The Flat Hat April 4 2022

T HE F LAT H AT

Vol. 112, Iss. 3 | Tuesday, April 5, 2022

The Weekly Student Newspaper

of The College of William and Mary

flathatnews.com | @theflathat

"WE'RE SO EXCITED TO DO THE WORK THAT WE'VE BEEN WANTING TO SEE DONE" PHOTOS BY JAMIE HOLT // FLAT HAT PHOTOS EDITOR

COURTESY IMAGE / JOHN CHO

Cho-Martinez elected as SA president and vice president LULU DAWES, DANIEL KALISH AND NICK REEDER // THE FLAT HAT

Thursday, March 31, John Cho ’23 and Jasmin Martinez ’23 clinched the Student Assembly presidential and vice presidential race, beating out Class of 2023 President Conor Sokolowsky ’23 and Bryce Earley ’23, as well as current SA Deputy Secretary for Outreach and Campaigns Mikayla Fulcher ’23. This was the first election in three years to be contested.

“I think the first thing that comes to mind is we want to thank all of our leadership team and every voter who went out and voted for us,” Martinez said. “I think coming into the school… John and I have talked about this multiple times, but as a freshman, we would never have thought this. We are just so appreciative of every single person who supported, who reposted, who talked to their friends about it. Like I think this is beyond our wildest dreams and we're so excited to do the work that we've been wanting to see done at the school.”

Cho and Martinez’s campaign focused on improving outreach, transparency, campus safety, student wellness, DEI and sustainability initiatives.

“We also want to acknowledge that this election was difficult and challenging,” Cho said. “But we want to thank the other candidates for all their genuine and hard work and for making us

FLAT HAT NEWS BRIEF Mellody Hobson to speak at commencement Mellody Hobson, president and co-CEO of Ariel Investments and the chairwoman of Starbucks Corporation, will speak at The College of William and Mary’s 2022 Commencement Ceremony.

Hobson previously provided remarks for the Class of 2020’s virtual commencement.

“She is an extraordinary businesswoman who generously gives of her expertise to improve the financial literacy of people around the world, laying the groundwork for a better future for all of us,” President Katherine Rowe said of Hobson.

As the first Black woman to be named the non-executive director of the Starbucks board of directors, Hobson has previously held roles with DreamWorks Animation and the Estée Lauder Companies. Hobson is also an active proponent of financial literacy among minority communities. In 2015, Time Magazine named Hobson one of the world’s “100 Most Influential People” and in 2018 the governor of Illinois awarded her the Order of Lincoln.

Hobson will receive an honorary degree alongside Stephanie Murphy ’00 (D-Fla.).

“It will be a special pleasure, as well, to welcome Congresswoman Murphy back to campus as we celebrate the university’s Asian Centennial,” Rowe said. “She made history as the first Vietnamese-American woman elected to U.S. Congress, and her legacy will be her leadership and service to the nation.”

This year’s undergraduate ceremony will be at 7p.m. on May 20 in Zable Stadium. The ceremony for graduate and professional students will be held the following day at 9a.m.. Chancellor Robert Gates ’65, L.H.D. ’98, will speak at both events.

ANNA ARNSBERGER / FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

better candidates as well. I'm really excited to just move forward together as a community.”

Out of the 2311 students who voted in the SA presidential contest, Cho and Martinez earned 1169 for a total of 51.15% of the vote, while Sokolowsky and Earley earned 1002 for a total of 43.85% percent. Additionally, Fulcher received 114 votes or 4.98% of the vote.

“I'm just happy,” Fulcher said. “Like the whole reason I ran was for students to kind of start thinking a little more and give more options for candidates, because in the past it's only been one person running. So I think just having three people running just shows it’s something that students should probably care about a little bit more.”

In this year’s election, just 23.96% of the eligible voters cast their ballots in the SA presidential and vice presidential elections, down 1.89% from the 25.85% turnout in last year’s election.

Sokolowsky thanked his team for helping research and create their platform, and says he hopes the Cho-Martinez administration takes up some of their ideas and carries them forward.

“I was a little bit shocked actually at voter turnout,” Sokolowsky said. “23% was like staggeringly low. So I don't know… I was a

little bit shocked at that. And it kind of just goes to show what kind of a bubble student assembly is. And that really should be a priority of anybody in student assembly in the next years...to get more people engaged, get more people excited about what's happening on campus and what we can do to change campus for the better.”

Sen. Maheen Saeed ’23 was elected the new class of 2023 president, beating out Senate Chair Owen Williams ’23. Of the 613 students who voted, Saeed received 373 votes or 60.84% percent while Williams received 240 votes or 39.15% of the vote.

Sen. Shaunna Scott ’23 and Sen. Eugene Lee ’23 were reelected as the class of 2023 senators, with Scott receiving 442 votes and Lee receiving 360 votes.

With only two candidates running, there are two remaining vacancies for the class of 2023 senator positions.

Current Class of 2024 President Mia Tilman ’24 won an uncontested race, receiving 415 votes or 89.43% of the vote. 49 students or 10.56% chose to abstain.

In addition to class presidents, the class of 2024 student body See ELECTION page 8

CAMPUS

William and Mary hosts teach-in on climate change Various experts present panels as part of the Worldwide Teach-In on Climate and Justice EMMA HENRY FLAT HAT ASSOC. NEWS EDITOR

Wednesday, March 30, the College of William and Mary hosted a climate teach-in in the Integrated Science Center. The event was organized by professor of economics and public policy Sarah Stafford, Madeline Bertagnolli ’22 and Maddie Saul, a graduate assistant for the Office of Sustainability. The event was part of the Worldwide Teach-In on Climate and Justice, which focused on facilitating dialogue about climate change in over 1,000 schools, universities and organizations.

Each hour featured a panel discussion with professionals from various disciplines, including geology, economics, sociology and English. The third hour culminated in a large group discussion titled “Wellness and Activism,” featuring student speakers, faculty members and Virginia Senator Montgomery “Monty” Mason.

“If this is an issue that you feel

strongly about, you need to work on it,” Stafford said. “Change won’t be immediate, but it will come slowly, and the more people work on the issue, the stronger our voices will be. Believe it or not, I’ve seen a lot of positive change in the last 20 years, but unfortunately it hasn’t been enough, so we need to keep working and recruiting more people to the cause.”

Stafford hosted a panel in the first hour titled “Sea Level Rise and Social Vulnerability,” alongside Dr. Molly Mitchell, a research assistant professor at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and Dr. Lenneal Henderson, adjunct professor of government and assistant dean for civic engagement and international affairs at the College.

The panel focused on the urgent nature of sea level rise globally, as well as the direct impacts to the state of Virginia, particularly in the city of Norfolk.

“We have learned that when we look at the long-term record, sea level rise is accelerating,” Mitchell said. “It’s coming up faster than it

was 50 years ago or 100 years ago.”

All three speakers emphasized the risk factors associated across various income levels, asserting that low-income communities suffer from the risks of climate change and sea level rise at a greater rate, though most Americans are generally ill-prepared for climaterelated disasters.

“The lower your income, the less prepared you are, which makes so much sense because being prepared requires you to do things like stockpile water, stockpile food, have batteries around,” Stafford said. “And if you’re worried about putting food on the table, you don’t have extra money to stockpile extra food.”

Stafford emphasized that focus should be shifting outreach to more vulnerable populations in order to ensure planning is inclusive. Henderson mentioned that during his time on the board of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, as well as originally being born in New Orleans, Louisiana, he has witnessed and researched the

impacts of sea level rise on socially vulnerable populations in rural and urban communities.

“Last week two tornadoes touched down in the New Orleans areas,” Henderson said.

“So, that city is a very good example of, in the extreme, what can happen in the broader context of weather-related emergency disasters.”

Stafford concluded the panel by discussing concrete action that can be taken, including the Biden administration’s Justice40 Initiative which requires 40% of federal spending to go to disadvantaged communities.

Other panels in the first hour included “Climate Science: What You Need to Know” and “Climate and Justice.”

During the “Climate and Justice” panel, professor Sasikumar Balasundaram, adjunct lecturer of Asian and Middle Eastern studies at the College, spoke about the increase in refugees due to climaterelated disasters. He emphasized that more than 1 billion people See CLIMATE page 8

Inside Opinions

INDEX News Opinions Variety Sports News

2 3-4 5-6 7 8

Please return the Swem sheep

Callie Booth ‘24 implores those responsible for stealing the cute yellow sheep once located on the patio outside Swem Library to return them promptly. page 3

Inside Variety

Williamsburgʼs own Little Saigon

The College’s Vietnamese Student Association presents their first annual culture show, “A Night in Saigon.” page 5

Inside Sports

College hosts Colonial Relays, finish second

A total of 38 teams competed in the home meet in which the Tribe finished with 74.50 points. page 7

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“

newsinsight

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

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

THE BUZZ

“Change wonʼt be immediate, but it will come slowly, and the more people work on the issue, the stronger our voices will be. Believe it or not, Iʼve seen a lot of positive change in the last 20 years, but unfortunately hasnʼt been enough, so we need to keep working and recruiting more people to the case.” ̶ Professor Sarah Stafford

FLAT HAT NEWS BRIEF Seniors publish annual “Fat Head” issue, honoring lasting tradition Flat Hat staff members have prepared their annual satirical edition of the newspaper to celebrate April Foolʼs and accompany the traditional semi-weekly edition. This edition is titled The Fat Head and typically includes a series of humorous imitation articles with the incorporation of satirical captions, quotations, and data--which you can find online.

