet with her.

“When I went to William and Mary, it was the first time in my life that I did not have an animal, and it was very hard for me,” Lambert said. “Not having my dog or cat or some form of animal was hard, and I survived, but back in those days, you didn’t see dogs everywhere like you do now. And I missed it terribly.”

Soon after she graduated college, Lambert pursued a career in teaching, specifically working with elementary school students. Even though she was still an avid pet owner, during the very beginning of her career, she didn’t bring her dogs with her to work. However, once she saw the incredible impact seeing and petting dogs could have on people, she decided to use animals to help some students in her class. Lambert found the endeavor to be very successful, with one of her dogs, a corgi named Winston, proving especially helpful.

“One little girl I had, she wouldn’t speak to anybody, she just whispered in my ear sometimes and that was all that she’d do. But my corgi, for some reason, knew that she needed him, and to make a long story short, he made her quit not talking,” Lambert said. “She just blossomed and started talking, and other children that wouldn’t read, I would say to them, ‘I’ll bring in Winston, but he wants you to learn how to read Goodnight Moon,’ and they would learn and it was just amazing.”

Throughout her career in teaching, Lambert’s dogs proved themselves invaluable in helping students who were dealing with emotional or personal issues open up about their problems. Lambert’s dogs facilitated growth in her students, from motivating kids to learn how to read to allowing them to come out of their shell. Lambert soon realized that her pets could not just brighten the day of elementary school students, but the days of everyone who came into contact with them.

“They all seem to know what people need,” Lambert said.

Whenever she would visit the College, she always brought her dogs with, and she observed the overwhelmingly positive reactions of the students who engaged with them. This gave her the idea to allow students to have an

official opportunity to interact with the dogs.

“Every time we walked through William and Mary, the students got so happy,” Lambert said. “They would just get down and snuggle with the dogs, and they always know who needs what. So, I called Swem Library and got the ball rolling.”

Initially, Lambert had difficulties getting the dogs to be regularly allowed into the campus buildings, but the great impact she was having on the student body allowed her to come in with her corgis on a weekly basis.

“In those days, the library would only let me go around exams and midterms, but the students wanted me to come weekly,” Lambert said. “I had some trouble convincing the administration of that, but now I come every Friday.”

Since coming to the College, Lambert and her corgis have brightened the days of every student that comes and meets them. Lambert added that the times that stick out to her the most are when the corgis help a student who especially needs it.

“There was this law student just standing there leaning on the wall, and I walked in and asked if he wanted to pet a corgi or two, and he was just looking down and said no,” Lambert said. “By the end of this thing, he was on the floor, Louie and Humphrey were kissing him all over and he was laughing, and he goes, ‘How did this dog know I have had the absolute worst day of my life?’”

Thanks to the incredible kindness and love of Lambert and her corgis, moments like these aren’t unique events.

“A lot of the people that do come really, really need this,” Lambert said.

Since coming to the College regularly, Lambert enjoys not just helping students, but getting to know them as well.

“I also love that I get to know the students, and we all talk, and it’s amazing for me,” she said. “I really love hearing them, and if they ever need me, I’m there for them.”

Lambert shared that the feeling of making just a single person’s day better and getting to know people better is something she looks forward to every Friday.

“Where I can help is what I like to do,” Lambert said. “The world, especially right now, it’s just so hard, and there are so many things for us to be scared about, that petting a dog and having that interaction with an animal, I can’t say how wonderful it is with the communication and connectedness you feel.”

Lambert and her four corgis have made an indescribable, positive impact on the College community, and they have no desire to stop helping the College in their weekly trips to the library. Lambert said that in the future, now that COVID-19 restrictions are loosening, she hopes to come to more events at the College so that she can help more students in any way possible.

ZACHARY LUTZKY / THE FLAT HAT

Dear White People

Students of the College of William and Mary reflect on their experiences at a PWI LINDA LI // VARIETY ASSOC. EDITOR Sunday, April 10, AMP, WMFIRE and Inside Out Theatre jointly hosted Dear White People, an openmic night for students of color to highlight their experiences of being a minority at the College of William and Mary, a predominantly white institution.

Students gathered in Sadler Center’s Lodge 1 as the lights dimmed, which, in this case, was not merely a perfunctory choice but a symbolic act of elevating marginalized voices in an environment that hasn’t always been welcoming to them.

