The Flat Hat October 5 2021

T HE F LAT H AT

Vol. 111, Iss. 10 ¦ Tuesday, October 5, 2021

The Weekly Student Newspaper

of The College of William and Mary

flathatnews.com ¦ @theflathat

STUDENT ASSEMBLY

Yannie Chang elected president of Class of 2025 Nguyen receives most votes for senator in close, 12-way race EMMA FORD FLAT HAT OPERATIONS COORDINATOR

JAMIE HOLT / THE FLAT HAT

The Muscarelle is expanding its collection of contemporary Native American art by women, some of which is currently on view in the exhibition "Shared Ideologies."

Muscarelle Museum of Art looks toward expansion

Addition will triple gallery space, museum seeks to diversify collection ALEXANDRA BYRNE FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

The College of William and Mary’s Muscarelle Museum of Art is set for expansion. A $35 million privately-funded addition, which will break ground in 2022, will triple the museum’s gallery space and allow the museum to rethink its collection and outreach.

The current building opened in 1983 under the directorship of Glenn Lowry, who is now director of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Then, the collection was uncatalogued and unhoused.

Now, it has grown to nearly 7,000 objects. Like many museums, most of those works remain in storage, but the Muscarelle’s Director David Brashear said the added space will allow the museum to display more of the collection.

“This is typically the age-old question for any museum,” Brashear said. “All museums have vast collections, of which a small percentage are ever hanging on the wall at one given moment in time. We’re a little bit more constrained here because we try to straddle the divide of bringing out the works in the collection but also making sure we have other, fresh, not-always-available

topics to explore in the form of specially curated exhibitions or travelling exhibitions.”

The Muscarelle has drawn and curated several notable, historically-relevant exhibitions in recent years, including “1619 / 2019,” which marked the 400th anniversary of the arrival of enslaved Africans in Virginia. “Botticelli and the Search for the Divine” was a Muscarellecurated major loan exhibition. Currently on view is “Forever Marked by the Day,” which is curated by Brashear and explores the legacy of the 9/11 attacks through an architectural and photographical lens.

Brashear said the problem is that the Muscarelle doesn’t have that much space — only five galleries in total are available to exhibit the thousands of objects in its evergrowing collection. Space constraints also limit the breadth of the exhibitions the museum can curate, as well as whether it can host large traveling shows.

When he came into the role in 2018, Brashear had the idea of a “new” museum in mind and knew that adequate fundraising would be a hurdle. Having served on the Muscarelle’s Board of Trustees since 1999 and as chair of

the museum’s capital campaign since 2013, he made the renovation a priority.

“It’s going to be a big deal,” Brashear said.

“It’s a long time coming. This museum has been important for a long period of time, especially over the course of the past 20 years.”

Among the museum’s objects include works by big names in the art world — an oil painting by the Italian master Bronzino, several lithographs by the famed sculptor Alexander Calder, a watercolor-like surrealist aquatint by Dalí, works by world-famous Brits Hirst and Hockney, five etchings by Rembrandt. One of the most important works in the collection is a 1932 Georgia O’Keefe painting, “White Flower.” The work was only two years old at the time it was gifted to the College by Abby Rockefeller. The Muscarelle also holds significant collections of 17th and 18th century American and British portraits, as well as a large number of German expressionist paper works by Hans Grohs.

But Brashear said the priority of the museum moving forward is to collect underrepresented artists — works by women and people of color.

See MUSEUM page 8

Thursday, Sept. 30, the College of William and Mary’s Student Assembly held its annual elections for class president and the four class senator positions for the class of 2025. For the first time since the onslaught of the pandemic, celebrations welcoming the new 2025 SA members took place in-person.

In highly competitive races with seven candidates for the presidency and 12 candidates for senatorship, Yannie Chang ’25 was elected as class of 2025 president, while Sean Nguyen ’25, Hashir Aqeel ’25, Regina Chaillo ’25 and Matthew Hwang ’25 became the four newly elected class of 2025 senators.

Chang ran on a variety of different policies from increased cultural representation, women’s health and better accommodations for LGBTQ+ students.

“I’ve met so many of you guys in the past few days and I’ve loved getting to know more about you, especially hearing about your different cultural backgrounds and how you’ve felt about the representation at W&M,” Chang wrote in an Instagram post. “... As someone who is Chinese, Hispanic, and American I understand how important representation is in creating a sense of belonging and would like to see more of it.”

There were 1,693 eligible voters for the 2025 election and a total of 826 students cast a vote in the presidential election.

Overall, Chang received 253 or 30.62% of the vote, while runner-up Mateo Huerta ’25 lost by 78 votes to receive 21.18% of the vote. Katelyn Oxer ’25, Caleb Fulford ’25, Terra Stearns ’25, Matthew Rodenberg ’25, Elijah Osvaldo Poetzinger ’25 received 19%, 13.19%, 8.71%, 5.81% and 1.45% of the vote respectively.

For the senate race, Nguyen received the largest number of votes cast with 423 or 14.67% of the vote. Aqeel, Chaillo and Hwang followed with 319 (11.06%), 308 (10.68%), and 259 (8.98%) votes each. Maria Soly ’25 lost the senator position by only eight votes, resulting in a total of 8.7% of the votes cast for Soly. Terra Sloane ’25 received 8.08%, Blaze Banks received 8.01%, Sam Passman ’25 received 7.25%, Jo Mutell ’25 received 6.34%, Elias Adrian Rivera received 6.17%, Jacob Herthel received 5.27% and Sarah Devendorf received 4.71% of the vote.

Hwang highlighted the need for better campus discussions around mental health for students, especially for freshmen who are also adapting to the new lifestyle that comes with starting college.

“Adapting to a new environment while functioning as a hectic student can take a great mental toll on anyone,” Hwang wrote in an Instagram post. “The topic of mental health is extremely important when discussing student life.”

Other senators, like Aqeel, expressed thanks to the class of 2025 for using their voices in the election and promised to best represent the class.

“Thank you to every single member of the Class of 2025, whether you voted for me or not, it is an absolute privilege to serve as your Senator for our freshman year.” Aqeel wrote in an Instagram post. “I promise to do my absolute best every single day to make sure your voices are heard within the Student Assembly.”

CAMPUS

Jeff Lundardi BA '05, MBA '07 talks state policy on mental healthcare, insurance Virginia Joint Commission on Healthcare faces nursing home staffing shortages, high unaffordability DANIEL KALISH THE FLAT HAT

Tuesday, Sept. 28, a few dozen undergraduate and graduate students attended the second installment of the Schroeder Center for Health Policy’s speaker series on mental health and substance abuse policy.

The Schroeder Center and the student attendees welcomed Jeff Lunardi BA ’05 and MBA ’07, the current executive director of the Virginia Joint Commission on Healthcare. The Commission is a state government agency that works in the legislative branch of the Virginia state government.

“Let’s make sure as many Virginians as possible have access to quality and affordable healthcare,” Lunardi said.

To achieve this goal, Lunardi and his staff try to find solutions to the problems posed by the state delegates and senators on the Commission regarding different healthcare policy

INDEX News Opinions Variety Sports News

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topics, which later can become legislation. He listed the three roles of the state government in behavioral healthcare: provider, payer and regulator. He also discussed the main policy areas which the Commission is tackling right now, including nursing home staffing shortages and health insurance affordability in the individual market.