Last yearʼs edition featured comical content, with coverage of topics such as COVID, mold issues, various media sources on campus and school sports.

Staff members enjoy and look forward to carrying on this tradition as publication continues. This yearʼs edition is expected to have a good amount of amusing content for readers.

ABIGAIL CONNELLY // FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

COURTESY PHOTO / BEN SIMON

Simonʼs musical process involves layering many tracks and instruments over one another, which are then mixed to his liking and used to produce his songs.

A THOUSAND WORDS

From truck beds to Spotify streams

Ben Simon details his musical career and involvement with band Noise Complaint ANNA ARNSBERGER // FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

CALLIE BOOTH / FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

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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Between horse-drawn carriages and classic model cars, Williamsburg is no stranger to eye-catching vehicles. Perhaps the most entertaining of these vehicles is a gray pickup truck that has been known to tow live concerts around campus on particularly nice days. Banging on drums and projecting vocals from the truck bed is Noise Complaint, a student band cofounded by Ben Simon ’23.

With just a small drum kit, a speaker and an amp, Noise Complaint brings music directly to students.

“We strap ourselves down in the back and drive around, jam around and say hi to people,” Simon said. “It is pretty funny, people are looking obviously. It’s a very unusual sight.”

Simon formed Noise Complaint in fall of 2020 alongside drummer Chase Eck ’23, guitarist Sam Cornette ’23, bassist Jordan Hooker ’22 and singer and pianist Jackie Westbrook ’21.

Simon plays the piano and sings as well.

“A friend of mine, we had played together a couple of times, me and her singing, messing around on the computer,” Simon said. “She was friends with a couple of other kids who played a couple of other instruments and they wanted to put together a band.”

Noise Complaint primarily plays covers at bars or for events such as date parties. One of Simon’s favorite shows was hosted on the last day of classes of the fall 2021 semester, where they were able to perform in front of a large, enthusiastic crowd.

“We’re not trying to be super classy about it; we just like to play the staples and things that will get people dancing and singing because that’s usually what we want people to do,” Simon said.

While Noise Complaint specializes in covers, Simon actively writes and produces his own music independently.

In his senior year of high school, Simon took a class covering the basics of music production. From there he began experimenting with making music on his laptop, which he then started uploading to SoundCloud. Simon now works with distributors to release his songs on platforms such as Apple Music and Spotify.

Inspired by artists Rex Orange County, Anderson .Paak, Surfaces and Tom Misch, Simon’s music comprises a blend of pop, neo-soul and funk. “ I would never be so pretentious as to say that it’s indie, it’s like pop music,” Simon said. “It’s just not well produced so it sounds like indie music. But it’s also kind of cheesy, like the lyrics I write are a little bit cheesy.”

His talent in musical production is evident in Simon’s most popular track, “Beside You,” which has over 12,600 streams on Spotify. The song combines catchy vocal tracks, funky synths and warm drum beats that make it difficult for listeners not to sing along.

“Beside You” is one of four songs on his EP “Not Very Careless.” Simon has also released a number of singles, including collaborations with artists Sophia Rankin and Jacob Sigman.

Still, Simon is unable to make music as often as he’d like to. As a public policy and accounting double major, he finds it difficult to produce during academic semesters.

“Particularly during the summers and breaks and stuff, I’ll always have open my laptop,” Simon said. “You know, to make music, make new stuff or change old stuff and work toward a better song.”

For Simon, producing a song is an iterative process that may take up to a year. He begins with the instrumental track by finding a melody or loop that he really likes. Then, Simon uses a mini keyboard to add in another layer of keys. He continues editing the instrumental, adding different instruments, playing with effects and mixing it until it is time to add vocals.

“I usually record in Swem because they have really, really nice equipment, like nicer than I could afford, and they have rooms that are treated for recording vocals,” Simon said.

Once vocals are recorded, Simon mixes them to improve their sound.

“So, instrumental and then vocals and then listen to it like a gazillion times, and put little tiny changes,” Simon said. “Listen to it in my car, on my headphones, on different headphones, on the phone speaker to try and hear it the way a bunch of listeners will hear it.”

Simon hopes to release more of his music, possibly an album, this summer.

“That would be cool to release a full-length album — definitely an accomplishment because I’m realizing I’m doing it less and less,” Simon said.

In the long term, Simon would also like to play a show entirely of his own music. But he still primarily sees music as just a casual activity for his free time.

“I don’t have any plans to stop. Nor aspirations to make it big.

I kind of just like it as a hobby, and I like doing it when I want to and not when I don’t,” Simon said.

For Simon, music is primarily about personal enjoyment. He often posts videos of sneak peeks and experiments with unique sounds on his Instagram.

Simon acknowledges that while one of his songs has gained some traction, he primarily posts music for himself and his friends. But ultimately he would love for listeners to connect to his work.

“I know people have songs associated with just random memories,” Simon said. “If my song were to be associated with someone in that way, whether good or bad, I would be happy.”

Lulu Dawes Editor-in-Chief Molly Parks Managing Editor Ashanti Jones Executive Editor Erica Smedley Digital Media Editor Taylor Robertson Business Manager Van Monday Standards Editor Anna Arnsberger News Editor Callie Booth News Editor Abigail Connelly News Editor Madeleine Harris Variety Editor Vivian Hoang Variety Editor Jake Forbes Sports Editor Adam Jutt Opinons Editor Caitlin Noe Opinions Editor

Alexandra Byrne Operations Coordinator Ryan Leventhal Webmaster Nick Reeder Data Editor Justin Sherlock Social Media, Photos Editor Yelena Fleming Graphics, Podcast Editor Tara Vasanth Graphics Editor Lucas Harsche Copy Chief Susie Stark Copy Chief Emma Henry Chief Staff Writer Sarah Devendorf Assoc. Standards Editor

Veronica Bondi Copy Editor Linda Li Variety Assoc. Editor Anu Desai Copy Editor Miles Mortimer Variety Assoc. Editor Ian Ha Copy Editor Bushra Bablu Opinions Assoc. Editor Crystal Wang Copy Editor Lauren Meyer Opinions Assoc. Editor Daniel Kalish News Assoc. Editor Seth Novak Opinions Assoc. Editor William Kobos News Assoc. Editor Eduardo Rodriguez Gonzalez Opinions Assoc. Editor Hannah Ray News Assoc. Editor Kelsi Putnam Sports Assoc. Editor Naomi Fraser Variety Assoc. Editor Jason Tukker Sports Assoc. Editor JR Herman Variety Assoc. Editor Ryan Goodman Photos Assoc.

Zach Lutzky Photos Assoc. Editor Ellie Kurlander Variety Assoc. Editor Editor

COURTESY PHOTO / BEN SIMON

Simon and other members of the student-led band Noise Complaint, which he cofounded, look back fondly at their performances from the fall semester.

opinions STAFF COLUMN

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

THE FLAT HAT

| Tuesday, April 5, 2022 | Page 3

GUEST COLUMN

Hot and Cold: William and Mary’s Please Return the Swem Sheep Temperature Problem Callie Booth Lauren Meyer

descended into a layer of hell. Another room with a similar phenomenon is Washington FLAT HAT ASSOC. OPINIONS EDITOR Hall 201, although I haven’t been there this I am extremely hot. I am extremely cold. semester so my experience could be outdated, Am I entering menopause? No, I’m just in but I doubt it. a building on the campus of the College of And not to be outdone, once you are tired William and Mary. from a long, hard day of classes, you get to The College has decided to take Virginia’s return to the haven that is a College dorm! unpredictable weather and bring it indoors, Personally, I am very thankful to live in making it impossible for students to Dupont Hall, where it has been Stifling Hot™ accurately dress for the temperature. Is it 45 throughout the winter. Every day, I count degrees and raining? Never fear! Earl Gregg down to April 15, when the A/C (allegedly) Swem Library will do its best to make that gets turned back on. In the meantime, I keep cold feeling last. The library is in a constant my window open, which has only led to a attempt to outdo nature, leaving you shivering moth worming its way into my room once! as you wither The start of spring away at your also brings a fun assignments and game of “Who Will making you just Win: Extreme Heat or as miserable Seasonal Allergies?” physically as you where I get to pick are mentally. between opening my Wearing a winter window and having coat in a library pollen blow into my shouldn’t be room or not opening necessary, and my window and being yet, somehow it is! hot. I am so glad I go But don’t to a school where I worry! If it’s 80 get to learn how to degrees, Swem calculate risk and will dutifully turn reward every day! It into a sauna, just has truly taught me to fulfill your a lot about realistic daily sweating expectations and needs. And prepared me to live in remember, heat any environment. rises, so once Most student dorms you’ve worked up on campus operate on a sweat walking GRAPHIC BY GEORGIA WESTBROOK / THE FLAT HAT an either/or heating up the stairs to and cooling system, the second or third floor, you’ll stay nice and with the building only able to operate on one warm in the sweltering upper levels! setting. While I understand that it is a bit Once you’ve just about had it with much to ask to update all of the buildings’ attempting to work in a borderline heating and cooling systems right away, I feel uninhabitable temperature, it might be time like it is a worthwhile endeavor for the future. for class. “Finally,” you think, “I can leave and The need is just as great for public buildings, go to a building with a working heating and such as academic buildings and Swem Library cooling system.” Unfortunately, many of our – all students (and staff ) use those buildings, campus buildings seem to still be using the so isn’t there a very real demand to make original A/C and heating systems that were them pleasant to be in? And if not pleasant, either installed: a) when the building was tolerable? I know we go to school in a swamp, first built, or b) when internal temperature but I’d rather not have every building on control was invented. Just take a step inside campus try to remind me.

