The Flat Hat February 8, 2022

T HE F LAT H AT

Vol. 111, Iss. 15 | Tuesday, February 8, 2022

The Weekly Student Newspaper

of The College of William and Mary

Anna Arnsberger // THE FLAT HAT

T

uesday, Feb. 1, William & Mary Libraries celebrated the opening of its latest exhibit, “Strollin’: A History of Black Greek Letter Organizations at William & Mary.”

The opening featured a discussion with Wake Forest University Law Professor Gregory Parks, author of A Pledge with Purpose: Black Sororities and Fraternities and the Fight for Equality.

“Strollin’” traces the history of Black fraternities and sororities at the College of William & Mary, starting in 1975 with the founding of the Kappa Pi chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc. Historical artifacts, photos and informational plaques will be on display in the Marshall Gallery of Earl Gregg Swem Library until Aug. 31, 2022.

Exhibit curator and the College’s oral historian, Andre Taylor, focused on integrating spoken narratives into “Strollin’.” On the pillars leading into the Marshall Gallery hang the flags of the Divine Nine (D9) Greek letter organizations. Each flag, except Iota Phi Theta — for which the College does not have a chapter — is accompanied by various QR codes linked to videos of alumni sharing their experiences as members of the Greek letter organizations.

In one oral history, Arman Jones ’20 explained how Alpha Delta Sigma, Inc.’s values of male scholarship, perseverance and uplift attracted him to the organization. Jones was particularly interested in uplifting Black culture, which he noticed faced many institutional barriers in the College.

“When I started understanding more about just Greek fraternity in general and the D9, I wanted to help the community, help the Black community specifically at William and Mary,” Jones said.

Taylor believes that this exhibit is necessary considering the larger context of Greek organizations on campus. In 1776, Phi

Beta Kappa was founded at the College as the first fraternity in America.

“William and Mary is the epicenter for the Greek life in America,” Taylor said. “It's important that we tell our story because Black Greek letter organizations arrived on William and Mary almost 200 years after the arrival of Phi Beta Kappa.”

Assistant Dean and Director of the Center for Student Diversity Kimberly Weatherly, who is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Inc., reiterated the importance of telling this history at the College.

“A lot of times at predominantly-white institutions, you don’t have the history of the Black fraternities and sororities,” Weatherly said. “Hearing the different testimonies from people who were here at William and Mary and their experiences on campus was very enlightening.”

Lamenting how Black Greek letter organizations receive less recognition than their white counterparts, Weatherly also pointed out some of the features that make D9 unique.

“At a lot of other fraternities and sororities, when you pledge you kind of leave that there in undergrad, but when we make that commitment, it’s lifelong,” Weatherly said.

Along with commitment, many D9 organizations emphasize service, curiosity and culture.

“It’s important to understand that these spaces exist to promote educational success but also to promote cultural heritage sharing,” Taylor said. “And that’s very important for me for people to have spaces where they can celebrate their cultural heritage collectively.”

Parks also discussed these themes in the presentation of his book. He began by exploring the origins of Black Greek organizations and their roots in Black churches, secret societies

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and literary societies. According to Parks, these groups were founded to promote uplift, intellectual curiosity and community.

While many of the D9 organizations originated on HBCU campuses, Parks highlighted the unique significance of those formed at predominantly-white institutions such as the College.

“The dynamics that black students experienced at those institutions then, and ironically, in many ways, still to that today is a spirit or a feeling of isolation, lack of connection,” Parks said. “‘Society offered us narrowly circumscribed opportunity and no security. Out of our need, our fraternity brought social purpose and social action’,” Parks said, quoting Henry Arthur Callis, a founder of Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc..

Black Greek organizations were formed to support the struggle of Black Americans. Now 100 years later, activism and service remain key tenets of many of these groups. For Shiyanna McLeod ’23, the “Strollin’” exhibit effectively emphasizes this.

“We do a lot for our communities that sometimes goes unseen,” McLeod said. “Most of, if not all of the Black Greek letter organizations are service-based and that’s something that’s not necessarily highlighted.” Parks explained some of this history, recognizing how the D9’s efforts to promote racial uplift are not as well-known as those of traditional civil rights groups. He spoke about the American Council on Human Rights, a collective of six Greek letter organizations focused on issues such as education, healthcare and voting rights.

“Where there’s progress, there’s always retrenchment. Where there’s advancement, there’s always folks who want to push back," .on that advancement,” Parks said.

