The Flat Hat November 9 2021

T HE F LAT H AT

Vol. 111, Iss. 11 ¦ Tuesday, November 9, 2021

The Weekly Student Newspaper

of The College of William and Mary

flathatnews.com ¦ @theflathat

CAMPUS

Panel talks Critical Race Theory

Law School hosts experts in racial and social justice, break down context, criticisms VIVIAN HOANG FLAT HAT STAFF WRITER

TARA VASANTH / THE FLAT HAT

College switches from Gmail to Outlook Students' emails will now be hosted by Microsoft O365, transition to take place before spring semester 2022 CALLIE BOOTH FLAT HAT CHIEF STAFF WRITER

Friday, Nov. 5, students at the College of William and Mary received an email announcing that the College would switch its primary email and digital calendar platform from Gmail and Google Calendar to Microsoft O365.

The shift will begin at the conclusion of the Fall 2021 semester.

This change comes after Google recently announced a new model for education storage policy, which would dramatically increase the cost of digital storage for colleges and universities.

Faculty and staff of the College have been exclusively using Microsoft O365 email and calendar functions since 2017, and this change now allows for all individuals associated with the College to have access to use the same digital platforms. Chief Information Officer Ed Aractingi says the student switch to Microsoft was originally planned for 2019, but a series of delays, including the COVID-19 pandemic, caused the switch to be pushed back to the end of the current semester.

“It was planned for students to

migrate over to Office 365 at some point later,” Aractingi said. “My understanding is that it was scheduled in 2019, but due to some delays and then the pandemic, it was chosen to be pushed for a later time. And recently, with a lot of the preparation that needed to be done with partners and for the I.T. staff, who a lot, a lot of reactive folks were involved in COVID response and a lot of these processes. So it was determined that the best time to do it with less impact on students is the winter break, and that's how it has been planned.”

In the Spring 2022 semester, the primary email account for students will switch to a Microsoft O365 account, but they will still have access to their original Gmail student account until the end of the 2022 calendar year. All students will also be issued a new email address that ends in “@wm.edu” instead of the current “@email.wm.edu,” which all students are given upon matriculation to the College.

During the Spring 2022 semester, an automatic forward will be put into place for all students, so that emails from their original Gmail accounts will automatically be sent to their new

Microsoft accounts, so students can have time to switch their email address to the new format.

The Information Technology department at the College plans on deactivating student Gmail and Google calendar capabilities in December 2022. Students will still have access to the GSuite set of applications, such as Google Docs and Google Slides, after the deactivation of the Gmail and Google Calendar services.

Along with email and calendar access, the switch to Microsoft O365 will also allow students to start utilizing Microsoft Teams for virtual meetings and instant messaging capabilities.

The new access to Microsoft Teams will not affect students' access to Zoom, which was the primary digital meeting platform adopted by the College during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chief Technology Officer Corinne Picataggi was interested in seeing how adding student access to Microsoft Teams could affect which platform becomes more utilized throughout the student body.

See EMAIL page 8

Thursday, Nov. 4, The College of William and Mary's Marshall-Wythe School of Law held an interactive panel discussion on Zoom titled “The Attack on Critical Race Theory.” The event was co-sponsored by the W&M Center for Racial & Social Justice, American Constitution Society and Black Law Students Association.

The panel consisted of three distinguished professors with expertise on critical race theory (CRT): Director of the University of California Humanities Research Institute and professor at UC Irvine David Theo Goldberg, associate professor of education at the College and faculty fellow of the W&M Center for Racial & Social Justice Jamel K. Donnor and professor of law at the College and director of the W&M Center for Racial & Social Justice Vivian Hamilton.

Student fellows Julian Miller and Haarika Reddy helped to moderate and

facilitate the discussion, with Reddy fielding audience questions and Miller introducing the panelists and asking them the questions.

Goldberg opened the panel discussion by outlining the historical context of CRT. He explained that CRT is a part of a larger debate dating back over 100 years about the extent to which race influences the construction of American society. He drew a distinction between what he calls “critical race theory 1.0” and critical race studies, and he highlighted the dissonance between structure and individual action as a key part of this larger debate.

“The other sort of structuring feature of the debate is the tension between structure and agency—whether individual agency and individual responsibility drive the way people act in society, or whether we are structured in the social positions we are made to inhabit by the society to inhabit social See CRITICAL RACE page 8

BOTANY

Welcome to the College's jungle

College Greenhouse and Nursery Supervisor Ben Owen sheds light on campus plants CLAIRE HOGAN FLAT HAT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Sprinkled across the campus of the College of William and Mary are dozens of manicured flower beds, potted plants and decorative trees. Though they often appear in admissions brochures, most current students barely stop to glance at the landscaping, let alone wonder where it comes from. But if they were to venture just a few blocks from campus, past the law school and tennis facility, they would find the College’s greenhouse, run by Greenhouse and Nursery Supervisor Ben Owen.

Set in a gravel-lined clearing in the woods, Owen’s domain boasts rows of potted flowers and several plasticdraped greenhouses along with a shade house for ferns, ficuses and other shadeloving plants. Owen, who has been at the College for 25 years, works with two other greenhouse employees in a tightknit team.

“I started as a temp,” Owen said.

“I have a horticulture degree, but I

started as a temp because I got married and moved to the area, and then I just never left.”

Owen is responsible for landscaping some of the focal points of campus: College corner, the Admissions Office, the Brafferton, the President’s house and the sundial, to name a few. Owen and his team pick the details of all their landscaping projects, down to the colors of the flowers they select.

“Now, don't get me wrong, the turf people and the landscape people are just as important as we are, but we get the fun stuff,” Owen said.

One of the key parts of Owen’s job is maintaining the President’s house, currently occupied by College President Katherine Rowe. Much of Owen’s work on Rowe’s garden is dictated by her personal taste.

“She loves foxglove, so we'll be doing those, and snapdragons and dianthus, we do all kinds of stuff,” Owen said. “She takes an interest in the yard, but doesn't See BOTANY page 8

POLITICS

Republican Glenn Youngkin wins Virginia gubernatorial election by 2 point victory McAuliffe takes Williamsburg, Youngkin wins James City County with campaign focused on education NICK REEDER FLAT HAT DATA EDITOR

After a long election, the results are in for Virginia's off-off-year election, declaring a clean sweep for republicans statewide. Glenn Youngkin (R) defeated Terry McAuliffe (D) for governor, Winsome Sears (R) defeated Hala Ayala (D) for lieutenant governor and Jason Miyares (R) defeated Mark Herring (D) for attorney general.

The governor's race was consistently close, with averages provided by polling aggregator FiveThirtyEight showing 47.9% for Youngkin and 47% for McAuliffe. However, this .9 point lead in the polls ended up being a 2.0 point victory with Youngkin besting McAuliffe 50.6 to 48.6.

The McAuliffe campaign attempted to nationalize the governor's race, connecting himself to President Joe Biden – who won the state by 10 points last year – and

INDEX News Opinions Variety Sports News

2 3-4 5-6 7 8

attempting to tie Youngkin to Trump.

On the other side, Youngkin ran a campaign focusing on education, attacks on critical race theory and economic anxiety. This strategy seemed effective, driving a turnout in rural Virginia which was not matched in the cities or in more liberal Northern Virginia. Nolan Coughlin ’25, a prospective government and international relations major, said the results were “disappointing but

not a surprise.”

Coughlin highlighted a lack of enthusiasm in Falls Church, his home town, as what led him to his expectation.

“I saw the [McAuliffe] campaign going downhill with signs and enthusiasm and other anecdotal things like that were very low from past elections,” Coughlin said.

In the local area, Williamsburg went for McAuliffe 3,203 votes to 1752, while James City County swung the opposite

direction with 21,237 votes to 18,833 for Youngkin.

Micheal Zessin ’23, a government student at the College, highlighted this strategy as a key for Youngkin’s victory.

“Youngkin kept the Trump wing faithful, without embracing Trump,” Zessin said. “They never appeared together, and Youngkin was really good at never insulting or embracing that group… Youngkin ran a very good campaign, and juggled more extreme

Inside Opinions

Inside Variety

Carina Pacheco '23 discusses the fear felt by women walking after dark on campus and calls for serious changes to the administration's policy. page 3

Members of the College of William and Mary's newest club discuss the benefits and challenges of the barefoot lifestyle on campus. page 5

College's campus after dark is an issue that requires attention

Walking a mile in another's shoes (or lack thereof)

elements and moderates well, but this was a McAuliffe loss. If he stuck to state issues and ran a normal governor campaign instead of focusing on nation issues, he would have won.”