St. George Tucker Hall 220, where I am the Lauren Meyer ’24 is planning to major in lucky participant of not one but two classes, anthropology and minor in history. Outside of and you’ll see what I mean. In a true stroke the Flat Hat, Lauren is a member of Swim Club of engineering genius, this room doesn’t get and is also an avid Swiftie. Email Lauren at cold, no matter the external temperature! lemeyer@wm.edu.

Even with all of the windows open, there is still the distinct feeling that you have

COMIC

Bits and Pieces COMIC BY ARIANNA STEWART / THE FLAT HAT

FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

After my return from spring break, I was dreading the last few weeks of class before the summer break. With papers and final projects looming near, I walked over to Earl Gregg Swem Library the night before classes were to resume and saw what would become a phenomenon around the College of William and Mary campus : the Swem sheep.

The Swem sheep were a flock of three yellow, plastic sheep which were located on the newly constructed patio outside of Swem Librar y.

The sheep were the newest celebrities on campus, gaining massive popularity on social media. Many other students GRAPHIC BY SKYLER FOLEY / THE FLAT HAT could be seen studying with the sheep on the patio. These sheep became a point of discussion for my friends and I, and good in the world, even if you don’t ace several of us joked about potentially your paper and even if it is in the form of “adopting ” one of the sheep to be a new animal-shaped plastic patio furniture. decoration for our dorms.

The College’s official library account, However, less than a week after meme accounts and many other students students returned from break, these sheep have posted about wanting the sheep were stolen from their home pasture of the (or “Sweep”, as some call them) to be Swem patio. Although one of the sheep returned. Now, I also join them in has been returned, the other two are imploring you to return the Swem sheep. still adrift from their home. These sheep As we enter the last full month of the brought so much happiness to the campus school year, people need a pick-me-up community and need to be returned to in the form of a plastic sheep now more their rightful home. than ever. Finals, term papers, projects Swem can be a scary, stressful place and job applications are on the minds of for many students to go. The atmosphere all students. Swem is becoming even more in the library is almost one of universal crowded as students pile in to complete imposter syndrome for me, where I always their ever-growing list of assignments. feel like I’m not doing enough compared To whoever has the Swem sheep: to the other students who are sitting I implore you to think of your fellow around me typing away on their upcoming students, who also loved seeing the Swem papers. I used to fully dread going to sheep. The Swem sheep deser ved to be Swem, but when the sheep were there, enjoyed by all and not just the select few they were able to put a smile on my face who decided to steal them in the cover and lift my spirits before going inside for a of night. The next few weeks are some of study session. the most stressful of the year for many It wasn’t just the adorable appearance students, so please return the sheep. of the sheep that made people happy Callie Booth ‘24 is a government and either. Sometimes, students would history double major. She is also involved arrange the sheep onto the patio furniture with Random Acts of Kindness Club and to look like they were sitting at a table serves as a DJ for WCWM 90.9 FM. together. Other times, I could walk by Email Callie at and find all three of the sheep stacked cabooth@email.wm.edu. on top of each other. The sheep were like a quasi-moral support system, always there to remind you that there will be

INDEPENDENT GRAPHICS

Crim Dell Bridge INDEPENDENT GRAPHIC BY SYNDNEY KEHOE / THE FLAT HAT

Wren Building

INDEPENDENT GRAPHIC BY JESSICA SIGSBEE / THE FLAT HAT

THE FLAT HAT

Tuesday. April 05, 2022

Page 4

GUEST COLUMN

STAFF COLUMN

Column 15: a unique coffee shop the look of the shop, it felt very ‘underground’ but busy at the same time. Column 15 is an indie version of Starbucks, based on the decor on the walls. I looked at the menu. “Look at all the options, Bushra! I don’t know what I should get.”

My friend was very indecisive, just like me. After 15 minutes of just staring blankly at the menu, I finally came to a conclusion and decided to order a Nitro Chocolate Cold Brew drink and a Veggie Deluxe panini board. My drink came first, and after my first sip I felt a sense of euphoria come over me.

It felt like a luxurious chocolate milk shake. “Wow, now that was immaculate,” I said without thinking. My friends looked over at me and began chuckling.

FLAT HAT ASSOC. OPINIONS EDITOR When the shop slightly cleared out later, we decided to take a seat near the couches with the table “Hey, we haven’t hung out in a while! Dude filled with books and board games.

I missed you so much. We need to hang When we sat down, I felt like out ASAP! Are you gonna be free by I was sitting in someone’s 12pm today?” I read out loud the living room. It was very text one of my friends texted comforting. As it happens, me. I looked over at my there was a sign above the agenda to see if I long couch I was sitting on would be free by which read, “Make yourself then. I decided at home.” I was amused to respond with and felt touched. There a “yess.” She was a sense of belonging responded with, within the cafe, even “Great! Let’s though other customers go to Column were just splurging on 15, it’s a cute coffee while completing coffee shop in work on their laptops.

Williamsburg Next, a waiter came to that I want drop off my veggie panini to take you board. It came with sea-salted too! Matter of chips and a pickle, with a side fact, let’s invite of marinara sauce for dipping. the others.”

As a group, we thought it would I get into my be fun to play Apples-to-Apples friend’s car along with while we munched on paninis and three other friends and drank cold brews and teas.

GRAPHIC BY YELENA FLEMING / THE FLAT HAT listen to music blasting on Overall, Column 15 Coffee in the radio. I knew it was going Williamsburg provides a different type to be a good day when I received of experience compared to other coffee that text. As we get to our destination, shops nearby.

I notice how crowded the parking lot is. “Wow, I Bushra Bablu ‘24 is planning to double major in didn’t know it was that popular,” I said. I was surprised to see government and economics. Bushra serves as an Associate so many people in the small coffee shop. This place must be Opinions Editor for The Flat Hat Newspaper and the Business good if it’s this crowded on a weekday afternoon.

Manager for Flat Hat Magazine. Outside of The Flat Hat, When I walked into the shop, it felt like Pinterest came Bushra is also involved with One for the World and Women to life. Column 15 didn’t feel like other coffee shops in in Business.

Williamsburg like Aromas, Illy’s or even Starbucks. Just from Email Bushra at bebablu@email.wm.edu.

Bushra Bablu

GUEST COLUMN

Alone But Not Lonely: Solo Travel in Your 20s Justin Sherlock

FLAT HAT PHOTOS, SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

Tower, Shakespeare & Co. and more. I treated myself to fancy dinners at sit-down restaurants, while still having the occasional meal from Chipotle or McDonald’s. I had time to practice my photography skills, whether that be street photography, cityscapes or self-timer portraits. I eventually grew accustomed to waking up in a random lady’s apartment — that belonging to my Airbnb host.

I recently posted a series of photos on my Instagram account that feature many iconic Parisian landmarks. All of these photos have one thing in common: The city and I are the only subjects. You see, I traveled to the city alone during spring break. This wasn’t my original plan; I wanted to spend the week with a few friends, but everyone already had plans or responsibilities. I decided to book my plane ticket regardless and explore the largest metropolitan area in Europe. And oh boy did I learn a lot.

You might ask: How could you spontaneously fly 3,000 miles to a country to which you’ve never been, where people speak a language you don’t know, without at least one partner?

Well, I come from a military family. I’m used to moving around and experiencing new areas. My parents also like to travel — we’ve taken family vacations to England, Scotland, Iceland, the Bahamas and Yellowstone National Park. I’ve also taken solo trips to GRAPHIC BY YELENA FLEMING / THE FLAT HAT domestic spots like Acadia National Park and New York City. The final stepping stone toward international solo travel was One night while scrolling through Reddit, a study abroad program to Switzerland I I found a post from a user in the forum took in January 2022. I was able to travel “Travel Partners” who happened to be in (somewhat) by myself to a new country, and the same situation as myself. She was also I realized that traveling isn’t that difficult. traveling solo from the East Coast of the So I asked my parents to drive me to Dulles U.S. We were also around the same age, had Airport at the start of spring break. similar senses of humor and both wanted to Quite surprisingly, I felt fine when I first explore the city. Because of this, we decided stepped off the plane at Charles de Gaulle to meet underneath the Eiffel Tower.