See STROLLIN' page 8

CHARTER DAY

Law students launch "No Degree for Bigotry" campaign against Youngkin Students protest Youngkin's scheduled recipience of honorary degree at Charter Day ceremony

Friday, Feb. 11, Governor Glenn Youngkin will be speaking at the College of William and Mary’s 329th Charter Day ceremony, where he is scheduled to receive an honorary degree. Due to controversial policies introduced by Youngkin, such as a ban on teaching critical race theory in public schools, some students are pushing back against his presence on campus. Skye McCollum J.D. ’24 has assisted in the creation of a campaign titled “No Degrees for Bigotry” in opposition to Youngkin’s anticipated honorary degree.

“Me and two other law students saw that this was happening on Charter Day, and we were immediately very confused and upset about it,” McCollum said. “It seems to oppose everything that William and Mary says that they support.”

Charter Day, which was originally known as Founder’s Day, marks the day on which the College’s charter was granted by King William III and Queen Mary II. The celebration of the grant of the College’s royal charter has been celebrated annually since its initiation by President John Stewart Bryan on Feb. 8, 1937.

INDEX News Opinions Variety Sports News

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“When you give someone an honorary degree, youʼre saying that you support what they believe in, and that makes no sense, as he has just gotten into office, and all heʼs really done for public service is censor education. I mean, this is a college of higher learning. What are we saying if thatʼs who we want to give an honorary degree to?” ̶ Skye McCollum

“

ABIGAIL CONNELLY THE FLAT HAT

The College has traditionally invited the newlyelected governor to speak at Charter Day and receive an honorary degree during their first year in office.

“We look forward to a lively Charter Day in this, our 329th spring," College President Katherine Rowe wrote in an email to students.

"We will celebrate our community and set a course for W&M’s future through Vision 2026.

We welcome Governor-elect Youngkin to that celebration while he plans for the future of the commonwealth.”

However, McCollum argues that by granting an honorary degree to Governor Youngkin, the administration is honoring someone who does not deserve the College’s endorsement.

“When you give someone an honorary degree, you’re saying that you support what they believe in, and that makes no sense, as he has just gotten into office, and all he’s really done for public service is censor education,” McCollum said. “I mean, this is a college of higher learning. What are we saying if that’s who we want to give an honorary degree to?”

See YOUNGKIN page 8

Inside Opinions

Inside Variety

Aidan White '23 writes how granting an honorary degree to Gov. Glenn Youngkin is the mistake by the administration.

NOBCChE provides a welcoming space for Chemistry students. page 5

Youngkinʼs honorary degree latest in series of Collegeʼs misplaced accolades

page 3

NOBCChE: A catalyst for change on campus, forming lasting bonds

Inside Sports

College jumps out early, loses momentum in golden game

The College fell to JMU 4-58 on Sunday, Feb. 6 at Kaplan Arena in the annual Golden Game. page 7

newsinsight

THE FLAT HAT

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News Editor Alexandra Bryne News Editor Charles Coleman News Editor Molly Parks fhnews@gmail.com | Tuesday, February 8, 2022 | Page 2

THE BUZZ

A lot of times at predominantly-white institutions, you donʼt have the history of the Black fraternities and sororities. Hearing the different testimonies from people who were here at William and Mary and their experiences on campus was very enlightening.

̶ Assistant Dean and Director of the Center for Student Diversity Kimberly Weatherly

FLAT HAT NEWS BRIEF

es

College student Rachel M Morgan passes away unexpectedly In an email to students on Friday, Feb. 4, Vice President for Student Affairs Ginger Ambler announced that Rachel M. Morgan MS ’22 unexpectedly passed away on Wednesday Feb. 2 at Chesapeake Regional Medical Center. Morgan was enrolled in the Raymond A. Mason School of Business’s online Master’s of Marketing program and was expected to complete her degree in May 2022.

Morgan was originally from Chesapeake, Virginia, and became a registered nurse in 2013 after attending Sentara College of Health Sciences and later graduated with a B.S. in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology from Old Dominion University. Before enrolling at the College of William and Mary, Morgan previously served as the General Manager of the Norfolk Seafood Company and Big Easy Oyster Bar, and while working here she began pursuing freelance work in graphic design.

Her graphic design work focused on developing web pages and grand design. Morgan also volunteered in her free time by using her graphic design skills to help local children who were facing significant medical needs.

Morgan’s obituary described her as “artistic and creative.