In the end, it seems McAuliffe was not able to defy history a second time; in 2013, he was the only candidate of the sitting president's party to win the governorship in 44 years, but in 2021, his loss to Youngkin means Virginia will be a red state once again.

Inside Sports

Women's soccer comes close to the tournament

The Tribe came up just a game short of the CAA tournament on Oct. 31, dropping a 1-0 nailbiter to Northeastern. page 7

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newsinsight “

News Editor Alexandra Byrne News Editor Charles Coleman News Editor Molly Parks fhnews@gmail.com

THE FLAT HAT ¦ Tuesday, November 9, 2021 ¦ Page 2

THE BUZZ

In other words, the intentional denial of empirical facts and observable reality, in tandem with the manufacturing of lies, distortion, stereotypes, policy, distractions and falsifying of data, are a well-worn tactic of racists and white supremacists.

̶ Faculty Fellow of the W&M Center for Racial & Social Justice Jamel K. Donnor

FLAT HAT NEWS BRIEF SHOOTING ON RICHMOND ROAD At approximately 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6, an individual was shot in the intersection of Richmond Road and Ironbound Road, according to a press release from the City of Williamsburg Police Department. The victim was an 18-year-old man, who suffered from a gunshot wound. After the incident occured, he was transferred to a local Williamsburg hospital with non-threatening injuries.

Officers who responded to the scene of the incident also reported a number of spent ammunition shell casings found in the area.

Lucy Kasper ’24 was in her dorm that night when she heard a series of gunshots coming from a distance. Later, Kasper said that she saw a police presence in the same area that she heard the gunshots coming from.

“I was mostly confused, because it was definitely out-ofplace sounding, because I thought it might be fireworks, but there aren’t any fireworks,” Kasper said. “So like, I was mostly confused because I didn’t assume it was, actually gunshots, but then it was so that was kind of freaky.”

The Williamsburg Police Department is still investigating this incident and asks individuals who know any information to contact the department at 757-220-2331.

Fighting for immigrant rights

Stacy Kern-Scheerer leads students in providing support for local immigrants ABIGAIL CONNELLY // THE FLAT HAT

CALLIE BOOTH / FLAT HAT CHIEF STAFF WRITER

A THOUSAND WORDS COURTESY PHOTO / STACY KERN-SCHEERER

Professor Stacy Kern-Scheerer established the Immigration Clinic at Marshall-Wythe School of Law which serves immigrants in the Hampton Roads community.

CLAIRE HOGAN / THE FLAT HAT

CORRECTIONS The Flat Hat wishes to correct any fact printed incorrectly. Corrections may be submitted in email to the editor of the section in which the incorrect information was printed. Requests for corrections will be accepted at any time.

Correction to “Colonial Williamsburg announces partnership with the College for Bray School initiative”: This article has been updated 11/2/21 to clarify that the 524 Prince George Street location was not the original location of the Bray School. The school’s original location was what is now Brown Hall on the College’s campus.

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“I think, you know, what one thing that unites what I do now in immigration context is that in health policy — in public health policy — we have conversations about what is a right and what is a privilege,” Kern-Scheerer said. “Because of my background as a legislative drafter, I was very comfortable, and I really like reading statutes and looking at statutory rules and regulations. And they’re all kind of dovetails in this really interesting way that kind of brings together these substantive questions and policy questions that I’m interested in. So that is the type of law that I like to actually study and practice.”

Kern-Scheerer emphasized the balance she noticed between her study of public health and law, as she was able to think about different ways of approaching and solving problems by combining the two studies. She noted the importance of seeking a diversity of education, especially in regards to problem solving and reflection.

“I think it has served me really well because I think that sometimes certain disciplines, just all disciplines, can be too locked into their way of defining a problem…and also the way to solve it,” Kern-Scheerer said. “And I think that I have just been really fortunate to be able to, from the very beginning of my postcollege education, make sure that I didn’t only see the world kind of in one way.”

In regards to finding this balance, Kern-Scheerer offered advice to undergraduates on approaching and enduring the college process.

“I think it can be easy, especially if… after graduation… to find yourself in spaces where people are trying to talk to you into, maybe not intentionally, trying to talk you into being someone you’re not… so I just think it’s really important to stay true to your instincts and goals and move through with confidence that you know yourself,” Kern-Scheerer said. “And I think that that’s something that’s really important as you kind of move forward in your careers. And in your lives, not just your careers. Just to sort of trust in yourself, that you know yourself and that you know follow that instinct that you have as to what drives you and what motivates you.”

As undergraduates and other individuals approach tasks with overarching goals in mind, Kern-Scheerer recognizes the importance of embracing the possibility of change.

“You can end up doing things you never expected to do, and even if you had a sense of who you are and where you were going, it’s not to be mistaken with not having a plan,” Kern Scheerer said.

“So I think there is a sort of happy-medium between being driven and knowing what inspires you and what drives you, but not being so dead-set on something that you might miss an opportunity that is an opportunity to grow and do something really interesting that you just never considered before. And so I think it is important to have goals and to have plans, but more than anything to know what inspires you and what drives you and then find the ways in which you can do that. It might be ways that you didn’t even know existed.”

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Now in her eighth year at the Marshall-Wythe School of Law. Professor Stacy Kern-Scheerer continues her work both in immigration law and encouraging student involvement in the local community.

In the fall of 2019, Kern-Scheerer established the Immigration Clinic at the law school. The clinic first received private funding from donors, which allowed for the establishment of the program prior to the spread of COVID-19. The clinic was developed with a strong philosophy to serve the immigrants in the Hampton Roads community, as there is a lack of nonprofits and pro-bono services in the area.

“I wanted to make sure that we are here to really become a part of serving underrepresented members of our community,” KernScheerer said.

Kern-Scheerer supervises a group of law students that volunteer to be involved in the clinic. The students are trained to properly offer legal representation to immigrants in the greater Hampton Roads community and are responsible for every aspect of the case to which they are assigned.

“Our clinic is really focused on humanitarian forms of immigration relief; in particular asylum seekers, those individuals who have been survivors of violence in the United States and also survivors of trafficking and survivors of domestic violence and abuse,” KernScheerer said. “So, that’s sort of the world of cases that we take, and so, it’s important, like I said, that we’re serving the immigrant communities here in Hampton Roads with a particular focus on those who would really not have access to representation otherwise, particularly those who doesn’t have the means, the financial means, to hire private representation.”

The only operating immigration court in Virginia is in Arlington, which Kern-Scheerer notes as a barrier for immigrants seeking legal representation. Students who serve as representatives travel to Arlington to accompany their clients.

“Unlike in criminal cases, there is no right to an appointed attorney in immigration court,” Kern-Scheerer said. “Even though the consequences, obviously, of deportation or deportation orders are so impactful to someone’s life, there isn’t a right to an appointed counsel. So, many people go unrepresented in immigration courts and have to represent themselves.”

Law students are able to sign up to be involved with the clinic at the start of each semester. As students have returned to in-person classes, the clinic has resumed its work with the community during the fall semester of this year.

Outside of her time at the College, Kern-Scheerer graduated magna cum laude from Boston University School of Law and also received her Masters of Public Health from the Boston University School of Public Health. She also served as Assistant Counsel in the U.S. Senate Office of the Legislative Counsel from 2003-2013.

Her long-standing interest in public health and health policy, particularly in regards to access to healthcare and access to health insurance, prompted her to study public health as well as law.

COURTESY PHOTO / STACY KERN-SCHEERER

Stacy Kern-Scheerer works with students of the Marshall-Wythe School of Law to provide immigrants with legal support as they work through naturilizatoinlitigation.

opinions

Opinions Editor Lucas Harsche Opinions Editor Alyssa Slovin fhopinions@gmail.com // @theflathat THE FLAT HAT ¦ Tuesday, November 9, 2021 ¦ Page 3

STAFF COLUMN

STAFF COLUMN

The College’s toilet paper is bad, collective action is needed Adam Jutt THE FLAT HAT

The Opinions section of The Flat Hat is designed for individuals to express debatable views. Opinions, if you will. Rational beliefs with which another rational person might reasonably disagree. I feel a little bit silly, then, writing this article about an objective fact.