Dear White People was inspired by the Netflix show of the same name, which depicts a group of Black students navigating implicit biases and growing pains at a fictional Ivy League university. Victoria Kim ’23, a co-host, explained that the parallels between Dear White People and the College were too stark to overlook.

“We were watching the Netflix show, and we were like, ‘you know what, Sam, the main character, talks about all of her experiences at a PWI,’ and I’m like, ‘this sounds really familiar,’” Kim said. “I really wanted something like that on this campus, so obviously, by the title, we wanted this event to be a platform for POC students to explain their experiences and uplift their voices. And there’s no ambiguity about who can speak and who can’t.”

The event kicked off with a fier y speech called “Dear White People,” written by a group of people and delivered by Destiny Hodgson ’22, who ricocheted one item after another that encapsulated the complicated feelings that arise from attending a PWI. “Dear white people, why are you walking around campus with no shoes on? Dear white people, what is it about Taylor Swift that has y’all in a chokehold?

Dear white people, do you know we don’t care that you’re legacy? Dear white people, what is it about my hair that’s so fascinating?” Hodgson said.

Her speech touched on inequities in the college admissions process to microaggressions, from performative activism to attitudes toward affirmative action policies. It set the tone for the rest of the event, making clear that people could safely share their vulnerable stories without fear of judgment or reprisal. Subsequently, the audience started to speak on otherwise taboo topics and let off some steam.

Students also gave longer speeches in which they dove into a topic that closely resonated with their lived experiences. Anshu Sharma, a first-year Ph.D.

student, reflected on his immigrant parents’ strict expectations and how those expectations contributed to a rocky relationship he’s still trying to reconcile.

“I’m very grateful to my parents for helping finance things like Gradplex housing and the meal plan,” Sharma said. “That said, I have already told my parents that if I have a wedding, they’re not invited.

It’s true. But let me make it clear. I think one thing that I want white people — frankly all people, and people of color as well — is that strict parenting, or parenting that puts the parents’ wishes above the child’s, is not limited to one race, one city, or one religion.”

Co-host Isabella Ortiz-Miller ’23 talked about how her material circumstances as a first-generation, low-income student constrained her ability to experience the world. Once she arrived at the College, Ortiz-Miller became acutely aware of the harsh impacts of economic inequity.

“It may seem small, but I think if I had a yard with bird feeders and got to experience seeing all those chubby little birds flying around every day, I would fall in love,” Ortiz-Miller said. “And in my STEM classes, I learned that BIPOC live in drastically less biodiverse areas, there’s less green spaces and the air quality, especially in predominantly Black neighborhoods, is so much worse than white neighborhoods. Poor people don’t have the time, money or resources for outdoor recreation. We have to worry about so many other things so for you all to be able to enjoy nature at such a young age.”

In addition to speeches, students also performed poetry to reflect on their intersecting identities vis-a-vis the political climate. Co-host Jason Dean Robinson ’22 described the fragility of Black men’s lives in a series of three poems. He explained that the first one centered on mental health awareness.

“Oftentimes, I think in Black and brown men, mental health is incredibly neglected,” Robinson said. “We’re expected to be strong and masculine all the time. And so I want to dedicate this piece to all the black men who are suffering in silence.”

For over an hour, students continued sharing the stage to speak on pertinent social justice issues, and the event ultimately concluded on a note as strong as that of its opening. Asher Berwick ’23 took to the stage to deliver a strong rebuke of American apathy toward the Palestine crisis, emphasizing how Americans were quick to support domestic social justice causes but remained largely silent on

international ones.

“Y’all be so quick to challenges racism at least publicly here in the states, but y’all are so silent and complicit to Israeli subjugation of Palestinian territory,” Berwick said. “And that’s really fucked up on so many levels.”

After the show, Berwick urged white students to actively seek out people from different backgrounds and get out of their privileged bubbles.

“White people usually only hang out with other white people 99% of the time, and how are you going to uplift POC when you don’t hang out with them?”

Berwick said. “I don’t want white people to feel bad, but they just need to be more aware because they live with this happy ignorance.”

Kim talked about the cathartic release that her speech on grappling with the reality of being Asian American provided her.

“Honestly, after I spoke, I was shaking so much,” Kim said. “Being vulnerable like that in front of so many people and strangers is something I’ve never done. But seeing other people do it honestly made me so happy, and I know that there’s no growth or community without, and I’m happy to see it happen.

R o b i n s o n stresses the need for events like these, even in the face of critics who say otherwise.