Airport in Paris. The fear didn’t hit me until We sat down for a nice dinner at a local my transport bus dropped me into the heart Indian restaurant and found much more of the city on a busy Sunday morning. I very in common. Fast forward three days and quickly made my way to my Airbnb and fell we had spent the rest of the trip together — into a jet lag-induced sleep. visiting places such as Disneyland Paris, Arc I spent the next five days partaking de Triomphe and the Louvre Museum. in the normal touristy features of Paris.

If you travel alone as I have, I recommend I saw Notre Dame Cathedral, the Eiffel exercising many precautions. Research your

prospective city/area beforehand and make sure you understand basic navigation. It’s also important to take precautions if you are a woman or minority. Women and people of color are often targeted and must take extra care. It’s sad, but it’s reality. Along with this, be cautious of using public forums (like I did) and meeting strangers. I genuinely believe that most people in this world mean well, but you have to be wary until you know you can trust them. I was so scared to meet my new friend for the first time and I took many precautions, the biggest being to meet in a public place.

It’s also important to understand a few basic words and phrases in the popular language of the area you’re visiting. You don’t have to be fluent or understand complex phrases. But at least be able to say “Hello,” “How are you?” “Please,” etc. Even if you’re just pointing at a menu, these simple words will help your relationship with locals.

If you can’t figure out a word somebody is saying, Google is your best friend. Most of the time in Paris, the average person would have a decent knowledge of the English language and be willing to help. However, there were a few times I relied on Google Translate or (more importantly) Google Maps.

Here’s what I want to say: Take that jump. Don’t be afraid to do something just because nobody can join you. If you enjoy traveling and have the time, money and drive, just do it. We will never be as young as we are in the present. Most of us are going to graduate before we know it and have a fulltime job without extended periods of free time. Nobody cares that you’re alone. Not a single person is going to care that you’re eating at a sit-down restaurant by yourself.

You are a badass. You are making memories that nobody can ever take away. Remember that you can never truly be alone when you have yourself.

Justin is a Biology major and Film & Media Studies minor from Danville, VA, Hampton, VA, and Gainesville, FL (military family). On campus he is involved with many other things photography-related: Photo Club, The Flat Hat Magazine and ROCKET. Email Justin at jesherlock@wm.edu

Policy against Oxford comma at Flat Hat wrong, dangerous Seth Nelson GUEST WRITER

In the annals of history, there is nothing so important as orthography. Proper understanding of orthography, identified by the Oxford English Dictionary as “a system of spelling or notation,” is not just critical for education, but for the existence of the state. Take, for example, the sorry fate of Aleksander Stambolyiski, who was overthrown as head of the Bulgarian government for attempting to reform Bulgarian orthography after World War I . Or the Chinese Qing dynasty, which collapsed in 1912, not long after its publishing houses printed increasingly terrible book copies. Ink was watered down, miscopies and mistakes proliferated, and the Chinese character, that noble symbol of intellect, soon lost all legibility — little wonder the state collapsed. Through the objective lens of history, it is an indisputable rule: Orthography is the lifeblood of the state.

This essay concerns itself with but one particularly illustrious member of English orthography, the Oxford comma, which originated in no less illustrious an institution than its namesake, the University of Oxford.

The brainchild of that profound genius, Horace Hunt, the Oxford comma is a useful and, in some cases, necessary tool for rational discourse. For those who do not know, the Oxford comma is the practice of placing a comma before ‘and’ at the end of a list. A titillating example of the Oxford comma is placed in red below for the benefit of the reader.

Without the Oxford comma, confusion abounds. The phrase, “This book is dedicated to my parents, Ayn Rand and God,” states that one’s parents are literally Ayn Rand and God, rather than the much more reasonable, “This book is dedicated to my parents, Ayn Rand COMMA and God.” Any educated member of society would agree, the Oxford comma is a grammatical necessity in every sense.

The observant reader may have noticed a strange, scribal circumambulation in the phrase, “This book is dedicated to my parents, Ayn Rand COMMA and God.” They may wonder why the author chose to write “COMMA” in big capital letters, rather than simply using the Oxford comma which he so clearly adores. Don’t get me wrong; I do adore the Oxford comma. Upon publication, however, every last Oxford comma I type will be removed. You see, it is the unfortunate policy of The Flat Hat to eradicate every Oxford comma their writers — innocently and rightly — dare introduce. To fend off these unscrupulous editors, I am forced to use an image and the absurd phrase, “COMMA,” to indicate the existence of an Oxford comma.

The sentence peaches, plumbs and pears, as I have typed it, uses a beautiful Oxford comma. Yet, this Oxford comma will never grace the reader’s eyes due to the editor’s malignant orthographical practices. Any reader sufficiently versed in writing would quickly agree that this is a perversion of the English language. Omitting Oxford commas leads to moral depravity, such as in one phrase from The Times, “encounters with Nelson Mandela, an 800-year-old demigod and a dildo collector,” which literally states that Nelson Mandel is an 800-yearold demigod who collects dildos. With an Oxford comma, this sentence becomes much more respectful for such an esteemed member of society.

Now, I am in no sense an unreasonable man, nor am I a fanatic. I respect that there are instances where the Oxford comma makes little sense, in the same sense that a period should not be placed after every word.

The phrase, “I met Marilyn Monroe, a woman wearing a dress COMMA and the president of the United States,” is ambiguous with an Oxford comma. Does the phrase describe a list with three separate entries, a woman in a dress and Marilyn Monroe and the president, or does it refer to two different things, Marilyn Monroe, who is in a dress, and the president? The sentence is unclear.

Every grammatical object has its place. The Oxford comma has its own, very well-defined place, and if we do not use the Oxford comma properly and rationally, then we will not convey the full sense, complexity and meaning of the English language. Moreover, we risk offending our best members of society, like Nelson Mandela, who, by no fault of their own, were turned into a laughingstock through one missed comma. The Flat Hat, with its militancy against the Oxford comma, risks devaluing the best of our society, and, in so doing, risks the devolution of society itself. If we continue this policy of anti-Oxfordization, America, land of the free, will surely crumble. We all must be careful, lest we follow the way of the Qing Empire. Join me in fighting back against The Flat Hat. Bring back the Oxford comma!

What follows is a list of phrases with Oxford commas I have introduced purely out of spite for The Flat Hat’s editors, who will have to remove every single one: planes, trains and automobiles. Fish, dragons and seahorses.

Marxism, capitalism and socialism. Chair, wheel and leg.

Pokémon, videogames and mothers. Odysseus, Herakles and the Cyclops. Plato, Socrates and Aristotle. Backpack, map and Dora the Explorer. Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Star Wars. Friends, enemies and frenemies.

The life, times and joys of Seth Nelson. Oxfords, commas and orthography.

Seth Nelson is a freshman planning on double majoring in International Relations and Mathematics. In his free time, he enjoys reading, playing chess and talking to friends.

Email Seth at srnelson01@wm.edu

The author would like to thank Adam Jutt and Andrew Hoffman for their contributions to this essay.

variety

Variety Editor Vivian Hoang Variety Editor Madeleine Harris flathat.variety@gmail.com

THE FLAT

| Tuesday, April 5, 2022 | Page 5

RYAN GOODMAN / THE FLAT HAT

Williamsburg's own Little Saigon The College of William and Mary's Vietnamese Student Association presents their first annual culture show "A Night in Saigon"

DOUNIA ANSARY // THE FLAT HAT Friday, April 1, the Vietnamese Student Association (VSA) presented "A Night in Saigon" to a packed auditorium. This was their first culture show since the College of William and Mary’s VSA was founded in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the show’s program, it was based on “Paris by Night,” which is a Vietnameselanguage musical variety show that was launched in the 1980s for the Vietnamese refugee population in France and later relocated to Orange County, California. As a musical variety show, “Paris by Night” features modern pop, traditional folk music and comedy sketches — all of which were incorporated into A Night in Saigon.

A Night in Saigon began with speeches by VSA President Kenneth Tieu ’22 and Culture Chair Quyen Tran ’24, who each expressed their appreciation towards fellow members of the VSA, both of which were translated into Vietnamese by Thu Pham ’22.

Next, Angelique Vo ’22, the external vice president of VSA, explained how VSA at the College had become a provisional school for the MidAtlantic Union of Vietnamese Student Association, which serves as a way to connect Vietnamese American students in the Mid-Atlantic region. With this organization, VSA at the College has become involved in supporting the Collective Philanthropy Project (CPP), an initiative from the Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations

through which partnering organizations could donate under one philanthropic campaign, with this year’s CPP beneficiary being the Asian Prisoner Support Committee.

Vo’s words were followed by the introduction of the MCs, Philanthropy Chair Daniel Nguyen ’24 and PR Chair Wendelyn Nguyen ’23, and a rendition of both the American national anthem and the South Vietnamese national anthem, sung

by Kimberly Pham ’23 and Vo, respectively.

Daniel Nguyen shared that while Vietnam is currently a communist country, originally the different regions of Vietnam included a wide variety of cultures.