The toilet paper in the many bathrooms of the College of William and Mary is bad.

You, reading this now, probably agree with me. Why wouldn’t you? It is thin, rough and difficult to evenly fold. Countless otherwise great days on campus have been ruined by a jaunt into the restroom to go number two.

If you are like me — and you might be without even realizing it — you have been pooping far less than you would back home (I should have written this anonymously), simply to reduce the frequency with which you consult the translucent scrolls of discomfort allotted to us for the purpose of butt wiping.

Might that tendency lead to serious gastrointestinal health problems down the road, health problems for which the College could be potentially held liable? I don’t know. What I do know is that the toilet paper is bad. Undeniably.

If it is so bad, why do we continue to put up with it? That is a question which has perplexed me for minutes now. One interesting theory concerns the psychological entwinement in the youth of the world of the concepts “school” and “cheap toilet paper.” Your elementary, middle and high schools most likely boasted similar one-ply brands to those used here, which may have conditioned you to develop a subconscious association between the two.

Ergo, you accept the bad toilet paper in the context of college simply because it feels appropriate or inevitable — even though that acceptance ignores the crucial distinction that, while in primary and secondary school most of us could avoid ever having to poop at school, that luxury is not afforded to us here.

A thorough tackling of this topic would be incomplete without an analysis of the relevant economic factors at play. The question of why we accept the toilet paper here is — as discussed — very difficult, but the question of why it is supplied is most likely not; cheap toilet paper costs less than the good stuff, and I feel comfortable purporting that fact to be at least partially responsible for the purchasing patterns of the College. We use a lot of toilet paper here: the data section of the Residence Life page on the College’s website states that residence halls alone go through 72,000 rolls a year. Even at mere cents a roll, that is a hefty sum. With that in mind, coupled with an examination of the relative prices of cheap and fancy toilet paper brands, the claim that a switch to a nicer brand could be expected to cost six digits a year easily becomes unsettlingly tough to dispute.

Still, I believe that the switch would be a more than worthwhile investment.

Most problems facing any sizable population are incredibly complex.

Various solutions can be proposed, each replete with debatable costs and debatable benefits. In this case, however, the problem facing us as a student body — and I don’t feel it is an abrogation of my duty to journalistic integrity to unequivocally label it a problem — is incredibly simple. There is but one possible solution, whose costs are primarily one-dimensional and whose benefits, moral and otherwise, are in my mind overwhelming.

In researching this topic, I learned that I am not the first person to express this opinion. An article in the Wren Journal by Nicholas Sas this past spring made a similar and, in my opinion, very well-articulated argument. And yet nothing happened. Why should I expect adding my voice to the choir to lead to a different result? In truth, I don’t. At least, not independently of help from all of you readers sympathetic to my cause. That is why, beginning tomorrow, I invite you all to join me in a toilet paper strike.

Just kidding about the strike part, that would be awful. But I wasn’t kidding about the needing-your-help part. Discuss the issue with your friends. Bring it up with the elected representatives of your class. If you feel as passionately as I do, perhaps consider conducting research to develop arguments to which I failed to give adequate space here. One such argument with potential merit concerns the negative environmental effects of one-ply toilet paper, on account of one having to use much more to “get the job done,” so to speak. Do whatever you feel might in good faith advance our cause.

The only wrong way to act on the path to redress is to refrain from acting at all. (And crimes. I do not condone the committing of crimes in this case. It’s just toilet paper.)

The next time you are wiping your butt on campus, please, think of me.

Wait, no. Please don’t. But do think about this piece and whether you are ready to stand up for your right to a comfortable wiping experience.

Adam Jutt ’25 is planning on majoring in who knows what (maybe public policy and economics). Aside from being in The Flat Hat intern program, he is a member of Club Tennis and involved with InterVarsity. Feel free to email Adam at adjutt@email.wm.edu. To view citations visit flathatnews.com..

The College’s campus after dark is a serious issue, requires attention from administration feel comfortable walking alone at night, I would be ver y curious about the results. A 2016 article THE FLAT HAT from the Michigan Daily which surveyed students at the Universit y of Michigan found that over 73 Campus after Dark: We have a ver y dark percent of the participants in the survey were campus, whether that’s on nearby roads or even identified as being “afraid to walk home alone on just paths on campus. Do you feel safe? Do you campus.” W hile the College of William and Mar y have recommendations to solve this issue, if there is not as expansive as the Universit y of Michigan, is one?

I believe that fear of safet y is a universal concern, You hear it all the time, especially from one especially for collegiate women. woman to another: “Are you walking home alone?

This shared fear for our safet y is a direct result Do you have someone to go with you?” “I don’t feel of pop culture, news sources and entertainment comfortable walking alone.” ”Let someone drive media. The last decade or so has seen a huge you instead increase in of walking by demand for true yourself.” crime dramas, All children, which more or less and young girls often romanticize in particular, and fetishize are taught the violence against “buddy system” women. Women from a young are found naked, age: never go tied up, beaten any where alone, dead: “porn be aware of your bleeding into surroundings, entertainment,” and don’t talk Doon Mackichan to strangers — said, quoted in ver y simple.

Zoe William’s Despite 2021 article in The my privilege Guardian. growing up So, it’s no in a safe wonder that neighborhood, women are I have always afraid to walk been ver y home alone at personally night, even if no disturbed by local precedent the inescapable has been set horrors on telling them that the news. there actually is Abductions, something to be house afraid of. In all invasions, forms of media, women attacked women are victims while jogging of monstrous and countless violence, real or other instances fictional. Violence of senseless against us has violence. They created national remind me that followings, like so much of the the Gabby Petito violence we case. There is hear about is, so much anger, GRAPHIC BY RIEL WHITTLE / THE FLAT HAT in many cases, frustration and gendered. fear: we are afraid Women, because we are especially non-white women, are constantly women, and because we are women we are afraid. aware of the violence that we face ever yday I know I speak for a large number of students at and have no choice but to remain vigilant at all the College when I ask that these concerns be times, regardless of how familiar we are with our addressed, firstly by the addition of new street location. lamps to make sure that campus is well-lit at all I know ver y well that I am not alone in my times of night. By making us feel safer, we can anxiet y walking home from Swem or Campus Rec, become even better members of the communit y. for example, when night falls. Especially now that Carina Pacheco ‘23 is a histor y major and I live off-campus, my path home is dimly lit by a native of New Jersey. She is a part-time street lights which are too few and far between. I barista and a full time dog lover. In addition carr y pepper spray now, which is common among to contributing to The Flat Hat, Carina is a women my age, especially in a collegiate setting, member of the club lacrosse team and the Young and see the distinctive keychain dangling from Democrats club. Email Carina at capacheco@ the keys and wallets of dozens of my peers daily. email.wm.edu. To view citations visit f lathatnews.

If the College were to take a survey of women who com.

Carina Pacheco

COMIC

Fuzzy #3: The trouble with ignorance

ARIANNA STEWART / THE FLAT HAT

THE FLAT HAT

Tuesday, November 9, 2021

STAFF COLUMN

Page 4

STAFF COLUMN

Let’s say yes: we should take advantage of our college years before they’re over

New course idea: history of the College origins of the College is one built on the forced labor of enslaved people, and like in the United States, it imparts a legacy which we are morally bound to remember; for a comprehensive look at ongoing efforts at reconciliation, I highly recommend the Opinions section’s “Word on Reparations” series sponsored by Student Assembly. The messy history continues from there, from efforts at assimilation of American Indians through the Indian School, to the near expulsion of The Flat Hat’s own Marilyn Kaemmerle in 1945 for writing an article in defense of integrating the College, to the participation of prominent College scholars such as Earl Gregg Swem in Massive Resistance.

So why should one take a course faced with so much depressing FLAT HAT OPINIONS EDITOR history? Well, like the United States, the College was originally intended only for the benefit of white, property-owning men. While 1693. It’s a number that’s stamped all over the College of significant progress has been made since 1693 in changing that, William and Mary: apparel, letterhead, you name it. Every there is still much work to be done, just as there is in the United student here knows it as the year in which King William and States. By viewing the evolving accessibility of the College over Queen Mary wrote the charter which gave birth to the College. time, one can also take a comparative glimpse at the similarly But what every student may not profound social changes that took know is that the College’s oldest place concurrently in Virginia and building, the Wren Building, did not the United States as a whole. even begin construction until 1695.