“I would want people to know that if you don’t think there’s a need for a space like this, there’s always a need for a space like this,” Robinson said.

RYAN GOODMAN / THE FLAT HAT

sports

THE F LAT HAT | Tuesday, April 19, 2022 | Page 7

WOMENʼS TENNIS

RYAN GOODMAN / THE FLAT HAT Freshman Hedda Gurholt prepares to hit the ball during one of her matches against Richmond on Saturday, April 6. Gurholt and freshman Ine Stange won their doubles match 6-1. She also defeated Richmond sophomore Carly Cohen in a super tiebreak.

Tribe extends win streak in dominant win over Richmond William & Mary moves back above .500, Saric mounts fifth comeback of season in individual match JASON TUKKER FLAT HAT SPORTS ASSOC. EDITOR

William and Mary (9-8, 4-1 CAA) soundly defeated Richmond (7-10, 4-3 A10) 6-1 Saturday, April 16 to continue their three game winning streak. The Tribe has not lost a home match since March 6.

The team brought a fresh strategy to the match by switching up their doubles lineups from last week’s double header, which resulted in both the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles posting 6-1 wins in their matches.

The No. 2 game saw senior Mila Saric pair up with freshman Emma Fernald for the fourth time this season, defeating sophomore Carly Cohen and junior Marta Buendia as they improved to 3-1 together.

In the No. 3 match, the standout freshman partnership of

Ine Stange and Hedda Gurholt successfully fended off the upperclassmen team of junior Emily Garvin and senior Helene Heiberg. Stange and Gurholt clinched a critical point on line three to put the Tribe in the driver’s seat.

The Tribe wasted no time in mounting a 3-0 lead, with Stange and junior Elisa Van Meeteren both winning their singles. Stange put on a dominant display in her 12th win of the year, only losing two games in her 6-1, 6-1 triumph over junior Emily Garvin in the No. 6 game. Van Meeteren followed suit with a 6-3, 6-3 straight set win of her own over sophomore Sara Salemyr. The victory marks Van Meeteren’s 10th win of the season.

Saric clinched the Tribe victory in the No. 1 match as she rallied from behind to complete her fourth comeback in her last five wins. After losing her first set, the No. 109 nationally ranked senior won the last two sets 6-4, 6-2 to extend her win streak to five straight matches. She is now 25-3 overall on the season, with

WOMENʼS BASKETBALL

an impressive 13-3 record at the No. 1 spot.

Gurholt and Fernald continued the dominant Tribe performance by securing wins in both the No. 2 and No. 5 positions, respectively. Since moving up to line five, Fernald is 3-1 with her latest win coming in a pair of tiebreaker sets, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (5), against Buendia.

Gurholt secured the final win of the day with her third set super tiebreak victory over Cohen at the No. 2. The rookie won a convincing 10-2 super-breaker set after splitting tiebreakers in her first two sets to put her season record at 21-9.

The Tribe will host Elon in their last regular season game Saturday, April 23. This will also mark Senior Day for the team, and the senior duo of Saric and senior Lisa Fukutoka will be honored for their careers at the Tribe before the start of their play. The Tribe will then head to Elon, North Carolina for the CAA Championships from Thursday, April 28 through Sunday, May 1.

WOMENʼS LACROSSE

Erin Dickerson Davis announced as new head coach William & Mary hangs on New coach comes to Williamsburg with ample experience in first half, falls to JMU JAKE FORBES FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR April 11, The College of William and Mary’s athletics department announced Erin Dickerson Davis as the new head coach of the women’s basketball team at Zable Stadium. She is the sixth coach in the team’s history.

“At every stop in her career, from her playing days at Northwestern to her coaching stints at several different universities, Erin has instilled in her teams the desire to compete for championships,” William and Mary Director of Athletics Brian D. Mann said.

“William and Mary’s women’s basketball already has a great foundation in place. From this moment on we will be working with Erin to make our basketball aspirations a reality.”

Dickerson Davis played Division I basketball at Northwestern University, where she played 112 games in four seasons. While working at Georgetown University as an assistant coach, she was named to the WBCA’s “30 Under 30.”

“Erin has a track record of success at every level and she is more than ready to take the reins of her own program,” Mann said.

According to Dickerson Davis, there were a multitude of reasons that attracted her to Williamsburg.

“I wanted to come to William and Mary because of its amazing academic reputation and the competitive basketball conference,” Dickerson Davis said. “I believe in the amazing things that can be achieved here, especially with the support and commitment to the athletic department at this institution.”