“Vietnam, right now, is a communist country, but it hasn’t been that way always. Before, it was originally colonized by the French, and there were so many different cultures around different regions,” Daniel Nguyen said. “There was the North, and the South. … They each had their own ideologies. The communists took over, but to us, we really identify with South Vietnam, who stood back and really believed in their own values, standing against communism, even though they were so small. We try to keep that energy. We try to keep the culture alive. Even though the flag doesn’t look the same now, we try to represent South Vietnam.”

In an effort to show the ever-changing nature of Vietnamese culture, the performances themselves showed a mixture of modern and

traditional dance. All the songs mentioned on the program featured Asian American artists and many songs were in Vietnamese.

The traditional dances, choreographed by Tran and Brandon Nguyen ’24, included a fan dance (Quạt) that emphasized flowing delicate movements as the performers moved across the floor in different formations with colorful fans, and a hat dance (Nón Lá) where the performers inventively maneuvered with conical sun hats.

The two modern dances were choreographed

by Tieu and Kimberly Pham, as well as a hiphop dance choreographed by Vo and Patrick Pham ’23. The dance moves were clean and sharp. There was also a touching duet with Vo and Thu Pham singing, as Thu Pham also played the guitar.

The variety in performances from dances to songs to skits kept audience members such as Sarah Kim ’25 on their toes.

“There were a lot of diverse performances like traditional dance, and more modern dance, and along with the skits,” Kim said. “So the whole thing was pretty engaging.”

The two skits featured in the event were fantastic and absolutely hilarious. In the “Lost in HMart” skit, Vanessa Ma ’24 and Khang Duong ’25 did a great job of portraying a set of siblings left to fend for themselves when their mother has them save her place in line after spending hours roaming the aisles. The cast had excellent

timing with each other, and the script, besides being funny, also hinted at various parts of the Vietnamese American experience.

The other skit, “VKM 3000,” was about gifting a Vietnamese karaoke machine to Vietnamese relatives. This skit was also very well designed, and featured a cast of relatable, colorful characters such as the drunk uncle, the dramatic aunt and the little cousin. Following the hat dance, A Night in Saigon ended with a fashion show that showcased bright traditional Vietnamese clothes accompanied by Kimberly Pham, Tran and Vo singing the traditional Vietnamese song Khúc Hát Ân Tình.

Audience member Snow Hlaing ’22 from East Carolina University, president of ECU’s VSA, was able to take away a sense of community from the Vietnamese culture shared.

“The music, the culture, the language even — it’s really nice to see everyone together,” Hlaing said. “Not only traditional, but also Vietnamese American artists.”

Daniel Nguyen added that since they are a relatively new student organization at the College, not as established as other schools’ VSAs, they felt an enormous sense of pride that they could put on such a big event in such a short time.

“It means so much,” Daniel Nguyen said.

“There’s so many people that had come, and they care about us. … It just feels so, so rewarding.”

conrad borba: talent in triples

Student musician Conrad Borba '24 speaks on his experiences playing for three bands on campus LINDA LI // VARIETY ASSOC. EDITOR

RYAN GOODMAN / THE FLAT HAT

From his daisy-dotted periwinkle backpack to his easygoing smile, Conrad Borba ’24 exudes the kind of laid-back, go-with-the-flow ease that you might sense around a seasoned musician. Indeed, Borba is not a typical college musician who strums in his dorm on the weekends — no, he plays bass and guitar for not one, but three bands on campus. When he’s not studying, you will see him traversing between the stages of Halcyon Lane, Get Back Soon and Sheetrock, jamming with his crew to their hearts’ content.

Borba didn’t grow up with particularly strong musical influences, so he relied on teaching himself during band practice throughout middle school and high school.

During this period, he was simply drawn to tunes that piqued his interest and let himself explore a nascent hobby.

“Unlike most of my bandmates, I actually didn’t grow up with a parental figure that had a lot of musical interest or talent or anything like that,” Borba said. “So a lot of my influences are new, and I get joked and laughed at every now and then because I don’t know particular things.”

Without taking private classes and adhering to strict practice regimes, Borba’s musical interest intensified for a while — until the spark died down in the 10th grade once he felt his technical knowledge outpaced what was being taught during band practice.

“That was when I really felt like I plateaued — like this is the point where the school bands cannot take me any farther,” Borba said. “So eventually, after 10th grade, I dropped out of the bands, but I just stopped playing for a year after that because I was just really sick of playing stuff I didn’t really care about at that point either.”

Borba picked up his musical hobby during the initial wave of the coronavirus, but he soon realized that the earlier leniency he had while learning negatively impacted his ability to properly master his instruments.

“When I was in the bands in school, they were larger bands, so it was all trumpets and trombones and mostly bass instruments,” Borba said. “Nobody paid attention to me — as long as I got by, I was pretty much fine. When I sat down like a year before coming to college, I really wanted to correct a lot of the bad habits that I developed, so that was difficult.”

In addition to honing his skills, he also refocused his attention on music theory. Theory may sound extremely dry, but Borba found the mechanics behind music fascinating.

“Before, it was more like I was just playing around, not really knowing what I was doing.

Sometimes I play something cool, and I would wonder why that sounded cool,” he said. “And I would not be able to reproduce it because I just didn’t know why it sounded right. And then once I learned music theory, I learned a

lot more about, okay, this is why this sounds good. These are the ways you can break certain rules and that kind of thing. It led me into developing like, more interesting ideas because it opened the door to things I would not have tried otherwise.”

Now fully immersed in the music performance scene at the College of William and Mary, the three bands Borba plays for have distinct styles that demand flexibility and adaptability. The different styles have compelled Borba to develop a multifaceted profile. This diversification lets him have a tighter grip on both the technical and personable aspects of creating music, contributing to a more cohesive atmosphere.

“Halcyon Lane is much more like classic rock with some indie influence in it, and that brings a certain kind of player out of me,” Borba said. “With Sheetrock it’s a bit more like prog rock, it’s a more out-there band, and I really like that because I feel I have a lot more room in a band like that to do something crazy or play off people in a particular way.

That’s not to say Halcyon Lane isn’t like that, it’s just a different kind of playing. And for Get Back Soon, it’s definitely been my avenue for playing guitar. So that’s been fun.”

After all, the act of performing and sharing his love of music with the community is euphoric in and of itself. Borba has grown

substantially from the high school phase of discouragement and found a genuine outlet for creativity and experimentation that knows no bounds.

“Maybe less with shows, but more when I’m playing in one of the bands, and there is this moment in the music where we all synchronize, we all do something that really fits in an organic way, and that’s the moment I feel the most like, ‘this is awesome,’” Borba said.

Performing for three bands is no easy task, and he is aware about the logistical challenges.

“The biggest challenge I faced is organizational, in terms of organizing bands, organizing practices, making sure things work out with shows,” Borba said.

And like the saying ‘we are our worst critics’ goes, Borba also confessed that he thinks he is just an ‘okay’ musician with plenty of room for improvement.

“I can definitely get better at guitar; I like to think I’m okay. But I’ve been playing bass in bands for, like, forever, so I’m pretty confident in that ability,” he said. “When I approach guitar, I approach it from a bassist perspective all the time, and breaking out of that has been difficult.”

In the marginal amount of free time between academics and band practices, Borba dabbles in instrumental songwriting as a second outlet for creative expression.

Read the rest of the article and more at flathatnews.com.

Page 6

THE FLAT HAT

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

salinlahi

Through narrative, song and dance, the College of William and Maryʼs Filipino American Student Association weaves a tale about preserving hope, culture in the face of gentrification DOUNIA ANSARY // THE FLAT HAT

Saturday, March 26, the College of William and Mary’s Filipino American Student Association (FASA) presented Salinlahi, their first in-person cultural event in two years. Salinlahi is a play about a young woman working to highlight the cultural achievements of her local Filipino community. Her work is in an effort to ward off a few developers who wish to take control of the land her community had held for many years. The night was hosted by FASA’s Culture Chair Kristi Viray ’24.

“With the show, I wanted to incorporate themes of legacy and community, which are fundamental to the Filipino American experience,” Viray said in a speech before the play began.

The protagonist Cory Briones, who was portrayed by Chanel Cate ’25, decides in the play to show her Filipino heritage through a cultural event.

The segments of acting within the play often served to demonstrate the close bonds the Filipino community has with each other as they meet up in community meetings to discuss plans and their past in America.

Interspersed across the acting they had several dance routines with both modern and traditional dance influences.

The traditional Filipino folk dances were some of the most interesting parts of the show, with tinikling and escrima easily capturing the energy of the full auditorium as dancers tapped their feet and fought with wooden swords in vividly colorful lighting. Tinikling, which was choreographed

by Abel Daniel ’24, Carmen Soto Euceda ’23 and Pecharat Kitijarurat ’23, had the performers dance around moving wooden poles that were slid around their feet, and the crowd soon began cheering the performers on as they maneuvered around the obstacles with increasing speed. In escrima, choreographed by Andrea Dalagan ’22 and Cami Soliven ’22, performers fought each other with wooden swords in hand-to-hand combat to demonstrate the national martial art and sport of the Philippines in a series of dramatic, artlike fights.