Similarly, like the United Or that the College was actually States, the College is constantly closed for a brief period of time in seeking to fulfill its promise. The the late 19th century following the Declaration of Independence Civil War. Or that, while the Wren confirmed that all Americans Building has been restored to its have the inalienable rights to original appearance since the late life, liberty and the pursuit 1920s, it actually went through a of happiness, yet for several number of redesigns in and out of decades and even to this day, being burned down three times. there is much work to be done But while niche trivia may be fun, in achieving that reality for there is much more to the College’s all Americans. Likewise, the 328 year history which students College’s Statement of Values ought to be educated on. I propose emphasizes community values that the College closes this gap in such as belonging, flourishing knowledge by offering an elective and respect which have certainly on its own history: the history of the enjoyed more commitment from College of William and Mary itself. the administration in recent I should begin by clarifying what years. However, efforts such this course would not be. It would as the Renaming Committee GRAPHIC BY GRACE PAYNE AND HEADSHOTS BY not simply be a retread of the history demonstrate that there is still KAYLA PAYNE / THE FLAT HAT of Colonial Williamsburg, despite work to do in order to achieve a the College’s pivotal role in its establishment. Such a course truly equitable campus for all. is already offered through the History Department (HIST 220 For such a historic campus, not including an elective course on - Colonial and Revolutionary Williamsburg), and besides, the the College’s own history seems to be a massive missed opportunity. history of the College extends for centuries between Colonial Lucas Harsche ’23 is majoring in History and minoring America and the present. in accounting. In addition to The Flat Hat, Lucas is also the Importantly, it would not be a celebratory course designed treasurer for both Swim Club and Active Minds, and plays to satisfy the jingoistic impulses of students looking for a violin in the Symphony Orchestra. Email Lucas at lmharsche@ clean, fun history like the ones that they may have learned email.wm.edu. prior to college. Like the origins of the United States, the To view citations, visit flathatnews.com.

Lucas Harsche

Alyssa Slovin

FLAT HAT OPINIONS EDITOR

March 2020, when we were sent home early for the semester due to COVID-19, I realized that I was doing college wrong. I had a lot of close friends, and we would have the best laughs together, but we never actually did anything different together. We studied together, we watched movies on the floor of my dorm room (sometimes while also studying or writing a Flat Hat Opinions article), we ate meals together. You get the idea.

But when COVID-19 took away our freedom to choose, I realized all the activities to which I had said no. I wanted to say yes to day trips and nights out, but it was too late. My sophomore year ended early.

Junior year, I thought. That will be my year. But we all know how the 2020-2021 school year went. Restrictions and fear of contracting COVID-19. Any memories we made, we made within our four walls, and interacting with friends outside of my dorm became increasingly difficult. We ate our dinner while watching “Hell’s Kitchen” and imitating Gordon Ramsay all along the way. Now, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that. I love my friends, and Gordon Ramsay, and we really just need each other’s company to have a good time together. I’m not trying to discount that. But there are always more possibilities outside of a dorm room or the Cookout drive-thru line. College is a chance to use our time to its fullest before entering the professional realm and moving onto a new age of responsibility in life, and we were giving that all up.

And now I’m a senior, and there are so many firsts to be had. First time going to Paul’s. First time going to the Movie Tavern. First time saying yes to whatever I want without worrying excessively about deadlines.

It always seems like it’s cool to say no here at the College of William and Mary. We say, “sorry, I can’t, I have to study.” It must be one of the most-used lines on this campus. Don’t get me wrong: you should definitely care about your grades. I know I do, and I make the time to do all the work that I know I need to do in order to succeed in my classes. But that’s the key. We make the time to get those necessities done. So we need to make time to enjoy ourselves as well. It’s possible. The idea that college students must be on the clock 24 hours a week 7 days a week is unsustainable and also frankly detrimental to us all. In addition to learning more about our fields and preparing for a professional career, college is about expanding horizons — but how can you do that from the third floor of Earl Gregg Swem Library, where even quiet giggling is frowned upon?

Personally, my goal this semester has been to play into those whims that I always silenced because there was never enough time. And guess what? Going out on the weekends, watching TV while doing nothing but enjoying the show itself, and spontaneously meeting people during the week has not impacted my ability to perform in my classes at all. I’ve made it work, and I could have the whole time. Everyone naturally needs breaks, and instead of using that time recovering from burn-out, you can avoid some of it by taking necessary breaks along the way.

With the end of my college career quickly approaching, I regret not taking charge of my life like this until now.

It can be easy to get caught up in the stress and list of seemingly never-ending assignments. At the end of the day, you know what you’re capable of, and thus spending some time purely enjoying yourself won’t derail your plans. I promise.

Alyssa Slovin ‘22 is an English and marketing double major. Besides her work at The Flat Hat as Opinions Editor and Flat Hat Magazine as Editor-in-Chief, she is involved in Sinfonicron Light Opera Company, The Gallery and Active Minds. Email Alyssa at amslovin@ email.wm.edu.

GRAPHIC BY JESSICA SIGSBEE / THE FLAT HAT

STAFF COLUMN

College fall breaks should be just that: a chance to get away from studying and stress Ian Ha

THE FLAT HAT

Now that clubs and classes have returned to a mostly in-person format this semester, students have realized that their schedules require a little more involvement than last year. With workloads piling up and deadlines nearing, college can start to feel like too much. More than ever, I think that it’s important to take the time to pause and allow ourselves a momentary reprieve before the end of the semester. Thankfully, we just had fall break and are only a couple weeks away from Thanksgiving, which makes this a great time to reflect on school breaks and the best way to spend them.

This semester marks a return to normalcy in terms of school schedule, with “spring break days” being replaced by longer, more substantial breaks. While they weren’t as terrible as last fall’s condensed schedule, which really just condensed our collective stress levels, spring break days were an unpopular departure from the regular week off for spring break. Although those spring break days were helpful in allowing us to catch up on our schoolwork, we should remember that this is not the purpose of breaks.

Rather than allowing us time to catch up on homework or study for an upcoming test, breaks should be used for activities (or a lack thereof) outside of school.

Despite having longer breaks now, students continue to stress over coursework and extracurriculars during their time off. Even though the academic stress culture at the College

of William and Mary makes burdening with friends from high school. Maybe you ourselves with extracurriculars and credits haven’t been exercising as much at school. feel like a necessity, that shouldn’t affect It’s never a bad idea to set up a good routine students’ wellbeing as a result. This is not to for when you return to campus. tell students that they should just drop all These are just a couple of things that I’ve their classes and organizations and pursue done to make my school breaks feel a little less demanding schedules; that’s about as less like a waste and a little more meaningful. helpful as telling students to just “have less You shouldn’t feel pressured to do any of stress.” Instead, I think we should practice them or anything at all. If your ideal break is the mentality that health, both physical and sleeping for 12 hours every day, then that’s mental, takes precedence over academics. what you should do. The most important part It’s important to spend school breaks of these breaks is that you take the time to doing something other than stressing about reset yourself. Rigorous institutions like the school. I spent fall break visiting family back College can challenge us in many ways and home and enjoying copious amounts of push us to our limits, making it necessary to sleep. Of all the things I missed when I left spend these breaks the way that best suits for college for the first time, home-cooked you. I know that because we all have different meals were at the top of my list. It’s very course loads and extracurriculars, many easy to neglect your diet and health on may find it impossible to get the most out of campus, especially when you’re focused our breaks, but it is incredibly important to on maintaining good grades, keeping up refresh ourselves in order to have positive with your classes and juggling a handful of experiences in college and get the most out of extracurriculars. Remember to eat as much our time here. healthy, home-cooked food as you can Ian Ha ‘24 is a philosophy major and if you’re going home for Thanksgiving or potential sociology major from Fairfax winter break.

County, VA. In his free time, Ian enjoys If you’re planning on spending the swimming, reading sci-fi novels, and holiday season with family like I am, you watching movies. He is excited to join the Flat might want to think about what you can Hat this year and support a great publication do after the new year. After all, the spring on campus. Email Ian at ivha@email. semester starts Jan. 26. wm.edu.