Lunardi spent much of his talk and his time answering questions from students between presenting slides of information. A few questions and much of the overall talk were centered around the first policy area that the Commission is working on: nursing home staffing shortages.

“The underlying problem is, it doesn’t pay very much, and it’s a really hard job,” Lunardi said.

Kelsi Putnam ’23, a public health and public policy double major, decided to attend the event after her club, the Health Policy Journal Club, encouraged

members to go.

“I thought the information about the nursing homes that he was talking about was really interesting and how we don’t have enough staff who want to work for the nursing homes and how he was talking about ways to fix that, but mostly, it would just be to make the job more attractive and that it's going to be hard to get people to work here and if you’re just kind of going through like governmental steps and monetary steps that you have to take to increase this desire to work in a nursing home,” Putnam said.

When asked about his agency’s role in the expansion of Medicaid, Lunardi jokingly answered, “Good question, how much time you got?”

While Lunardi mentioned that he does not deal with that issue in his current role at the Commission, he said that in a former role at the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission he had a significant part in making it less expensive and more

efficient. He mentioned that measures he helped implement saved the state $50 to 60 million a year. ”That’s real money. I haven’t got my commissioner’s check, but, y’know…”

Lunardi said.

Many in the audience appreciated the positive influence that this talk and the speaker series could have on campus.

“I think it has a pretty positive influence; it’s always good to know about what your government’s doing, especially in a topic that hasn’t previously been discussed as much in a political setting, and it’s kind of on the rise, talking about mental health, behavioral health," Putnam said.

"However the government’s doing, however you feel about that, I think it’s important to know what it’s doing and...be transparent in that situation,” Putnam said.

Following the talk, there was plenty of interest in diving deeper into the issue.

“I would love to see a talk about

Inside Opinions

Inside Variety

An anonymous student writes about their experience arriving at the College from a low-income background and advocates for resources for low-income students. page 3

The College of William and Mary's HEMA club Griffin Fechtschule shares details about medieval history, fighting techniques. page 5

'I didn't know I was low income until I came to the College"

On guard!

Virginia’s mental health facilities but from people who have worked inside of them,” Hazel Vineet '25 said. “I think this provides an important perspective of what steps the system takes to address behavioral health issues and also why there’s such a labor shortage within the industry.”

Students also expressed interest in exploring related issues.

“I really like this focus on mental health, I know this talk was also supposed to talk about substance abuse but I don’t think we got to that part, we just didn’t have enough time, and I think that is something that I’d really like to see, the effect of substance abuse and also incarceration on mental health,” Putnam said. “We touched upon it briefly in the talk and the previous one, but I would like maybe to dive further into that.”

The final installments in the speaker series will be on Oct. 26 and Nov. 4. For more information, visit the Schroeder Center for Health Policy’s website.

Inside Sports

Tribe tops Hofstra in intense penalty shootout

William and Mary (2-6, 2-0 CAA) defeated Hofstra (5-6, 0-1 CAA) in a shootout last Friday night at Busch Field. page 7

THE FLAT HAT ¦ Tuesday, October 5, 2021 ¦ Page 2

THE BUZZ

It is my belief that the artist is truth-sayer. And what I mean by that is the artist has this beautiful ability to see the world, and see it a little differently than everybody else. An artist doesn t look at a tree the same way another person will look at a tree, or a blade of grass, or the sunrise or sunset. All of those things have been captured by artists for centuries.

FLAT HAT NEWS BRIEF Campus COVID-19 positive cases decrease, indoor mask policy extend through semester Tuesday Sept. 28 Chief Operating Officer at the College of William and Mary Amy Sebring annoucned via email that the indoor masking policy will remain through the end of the semester. This adjustment came shortly after a spike and fall in on campus positive COVID-19 cases.

Sebring cited the reasoning for the decision a conjuction of discussions with the Public Health Advisory Team and predictions by national models regarding the tidewater region.

“Following discussions with the Public Health Advisory Team, William & Mary has extended the indoor masking policy to the end of the fall semester,” Sebring wrote.

“The entire region and state remain at the highest levels of transmissibility yet, with some of the national models predicting cases will spike in late October or early November as we enter into the late fall and winter.”

Additionally, Sebring noted that 98% of the student population and 95% of the College’s staff have recieved the COVID-19 vaccination.

As of Monday, Oct. 4, the COVID dashboard reports six active positive cases in the student body and zero active positives among staff. These numbers are signifcantly lower than the spike in cases seen the week of Sept. 5 with over 200 active positive cases among students.

READ MORE AT FLATHATNEWS.COM

A THOUSAND WORDS

LULU DAWES / 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.

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̶ Distinguished Artist in Residence Steve Prince

“You can’t think of being what you don’t see”

Victor Adejayan 23 talks about the importance of Black representation on campus EMMA HENRY // THE FLAT HAT In the fall of 2019, Victor Adejayan ’23 began scrolling through his freshman group chat to find a message from one of his friends discussing the possible revival of the African American Male Coalition (AAMC) on campus.

“I thought that was a splendid idea, you know, we’re all going to get together … I’ll get to hang out with all of these cool Black men on campus,” Adejayan said.

Adejayan explained that in the revival of the AAMC, the Center for Student Diversity (CSD) reached out to Alton Coston ’23, the current AAMC president, in order to be involved in more campus events. Coston decided to make an official executive board, making Adejayan the AAMC social coordinator. In his position, Adejayan manages everything from social gatherings and outreach to some work with the AAMC social media.

Adejayan says that the most meaningful part of his position has been witnessing the formation of a community of Black men on campus.

“There’s not that many Black men on this campus, so it’s very likely there are Black men you’re just not going to see here,” Adejayan explained. “Having this space for everyone to come together … and I’m helping facilitate that is really touching for me.”

The AAMC had been previously shut down due to turnover after senior executive board members graduated and other members were not prepared to take their place.

“Alton made it a serious point that we had an executive board, but we’re trying to set everything up for the future,” Adejayan said. “We have a lot of good turnover. New executive members know exactly what they’re doing.”

Over the past three years, the AAMC has been revived to its original form, working with the CSD and various other multicultural organizations.

“The Center for Student Diversity has been a huge help for the AAMC,” Adejayan said. “They’re our sponsoring body … I really appreciate them.”

Adejayan put a special emphasis on his appreciation for Dr. Kimberly Weatherly and Shené Owens, the Assistant Dean and Director and Associate Director for the CSD. For Adejayan, the AAMC meetings are something for him to look forward to.

One of the events that he passionately highlighted was “The Barbershop.”

“The Barbershop is kind of our staple meeting,” Adejayan said. “We have food and we have a couple of barbers come down and cut people’s hair. The idea is that for Black men, going to a barbershop is like entering this community. You get to come here, you talk to your barbers and whoever is in the shop, and you talk about life.”

For Adejayan, The Barbershop is a space for him to comfortably discuss his experience as a Black man on campus as well as meet upperclassmen and

COURTESY PHOTO / VICTOR ADEJAYAN

Victor Adejayan is junior at the College majoring in Kinesology and Health Sciences and is on the pre-med track.

younger members that can share in those conversations. The AAMC also has alumni, deans and a police officer who occasionally attend meetings.