She loved painting and planting. She had the biggest heart and would help anyone with anything. She was independent to a fault, loyal, strong willed, determined, and had the utmost respect for integrity.”

In Ambler’s email, she mentioned how “Expressions of sympathy may be sent c/o the Dean of Students Office for delivery to Rachel’s family. Her death reminds us of how close we are to one another at William & Mary.”

Who is...

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A THOUSAND WORDS COURTESY PHOTO / LUCY GREENMAN

Lucy Greenman ʼ22 to compete in ʻJeopardy! National College Championshipʼ LULU DAWES // FLAT HAT MANAGING EDITOR

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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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Despite receiving the information that she would be competing in the Jeopardy! National College Championship in October 2021, Lucy Greenman ’22 was only able to announce the news to her friends and family last week. Greenman secretly left campus the week before Thanksgiving to film her episode in Los Angeles. The Jeopardy!

National College Championship will premiere on Feb. 8, with her episode airing Feb. 15.

“They didn’t want me to tell anyone,” Greenman said. “So I didn’t tell my roommates. I didn’t tell my professors. I had to tell my parents because I needed to sleep at home the night before my flight.”

Greenman grew up watching Jeopardy! with her family, and began applying to the show each year when she entered college. It was not until fall of her junior yearl — her third time applying to the college championship — that she was invited to the next round. Greenman underwent another online test and then a live Zoom game after that.

Seven months later, she received the good news.

“I was really trying to just suppress my excitement until anything was guaranteed, which took a long time,” Greenman said. “I could finally let myself believe it, and I was super excited. I honestly couldn’t believe it. Like, I just kept sort of telling myself in my head.”

Greenman said that when she was finally able to tell her friends and family, it was a very special moment.

“It’s a huge deal for them,” Greenman said about her family.

“Especially for my grandma who watches it every single night … she’s very excited and it’s her birthday this month, so it’s like a birthday present for her.”

Hosted by Mayim Bialik, the college championship features 36 undergraduate students representing 36 different universities across the country. Greenman’s episode, which she says was one of the last to be filmed, will feature her going head-to-head with Kennesaw State University’s Raymond Goslow and NYU’s Jeric Brual.

“I happened to be just one of the last games that was taped, so I got to see a lot of rehearsals and know what to expect,” Greenman said.

“They told us to prepare to be there for six days … even if you won everything and you made it to the very last game, you could still be home for Thanksgiving.”

Greenman says the best part about this experience was making connections with the other contestants.

“We have a group chat; we talk all the time, we’ve already zoomed like twice, and yeah, they’re awesome, awesome people,” Greenman said. “I think honestly, the coolest part about it was just meeting this sample of people who were my age from all over the country, and it

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Greenman ʼ22 stands on Jeopardy! main stage along with her fellow contestants.

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36 undergraduate students compete in the ʻJeopardy! National College Championshipʼ.

was sort of wild. Like how similar our lives were, just because we are all going through like the pandemic and we all like, listen to some of the same music and have lived through the same major political events in recent years.”

Only having approximately eight weeks to study for the show, Greenman bought an online study guide and watched old episodes to prepare. Even though her roommate did not know she was going on the show, Greenman says she still helped her study.

“So my roommate would read me the questions and quiz me on those games,” Greenman said. “She had no idea why she was doing it either, because I hadn’t told anyone. She was such a good sport.”

In preparation for the taping of her episode, Greenman did a rehearsal taping and a whole day dedicated to practicing with the hair and makeup team. She also had to try on the College of William and Mary sweatshirt the production team bought her, as well as have her pants approved.

“When we were actually taping, it felt very different than the rehearsal,” Greenman said. “Honestly, my mind is blank. As soon as I finished it, my family was asking me ‘Oh, did you answer a bunch of questions?’ And I was like, ‘I don’t know, I have no idea what happened.’ There’s just a lot of input: you’re trying to watch the board, you’re trying to do the buzzer on time, you’re trying to be aware of how much money you have and the other contestants have. And I was really nervous about the part where you talk about yourself after the commercial break.”

At the College, Greenman is a self-designed health analytics major and is minoring in gender, sexuality, and women’s studies.

She is the vice president of VOX, a reproductive rights group on campus, and also teaches at a Hebrew school in Williamsburg.