Maybe you can plan a trip with friends.

If that’s not your style, you could travel alone to somewhere you’ve never been.

That way, how you spend your break is totally up to you. You could also reconnect GRAPHIC BY ISABEL LI / THE FLAT HAT

variety

Variety Editor Ashanti Jones Variety Editor Madeleine Harris flathat.variety@gmail.com // @theflathat

THE FLAT HAT ¦ Tuesday, November 9, 2021 ¦ Page 5

Falling for fall with AKI MATSURI

COURTESY IMAGES / JAPANESE CULTURE ASSOCIATION

The College of William and Mary s Japanese Culture Association presents their annual Aki Matsuri festival to welcome fall, celebrate Japanese culture VERONICA BONDI // THE FLAT HAT Sunday, Oct. 24, the College of William and Mary’s Japanese Cultural Association put on its annual Aki Matsuri festival. The event was cancelled last year due to COVID-19, but it returned in full force. Students roamed the Crim Dell Meadow sporting Japanese yukatas, playing traditional games and eating delicious foods like chahan (fried rice with egg) and honey castella (honey cake).

“Aki Matsuri means fall festival, so it’s more applicable to just the turn of the season,” JCA President Tan Vo ’22 said. “It’s the atmosphere that really matters.

The welcoming of the season and new people.”

The event was more than just a fun time to eat and socialize with friends. It was a unique opportunity to experience Japanese cultural traditions. It kicked off with a special video message from the College’s alumnus Yuri Lowenthal ’93, a voice actor who played Sasuke in the Naruto English dub as well as countless other characters.

“I enjoyed the special message from Yuri Lowenthal,” Katherine Phan ’25 said. “I’m actually a fan, and that’s one of the main reasons I came. The shaved ice treat is new to me. I’ve also never tried calligraphy before, or the traditional Japanese games.”

Club members taught attendees how to make origami objects and write kanji calligraphy, a form of Japanese writing. The stage was graced with performances by the

College’s Shotokan Karate Club, Colin McLearn ’22 on the koto (a traditional Japanese zither) and a dance trio.

Rebecca Hartway ’25, a JCA member manning the goldfish scooping game, was excited about all of the aspects of Japanese culture that the festival allowed her to experience.

“I definitely haven’t really had the chance to try any of these types of cultural games before,” Hartway said. “I’ve heard about them and seen them and read about them and whatever, but I’ve never been able to come and participate in them, or try on a kimono. It’s just nice to be able to come and see this, something I’ve been interested in for a long time, and see it in fruition.”

Trung Phi ’25 loved the music JCA played, saying it was his favorite part of the event.

“I’m biased, but I do listen to a lot of Japanese music, so I’m recognizing some artists here,” Phi said. “It’s a good time.”

McLearn had read about Aki Matsuri while studying Japanese at the College, but remarked how special it was to actually experience the festival in person.

“Experiencing a rendition of it in person as opposed to simply reading about it in a textbook is significantly different,” McLearn said. “I learned a fair amount about the atmosphere as well.

This is more akin to what an Aki Matsuri in Japan would be like. People around food, music, events, stalls, et cetera. This

is, from what I’m aware of, not entirely common in the U.S. to have in college campuses either, so I’m really glad that I got to experience something akin to it before I graduated.”

During the festival, JCA also raised money for Asian Americans Advancing Justice and Stop AAPI Hate. Vo revealed that it was Yuri Lowenthal’s suggestion to fundraise for organizations opposing antiAsian discrimination and hate during the event. After hearing Lowenthal’s proposal, Vo said that the decision to fundraise during the event was a no-brainer.

“Personally, my parents are Asian Americans and I fear for my mother, who is a little old 4’11” little lady,” Vo said. “So I was very cautious when these shootings happened and these attacks that you read on the news and stuff like that of little grandmas being assaulted in broad daylight.”

To Vo, the Aki Matsuri festival and JCA play an integral role in facilitating cultural understanding.

“We can only do so much, but with the fundraising and just generally showing that [Japanese culture] is just like any other culture,” Vo said. “It has its flaws, its quirks, but in the end it makes people, showing that people are different, but also the same as me and you or some other nation or culture. … I want to take it a bit further, more fundraising, maybe increase outreach, education — just anything we can do to make a message to stop

hate and discrimination.”

JCA is an inclusive club where individuals of all walks of life are brought together by their shared love of Japanese culture. By exposing students to new aspects of Japanese culture, JCA plays an essential role in building cultural bridges and bringing the College’s community together.

“Everyone’s welcome,” Vo said. “Most of us are not Japanese, I’m not Japanese, and I’m the president. … I’m just enthusiastic, I care about it a lot. A lot of us are just normal Americans who consume Japanese culture and just want to express that as our person.”

Like the JCA itself, The Aki Matsuri festival brought people together and deepened their understanding of Japanese culture. It might not seem like a big deal to know that there is a difference between a yukata and a kimono or that a koto can only be repaired by trained craftsmen from Japan, but these small insights lay the groundwork for profound cultural understanding, appreciation and empathy.

“I want everyone to show up, have fun, learn something,” Vo said. “Even if you’re enthralled by all the food, I want people to walk away from this event just knowing a bit more, whether the name of shaved ice in Japan is kakigōri, or whatever Japanese fried rice is called. If they can at least retain that bit of information, I feel like something was accomplished in terms of furthering the culture.”

Tuesday, November 9, 2021

Page 6

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THE FLAT HAT

walking a mile in someone else''s shoes (..(or lack thereof) Members of the College of William and Mary s newest club discuss the benefits, challenges of the barefoot lifestyle on campus ELLIE KURLANDER // FLAT HAT VARIETY ASSOC. EDITOR

ELLIE KURLANDER / THE FLAT HAT

H

ave you ever wondered what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes, or lack thereof? If this question has ever danced across your mind, the Barefoot Club might be for you.

On a cool October evening by the Sunken Garden’s steps, students gathered around for the Barefoot Club’s second meeting of the semester.

The co-founder, Jacob Hall ‘22, stood at the head of the circle, greeting each prospective member like an old friend. Both founders, Hall and Emily O’Keefe ‘23, were already barefoot, and had been all day. They live the barefoot lifestyle, only putting on shoes when absolutely necessar y. Some of the newcomers don’t hesitate to shed their Docs, sneakers and sandals while others look around for confirmation they’re not alone before taking the plunge.

Within minutes of the meeting ’s start, the awkward silences were replaced by a strong sense of community and openness. Hall and O’Keefe made instant connections with old and new members alike, bonding over barefooting and non-barefooting topics.

The meeting began with brief introductions.

Each member had a chance to tell a fun fact about themselves and share why they were interested in joining the club.

After introductions, Hall and O’Keefe held a Q&A forum. The questions started off light.

One member asked what Hall and O’Keefe’s favorite part of campus to walk through was.

“Grass is killer,” Hall said. “The area between ISC and Sadler is great…kind of rough.”

Walking those rough areas is one of the reasons why Hall relishes the barefoot lifestyle.

“I feel satisfied knowing I am able to withstand those rough surfaces more and more,” Hall said.

O’Keefe and Hall described how walking barefoot becomes less painful and more satisfying the longer one does it. Feeling their feet strengthen is a big part of that satisfaction. O’Keefe hopes their feet are strong enough to hike the Appalachian trail barefoot this Spring.

However, the barefoot lifestyle can be difficult in college. One member expressed concern about going barefoot in the dorm showers, which Hall addressed. “ For me, a l o t o f t hat c o n c e r n ste m s f ro m t h e r i sk of g etting a f u nga l i n f e c t i o n ,” Ha l l e x p la i n e d . “ Th o s e bacter ia tend to t h r i ve i n a da mp s o ck e nv i ro n m e nt. It might b e b e cau s e I ju st g o t l u cky , bu t my f e e t g e t wa s h e d more than p e o p l e’s s o cks o r s h o e s d o.”

Hall made su re to h ig h l ig ht t hat h e wa s h e s h i s f e e t e ver y day, in c o nt ra st to t h e t y p i ca l stu d e nt w h o’s l u cky to wash t h e ir sh o es on ce i n a b l ue mo on.

Another m e mb e r a ske d i f f u l l - t i m e ba re f o o te rs w ea r sho es dur ing t h e w i nte r. In re sp o n s e, Ha l l d e s c r i b e d h i s s ho es as gloves.