“It’s not even just students, it’s Black men community-wide, and that brings a lot of good networking with it as well,” Adejayan said.

Adejayan also emphasized the importance of community members attending meetings as something that has good mentorship value.

“There’s something I used to say — you can’t think of being what you don’t see,” Adejayan said. “A lot of Black men grow up in communities where we don’t necessarily see other Black men in these positions … so being able to see a Black dean, a Black male doctor, is really inspirational … you keep pushing. You know it’s not impossible. As a Black man, we’re kind of in a place where people don’t expect us to be. So you have these people looking at this group of Black men coming together to talk about this, especially esteemed Black men. It’s just really powerful.”

Outside of the AAMC, Adejayan is

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COURTESY PHOTO / VICTOR ADEJAYAN

Adejayan is social coordinator for the African American Male Coalition and VP of the Black Student Organization.

the vice president of the Black Student Organization, secretary for diversity initiatives for Student Assembly and is involved in the African Cultural Society and Minorities in Medicine. As a pre-med student, he declared his major in health sciences and kinesiology after realizing during his first few years that biology was too broad a field for him.

“I try to be relatively well-rounded just be everywhere I can be,” Adejayan said “Minorities in Medicine is a great place. A lot of great people from similar backgrounds, some different backgrounds.”

He also expressed that the Black Student Organization and Student Assembly have not only allowed him to connect with the Black community, but have helped him get involved with community advocacy and diversity initiatives to advocate for many of the diverse groups on campus.

“When I got here, one of the first things I did was look for all the Black people,” Adejayan said. “All of these various communities who are going the same place I wanted to go.”

After his time at the College, Adejayan has plans to go to medical school after completing his undergraduate degree.

Though he originally planned to get his MD, he has now become more interested in the sociological aspect of public health and is hoping to get his MD/MPH. “So a dual degree with a masters in public health and work in a clinical setting as a doctor while also working in public health policy,” Adejayan said. “I don’t know exactly where this string is going to take me, but I know that’s what I’m interested in.”

Adejayan believes that COVID-19 made it incredibly difficult for students to find their communities on campus.

“Community is vital and I think everyone should strive to find their community,” Adejayan said. “If you’re a Black man and you want to get into a community with other Black men, come out to the African American Male Coalition.”

opinions STAFF COLUMN

Language programs ignored

by College despite heavy student and faculty protests

Opinions Editor Lucas Harsche Opinions Editor Alyssa Slovin fhopinions@gmail.com // @theflathat THE FLAT HAT ¦ Tuesday, October 5, 2021 ¦ Page 3

GUEST COLUMN

I didn’t know I was low-income

until I arrived at the College Anonymous

FLAT HAT GUEST WRITER

Caitlin Noe

FLAT HAT ASSOCIATE OPINIONS EDITOR

Last year, the College of William and Mary made the unwise decision to not renew the contracts of some vital professors in the modern languages and literatures department due to budget cuts. For those who are unaware, the language programs can be small (as small as four or five faculty members), so cutting even one professor can have a detrimental impact on that department.

Take the German studies program, for example. Beloved German professor Veronika Burney was one of the professors cut from modern languages and literatures. Professor Burney taught intro level and intermediate German classes. This year, those classes had to be picked up by other professors.

Currently, there is only one upper-level class taught in German. Any student that wants to take this course but has a conflict is left with no other options. This is the case for a friend of mine who is a German major. It’s very unfortunate that students are put in this situation. The lack of course offerings has been a problem since before the cut, but to me that should have suggested to the College that, if anything, they should be hiring one more German language professor, not letting one go.

Situations like these should never have come to fruition.

Students rallied to try to save the jobs of language professors because they knew how valuable they were to the College and how good they were at their jobs. And what did the College do?

Largely ignore them. The irony in this decision is quite obvious.

The College prides itself on its academic rigor and brilliant faculty, so cutting key professors in small departments is a slap in the face to these components.

One of the first things you’ll notice when you visit the College’s website is the display of its ranking as a top 10 school in undergraduate teaching. Does the College not see language faculty as an important part of that? Languages are just as important as other disciplines. A college as good as this one should know that. The College grossly undervalued the importance of languages with their cuts last year and yet boasts on their website that the College values teaching.

It’s time that the College lives up to its claims. It’s time that the College reevaluates its decision making when it comes to faculty in language departments. The College should make clear that they value the work of these professors and what they do for students. Professors in small language departments should not be some of the first up on the chopping block whenever the school is looking to save some money. The small financial gains of cutting language professors is not worth it when they are sacrificing the quality of language degrees at the College.

Caitlin Noe ‘24 is a Government and Psychology double major.

She is also a member of Amnesty International and Film Society.

She participated in the DC Summer Institute American Politics program this summer. Email Caitlin at cjnoe@email.wm.edu.

To view citations visit flathatnews.com.

COMIC

Content warning: Mentions of food-related lived in an area so rich that people had money to spend restriction and mental health. on people like me. And they were willing to, likely It’s the little things. because I was a “good” poor kid, one who tried so hard It’s not being able to go out with friends often, to integrate into their lifestyle, who never drank, never sure, but it’s also researching the fact that WATA is did drugs and had the cultural capital to speak and free for students before applying, and making sure act the way that they liked. So it was easier. Accessing it’s a walkable campus. Or avoiding majors/minors resources at the College, however, was very different, like art, or literally any science with a lab, because especially considering that I did not identify myself as you see the word FEE in bold letters on Open Course first-generation low-income on any forms, as I didn’t and get scared. believe that it applied to me until I saw my FAFSA. As It’s sneaking into a campus building when it’s closed such, I missed out on what I know is a great program because you know that there are blankets inside. through STEP. However, it was too late for me and for It’s unsuccessfully unlearning a scarcity mindset. many people I know.

It’s a lot of stealing that isn’t really stealing, like taking If you are a low-income student like myself and need handfuls of help finding resources, condoms I implore you to go to from the CSD organizations such as or stuffing Blot, W&M Vox and backpacks Campus Kitchen for with free pads tangible needs like food, and tampons clothing or sanitary or snatching products. And please free food from reach out to the Office of people tabling Community Engagement in Sadler, to see if there are funds all justified that can fill your specific internally with needs. These are the a “just in case” places that I have found because you the most help (both never know. personally and from In the dining talking with other lowhalls, feeling income students), and the need — where they are actually not want, but able to materially help you. need, urge, The reason that I compulsion — write this article is this: to go back for there is a wonderful seconds and culture on campus of take cereal and trying to uplift those in fruits to-go, our communities. I see even if you students clamoring for GRAPHIC BY KERRIS WATSON / THE FLAT HAT won’t eat them equity and justice across because you’re so used to not knowing where you’d eat the world, which is amazing. However, much of this next. And now, with Marketplace assigning monetary comes from wealthy students with no understanding value to foods instead of normal swipes, it’s fighting of low-income communities and needs. I mean, I panic attacks because you feel that you’re not worthy haven’t even talked about the culture of a school whose of food that costs that much, that by eating you’re median parental income was $176,400 in 2017, let spending too much on yourself, even though you alone the elitism and classism from other students. If know logically a swipe is a swipe. It’s eventually you truly want to help low income students, there are avoiding Marketplace altogether. specific school policies you should be working toward: In high school, I didn’t know any better, because ending forced hospitalizations of mentally ill students I was a low-income kid from a rich-ass county, and I by the Dean of Students and Student Accessibility was resourceful, and I was lucky. My friends (who were Services, making sure that Residence Life can properly all wealthy — excuse me, “well off”) gave me rides to house students with no other options over all breaks the grocery store in the cars that their parents bought and that W&M Care Support Services can have some them, let me sleep on their couches, shower in their authority in that, and creating funds or programs that personal bathrooms and eat food at their table without reduce barriers to students’ futures (such as unexpected repayment. I found opportunities to go to county and medical bills or a lack of a cell phone). Think global, act state-funded summer camps when I wasn’t working. I local. Start changing the school environment for had teachers who believed in me and told me that I was the better. going to go to college, and so I did. I made it here.