Kitijarurat not only helped choreograph dances, but also was a performer. She shared that she is very active in FASA and knew she wanted to be involved again this year with their culture night tradition.

“I know how to dance a little bit because I’m in Syndicate, and I like to sing; there’s a lot of different performances that match with my skills, so that’s why I wanted to be involved and try to contribute to the club,” Kitijarurat said. “And I’m having a lot of fun too.”

Besides the Tinikling and Escrima dances, the cariñosa was also featured.

It is a romantic Filipino folk dance influenced by Spanish colonization

JUSTIN SHERLOCK // THE FLAT HAT

where performers wore traditional Filipino clothing as they danced in pairs and was also choreographed by Soto Euceda. In addition to these traditional Filipino dances, there were four modern dances with more typical American dance elements. The final modern dance was a senior dance choreographed by Isabelle Tan ’22 and Amy Vu ’22.

“I liked the ending, when everyone was just having fun and laughing.

It was nice to see the friendship between everyone in the group,” audience member Shelby Munford ’24 said.

As for the nonmusical portions of the play, the performers showed clear enthusiasm for their roles. Briones is supported by her father, lolo, titas and friends. There is a solid amount of comedy sprinkled in the play, with one particularly good line dropped by Brione’s close, studious friend Josephine, portrayed by Woojin Yoon ’24, when they were preparing for the event.

“This is a Filipino culture show,” Josephine says. “The K-pop dancers can go.” WW At the same time, however, the play also tackles difficult topics and the emotional trauma involved in the community possibly relocating. In the community meetings, members express dismay at the idea of leaving the neighborhood they had built together for so long. There is a moment in the play where Briones sits beside one of her family members after he recollects some of his memories in the town.

“Like home away from home, huh?”

Briones says.

Mr. Mag, played by Henry Ong ’24, serves as a representative of the developers who wish to uproot the Filipino community for business interests. He stands in direct opposition against Briones and the members of her community. Even his clothes differentiated him from the other characters — while the Filipino community generally wore casual clothes in beige colors, he wore a formal dark suit. Despite being introduced as the antagonist, Mag manages to come off as a somewhat sympathetic character when he admits to Briones’ father that he was touched by the Filipino cultural event Briones had planned with great effort. He added, unfortunately, that he ultimately has no real control over his company’s plans to take over the area.

The ending scene of the play, where Briones tries to grasp that her plot to save her community had failed, was especially emotional. The other characters encircle her, announcing their continued support of her through a final song. This moment underscored the messages of continued

making the personal political

Lips offers a platform for marginalized voices to be heard through a subversive biannual zine, workshops that emphasize creative expression and resisting norms ELLIE KURLANDER // VARIETY ASSOC. EDITOR From classrooms to coffee shops, students may have noticed the recent appearance of eye-catching fliers promoting the club “Lips.”

Multicolored collages of eyeballs and faces shrouded in red mesh are enough to pique the curiosity of passersby. Those who choose to dive deeper will discover a community dedicated to creative thinkers who wish to provide a platform for individuals subject to oppressive systems and norms.

Lips explores the intersections between art and activism while fostering strong relationships among its members. The club seeks to reach the greater College of William and Mary community through semesterly zine publications.

After a several-year hiatus, the organization is back with new and exciting things to offer. Lips was originally founded in 2007 by Annie Brown ’10 as a final project for her Intro to Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies class. The project culminated in the publication of a zine dedicated to the empowerment of female sexuality. Eventually, the project turned into a club that remained active until 2013.

Today, co-organizers Joey Houska ’24 and Simmi Cilluffo ’22 have taken up the mantle. Both organizers were made aware of Lips following a presentation given by Brown in the fall of 2021.

“Annie Brown led a workshop where we discussed reinitiating Lips back at William and Mary after a period of dormancy,” Cilluffo wrote in a text message.

“Because I work with the GSWS program, I had a lot of resources and information at my fingertips.”

Cilluffo further explained how the duo formed to spearhead the creation of Lips following Brown’s workshop.

“I knew I wanted to restart Lips at William and Mary with the amazing support of the GSWS program, but as a senior who is graduating in a few short months, I knew I couldn’t take on this project on my own,” Cilluffo wrote. “That’s why it was so exciting that Joey joined me.”

Lips serves as both a social club and a zine publication. Before diving into the specifics of the club, it is important to understand what a zine is and how it operates. A zine, by design, is hard to define.

“Zines are meant to be an alternative to mainstream magazines and content in general,” Houska said. “The original Lips was meant to be an alternative to women’s magazines. Ours is more generally an alternative to mainstream media. Zines have a little bit more freedom because of that. We’re meant to deal with niche topics — especially stuff that’s political and personal.”

Houska went on to describe the inherently political nature of zines.

“They were popularized within the Riot grrrl movement. There is so much history of zines being used for political activism because they’re created by and for diverse communities — especially marginalized communities — it’s meant to document their stories, history and experiences in ways that most mainstream media fail to capture,” Houska said. “If you look back through historical zines, you’ll find stories and experiences of people who aren’t portrayed in academia or in pop culture.

Zines are a way of saying, ‘we are here, this is us, this is our experience.’

That in itself is kind of revolutionary.”

Houska and Cilluffo have big plans for the club. Both organizers strive to cultivate a close-knit, inclusive community for marginalized groups to learn from each other. While the zine serves as a way to uplift voices and

perspectives through various creative outlets, it is not the only thing the club has to offer.

“During our weekly meeting structures, we usually have a consciousness-raising presentation made by one of our members. Then we do some sort of artistic activity to build submissions for the zine,” Houska said.

Making education and theory accessible is one of Lips’ guiding principles.

“A lot of us have GSWS backgrounds or have experience with Asian and Pacific Islander American studies or Latinx studies, Houska said. “Since we all have experience with these different departments, we’re trying to give a platform for people to share that and then discuss it. It also allows people who aren’t involved with the department to have the access and the tools to understand how oppression operates and how our personal

Sholagbade drew much of their inspiration from their favorite thinkers, most notably Angela Davis. The title “Aint I [I Ain’t a Woman]” draws from Sojourner Truth’s speech “Aint I a Woman?”

“For the presentation, I was trying to draw a through-line between the institution of slavery and how that impacted Black people in general and Black people socialized as women specifically,” Sholagbade said.

“I wanted to find that connection between the stereotypes and the expectations that we see for Black women in the modern day.”

Using creative expression as an avenue for sharing poignant messages, as exemplified by Sholagbade, is a vital aspect of Lips.

“While we do accept and encourage both written and visual pieces of art, creating and expressing oneself is really central to what we’re about,” Houska said. “Zines are all about creating a space and a platform to work through how society impacts you as an individual.”

Houska further highlights the benefits of facilitating the creation and spread of art.

“I think that art is one great way to make some of these big themes more accessible,” Houska said.

“Art is a way of having those internal conversations with ourselves and then opening up that conversation to the broader William and Mary community.”

Though Lips is currently focused on weekly workshops and a semesterly publication, Lips plans to revamp past traditions from the original Lips group by hosting a number of events like drag shows, slut walks, sex education ISABEL LI // THE FLAT HAT workshops and body image seminars.

“This semester, we’re mostly working on becoming a formal organization and then just building the zine itself,” Houska said. “But those are things that we definitely want to do because this is as much of a social community as it is a publication. We’re excited to do a drag show for sure next year and hopefully some sort of auction or other fundraising event.”

Maintaining the original framework of Lips is important to Houska and Cilluffo, who continue to maintain close contact with Lips’ founder. Many elements of the current club honor Brown’s original vision. However, Houska and Cilluffo do not shy away from incorporating their own ideas into current and future programs.

“The original publication focused on female sexuality specifically and experiences are then that opened up to non-traditional sexuality to be more inclusive,” political.”

Houska said. “We’re not just focusing on sexuality exclusively. While One of Lips’ first that’s something that we do value, and we’re trying to promote a sexs t u d e n t - l e d positive environment, we want each zine to be about the experiences and presentations was facilitated by Pelumi the interests of the people in the club at that time. Zines are a very timely Sholagbade ’24. Their presentation, “Aint I [I Aint] thing. They’re meant to capture a moment and certain individuals and a Woman: Race, Gender and Sexuality,” centered their experiences. There’s a little bit more fluidity and a bit more freedom around their personal experience as a queer, Black in terms of where we can take each publication.” and nonbinary individual and how that impacts their life.