“I’ll use them to keep my feet insulated, but my feet are usually warm when it gets cold, because the blood is constantly circulating,” Hall said.

Hall continued by explaining how there is no “right” way to go barefoot full-time. Each barefooter’s experience is unique to them, it just comes down to whatever each person is comfortable with.

Hall, O’Keefe and other members of the club acknowledge the stigma surrounding the choice to go barefoot. While they embrace the uniqueness of the practice, they also express frustration with the restrictions established for going barefoot in public spaces. Soon after Hall arrived on campus, he faced a lot of pushback from university buildings refusing him entr y or ser vice with bare feet, including dining halls and the Rec Center. After going to the Office of Compliance of Equity, Hall confirmed that there were no rules against going barefoot indoors on campus. While they still face pushback at times — O’Keefe was recently kicked out of the Rec Center for going barefoot — Hall believes campus has become much more open to the barefoot lifestyle since he arrived two years ago.

The stigma also extends outside the academic confines of the College. Hall recounted his experience while protesting outside the Capitol in Washington D.C. “I was barefooting while protesting and needed to find a bathroom,” Hall explained. “The Museum of the American Indian is next to the Capitol so I walked inside.”

Once inside, however, security would not let them through.

In response to the stigma, O’Keefe shared the personal benefits they’ve experienced since going barefoot full-time.

“When you wear shoes, it doesn’t allow all the muscles in your feet to work.” O’Keefe said. “We’re supposed to feel what’s under our feet.”

The forum over, the group embarked on its weekly walk.

After crossing the Sunken Garden, and brightly greeting several people he knew, Hall turned back and jauntily asked if the members were down for a forest trail — an idea ever yone warmed up to ver y quickly. Going down a steep path, the more experienced Hall and O’Keefe demonstrated where to put one’s feet and how to best balance on the rocky and muddy surfaces.

As the club walked along the brick sidewalk by the Crim Dell, the members moved in a loose group, making general conversation as they progressed to outside of Yates, where Hall ran into the sand volleyball court with glee, appreciating the sand on his feet.

For Hall, it’s stranger to imagine wearing shoes than going barefoot, as he has been going barefoot since high school.

“We were called ‘Hippy High’” Hall explained. “A lot of my peers went barefoot, so it was pretty normalized.”

Since then, Hall has embraced the barefoot lifestyle wherever his life’s journey takes him ; from James Madison University, to the College, and even to the steps of our nation’s Capitol. It’s not hard to see how much the barefoot lifestyle means to Hall: his eyes light up and he become visibly excited when describing chance encounters with barefoot comrades or talking about the personalities of various surfaces he walks on.

O’Keefe and Hall have worked hard to promote the club, putting up fliers ever ywhere on campus. According to Hall and O’Keefe, the fliers also ser ve as a way to normalize the choice to go barefoot. The barefoot lifestyle is not done in an effort to cause trouble, or purposefully go against the grain.

“It’s really about being comfortable,” Hall said. “I genuinely prefer this feeling. Barefooting is who I am.”

sports

THE F LAT HAT ¦ Tuesday, November 9, 2021 ¦ Page 7

WOMEN’S SOCCER

JAMIE HOLT / THE FLAT HAT

In a low-scoring game in which the Tribe defense held Northeastern to only two shots on goal in the 90 minutes, junior goalkeeper Zoe Doughty made a key save in the second half to keep the game tight to the very end on Oct. 31.

Tribe drops 1-0 heartbreaker, narrowly misses playoff Up-and-down season ends one game shy of CAA tournament berth after close loss JESSICA BALLANCE THE FLAT HAT

Despite coming off a win against Delaware three days prior, the Tribe (4-9-3, 2-4-3 CAA) could not catch up to Northeastern (9-8-1, 5-4 CAA), resulting in a 0-1 loss and a close to the season at home on Sunday, Oct. 31. The Tribe needed the win in order to have a chance at making it to the postseason Colonial Athletic Association tournament.

The first several minutes into the game, William and Mary found it difficult to pass center field and drive to the goal.

With about ten minutes left in the first half, Husky forward Nina Dooley scored against the College. However, there was some discussion on whether or not Northeastern was offside.

The ref had held up his flag, indicating offsides, but as the play continued, he dropped it and Dooley scored. The controversy surrounding the first,and only, goal of the game made the Tribe’s season ending loss all the more disappointing.

Head Coach Julie Shackford weighed in on the play regarding the only goal of the game.

“I think, on the goal, I’m pretty sure it was offsides,” Shackford said. “Our kids just hesitated a little bit, unfortunately, and you

FOOTBALL

can’t really do that, because you just don’t know what’s going to happen on a play like that.”

Immediately following the controversial goal, the Tribe responded with two close shots back-to-back from freshman defender Emma D’Alesandro and senior midfielder Renee Kohler, which hit the crossbar.

The Tribe had ten shots overall, but it was the defense that had a major impact on the game. It was because of the defense that it was not until almost twenty minutes into the first half that Northeastern took their first shot at the net.

“I think overall, I’m pretty pleased with the way we competed,” Shackford said. “We had a rough season with a third of our team out with COVID for four or five games, and they really bounced back and were very resilient the whole way through.”

The defensive players were also the playmakers for the team’s final game.

Sophomore defender Bridget Fitzpatrick, a player who just returned from an injury, spoke to the defense’s impressive work.

“An overall theme of our season has just been like overall team defending, and as the season has gone on, it’s just continued to get better and better,” Fitzpatrick said.

Junior goalkeeper Zoe Doughty had a major save with 25 minutes left, keeping the team and fans’ spirits and hopes alive until the last few minutes of the game. The Tribe fought until the end, but they could not find their way to the goal to either defeat Northeastern or tie it up.

Fitzpatrick also thanked the seniors for leading the Tribe to many successes over their careers.

Since a win against Northeastern was necessary for the Tribe to advance to the playoffs, for many seniors like senior midfielder Hannah Potter, Sunday was an afternoon of reminiscing as they played for the College for the final time.

“I met my best friends. It has been a really awesome experience,” Potter said.

With this season coming to a close, the Tribe reflects on the fall play. Shackford wants to emphasize that the team is right where she wants it.

“I think all these games are tight, and you can see that there’s such parity in the league, and so, I think we just keep competing, work on how to be a little bit more dangerous on the attacking third of the field.” Shackford said, “Overall, we’re headed in the right direction for sure.”

SWIMMING

Blue Hen blowout Tribe finishes second in four-team clash stops momentum Team captures three out of four relay events in strong showing

Tribe falls to 6-3 with JMU next NATHAN SEIDEL FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR

Despite outgaining the Blue Hens 228-201 in total yards, the newly nationally-ranked Tribe was trounced by Delaware 24-3 on Saturday, Nov. 6, to fall to 6-3 (4-2 CAA) on the year. This leaves the Tribe into a more questionable position as far as post-season hopes are concerned.

The Tribe amassed only 105 yards rushing, which was 109 less than its season average, and this deficit allowed the Blue Hens to gain a greater degree of control over the flow of the game.

The team was without groundgame pillar Donavyn Lester, who got hurt a week prior at Villanova, and the loss was noticeable.

Freshman quarterback Darius Wilson threw for 123 yards but no touchdowns.

The Tribe went up 3-0 midway through the first quarter on a field goal from redshirt freshman Ethan Chang, but the Blue Hens scored two touchdowns to take a 14-3 lead at halftime. Adjustments failed the Tribe, with Delaware shutting the College out in the second half and scoring 10 more points to put the game well out of reach and lead to the 24-3 final.

Head Coach Mike London said the team was simply outgunned in this one from top to bottom.

“They out-executed us and outplayed us in a lot of scenarios that we’ve been pretty good at,” London said. “They outcoached us and just played harder. We tried to come back in the [second] half, but against a good football team like that, we had our work cut out for us. The good thing is, there are ways for us to improve as a football team. Knowing that the next two games are home, we can finish the way these guys deserve.”

London stressed execution and buttoning up the little things for the home stretch of

the 2021 campaign.

“There were a couple of times we had guys wide open but didn’t get the ball to them,” London said.

“That goes back to us executing. If you’re going to play good teams and play close games, you’ve got to be able to execute those things.”