After graduation, Greenman plans to attend nursing school where she hopes to specialize in maternal and postpartum care.

opinions

Opinions Editor Lucas Harsche Opinions Editor Alyssa Slovin fhopinions@gmail.com // @theflathat THE FLAT HAT | Tuesday, February 8, 2022 | Page 3

GUEST COLUMN

STAFF COLUMN

Youngkin’s new policies amount to war on truth, even at the College

Youngkin’s honorary degree latest in series of College’s misplaced accolades

Alan Kennedy

FLAT HAT GUEST WRITER

On the eve of the Virginia gubernatorial election between Governor Glenn Youngkin and former Governor Terry McAuliffe, Youngkin promised, “On day one, I will ban critical race theory.” To his credit, he kept his promise. On day one, Youngkin’s first executive order took aim at critical race theory and other “inherently divisive concepts.” Youngkin’s second executive order banned school mask mandates; a related directive banned state employee COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

Make no mistake: Youngkin’s initial attacks on science and education amount to a war on truth.

Four months ago, I wrote in a Flat Hat opinion piece that the College of William and Mary’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate was “sound public policy.” It was and it is. The problem is Youngkin’s decision to ban such mandates. It was announced by Chief Operating Officer Amy Sebring on Jan. 18 and President Katherine Rowe on Jan. 19 that the College would no longer require employee vaccination. This is not because the pandemic is over but because the College, as a state university, is legally bound to comply with Youngkin’s misguided executive directive.

Youngkin’s executive directive banning state employee COVID-19 vaccine mandates, disclosure of vaccination status and mandatory testing makes no attempt to justify the ban on any grounds other than “individual freedoms and personal privacy.” Youngkin’s mask mandate ban, however, reveals that the new governor is in denial.

Youngkin’s order justifies the ban on the grounds that Omicron “results in less severe illness,” and that children five and older may now be vaccinated.

As the new year dawned, Rowe lamented that we were entering a third year with the pandemic and that COVID19 infections would likely rise, just as they have been rising across the nation. Then, Rowe made the case for requiring all students, faculty and staff to provide proof that they have received COVID-19 booster shots, which reduce transmission. Now, thanks to Youngkin, we will be left wondering who on our campus might be vaccinated and who might be infected.

Youngkin’s ban on sound public policy measures will likely prolong the COVID-19 pandemic.

Similarly, Youngkin’s ban on teaching critical race theory aligns with the Fox News approach to public policy: repeat a falsehood often enough and people will begin to believe it. Youngkin’s order misleads, positing that, “Inherently divisive concepts, like Critical Race Theory and its progeny, instruct students to only view life through the lens of race.” Rooted in criticism of systemic racism, critical race theory uses race as a lewns, but does not deny that other views exist.

After Youngkin’s election last November, The Flat Hat quoted College Law Professor Vivian Hamilton describing critical race theory as “an academic discipline that emerged from precursors like legal realism and critical legal studies.” Difficult to define, critical race theory is premised on the idea that race is a social construct, racism is not “aberrational” but institutional, perpetuated by public laws and institutions, and is political because scholars seek racial justice.

Because critical race theory is difficult to define, it is not actually taught in K-12 public schools in Virginia, but it is certainly worth discussing at the College and other state universities. Assassinated civil rights leader Medgar Evers once said that you can kill a person, but you can’t kill an idea. The truth is that Youngkin, following in former President Donald Trump’s footsteps, wants to kill the idea that racism is real by banning teachers from teaching about discrimination.

Sadly, Youngkin is not alone in his war on truth. He is encouraged by like-minded Republicans.

Youngkin’s appointment of Jillian Balow to be Virginia’s Superintendent of Public Instruction and to censor any hint of “inherently divisive concepts, including concepts or ideas related to Critical Race Theory” from state policies, trainings, curricula and programs, should raise more alarms about the new governor’s approach to education. Balow, who held the job in Wyoming, attacked federal funding to teach the “1619 Project” and other works she viewed as “divisive.”

Delegate Wren Williams defeated a Republican incumbent by attacking him for not sufficiently backing Trump. Williams attacked his next opponent’s activism.

Williams questioned President Joe Biden’s victory. He wrote a bill banning schools from requiring discussion of “any current event or widely debated and controversial issue of public policy or social affairs,” and telling them what to teach, such as “the first debate between Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.”

Truth was a casualty of war: Lincoln debated Senator Stephen Douglas, not Frederick Douglass.

Alan Kennedy J.D. ’09, Ph.D., is a lecturer of public policy. Email Alan at ahkennedy@wm.edu.

To view citations visit flathatnews.com.