Lips is still in its early stages; however, the extent of the club’s impact “I was just like, ‘oh, I can talk about race, gender should not be underestimated. The club continues to attract passionate and sexuality, those are three things that are relevant to my day-to-day individuals dedicated to uplifting their own stories and the stories of experience,’” Sholagbade said. “When I started putting my presentation those around them. together, I thought, ‘wow, I actually have the opportunity to articulate “I can tell that Lips will be a lasting group on campus,” Cilluffo wrote. a lot of what I think people don’t understand about the nuances and “I feel so grateful that before I graduate, I got to be involved in creating relationships of those things, especially based on my perspective as a an inclusive space on campus that emphasizes LGBTQ+ identities. Lips is Black, queer woman.’” more than a zine; it’s a space for learning, growing and acceptance.”

sports

THE F LAT HAT | Tuesday, April 5 2022 | Page 7

LACROSSE

WOMENʼS TRACK AND FIELD

College hosts Colonial Relays, finishes second Tribe underclassmen shine,

relay team breaks school record

JUSTIN SHERLOCK / THE FLAT HAT

Freshman Serena Jacobs looks towards the goal as she runs up field with a defender during William and Maryʼs 21-10 loss to Drexel last Saturday, April 2.

William and Mary falls short on Senior Day Freshman Serena Jacobs leads Tribe with four goals KELSI PUTNAM SPORTS ASSOC. EDITOR William and Mary (4-8, CAA 0-2) lost to Drexel (7-5, CAA 2-0) 21-10 last Saturday, April 2 afternoon at Martin Family Stadium on the team’s Senior Day. Saturday’s game marked the team’s third straight loss.

Despite the score, the Tribe managed to hang in during the first half. After being down 5-3 through the first quarter, the home team managed to even up the score at six apiece with 10 minutes remaining in the half.

Freshman Sam Van Gieson scored two goals for the Tribe,

converting on both of her shots.

Building off of Van Gieson’s momentum, freshman Serena Jacobs netted her first goal of the game two minutes later. Jacobs led the Tribe with four goals.

The College and Drexel went back and forth for the next few minutes, each managing to score several goals. However, Drexel pulled ahead when they scored back-to-back goals to make the tally 6-3. The Tribe then regained momentum by scoring three goals straight.

Jacobs scored twice in less than 90 seconds, before freshman Margaret Mooney scored on a free position shot.

As the game continued on, the Tribe lost their groove and gave up more shots on goal. The Tribe had a hard time containing Drexel graduate students Lucy Schneidereith and Karson Harris, who racked up five and four goals, respectively.

Drexel relied on their experience in the second half to secure the victory. Three of their top scorers and their goalie are graduate students. On the contrary, the Tribe’s top two scorers and goalie are freshmen.

The Tribe defense looked strong in the first half of the game. In the first quarter, the last goal was scored with six

minutes left, as both defenses held their ground in the second part of the quarter. In the second quarter, there was a sixminute stretch where neither team netted a goal.

Drexel outshot the Tribe 4330 and had eight more shots on goal. The Dragons also controlled draws 19-16 and won on ground balls.

Sophomore Caroline Hertzberg led the Tribe with five draw controls and three ground balls. Junior Caroline Donovan also forced two turnovers and scored one goal.

The Tribe will travel to Delaware for its next game on Saturday, April 9, at 3 p.m.

MENʼS GYMNASTICS

RYAN GOODMAN / THE FLAT HAT Freshman Grace Bir competes in the 4x400 relay during the Colonial Relays at Zable Stadium this weekend.

JAKE FORBES FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR William and Mary finished second in the Colonial Relays with 74.50 points this weekend at Zable Stadium. A total of 38 teams competed in the meet.

The most impressive finish for the Tribe came in the 4x400 relay. The team consisted of junior Carly Swierbut, sophomores Grace Bir and Mary Gregory and freshman Emily Ervin. Their finish of 3:42.57 set a new school record by two and a half seconds.

Sophomore Keeley Suzenski broke a school record in the shot-put, throwing 14.93 meters to place second overall in the event. Her finish secured eight points for the Tribe.

The Tribe picked up points on the triple jump, with two athletes finishing on the podium.

Sophomore Cheslea Mitchell jumped 11.61 meters to secure second place, while freshman Dana Abraham totaled 11.51 meters to place third.

Sophomore Chelsea Wallace finished eighth in the discus, adding another point to the Tribe’s team total.

The Tribe’s 4x1500 meter relay team of all underclassmen finished third. Sophomores Molly Coyle, Kyra Holland, Emily Sell and Annie Wicker and freshman Lucy Young clocked a 19:19:30 to add a critical six points to the team total.

Virginia won the meet with an even 80.00. Bucknell finished right behind the Tribe in third with 73.50. The other 35 competing teams each finished with under 60 points.

The Tribe will travel to the Mason Spring Invitational in Fairfax, Virginia April 9.

WOMENʼS GOLF

Lu leads Tribe to fourth place finish in Maryland William and Mary finishes +85 over two days of competition JAKE FORBES FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR

JUSTIN SHERLOCK / THE FLAT HAT

Senior Christian Marsh holds a straddle-L on the rings during the ECAC Championships at Kaplan Arena last Saturday, April 2. He won the individual event title.

Tribe finishes third at ECAC Championships College scores season high in team competition

JAKE FORBES FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR William and Mary finished third at the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships last Saturday, April 2 at Kaplan Arena. The Tribe posted a 385.25, marking their best team performance of the season.

The Naval Academy won the meet with a 401.85, their best team score of the season.

Springfield College finished

with a 387.05, followed by the Tribe’s 385.25 and Army close behind at 384.85 The most impressive performance of the day came from senior Christian Marsh on rings. He posted a career-high 14.45, which was good enough for a first-place finish in the event.

Marsh’s performance marks the fifth-best score in the College’s history and ranks fourth in the nation this season.

Marsh finished second in the all-around with a personal

record of 78.75. His score ranks sixth in school history. Marsh received all-conference honors on pommel horse, rings and in the all-around.

Sophomore Sam Lee continued his impressive season with three podium finishes. He finished in third on vault and parallel bars with scores of 14.25 and 13.9, respectively. Lee’s score on parallel bars marked a new career high and helped the Tribe to a season high on the event. He also finished in fifth on high bar

with a 13.2.

Junior Aidan Cuy competed in the all-around and scored an even 78.0, leaving him with a fourth-place finish.

Sophomore Ahmir Postell posted a career-best 13.65 on rings to win all-conference honors and boost the Tribe to a season-high team score of 67.35 on the event.

The team will travel to Norman, OK for the NCAA Championships on April 15-16. Although the Tribe failed to qualify as a team, all athletes qualified as individuals.

William and Mary finished fourth at the Prospect Bay Intercollegiate this weekend in Grasonville, Maryland. The Tribe shot 321-321-307 to finish the weekend +85.

Freshman Emma Lu shot the best score for the Tribe, finishing with 77-79-78 to place ninth as an individual. She was one of only seven players to break 70 each round, and this tournament marks her second straight top 10 performance.

After fighting tough conditions on the first two days, four Tribe players managed to break 70 on the final day. Senior Sarah Houle finished 81-80-75 to finish just

outside the top10. Her final round 75 marked the second best round of the field.

Despite some troubles on the second day, junior Mikah McDonnell shot an impressive 77 to finish the weekend +23.

Senior redshirt Stephanie Guizar Diaz improved throughout the weekend, finishing 87-82-77.

Junior Cindy Zhou managed an even 80 on day two to contribute to the team score.

Dartmouth and Pennsylvania tied for first in the team competition at +67. Quinnipiac edged out William and Mary at +80 to place third.

The Tribe will head down to Southport, NC to play in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship at The Clubs at St. James from April 15-17.

Want more Flat Hat Sports coverage?

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

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THE FLAT HAT

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

CAMPUS SAFETY

Panhellenic Council holds townhall on community safety

Members of campus community share their concerns about safety on campus, in local community ABIGAIL CONNELLY FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

Tuesday, March 29, the College of William and Mary’s Panhellenic Council hosted a community town hall meeting at the Sadler Center to discuss student concerns regarding campus safety.

While this was a Panhellenic Council event, both students affiliated and unaffiliated with Greeklife organizations were in attendance.

President of the Panhellenic Council Alexis Ballance ’23 and Vice President Elizabeth Wess ’24 organized the event with the intention to give students a safe space to discuss their worries.

“Our biggest goal is to make this as comfortable of an experience as possible for you guys,” Ballance said at the start of the town hall. “These topics, we understand, can be very heavy, so if you do have to step out at any time, please know that that is entirely okay and understandable.”

Ballance introduced the access to an anonymous report form via a QR code that would allow students to discuss their own emotions or concerns about campus safety or to make requests or offer feedback from administration on how to handle these concerns.

Ballance informed students that, although an invitation was shared with administration to attend the meeting, no administrators were present in order to respect students’ comfort and openness in discussing sensitive concerns.

Additionally, Ballance told students that notes would be taken during the event, and would be collectively utilized alongside responses to anonymous polls and questions shared during the event to share with administration.

“We are coming together as a supportive community and we still have the ability to craft a strong message and most importantly, gather

a broad variety of experiences from you all tonight,” Ballance said.

An anonymous online poll was opened to students in attendance, asking how safe each student feels on campus, particularly when going out at night. The poll ranked individual feelings of safety on campus from one to seven, with one meaning an individual feels extremely unsafe and seven meaning an individual feels extremely safe.

Of the 25 students who participated in the survey, 36% ranked their safety level at three and 32% answered four, indicating a collective sense of moderate feelings of discomfort in regards to feelings about individual safety on campus.