In a bit of a bizarre game statswise, it was miscues that sunk the Tribe ship more than a deficit in yardage. A fumbled punt on the Tribe 12-yard line led to one Blue Hen touchdown, another resulted from an interception from Wilson, and a failed fourth down attempt resulted in a third.

London stressed the importance of field position in gaining momentum in the game.

“That was huge,” London said regarding the difference. “It’s critical with the field position when you start a possession on the other side of the 50. You get opportunities for field goals at least.”

The Tribe will next take the gridiron in the familiar confines of Zable Stadium this Saturday, Nov. 13, for a huge game against James Madison, ranked third in the nation.

This contest will have direct implications for the Tribe’s playoff hopes, with a win putting it right back in contention for the tournament and a loss making it very difficult to secure a spot. The game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. and be broadcast on FloSports and Cox. London stressed the importance of the contest and urged students to support his team’s no-quit attitude.

“Hopefully a lot of people will be there and we can celebrate the fact that this team is not going to quit,” London said. “We’re ready to move on after we get these things corrected. You can go over and talk about the things we didn’t do... But there are plenty of opportunities to have a measured amount of success.”

JAMIE HOLT / THE FLAT HAT

In the first CAA Pod Meet since COVID-19, Tribe women s swimming posted strong individual freestyle performances to topple Delaware and JMU in Wilmington.

LEXIE HIESTAND FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR

The Tribe traveled down to Willmington, N.C. for the annual Colonial Athletic Association Pod Meet. Due to COVID-19 complications, the last time this meet was held was back in Fall 2019. The Tribe hopes to extend their streak of dominant performances against the other CAA teams gathered.

The Tribe has been undefeated this year, starting the season off 3-0 in dual meets.

The Tribe looks to both individual and relay performances to bolster their scores. This strategy was no different at the CAA Pod Meet.

For the morning session of day one, on Saturday, Nov. 6, the Tribe only managed to take out a win against Delaware, 60-30. Against UNC-W and JMU, they scored 40-50 and 42-48 respectively. However, the diving and second session had yet to swim. The Tribe was still in the running behind the morning’s leaders.

UNC-W, the hosts, swept the day one competition, topping the Tribe, the Blue Hens, and the Dukes. The Dukes finished with the closest margin, 42-48.

On day one, the Tribe took a huge 200 freestyle relay victory. With senior Missy Cundiff leading off in a blistering 22.84 leg, and quick legs from junior Katie Stevenson, sophomore Sydney Querner and junior Brooke Lamoureux, the Tribe managed to outtouch the Dukes by four-tenths of a second.

However, the Tribe’s second relay team placed seventh overall. This resulted in the Dukes and Seahawks claiming second and third place

points from both of their relays.

Cundiff took another victory in her 50 free event, only four events later. Her time was a margin slower than her split in the relay, but she finished almost a second faster than any other competitor. She reached the other end of the pool in just 23.05. The next fastest swimmer, Seahawk Sarah Olsen, finished at 23.95.

The Tribe finished eighth and ninth in the 200 individual medley. Though Delaware won the event, JMU and UNC-W took up the next six places, netting lots of points.

The mile allowed the Seahawks to run away with their lead against the other teams, with a first and second place finish from their swimmers. The Dukes finished third and fourth, while the Tribe finished fifth and sixth Next on the heat sheet was the 400 medley relay, which allowed the Tribe to gain some headway. Stevenson anchored with a 51.19 100-free. The Tribe narrowly out touched the Seahawks with a final time of 3:49.97 to 3:50.10.

After a short diving session (the Tribe does not have a dive team and does not compete), the afternoon session commenced.

Cundiff anchored the 200 medley relay.

Her split allowed the Tribe to overcome a slower fly leg, and claim victory over the second place JMU. Again, the second Tribe relay placed seventh.

In the 200 freestyle, Stevenson made an impressive bid for first, but ultimately fell a few seconds short to Blue Hen Mira Selling.

Stevenson finished with a final time of 1:52.59.

Junior Annie Tuttle managed to pull away from the competition in her 100 breaststroke.

Her race was two seconds (1:04.39) faster than the second place Duke (1:06.42).

A third place finish from sophomore Kat Vanbourgondien closed the day’s events for the Tribe.

The Tribe trailed, but hoped to have a productive day on Sunday, Nov. 8.

Junior Elizabeth Inthitar opened scoring for the Tribe with a third place finish in the 500 free. The Tribe also saw success in the 100 free, as Stevenson placed first. Freestyle dominance, in long events, short events, and relay events seemed to be a theme for the Tribe throughout the Pod Meet.

Tuttle placed first in the 200 breast, with a time of 2:19.70. Yet again, the Tribe could not capitalize on the first place finish.

The second Tribe swimmer in the event finished 11th, meaning Tuttle’s point boost was overcome by second and third place finishes from other teams.

The 400 free relay on Sunday showed a Tribe upset, marking the first relay the Tribe had lost.

Despite quick starts from leadoff Cundiff and anchor Inthitar, a lagging middle allowed the Seahawks to get to the wall first. The Seahawks finished in 3:29.01, while the Tribe touched just tenths later at 3:29.30.

The Tribe could not overcome the Saturday deficit. Their standings remained the same. They finished fifty points in front of the Blue Hens, 198-148, but ended up falling to the Dukes and Seahawks 210-136 and 217129 respectively.

The Tribe will swim again on Thursday, Nov. 18 in Morgantown, W.V.

Page 8

THE FLAT HAT

Tuesday, November 9, 2021

ADMINISTRATION

College announces shift from Gmail to Microsoft O365

Google announces new model for educational storage policy, dramatically increasing costs for colleges EMAIL from page 1

“

It will be interesting to see how the meeting behavior changes organically, like we re not going to prescribe anything or enforce any changes there. But given that it s tied into calendar so easy you can now have transparency and insight into employees and students working together in the same calendar environment, I think I m excited from a technology perspective to see how behavior changes as we increase services. ̶ Corinne Picataggi

“

“It will be interesting to see how the meeting behavior changes organically, like we’re not going to prescribe anything or enforce any changes there,” Picataggi said. “But given that it’s tied into calendar so easy that you can now have transparency and insight into employees and students working together in the same calendar environment, I think I’m excited from a technology perspective to see how behavior changes as we increase services.”

Along with the email that was sent out to students, a webpage was also created to provide additional information and answer common questions about the switch. It discusses how students will need to update their email addresses for consumer services, such as Netflix, that some have associated with their current student email address. Picataggi also mentioned how the College is aware of numerous other concerns and potential issues that students could encounter during the transition period between Google and Microsoft services.

“And we’re also collecting feedback on what concerns there are and then that’s helping inform the resources that we make available,” Picataggi said. “So just in response to that message, we got some feedback on student org accounts, which, you know, I’ve made sure people understood they’re not in scope of this phase. We might look at them in a future phase or listservs. That was a big concern because your name and your email address with the current extension, it might be on a listserv. And so that, we’re looking at a way to make those updates programmatically so you don’t have

to go through and manage membership of a thousand people on the list. We’re going to have resources to help make the transition as light of a lift for students as possible.”

Similar concerns have also been expressed at The University of Virginia after their administration announced the same switch to using Microsoft O365. UVA announced that they would be switching platforms in late October 2021, and in response students created a petition to keep their Gmail accounts that has amassed over 5,300 signatures.

Despite no mirroring petition here at the College, many students and groups felt inconvenienced by the upcoming change. Many students reacted negatively to the switch to Microsoft Office, with many publicly expressing their dissatisfaction on social media. Ezzie Seigel ’23 expressed their concerns with how the switch could prove to be hard organizationally, especially with having to manage two email accounts during the Spring 2022 semester.

“I have organizational difficulties, so it’s really hard for me to organize and stuff,” Seigel said. “And so temporarily having two emails, even if it’s the same messages go to the same emails — you know, both emails — and if there are two different calendar systems that I have all of that I’m personally going on, I know I’m going to have a really tough time with it, because this is what happened in my home county, and it really messed me up for a while in terms of assignments. Like, I just got off track and that’s not their fault, but it’s also not something I can fix or make better, necessarily.”

LAW SCHOOL

Law School holds Zoom panel of three professors discussing CRT Professors from the College, UC Irvine hold law school panel titled The attack on Critical Race Theory CRITICAL RACE from page 1

positions in particular kinds of ways,” Goldberg said.