Dickerson Davis further emphasized her desire to coach in the CAA. “You can sell the life after basketball that these young women want to know about,” she said. “You can sell that to them and their families along with a pretty stellar basketball career in a great conference like the CAA.” During her press conference, Dickerson Davis discussed the importance of working with the players.

“I consider myself a players’ coach that will bring energy, passion and a relentless pursuit of excellence,” Dickerson Davis said. “I am a coach that will bring 100% of myself every single day for my colleagues, my staff and our players.”

The new coach also noted the importance of players’ dedication both on and off the court.

“I will recruit student athletes that compete in the classroom as much as they compete on the basketball court. We will recruit young women who are committed

to developing themselves holistically as a person, as a student and as an athlete,” Dickerson Davis said.

Dickerson Davis first met with the team last Wednesday, April 13.

“We have an excellent group of young women here and I think they have only scratched the surface of what they can do,” she said.

With an eye to the future,

Dickerson Davis will be busy this offseason. The program has at least one scholarship to offer and a large recruiting class to fill.

“I see great potential in this team. They want to compete, and I have heard nothing but good things,” she said.

The Tribe finished last season 10-20 and lost to Delaware in the first round of the CAA Championship.

JUSTIN SHERLOCK / THE FLAT HAT Director of Athletics Brian D. Mann presents new womenʼs basketball head coach Erin Dickerson Davis with a jersey during her formal introduction to the position.

Tribe loses fifth straight game,

still looks for first conference win KELSI PUTNAM ASSOC. SPORTS EDITOR William & Mary (4-10, CAA 0-4) lost 21-9 against No. 11 JMU (11-4, CAA 4-0) on Saturday, April 16, at Martin Family Stadium.

The Tribe came out strong with an unassisted goal from freshman Serena Jacobs in the first minute of the game.

Following the score, the Tribe continued their strong start by keeping pace with JMU and tying up the game at five apiece. This run, however, ended toward the end of the first period when the Tribe gave up two goals and ended the period with a score of 7-5.

After a quick goal from senior Lauren Russell in the beginning of the second period, the Tribe faced hardship as they gave up six straight goals to put themselves in a 13-6 hole.

The Tribe made some key offensive adjustments in the third quarter, allowing just two goals amid mounting pressure from the JMU offense.

In the third quarter, Russell scored her third goal of the game. This marked her fifth hat trick of the season. Another key player in the game was junior Sarah Cipolla who scored twice and had two draw controls and two ground balls. Jacobs also gained an assist on top of her first period goal.

Though the Tribe had eight fewer draw controls than JMU, sophomore Caroline Hertzberg added three more to her season stat line, which is good enough to rank fourth on the Tribe’s all-time high of draw controls for one season.

The Tribe’s matchup against JMU continued a consistent theme throughout the season. In many matches, the Tribe came out strong but fell behind in the second half. Heading into the final stretch of the season, the Tribe must regroup at halftime and take advantage of their effective, flexible defense to stop opposing teams’ offensive flow.

After an extended break, the Tribe will host Hofstra next Saturday, April 23, at Martin Family Stadium.

For your daily dose of all things Tribe Athletics visit flathatnews.com

Page 8

THE FLAT HAT

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

CAMPUS

Students from the College, UVA discuss sustainability

Representatives from each school outline their partnership, plans for climate action in the future CLIMATE from page 1

“

Even if itʼs not a problem, thereʼs always room for improvement in a lot of areas.

I think making students in general more aware of the ways to recycle and how to dispose of things properly is something we can work towards ̶ Grier Whitely ʻ25

“

Simpson also suggested composting as a way to reduce food waste. He explained that students can find a campus composting map and easily make a compost bin themselves if they live off campus like he did.

“As we continue to advocate for our communities to do better, our community on campus or our hometown or Charlottesville, Williamsburg, wherever you are, these differences do really add up and advocating for them is going to be a really important part to moving towards a more sustainable future,” Simpson said.

The event’s second speaker was Julianne Feutcher from UVA’s Office for Sustainability.

Feutcher also leads the Sustainability Advocates Program and is Sustainability Chair for her

sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha. She talked about how she engages various groups in her community to promote sustainability and implement climate action.

“I want to keep the momentum going pursuing UVA’s climate goals and along with that I really want to use my climate goals of growing the sustainability level and making sustainability a shared value to shape our actions going forward,” Feutcher said.