This author is a student at the College of William Perhaps this is the “socio’ in “socioeconomics.” Even and Mary and has chosen to remain anonymous. If you though I didn’t have much, I felt like I did because I would like to respond, email fhopinions@gmail.com.

Fuzzy transfers to the College of William and Mary, meets Blues COMIC BY ARIANNA STEWART / THE FLAT HAT

THE FLAT HAT

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

Page 4

STAFF COLUMN

In a digital media sphere where news is immediate, journalistic corrections are important for transparency and reliability Matt Lowrie

FLAT HAT OMBUDSMAN

In November of 2013 the Patriot-News of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania issued the following apology and retraction: “In the editorial about President Abraham Lincoln’s speech delivered Nov. 19, 1863, in Gettysburg, the Patriot & Union failed to recognize its momentous importance, timeless eloquence, and lasting significance. The PatriotNews regrets the error.”

The Gettysburg Address was panned by the then-Patriot & Union who, no fans of President Lincoln’s, called it “silly” and deserving a “veil of oblivion.”

Despite the time that’s passed, the Patriot-News editorial board made the decision in 2013, more than 150 years after the article was published, to issue a retraction and apology; doing so with the knowledge that their small readership would likely neither care nor have any knowledge of their previous transgression. “The world will little note nor long remember our emendation of this institution’s record,” they wrote, “but we must do as conscience demands.” The Patriot-News that day chose the right honorable duty of true journalism.

Journalism is, in one sense, an active referee in and of our daily lives. It is easy to think of the larger accomplishments that occupy the American mythological landscape of journalism and journalists. What often is overlooked or forgotten is the work after a story is published; what happens when the headlines get it wrong.

News organizations big and small mess up and fess up all the time in big and small ways.

Corrections run on page A2 in print for many and alerts run online. But how often are those noticed? How often do you actively search T for corrections and updates to the HA T A news you’ve already read? Reading FL HE T an article in the morning, / ON you can come away with a S AT different understanding SW I than someone who RR KE Y reads that article B IC that afternoon.

PH A

GR

Famously, The New York Times has been accused of “stealth editing” certain articles (but are far from the only ones). Stealth editing is a term used to describe when a news company edits an article online and does not note the change. More derisively, it is a term used to shout journalistic malpractice. There are plenty of unmalicious reasons to edit an article after online publication: spelling errors or things deemed by the higher ups to be editorially insignificant (whatever that means).

Stealth editing and its slippery slope should worry readers as much as it does me. Kalev Leetaru writing for RealClearPolitics conveyed the magnitude and severity of the problem well, writing, “Far from an isolated deviation of accepted journalistic practice, stealth editing has become the norm in digital newsrooms from small local outlets through the nation’s most prominent papers. In the web era, even our papers of record are being edited on the fly, permanently changing the concept of historical record from the immutable ledger of the past to a real-life Memory Hole. George Orwell had it right.”

The Flat Hat has a long-standing policy that any change to an article be noted and solely considered a “correction.”

As the Associated Press, from whom we derive our standards, puts it : “A correction must always be labeled a correction in the editor’s note. We do not use euphemisms such as ‘recasts,’ ‘fixes,’ ‘clarifies’ or ‘changes’ when correcting a factual error.”

Since January 1, 2016 the Flat Hat has issued corrections on 40 articles. Roughly 60% of those were factual corrections. This is not that surprising as most things that need correcting are factual: names, dates, information, updates. As such, most corrections — 28 in fact — are in the news section. The remaining 40% was split evenly between updates to quotes and clarifications to articles. The number of corrections is almost perfectly correlated with the number of articles published, month by month and year by year.

An example from the past few years of Flat Hat corrections include: “Correction: This article has been corrected to reflect that a quote from Rabbi Gershon Litt had been previously attributed to Hillel President Alexina Haefner ’19. It has also been corrected to reflect that Haefner was misquoted as saying she had been warned by her mother about the hate she would face after converting to Judaism.”

And a personal favorite: “Correction: An earlier version of this article mistakenly replaced the word “snake person” with “snake person” in a quote from Ben Lambert ’19.

This was due to a satirical word replacement browser extension installed on the news editor’s version of Google Chrome and not an implication that 38 percent of Williamsburg residents are reptilians.”

What often is overlooked or forgotten is the work after a story is published; what happens when the headlines get it wrong.

Typographical mistakes, copy-editing errors, mishearing someone, misunderstanding a situation or person, doing the math wrong. These are all real problems that happen and need to be corrected. However, there must also be a balance between corrections and standing behind your reporting. Receiving an email from a disgruntled reader is not sufficient for a correction, though we may want to look into the matter anyway.

Hearing from someone with knowledge and corrections is crucial to forming a positive and trusting relationship with the community that we serve. It is also crucial that we then act on those relationships and that information.

The Flat Hat — in just the past year alone — has had to make those judgement calls, balancing integrity and accountability. With some frequency, various editors and writers will receive emails calling for a retraction or correction for an article. Oftentimes these are valid points and the section editors perform their task dutifully, updating the article online and issuing the correction.

Other times, however, these emails demand action on behalf of an interested party that The Flat Hat correct or retract a story on their say-so. This does not qualify for a correction or retractions and results in no action.

What I fear is that somebody will read a story once and then report a falsehood, whether or not they know it to be so, before the correction is issued. This is why it’s important to get it right the first time. As Mark Twain apocryphally said, “A lie can travel around the world and back again while the truth is lacing up its boots” (Don’t worry, the irony of this quote does not escape me).

Matt Lowrie ‘22 is the Flat Hat’s inaugural Standards and Practices Editor. He enjoys reading and commenting on but not actually writing the news. Email Matt at flathat. ombuds@gmail.com or submit a formal comment or complaint here: https://forms.gle/nr7VfHSVCtqqh8i59.

To view citations, visit flathatnews.com.

STAFF COLUMN

Bisexuality Awareness Week is the time to fight for bisexual acceptance

Elaine Godwin

FLAT HAT ASSOC. OPINIONS EDITOR

Bisexuality+ Awareness Week begins September 16 each year and continues until the culminating Bi+ Visibility Day September 23. There have always been misconceptions surrounding bisexuality, both outside of and within the larger LGBTQIA+ community.