Arguing that the attacks against CRT are “fabricated through and through,” Goldberg then sought to discredit the opponents of CRT. He attributed the origins of these attacks against CRT to theorists Theodor Adorno, Max Horkheimer, Walter Benjamin and Herbert Marcuse, explaining and debunking their respective theories.

Goldberg further criticized the work of Christopher Rufo and Mark Levin. He took issue with Rufo and his followers’ focus on colorblindness, or the ideology that the best way to facilitate equality is to disregard differences of race, culture and ethnicity between individuals, and he also traced the origins of colorblindness to judge John Harlan’s dissent in Plessy v. Ferguson.

Goldberg ended his section of the panel by positing his ideas for why CRT has been gaining so much traction in recent years. Using statistical evidence to support his claim, he discussed the rise in racial tensions as the white population in America has been increasingly diminishing with the growth of minority populations, foreshadowing the elimination of one

majority racial group.

Following Goldberg’s overview of CRT from a historical perspective, Donnor joined the discussion to offer a concise rundown of his thoughts on CRT. Donnor discussed the work of Derrick Bell, who called attention to the anti-Black sentiment and pseudoscience in the best-selling book “The Bell Curve” by Charles Murray and Richard Herrnstein. According to Donner, Bell questioned why Murray and Herrnstein chose to publish the empirically disproven information that “Black people, on average, scored 15 points lower than white people on IQ exams,” when doing so would only fuel racial hostilities.

“In other words, the intentional denial of empirical facts and observable reality, in tandem with the manufacturing of lies, distortion, stereotypes, policy, distractions and falsifying of data, are a well-worn tactic of racists and white supremacists,” Donner said.

However, Donner looked toward the future of CRT with optimism, noting that marginalized voices are finally being heard as discussions around CRT are becoming increasingly prevalent in modern society.

“It’s important to remember that ideas are powerful, ideas are

priceless,” Donner concluded.

Hamilton then entered the conversation to break down the basics of CRT in simpler terms to ensure that everybody in the virtual room was able to have a mutual understanding of CRT. She defined CRT as “an academic discipline that emerged from precursors like legal realism and critical legal studies” but noted that CRT is extremely hard to concretely define as it is a vast discipline that countless scholars have contributed to over the years. Hamilton also outlined the three core principles of CRT. First, theorists state that race is a social construct, meaning that social norms rather than inherent biological differences are what create race.

Second, racism according to CRT is not “aberrational” but rather institutional, pervading society at every level.

Racism is created and upheld by laws and institutions, even if the individual functionaries of those institutions do not have racist intentions. Third, CRT is political in nature because critical race scholars contribute to the field in order to advance racial justice.

After establishing the necessary framework for understanding CRT, Hamilton sought to answer why there has been such an unprecedented focus on CRT in recent years. She credited

the murder of George Floyd for placing racial injustice at the forefront of the nation’s consciousness and sparking initiatives to expand race inclusive education. However, according to Hamilton, with this renewed racial awakening came an equal pushback from those who became personally offended that they might be called racist or have privilege.

“Opponents of reform insisted that the formal equality that displaced the explicit racism of the Jim Crow era has transformed the United States... into a colorblind, equal opportunity society,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton then particularly highlighted Christopher Rufo, a journalist with the conservative think tank Manhattan Institute, as a crucial reason for the ongoing national campaign against race inclusive education.

Hamilton discussed how Rufo appropriated the seminal works of critical race theorists like Ibram Kendi and Robin De D’Angelo to create a caricature of CRT as a catch-all for radical leftist ideology that conservatives largely feared and hated.

According to Hamilton, Rufo’s work and explicit demands in July 2020 directly led to President Trump issuing an executive order banning anti-bias training in federal workplaces as well as many different state legislative acts prohibiting race-related

education in public elementary and secondary schools.

“It’s been extremely difficult to disrupt or to correct this sort of caricature of CRT that has sort of taken hold very intentionally in the popular imagination,” Hamilton said.

“And the results have been concrete, we’re seeing laws that ironically demonstrate exactly one of the tenets of CRT, which is that law can be used to perpetuate racial inequality in the status quo.”

The three panelists then opened up the conversation to audience members, leaving time at the end to answer previously submitted audience questions. The three discussed how to explain CRT to someone who believes CRT is anti-white, as well as the future of CRT legislation and combating the constructed caricatures of CRT. Leaving off the discussion on a poignant note, the three each shared their respective recommendations for further source material on CRT for those looking to learn more. Kiara Bridges’ “Critical Race Theor y: A Primer” and Ian Haney Lopez’s “Dog Whistle Politics” were the two recommendations provided by Hamilton and Donner respectively.

BOTANY

“I’ve gotten to the point where I can walk into a greenhouse and feel what needs to be done.”

Greenhouse and Nursery Supervisor Ben Owen manages College s greenery, President s house florals

BOTANY from page 1

have time.”

Through his time at the College, Owen has seen many presidents come and go, each with their own — or their spouse’s own — desires for the garden.

“Well, when the Reveleys were here, she was into the Garden Club, so we had Garden Day at the President’s house,” Owen said. “We would get bulbs and force them, and get the hyacinths in the ground, and try to do everything to make her happy, and she was happy.”

Owen and his team also grow small amounts of produce at their greenhouse facility, planting rows of lettuce, squash, cucumber and hot peppers. Much of that produce goes to Rowe and her husband, but the peppers go to the spice-loving Owen himself.

“I love the look of peppers,” Owen said.

“So I would personally pay for the seeds for the hot peppers. We have Carolina Reapers, and we have ghost [peppers].”

Most of Owen’s plants are used for landscaping projects, as well as set-dressing for big events such as graduation. Some

plants are grown from cuttings, while others are cultivated from bulbs or seeds. Some are seasonal, while others may take many years to grow. It all depends on what the plant needs.

“I’ve gotten to the point where I can walk into a greenhouse and feel what needs to be done,” Owen said.

Owen takes pride in his work, including some of the more difficult plants to grow, such as poinsettias, which he finds intrinsically rewarding. He used to grow them every year, until budget cuts several years ago put an end to the practice.

“They decided they don’t want to spend the money anymore,” Owen said. “They can be tricky, but I loved growing them, I loved growing them.”

Though Owen’s plants are scattered throughout campus, most students are unaware of their origin. Aside from the occasional research studies, looking into milkweed or bird populations, students rarely visit the greenhouse facility.

“I don’t think people have any clue where the plants come from,” Owen said.

Along with his small team of coworkers, until recently, Owen had a cat — Basil —

who roamed around the facility for 13 years.

Basil passed away earlier in October.

“We had to put him down on Monday,” Owen said. “It broke my heart.”

In his office, Owen has cat-related signs and a photo of cats as his desktop screensaver. Thirteen years ago, Owen brought in a litter of three cats: Spice, Boo Boo, and Basil, who he still talks about passionately, gesturing to their pictures on the screen.

“This one’s passed away, that one’s still at home — he climbed up on the greenhouse one day, put his claws on the plastic, so he went home that day,” Owen said. “And this one, he was kind of a wuss, but he didn’t climb up the plastic and whatnot. But he was, he was a bright part of the nursery.”

Though he has other cats at home, Owen still feels the loss of Basil.

“He’d be up on the table getting treats, and people would come by and visit him,” Owen said. “You can tell I’m going on about him.”

After 25 years at the College, Owen is looking towards retirement. He says his coworker, Kyle Davis, will be the next supervisor of the greenhouse and nursery.

“As I get older, I can’t do as much as I

JAMIE HOLT / THE FLAT HAT

Ben Owen, Greenhouse and Nursery Supervisor, stands in front of trees at the campus greenhouse.

used to, so Kyle’s had to pick up the slack,” Owen said. “I like working with plants, but I don’t get to do it much anymore. I mean, I plant plants and I make sure they’re taken care of, but so does Kyle. I’ve been letting him do more and more and more.”

In October, Owen supplied decorative plants to his 26th graduation ceremony.

Though he takes pleasure in the plants he’s grown for the College, he focuses more on the relationships he’s cultivated over the years.

“My favorite part of the job right now is working with people,” Owen said. “Not all people, but I love the people I work with, and my philosophy is if they take care of you, you take care of them.”