After the panel, Grier Whitely ’25 shared her takeaways from the webinar and her thoughts for the future of sustainability at the College.

“Even if it’s not a problem, there’s always room for improvement in a lot of areas. I think making students in general more aware of the ways to recycle and how to dispose of things properly is something we can work towards,” Whitely said.

LAW SCHOOL

Landmark legislation: Law School immigration clinic endorses HR 6577 New Congressional bill pushes for independent immigration courts to limit legal discrimination LAW from page 1

Sunday, April 3 Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued a memo directing its lawyers to reexamine cases and attempt to clear cases classified as low priority under 2021 enforcement guidelines. At least 700,000 cases are estimated by the American Immigration Lawyers Association to meet this low priority classification.

Nicole Alanko, Immigrant Justice Corps fellow and Immigration Clinic co-chair, summarized the key components of the bill.

“And so…the bill would take the immigration courts of the Department of Justice, take immigration courts and their appellate body, the Board

of Immigration Appeals, completely out of the Department of Justice and make it akin to how tax courts are right now,” Alanko said.

Tax courts currently operate as federal trial courts and are independent judicial forums with cases decided by special judges. If H.R. 6577 was to pass, United States immigration courts would be made akin to tax courts and cease operation under the Attorney General. The Senate would be granted the authority to select an appellate judge, who then would pick immigration judges.

“We do see people who are appointed as immigration judges who

maybe don’t even know immigration law, or have never practiced it, and so this bill would also require that judges who are appointed in this independent immigration court actually would have some experience with the immigration system,” KernScheerer said.

Though the bill is nonpartisan, there have been almost exclusively democratic sponsors thus far.

“In terms of when you talk about this bill, it’s really just getting to the heart of one central issue. So there’s no kind of worry that, oh if I support this, am I supporting something else that I don’t want to support or don’t

want to swallow or anything like that.

It really is focusing on just creating this court system,” Alanko said.

Kern-Scheerer encouraged students and faculty to contact their senators and representatives in support of the bill.

“We always advocate for folks to contact your senators, your reps, and just say, ‘I support this bill. I think that independent immigration courts are for immigrants and you know, it’s a nonpartisan issue that we should be able to come together on,’” said Kern-Scheerer.

Abrokwa-Jassor has also constructed a detailed linktree with links to the actual bill as well

as email templates and phone scripts for contacting senators and representatives in Virginia. His research was featured in a blogpost on the William and Mary Law School Immigration Clinic Blog, detailing the current state of immigration courts, necessary efforts to reestablish the immigraiton court system and potential improvements for H.R. 6577.

“Again, you can kind of look at this as democracy, as integrity of our judicial system, and as an immigrant rights issue,” said Kern-Scheerer. “And so, again, supporting organizations that would support the bill I think is also really important.”

CAMPUS

Professor Eugene Wang gives lecture on Art History during Asian Centennial celebration Wang introduces the electrification of art, formation of the global brain in China in discussion ART from page 2

the time it is just figures and numbers and doesn’t mean much. But once they encountered technology, they could feel the difference,” Wang said.

Wang explained Tan Sitong’s fondness for 19th century American writer Henry Wood’s book on mental wellness called “Ideal Suggestion Through Mental Photography.”

“Wood then sought out all kinds of standard treatment through Western medicine and that didn’t work for him. He followed some alternative healing processes, which actually helped him heal, so then he really

“

Wang also elaborated on the significance of photography as a medium, particularly in relation to the use of photos as a medium for communication between individuals in two separate locations. Photographs were also able to allow others to genuinely sympathize with individuals depicted in images, particularly in scenes of war or suffering.

“Tan and his fellow scholars initially just treated the massacres and deaths in the books as something with just numbers, but then, when they saw the Franco-Prussian War

as a mirror image of the figures being depicted, traditional interpretations of photographs from scholars such as Tan Sitong urge a viewer to question the limitations of the being and the complexity of the self.

Tan’s interests in electricity and in mental photography as special media were reflected by similar interests across the Pacific, particularly by Nikola Tesla.

The junction between figures such as Tan and Tesla involves the perpetuation of modernized Indian thought by Swami Vivekananda’s

Wood then sought out all kinds of standard treatment through Western medicine and that didnʼt work for him.

He followed some alternative healing processes, which actually helped him heal, so then he really began to be convinced that there are certain ways you can treat the body and soul, as some sort of spiritual healing ̶ Professor Eugene Wang

began to be convinced that there are certain ways you can treat the body and soul, as some sort of spiritual healing,” Wang said.