Ballance and Wess then discussed student feedback and began addressing the survey responses.

“So, looking at these answers, I feel like that’s very indicative of where we are as a community, Ballance said. “I mean, somewhere in the middle versus leaning towards the unsafe side, I feel like that does kind of show like what we’ve been hearing as Panhellenic staff.”

Next, Ballance opened an additional poll question, which prompted attendants to sum up their biggest concerns regarding campus safety in one word. Words submitted as responses by students included “roofying,” “stalkers,” “lighting,” “law,” “non-consent,” “mandatory reporting,” “communication” and “violence.”

“Once again, I think this is very indicative of the stuff we’ve been talking about,” Ballance said. “So, I see some of the words up there, like the biggest ones of course, are in regards to roofies and roofying. I know that’s been a huge conversation, especially for the Panhellenic chapters.”

“To jump in, one that stands out to me is communication,” Wess said. “So, we have been talking a lot about that in Panhellenic and we are hoping to get better communication with

both administration and police departments regarding what is going on in terms of safety, and you know, when we hear about incidents, we often don’t know the full details or when they are resolved or being resolved, so we really do resonate with that.”

Students expressed displeasure with the College’s response to a range of reports of misconduct, especially in regard to events that took place off-campus, where the administration’s jurisdiction is limited. Attendants believe that a formal acknowledgement from the College regarding misconduct that has taken place will encourage other students to feel comfortable coming forward with their own stories and prompt reformation of on- and off-campus safety measures.

Additionally, students requested a list of available resources meant to provide assistance in times of crisis, especially in regards to reporting incidents, which students believe would improve communication and encourage a sense of trust between students and the administration.

“I think people just wanted to come together and feel a sense of support, not just within their chapter, but on a community level,” Ballance said.

“We did want to make, kind of a showing that this is a large issue for our community and for campus at large, especially to the administration, who may feel that these are isolated incidents.

We wanted them to know that even though they may seem isolated, they do have a larger effect and they have been severely impacting the mood,” Wess said.

When asking about the next steps to take with administration, Wess spoke about the Panhellenic Council’s goals to set up a meeting to discuss student feedback.

“Since they were not able to attend tonight,

our biggest goal is to meet with them and just go over the stuff that was talked about and see what are tangible steps and things we can help with them too, because we are not passive bystanders in all of this,” Ballance said. “We have a role on campus and we want to use that role to help our community and help the larger William and Mary community. And that includes also working with the Student Assembly. We’ve been in contact with them within the last few days, so kind of just working with them as well to just see what things we can do for our communities.”

Liz Cascone, director of the Haven at the College, attended the meeting and shared information with students regarding available resources through the organization.

“We are a confidential resource on campus, we have lots of peer advocates who are trained to provide support, to provide information, to provide resources, to provide options and help people to understand the Title IX process, the criminal process, the civil legal process. “ Cascone said. “And I work with students oneon-one as well. So, folks can come see me or a graduate assistant, or any of our peer advocates to get confidential support. If you have questions about an experience you had, we likely can answer that question.”

Cascone also told students that she works with the Dean of Students office, the Title IX office, the SLD and Residence Life, and has many connections with individuals who address issues brought up by students during the meeting.

Editor’s Note: Individual quotes from the students who spoke during the event were not included in this article to preserve their safety.

For any student in need of confidential assistance, virtual and in-person appointments can be made using the Haven’s website listed below: https://www.wm.edu/offices/thehaven/

STUDENT ASSEMBLY

Class of 2025 incumbents re-elected in Student Assembly election Students casted their votes for student body president, vice president, class president, senators ELECTION from page 1

elected four senators: Sen. Taylor Fox ’24, Sen. Gloriana Cubero Fernandez ’24, Sen. Daniel Bess ’24 and Sophia Tammera ’24.

Fox received 369 votes, Fernandez received 368 votes, Bess received 347 votes and Tammera received 340 votes.

Class of 2025 Current class president Yannie Chang ’25 was re-elected to their position, defeating opponent Katie DiPaolo ’25.

Out of the 731 students who voted, Chang won with 616 votes,

or 86.39% of the total vote, while DiPaolo fell short with 97 votes, or 13.6% of the vote.

In addition to Class President, the class of 2025 student body elected four senators: Sen. Sean Nguyen ’25, Sen. Hashir Aqeel ’25, Sen. Regina Chaillo ’25, and Sen. Matthew Hwang ’25, leaving the class of 2025 with the same representatives for two consecutive years.

Nguyen received 528 votes, Aqeel received 472 votes, Chaillo received 468, and Hwang received 452 votes.

Meanwhile Shaia McClung ’25 fell short with 316 votes, as did Momen Zahid ’25 who received 199 votes.

CAMPUS

College hosts climate, justice teach-in as part of worldwide movement Faculty, students organize series of talks to raise awareness for efforts to prevent climate change could be displaced due to climate emergencies by 2050.

“It’s not going to be one nation’s problem, it’s going to be a global problem because people are going to be crossing the borders,” Balasundaram said. “There is going to be a lot of political instability because of the climate crisis.”

Professor Fernando Galeana Rodriguez, assistant professor of sociology and integrative conservation at the College, spoke about Indigienous peoples and climate change policy, emphasizing the importance of Indigenous representation and inclusivity in public policy.

The second hour featured panels titled “Global Climate Solutions,” “Climate Solutions for Energy,” “Food Systems and Climate Solutions” and “How to Teach about Climate.”

During the “Global Climate Solutions” panel, professor Jim Kaste of the College’s geology department spoke about the impact of climate change on the intensity of storms, as well as concerns over current stormwater management systems. Dr. Robert Hicks, professor of economics, spoke about carbon reduction and pollution permits, and Dr. Dan Maliniak, assistant professor of government, emphasized the

importance of local action to address climate-related issues.

“If you want a global solution, you will get the least done; the deeper solution that has real change has usually fewer people, fewer countries involved. And so we have to decide when we do these things, how to move forward, which is to say that all politics is local,” Maliniak said.

The last hour featured a single group discussion highlighting Dr. Kelly Crace, associate vice president for health and wellness and the director of the Center for Mindfulness and Authentic Excellence; Virginia Senator Monty Mason; and three student speakers representing two climate-focused student organizations. “‘I do this hard work every day because this intentionality is a part of me staying in this world,” Crace said said as he discussed the psychological motivations and coping mechanisms of activists and advocates.. They find meaning in the work itself, and they focus less on this minuscule impact they may be having, or feeling that you have no impact,” Crace “But that’s what sustained them, is them getting back to the truth of ‘me being in this world matters, and me being in this world engaged in what matters to me matters.”’

Sen. Mason spoke awbout the process of passing climate

policy and emphasized the importance of young people advocating for their beliefs and

said. “It’s not supposed to be fast.

It’s not supposed to be easy. It’s not supposed to be quick. It’s supposed

“

There are problems, and these problems are going to worsen if we donʼt do anything about it ̶ Anna Lowe ʻ24

“

CLIMATE from page 2

speaking to policymakers.

“You get this feeling of selfworth by rolling the rock uphill because that’s what we’re doing.

Government is designed to be rolling the rock uphill,” Mason

to take time to develop. What I want to express to you is the passion, the focus, the commitment, the care around what you do is super important. And starting at your age and doing it the rest of your life and

gathering people along the way on particular elements of interest to you are super important as well.”

The last three speakers included Anna Lowe ’24, representing the Williamsburg Sunrise Movement, and Corina Chang ’25 and Philip Ignatoff ’23, representing the Citizens’ Climate Lobby at the College. Lowe shared stories from Sunrise members across the nation related to why they do climate work.

“There are problems, and these problems are going to worsen if we don’t do anything about it,” Lowe said. “But at the same time, every person in that movement has to have at least some teeny tiny sliver of hope. I just really want to tell you all that it really does pay off to get involved in climate activism.

That doesn’t have to be joining the Sunrise Movement, that can look like so many other different things. But it does feel good if you do it in a healthy way; it does make a difference if all of us are doing it.”

Chang and Ignatoff emphasized the importance of increasing conversations about climate change with family, friends and strangers.

“We really feel that without people talking about climate change in their everyday lives, we can’t make change,” Chang said.

“So we need to be talking about it more, and that’s something we

encourage in our club, and it’s why we table every week at Sadler to try to talk to people we don’t know about climate change. We’re also looking forward to drafting and submitting op-eds and letters to local newspapers, and of course participating in lobby week with the local Hampton Roads chapter.”

The panel concluded with a brief discussion session between audience members and panelists mediated by Calandra Waters Lake, the director of sustainability at the College.

“Climate change can be kind of big and overwhelming sometimes, and it can be a little hard to decide what kind of action we want to take or where we want to start,” Waters Lake said. “A lot of change is going to have to happen at a high level, at a policy level, at the operational level, but those things can be influenced in our lives with our daily actions.”

“I know the issue can seem overwhelming, but working to do something about it can be really empowering — you aren’t just passive and letting things happen to you, you are taking control and working for change,” Stafford said.

“There will always be periods of disappointment and despair, but give yourself space to step back until you are stronger, and then keep working!”