Despite what this week and others are intended for, little to no focus is truly given to marginalized queer identities at the College of William and Mary.

Quite simply put, saying “you belong” in regard to campus is not enough for queer people to feel seen, heard or remotely accepted to the level befitting an educated community of scholars and more.

Many people, for instance, do not realize that bisexuality is associated with much higher rates of depression and anxiety, even when compared to other gay and queer people. Bisexual people face a unique combination of homophobia and gaslighting that causes one to believe their sexual identification isn’t valid or correct. As a bisexual/ pansexual person myself, I have heard the same tired argument that I am simply too confused or unwilling to

commit to a single gender. Considering the rather large queer student community we have, I am sure that this is sadly a shared experience.

October is LGBTQIA+ History Month, however, and offers yet another chance for queer recognition and acceptance throughout Williamsburg and beyond.

It should not be the responsibility of queer students to advocate for this, yet administration is far from being described as anything close to queeraffirming and thus we are left alone in this grand fight.

Carmen Maria Machado, author of “In the Dream House” and a queer activist, writes “You tried to tell your story to people who didn’t know how to listen.”

The College hears but does not listen; it is full of shallow participation and overt rainbow washing when it is convenient, particularly on social media and during Pride Month. Even as an institute of higher learning, there is a very small amount of non-queer students willing to put in the work to educate themselves on history and issues within the LGBTQIA+ umbrella.

Considering the need for bisexuality (and other marginalized groups) awareness within the community, queer students should also be continuously learning how to be a more conscientious and compassionate member and ally.

I know that we as students are extremely busy during this month with upcoming exams and midterm papers, but no one ever said raising inner awareness was easy. It takes a special sort of strength and intellect to admit ignorance on a certain

subject, and I am in no way ignorancefree. I am determined to not be complicit within larger societal defects, and so I ask the College community to do the same.

It is well past time that our campus began actively listening to voices that have been speaking and telling their unique, queer stories for generations.

To listen effectively, one must be silent for those who have been historically silenced and overlooked.

During this LGBTQIA+ History Month, I would like to offer my open ears for intersectional and marginalized queer voices, and I urge administration and other privileged students to do the same.

Elaine Godwin ‘22 is an English and Data Science double major. As a queer person, they have a unique view on the world and is dedicated to inclusion for the LGBTQ+ community. Email Elaine at sgodwin@email.wm.edu.

GRAPHIC BY ZOE DAVIS AND HEADSHOT

BY ANGELA VASISHTA / THE FLAT HAT

variety

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

THE FLAT HAT | Tuesday, October 5, 2021 | Page 5

On Garde!

ZACHARY LUTZKY / THE FLAT HAT

The College of William and Mary s historical martial arts club, Griffin

Fechtschule, shares details about medieval history, fighting techniques.

JR HERMAN // FLAT HAT VARIETY ASSOC. EDITOR The College of William & Mar y’s Griffin Fechtschule (fechtschule means “fencing school” in German) seeks to enlighten its members about the histor y and practice of historical European martial arts, particularly German and Italian combat during the late-Medieval and Renaissance periods. Colloquially known as HEMA club, the group’s focus is longsword fencing, but members also study and practice the German messer, the British, Swedish, and Polish sabre, the Italian rapier, the rondel or, dagger, as well as the sword and buckler.

According to Griffin Fechtschule’s president, Christopher Wagner ’22, last year’s COVID restrictions affected the club’s ability to hold in-person events and meetings, so most lessons were held over Zoom with the occasional practice held outside following safety protocols. Virtual meetings combined with the cancellation of the in-person activities fair resulted in the group seeing a drastic decrease in active members as well as a limited cohort of new members. This semester, with operations mostly back to normal and the ability to hold in-person events, the club has seen a significant surge in membership, with weekly events attracting dozens of attendees.

On Sundays and Wednesdays from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., the club can be found practicing on Jamestown Field. A typical meeting consists of stretches, socialization and an instruction period. During the instruction period, club officers demonstrate a particular fighting system and members learn guards, forms and drills with whatever weapon is currently being taught. The instruction period typically lasts about an hour and is followed by time for members to spar, thereby allowing them to put the lesson into practice.

In addition to introducing students to historic European martial arts, the club gives students the opportunity to get some exercise into their weekly routine. For Wagner, one of the greatest benefits of the Griffin Fechtschule is that it allows its members to destress from the rigors of academics.

“While I love the casual atmosphere and friendly camaraderie of the Griffin Fechtschule, my absolute favorite part is what we call Melee Week, the practices immediately before our finals, where we forego normal instruction and instead hold free sparring events like an open melee, team sparring, crosssystem sparring and other games that we don’t normally do to celebrate the end of the semester and really put all our lessons into practice,” Wagner said. “It’s also an excellent way to blow off steam before the weight of finals stress comes crashing down!”

As for the more academic aspect of the club, members study fighting manuals, known as Fechtbücher, written by fencing masters of the Middle Ages and beyond. After studying these texts,

members put the described techniques into practice, reviving little-known historical techniques. The club’s unique focus on entwining academics and athletics allows members to not only read about what they are learning, but to also experience it first-hand.

Jana Considine ’22 assists in teaching lessons to members as one of the club’s Vice Presidents and also ser ves as Illuminator (club gear designer) and Social Media Coordinator. As a Medieval and Renaissance Studies major, Griffin Fechtschule has been a way to connect her course of study and personal interests to extracurriculars.

By reading medieval texts and bringing these techniques alive through practice, Considine has gained a deeper understanding of the time period, the culture and the people she studies.

Considine’s favorite Fechtbuch manuscript contains depictions of female fighters, which interests her both as a Medieval studies scholar and a swordswoman.

“These images have a multitude of implications, but the most obvious one is a new understanding of the way women interacted with combat,” Considine said. “Ultimately, from learning to sword fight through the Griffin Fechtschule, I have not only exposed myself to the techniques of the Middle Ages and learned to embody them physically, but have also come to better understand the lived experiences of medieval women and therefore broadened my understanding of the past.”

For those interested in joining, no prior experience with swords is needed — in fact, most of the club’s new members (and executives) joined the club as beginners.

Prior to joining the Griffin Fechtschule, Wagner had only limited stage combat experience in high school, while Considine had none; despite her interest in the Middle Ages and medieval sword fighting prior to coming to the College, she had never tried fencing before joining.

“When I was first looking at the Griffin Fechtschule, I asked a member who is now a good friend of mine whether or not they took people with no combat experience who had the upper body strength of a limp noodle,” Considine said. “The answer to that question was yes.”

For C o n s i d i n e , o n c e s h e h e l d a s w o r d i n h e r h a n d a n d began to learn how to use it, there was no turning back. The G r i f f i n Fe c h t s c h u l e h a s a l l o w e d h e r t o n o t o n l y g r o w a s a s w o r d s w o m a n a n d a s c h o l a r, b u t i t h a s a l s o p r o v i d e d h e r with a community.

S t u d e n t s i n t e r e s t e d i n j o i n i n g t h e G r i f f i n Fe c h t s c h u l e c a n reach out through TribeLink or show up to a meeting for more information.