Tan eventually read a translated copy of Wood’s book and was fascinated by the concept of mental photography in relation to the thought of electricity as a carrier, which is not confined to an individual body, but rather can travel across space and go back and forth.

“The key, therefore, is that …mind and body, or mind and matter, tend to take on different forms or have different modes of existence and now they are being bridged in a way that was actually reinforced by using modern technology,” Wang said.

through the projections, they were really struck and really felt fellow human beings’ pain. And almost, they developed a universal sympathy, even though the war was at a far distance, they could still feel that they could relate to people on the battlefield,” Wang said.

This development of a so-called global sympathy was in direct correlation to the development of modern technology, particularly in terms of the camera, which allowed for times of conflict to become more than just statistics.

As is depicted by 19th and 20th century Chinese paintings, which often used photographic models, rather than looking at a photograph

“

Tan was arrested on Sept. 25, 1898 and executed two days later, alongside five others. Historically, these six men are referred to as six gentlemen of the Hundred Days’ Reform.

“Unfortunately, Tan and his likeminded radical reformers saw that China was in deep trouble and so they were very critical of what was going on, and then he and others decided to push for reform and that reform failed and then he and five other collaborators were executed,” Wang said.

Historians and art historians have attempted to analyze the inner workings of Tan’s mind, particularly in relation to his remarkably calm approach to his execution, as was recorded in his calligraphy before his death. Though Tan had the chance to escape, his choice to remain in his home and approach execution openly leaves many scholars yearning for details regarding his mentality.

Tan also wrote extensively prior to his death, including an eloquent letter to his wife while imprisoned.

Scholars have often referred to Tan’s words in attempts to understand his thought processes.

“Now, this gives even more reason to think about what goes through his mind, and it has to do with how he considers what the body comes down to,” Wang said. “What is this thing we call body, and does it matter that we die, or that the body perishes? Does some kind of consciousness still live on? For Tan, of course it ends positively. Body would just be this shell, while something else called consciousness could still live on.”

Tan’s mindset was partly reinforced by his substantial knowledge of Buddhism and familiarity with the Buddhist sutras, which view the body as a carrier of consciousness that one tends to.

“You might wonder why the camera or the telescope have anything to do with a late 19th century understanding of consciousness, of life and modes of being. Well, it has everything to do with it. Prior to this available lens in technology, when you read about massacres and death in books, a lot of

teachings, which influenced a whole generation of intellectuals, including Helena Blavatsky and Rudolf Steiner.

Intellectuals such as Blavatsky and Steiner began advocating for individuals not to draw a dualism line between mind and matter all the time, but rather to think of electricity and technology as a bridge between the two.

“So, all that had a bearing in the late 19th century, but also in the 21st century, which brings us to what I started with,” Wang said. “We talked about this station, the Shanghai City Powerplant, which was established in 1897. It is something that went through phases and was a source of pollution that was eventually forced

to shut down…So, in 2010, it was used as an expo site and then in 2012, they turned that into some sort of art exhibition for Shanghai Biennale.

Then, Shanghai Biennale became an environmentally friendly monument that was able to register the level of pollution. So, in any case, it went through a remake.”

The Shanghai Biennale exhibition touches on 19th century theorists, including Steiner, and the idea of the state of crisis for our climate due to abuse of resources. The concept of exhibition plays on the 19th century of breaking down the spiritual and the physical, trying to mix them in a way of refining the soul and has works from artists all over the world.

Wang concluded his lecture by facilitating an open discussion and inviting lecture attendants to comment and ask questions about the lecture.

“You definitely made me think of photography in a different way, especially if it’s the idea of an impression on a statue and taking an impression from a distance,” Associate Professor of Chinese Studies Emily Wilcox said. “And then with the way you explained mental photography, it sounded as though people were conceptualizing the thoughts as a kind of concrete flow that would take an impression of something from a distance. I just want to ask what you see as the implications of understanding our current internet world in that particular way?”

“Well, the question really comes down to two parts. The first is how they see photography as the way of being the bridge of mind and matter.

You know, cultivating mental image has of course had a long tradition, so there’s nothing particularly new about conjuring up a mental image.

So, that has been around in China for a long time. But what electricity and photography did in the late 19th century is that they convinced them that these are not just imagined, because with electricity, there is a physicality and materiality to the electric currents. And this was a big game changer,” Wang said.