THE FLAT HAT

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

Page 6

To the Moon and Back The Chinese Student Organization performs for Harvest Moon Festival with Avatar: The Last Airbender inspired show GRACE PETRONZIO // THE FLAT HAT Saturday, Oct. 2, the Chinese Student Organization celebrated the Harvest Moon Festival in Sadler Center’s Commonwealth Auditorium with a performance that blended tradition and modernity: “Yue and the Immortality Elixir.”

The Harvest Moon Festival is a traditional Chinese celebration that falls on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month. Like many festivals in all cultures, this is a time for celebrating and feasting with family and friends. In keeping with this spirit, the performance was catered by Peter Chang, a local Chinese restaurant, and both performers and attendees feasted after the show.

The show itself was a combination of the traditional Chinese folk tale of Chang’E and the much more modern animated series “Avatar : The Last Airbender.”

When asked what inspired them to combine these elements, co-culture chair Tj-Yuxin Song ’23 said it came down to relatability.

“This is the first thing we’ve done in … almost two years now, and so we really just wanted to keep in the traditional elements, so like talk about Harvest Moon and how important Harvest Moon is, while still making it really fun and funny too, and more relatable too,” Song said.

The show was able to balance telling the traditional story with the “Avatar” setting and characters, as well as weaving in some modern-day concepts.

In a scene relatable to many children with immigrant parents, Yue and her father argue over her life path what she wants to do versus what he wants her to do, and the age-old immigrant parent comment : “I sacrificed so much to get you a better life.” Moments like these were peppered throughout the show, and were always met with laughter and applause.

The story of Chang’E was also excellently woven into the more well-known elements from “Avatar,” creating a very

accessible format for learning and understanding the story.

The story was told through the “Avatar: The Last Airbender” plotline of Yue becoming the moon to save her people a direct parallel to the story of Cha ng ’ E . Inte rsp e rs e d w i t h the a c t i ng w e re b eau t i f u l dan c e s, o n e re p re s e nt i ng t h e ear t h ki ng d o m a n d t h e kyo s h i war r i o rs d o n e w i t h f a n s, a n d a m o re m o d e r n da n c e f o r t h e fire ki ng d o m.

These were co-choreographed

by Irene Liu ’23 and CSO president Olivia Yu ’23, who is also a member of the Zodiac dance crew.

The dance breaks were a favorite for Chris Jiang ’24, who played Sokka, who also happens to be his favorite “Avatar” character. Jiang’s favorite scene to act was when he killed the Fire Nation dancers by banging the ground with a boomerang.

He also explained that that scene was not originally scripted into the performance and was only added in the day before. Not only would the audience never have guessed that it was a last-minute addition, it was a perfect one, heightening the drama of the show and providing the perfect ending to the dance.

Jiang explained that he was initially hesitant to perform, but after the encouragement of fellow CSO members, decided to give it a try.

“At first I was actually kind of hesitant to join,” Jiang said. “My only acting experience has been the sixth grade play, but then I ended up talking to one of the executive members about it and that’s what kind of sealed the deal. I guess I’ve always been described as kind of a Sokka in real life.”

In a full circle moment, Liu herself first got involved in the CSO through the Harvest Moon Festival her freshman year and that she and her friends participated in the dances together.

“CSO holds a special place in my heart,” Liu said. “Meeting the people that I did got me into the organization, and now I’m on the

executive board!”

Brian Wu ’22, who played fire nation prince Zuko, remarks on his favorite scene to perform in the show. This scene also happened to be a crowd pleaser.

“The one where I blush at Mai, it was an interesting scene,” Wu said. “I’m glad the audience seemed like they laughed at it, I was happy to amuse them.”

Wu also explored his passion for acting by playing a villain in the show.

“I love acting, it’s just something I have fun with,” Wu said. “Being able to play different characters and playing Zuko was interesting. I’m usually not playing the bad guy, but it was nice playing a hardcore villain.”

Sean Nguyen ‘25, who has never seen Avatar, said one of his favorite parts of the show was watching his hallmate Elijah Tsai ‘25, who played Appa. Appa is the flying bison from the show and was a fan favorite of the crowd.

Nguyen also commented about what drew him to this performance and why performances like these are important to campus and society as a whole.

“Asian-American culture and representation is so valuable to the 21st century as we’re trying to progress forwards in society” Nguyen said. “That representation shone through in a spotlight through Avatar, it really shines and highlights the power of our collective cultures.”

This festival celebration showed the power in community and coming together with friends — the very reason that it is traditionally celebrated.

It also held open a door way for new friends, providing a wonderful opportunity for students outside the CSO to learn a little bit about a new culture and hopefully gain some appreciation for both the culture and the talents of the members. The CSO put on a fantastic show with an equally fantastic post-show atmosphere.

BECCA KLINGER / THE FLAT HAT

sports

THE F LAT HAT ¦ Tuesday, October 5 , 2021 ¦ Page 7

FIELD HOCKEY

JAMIE HOLT / THE FLAT HAT

After surrendering its first two shots in the penalty stroke-off, the Tribe succeeded in its next three attempts, including the pivotal fifth shot after the Pride missed their try, to win the stroke-off 3-2 and get the victory on the day.

Tribe takes Hofstra’s pride in penalty stroke-off Despite somewhat promising performances, Tribe fails to capitalize on offense JAKE FORBES FLAT HAT ASSOC. SPORTS EDITOR William and Mary (2-6, 2-0 CAA) defeated Hofstra (5-6, 0-1 CAA) in a shootout last Friday night, Oct. 1, at Busch Field.

“Getting this win was so important for us,” freshman Pyper Friedman said. “Obviously, it’s a CAA game, and we really wanted to come out with a win. But coming off six losses, it’s really good for our team’s momentum.” The victory marked the Tribe’s first of the season.

Hofstra jumped out in front of the Tribe just three minutes into the game after a goal from Mercedes Currie. Three minutes later, junior Lauren Curran tied up the contest with a goal off the keeper’s pads. Curran leads the Tribe in scoring this season with three goals.

Strong defensive efforts from both teams kept the game locked at 1-1 heading into the fourth quarter. William and Mary took their first lead of the game in the 47th minute when freshman Kelly Richbourg scored off a corner opportunity. Senior Cara Menges assisted Richbourg on the play. The Tribe had 11 corners during the contest, compared to just seven for Hofstra.

Less than four minutes later, Hofstra tied up the game after Eline Olfeman scored off an assist from Simryn Desai. Olfeman shot from the right wing and threaded the ball between sophomore Maddie George’s shoulder pad and the upper-right corner of the goalpost.

At the end of regulation, the score remained 2-2. Neither team

was able to score during two 10-minute overtime periods and the game went into a shootout.

Hofstra scored on their first shootout attempt, putting pressure on George.

“It was good to get it out of the way,” George said. “I kept on trying different things during the shootout, so if something didn’t work, I knew to throw that away and try something else.”

After four rounds, each team scored two goals. George came up with a huge stop against Hofstra’s Lieke Gorsse in the fifth round. Friedman then stepped up to take her shot with a chance to win the game. She made it past Hofstra’s Merlijin van

der Vegt into the left side of the net to secure the victory for William and Mary.

Despite starting off the season with six losses, the Tribe still has high expectations for the rest of the season.

“Our goal is to make top four in the conference,” Head Coach Tess Ellis said. “It doesn’t matter how we get there.”

The College defeated Northeastern on Sunday, Oct. 3 to improve to 2-0, winning their second consecutive game of the season. The victory also kept the Tribe undefeated in conference play. They host Richmond this Friday, Oct. 8, at 6 p.m. at Busch Field.

Penalty Stroke-Off : By the Numbers

Next Game Up:

= make

= miss

@ 6 p.m.

William and Mary 2-6 (2-0 CAA)

Richmond 3-8 (3-1 A-10)

MEN S SOCCER

VOLLEYBALL

Penalty lifts Tribe 1-0 on Cougars College stays winless in CAA play Levengood seals win in 83rd minute after foul

Meyers, Schwem log strong efforts in 3-1 loss LEXIE HIESTAND FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR

JAMIE HOLT / THE FLAT HAT

The only goal game came off a drawn foul in the box by junior Diba Nwebgo, with Levengood making the ensuing penalty.

NATHAN SEIDEL FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR William and Mary men’s soccer (3-4, 1-2 CAA) got a much-needed win Saturday to claim its first CAA victory of the new season and move back closer to .500 on the year.

The Tribe topped the College of Charleston (3-5, 0-4 CAA) in a narrow 1-0 contest in which the only goal came off a drawn penalty kick by junior Diba Nwegbo. Junior Alexander Levengood took and made the penalty in the 83rd minute — his third goal of the season and second go-ahead score.

The Tribe started out on the offensive, getting four shots off in the first 22 minutes. It became far more balanced after that as the Cougars got their footing in the game, attempting four of their own before halftime.

The game was a deadlock throughout, with neither team scoring until Levengood’s penalty. The Tribe did outshoot the Cougars 14-8 and 4-1 in shots on goal, but the outcome was decidedly in doubt until the costly foul inside the box.

Nwegbo earned the foul call as well, when a Cougar defender’s swinging foot glanced off his head during an attempted clear.

The Cougars got one shot on goal during the contest, but it was a laser saved by junior goalkeeper Connor Andrews early in the second half that would have significantly changed the momentum of the game.

The shot screamed toward the bottom right corner of the goal in the 67th minute, forcing Andrews to lay out in an effort to keep it in the field of play.

Levengood kept the pressure on all game, attempting four shots, two of which were on target.

Nwegbo also made life difficult for the Cougar goalie, launching three shots and two on target as well.

The Tribe’s offense showed signs of promise in the game, with additional scoring efforts cut short by offsides calls, four on the day. The defense had its moments too, making life easier for Andrews except for the one close call.

The College will return to action on Oct. 5 against nationally-ranked Wake Forest, who is placed 20th in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer. The game will begin at 7 p.m. in Winston-Salem and can be viewed on ACC Network Extra as the Tribe attempts to get back to .500 on the year.

William and Mary (3-6, 0-4 CAA) lost their fourth straight game against Charleston (10-7, 3-3 CAA) on Sunday, Oct. 3. The 1-3 loss comes off a 0-3 loss the day before to Charleston as well.

The Cougars picked up the first set easily.

Though the Tribe claimed first blood with a kill by sophomore outside hitter Sydney Taylor, the Cougars ended up winning the frame, 25-15. A late 10-2 run sealed the victory.

Three kills from sophomore outside hitter Maddie Meyers marked the Tribe’s best individual performance of the day.

The second set saw the Tribe only triumph, 25-20.

This time, the Cougars took the first point, but the Tribe tied it and claimed the lead quickly.

The game went back and forth until the tie at 17, when the Cougars went on a three-point run.

But it was freshman setter Amy Schwem who really sealed the deal for the Tribe, bringing the Tribe on an eight-point run. Schwem took the serve for the last eight points. She managed to target Cougar outside hitter Gabi Bailey for two attack error points and back-to-back aces. Her precision with the service translated into defensive prowess as well. Schwem got the kill to bring the Tribe to 24, and assisted to get the win.

The third started off well for the Tribe. They carried momentum from their previous win. The score was tight until 10, when the Cougars went on a 5-0 run.

Despite kill efforts from Meyers, Seekford and Farrell, the Tribe could not overcome that initial deficit. They ended up losing 20-25, the opposite score of the frame in which they won.

The Tribe lagged in the fourth. The Cougars’ relentless game pounded the Tribe down. The Cougars took an early lead, then went on a 7-2 run.

The Tribe got points here and there, but the Cougars were consistent — and the scores showed it. The

Tribe lagged by 8 points for the majority of the game.

The Cougars clinched the game on a service error

by Taylor.

Graduate student outside hitter Julia Brown and Farrell claimed double digit kills despite the Tribe’s lagging performance with 10 a piece. Meyer contributed eight total, with five coming from the first frame alone. Schwem recorded three service aces to lead the team, seven digs, and a whopping 26 attacks. Junior libero Anna Porter netted 14 digs.

The numbers do not look too different on the score sheet between teams, but the Cougars managed to string together their performances for a victory. For example, the Cougars netted 51 kills to the Tribe’s 51, 18 errors to 23, and 41 attacks to 43.

The Tribe will return to break its losing streak next Saturday, Oct. 9, at 1 p.m. at Hofstra and again on Oct. 10 at 1 p.m.. The Pride is 9-8 on the year and also 3-3 in the CAA.

FH Want more Flat Hat Sports coverage?

For your daily dose of all things Tribe Athletics at the College of William and Mary, visit flathatnews.com Interested in writing for us?

Email flathatsports@gmail.com

Page 8

THE FLAT HAT

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

ART

COURTESY PHOTO/ MUSCARELLE MUSEUM OF ART

Forever Marked by the Day is an exhibit in the Muscarelle Museum of Art curated by the Museum s Director David Brashear to honor the legacy of the 9/11 attacks through various photographs and pieces of architecture.

Muscarelle Museum of Art plans expansion for 2022

Muscarelle Museum of Art s $35 million expansion project will triple museum gallery size MUSEUM from page 1

In 2020, the museum acquired a 1950 photograph

by Margaret Bourke-White of children in Soweto, South Africa during apartheid. Bourke-White was a photojournalist for Life Magazine who paved the way for women in photography. Some of her equally groundbreaking contemporaries, like Berenice Abbott and Consuelo Kanaga, also had works added to the Muscarelle’s collection last year.

The Muscarelle has also focused on collecting Native American artists — particularly those who are

still living and working.

“We have now some of the powerhouses in the Native American art space in our collection,” Brashear said.

Danielle Moretti-Langholtz, the Muscarelle’s curator of Native American Art, said her role at the museum is to expand the collection of Native American art and curate related exhibitions, which she has been doing since 2007. It’s a position not many museums have — the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York just hired its first curator of Native American art in 2020, and many university museums do not have a similar role.

“I have met some significant goals,” Moretti-

JAMIE HOLT / THE FLAT HAT

Museum Director David Brashear hopes to encourage student attendence, collect underrepresented artists.

Langholtz said. “In acquiring works by several Native women, who I think of as the rockstars in Native art. I’m happy to call them that. These women work in a style that is very, very different from what people may expect from Native artists. That’s what is so very exciting.”

Conversations with Jaune Quick-to-see Smith, the artist featured in Moretti-Langholtz’s first exhibition at the Muscarelle, inspired her to seek out these “rockstars.” Among those new acquisitions include works by Kay WalkingStick, a Cherokee artist, Emmi Whitehorse, a Navajo artist, and Cara Romero, a Chemehuevi artist, which are currently on view in the exhibition “Shared Ideologies.”

“Our current exhibition shows the breadth of contemporary art,” Moretti-Langholtz said. “We have other pieces that are more traditional pieces, but I wanted to show works that are influenced by the Red Power movement and by the establishment of the Institute for American Indian Art in Santa Fe. One thing that Jaune told me that was important to her about Native artists is she didn’t want people to just think, ‘oh Native artists, they do crafts.’ She wanted us at William and Mary, our collection, to reflect the best of trained artists — and these artists are trained in art and they are as good as any trained artists working at this time.”

Despite the museum’s expansive and growing collection, Brashear admitted student attendance remains low.

“I think there’s a good chunk of students on campus who come here all four years and don’t really know where we are, or that we exist,” Brashear said.

Director of Engagement and Distinguished Artist in Residence Steve Prince, who has been with the museum for three years, hopes to mitigate this issue and perceptions of elitism by bringing the Muscarelle to the public.

“And changing the model — not always looking for the community to come here, but going to the community and meeting them where they’re at,” Prince said. “The arts is not just confined to the museum — the arts is everywhere, it’s all around us. And when you can engage with the community and get them to find the arts and the beauty in everything around them, it further entrenches this idea of this space being their space.”

During his time at the museum, Prince has sought to engage the Williamsburg community through communal artistic production. Prince is an artist himself — he said he was encouraged by his educators and mentors from a young age and hopes to be that person for other young people.

He recently spearheaded the Links Project to confront

and reflect upon the legacy of slavery at the College, which received over 500 woodcut submissions from across the globe. His latest project, The Communal Quilt Project, involves portable quilt-making workshops — Prince hopes to eventually line the length of Duke of Gloucester street in Colonial Williamsburg with the finished quilts.

Bringing art to the community means hearing their stories too, which Prince said was at once inspiring and solemn.

“And that’s why I come up with projects like the Links, because it begins to exemplify what needs to happen in order to make change,” Prince said. “It becomes a symbol of that, because ultimately — 500 people — they didn’t know how their pieces were going to fit together.

But they do. And they have a place. And I think that’s how we think of ourselves societally — each one of us has a place, each one of us fits together, and each one of us is connected, regardless of our background.”

As a museum affiliated with a university, the Muscarelle is also hoping to engage with academic departments, professors and student researchers.

Though over half of the collection is digitized and searchable, Brashear said work is ongoing to catalogue and photograph every work. The expanded building will house study rooms where students can view these works, and an adjoined upgraded paper storage facility will make documents and prints more accessible.

“In five years, hopefully we’ll be well into our new museum and, I think, having a level of engagement with students that we haven’t yet had the ability to do,” Brashear said. “I can’t wait to come into this building and see students hanging out — having a cup of coffee in the atrium, or studying, or upstairs drawing in the galleries.”

For students and the community alike, Prince emphasized the power of art as a force for healing and restoration in the context of difficult issues.

“It is my belief that the artist is truth-sayer,” Prince said.

“And what I mean by that is the artist has this beautiful ability to see the world, and see it a little differently than everybody else. An artist doesn’t look at a tree the same way another person will look at a tree, or a blade of grass, or the sunrise or sunset. All of those things have been captured by artists for centuries. When we see the artist’s work, whether it be a sculpture or drawing, painting or computer graphic, it causes us to pause and reflect, and in many instances it helps us to remember.”

“Shared Ideologies” in the Muscarelle’s Sheridan & Spigel Galleries and “Forever Marked by the Day” in the Cheek, Graves & Burns Galleries is on display through Jan. 9, 2022.

STUDENT ASSEMBLY

SA urges BOV to divest from fossil fuels, funds initiatives for racial justice

Student Assembly unanimously passes Plan Committees Funding Act, allocates $3,000 to fund research EMMA FORD AND KIMBERLY LORES FLAT HAT OPERATIONS COORDINATOR, FLAT HAT NEWS ASSOC. EDITOR

Tuesday, Sept. 28, the College of William and Mary’s Student Assembly passed two bills and heard from SA President Meghana Boojala ’22, who discussed conversations with the BOV around divesting from fossil fuels.

Boojala informed the Senate that the Board of Visitors gave feedback on SA’s Divest from Fossil Fuels Act, which asks the BOV to divest from all of the College’s investments with organizations supporting hostile climate policies, and to commit to transparency regarding the College’s investments. Boojala mentioned that the BOV was interested to learn more about the divesting but that they had additional clarification questions to make sure SA

aligned with student preferences. Boojala said that they would obtain further research answer the BOV’s questions.

Senators unanimously passed the Plan Committees Funding Act, sponsored by Sen. Taylor Fox ’24, which allocates $3,000 from SA Reserves to fund research, training workshops and travel to conferences for the five student committees that exist under The Plan, SA’s initiative for combating racial injustice. During discussion, senators agreed to add the Student Community Policing Advisory Board to the committees covered under the bill, which also includes the Reparations Committee, the Academic Diversity Project, the Students’ Rights Initiative and the Committee for

Contextualization of Campus Landmarks & Iconography.

The senate also unanimously passed the SA Hoco Reception Act, which takes $175 from SA’s off-campus account to fund the purchase of pastries and coffee for the upcoming SA homecoming alumni reception.

Earlier in the meeting, Sen. Shaunna Scott ’23 reintroduced a version of the Reggie Williams Act, which was first introduced at the Sept. 9 senate meeting.

The act requests that $1,000 be allocated from SA Reserves, in order to fund the lodging costs for Reggie Williams, a civil rights activist and former professional football player, when he visits campus Thursday, Oct. 7. This $1,000 funding would go toward a larger proposed honorarium

of $10,000, provided by several other departments and groups on campus.

Sen. Zach Outzen J.D. ’22 introduced the Counterspeech Working Group Act, which proposes the creation of ad-hoc student committee that will assemble a report establishing how SA can support marginalized students as they attempt to counteract impacts of hate speech on campus. This group would be made up of six to twelve students, including at least one SA representative, and would provide the report to SA by the final day of the 329th session.

The bill also reaffirms that LGBTQIA+ students are unconditionally welcome at the College, and that any attempts to assert otherwise by speakers affiliated with hate groups or others with anti-LGBTQIA+

views, are “antithetical” to SA’s values.

Also at this week’s meeting: • Deputy Secretaries of Outreach Abby Varricchio ’23 and Mikayla Fulcher ’23 – delivered a presentation on the communication capabilities and procedures of the Outreach Department.

• Senate Secretary Sen. Cody Armstrong ’22 delivered a presentation on attendance expectations for senators, including that senators are generally expected to attend weekly senate meetings in-person, with exceptions for graduate school senators and students who are sick or awaiting COVID test results.