COMIC

Aidan White

FLAT HAT STAFF WRITER

HEADSHOT BY KAYLA PAYNE , GRAPHIC

BY SKYLER FOLEY // THE FLAT HAT

Newly inaugurated governor of Virginia Glenn Youngkin used his campaign to stoke the flames of white supremacy. He embraced the support of Donald Trump and said that the slogan Black Lives Matter is “the antithesis of everything that we believe in.” On his first day in office, Youngkin signed an executive order banning “the use of divisive concepts, including Critical Race Theory, in public education.”

His office has even set up an email address where people can report public school teachers for teaching these vaguely-defined concepts.

His entire political persona is formulated around limiting what educators can teach, especially if they are trying to teach about racism.

And on Feb. 11, in the middle of Black History Month, he will be awarded an honorary degree by the College of William and Mary.

How could this happen? After all, College leadership has spent the last year creating a new, progressive image of the College.

They worked with consultants to conduct a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion assessment. The Board of Visitors voted to remove the names of certain enslavers and white supremacists from campus buildings (after months of student pressure and organizing).

President Rowe even came to student-led Black Lives Matter solidarity marches to show her support. How could an institution that seems so committed to looking progressive invite — and in fact honor — a man so committed to vile, racist policies?

The truth is that this invitation is much more in line with the history of the College than the steps forward that the administration took last year. When the royal charter was signed in 1693, the College of William and Mary came into being as an institution funded by white supremacists and committed to spreading their vision of the world. According to historian Craig Steven Wilder in his book Ebony and Ivy, “the decision to organize a college [in the colony of Virginia] responded to the lingering problems of defending the colony’s expansive borders with Indian nations, regulating a large population of enslaved people, and governing a free population with a history of resisting political and religious authority.” At its inception, the College’s primary mission was to protect the interests of colonialism and white supremacy. Unsurprisingly, the original trustees of the College were made up of “planters and merchants from the colony’s leading landholding and slaveholding families.”

The College continues to rely on such families, as well as honor them. In addition to the renaming of buildings last year, the Board of Visitors changed the name of the Lyon Gardiner Tyler Department of History. As a historian, Tyler was a fierce critic of Abraham Lincoln and published a number of works defending the Confederate States of America, including the 1920 book “The Confederate Catechism” where he argued that enslavers “civilized” the Black people whom they enslaved and were therefore doing a righteous public service. Thank goodness the College decided to sever ties with him! Unfortunately, the department was renamed the Harrison Ruffin Tyler Department of History, honoring Lyon Gardiner Tyler’s son who no doubt inherited some of the wealth his father accumulated as a purveyor of racist thought. In fact, he even donated some of that wealth to the College in 2001.

No wonder the leadership of the College is willing to award Youngkin an honorary degree and treat him as part of our intellectual community. The ideology that he represents is the ideology that this institution was founded to uphold, and the College continues to benefit from it.

Youngkin will receive his honorary degree at the annual Charter Day ceremony, commemorating a document which included the provision that the College’s trustees would receive a penny for every pound of tobacco planted and picked by enslaved Black laborers in Virginia to be traded by English merchants. Youngkin’s presence at the Charter Day ceremony is merely a continuation of the College’s long history of supporting and profiting from racism. It is also a bleak reminder that this institution consistently forces any declared commitment to academic integrity into the backseat, while white supremacists are allowed to drive the car.

Aidan White ’23 is a public policy major and a sociology minor. He is involved in Shakespeare in the Dark and the William & Mary Mock Trial Team, and is also a member of the Young Democratic Socialists and the Sinfonicron Light Opera Company. Email Aidan at amwhite02@wm.edu.

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Fuzzy 6: Fuzzy scorns New Years’ resolutions COMIC BY ARIANNA STEWART // THE FLAT HAT

THE FLAT HAT

Page 4

Tuesday, February 8, 2022

GUEST COLUMN

Students should express love every day of the year friends. Wouldn’t everyone at a Galentine’s Day celebration or platonic Valentine’s Day gathering rather be with the love of their life?

FLAT HAT GUEST WRITER If Valentine’s Day is only about romantic love, then people Valentine’s Day is either a holiday that people love or love without a significant other find themselves feeling especially to hate. The question that separates the lovers from the haters: lonely and longing for a deep romantic connection. However, if Is Valentine’s Day an overly commercialized Hallmark holiday the spirit of Valentine’s Day entails expressing all types of love, or a special day to express your love and appreciation for then people can simply appreciate all the loving relationships partners, friends and family? they have in their lives — from parents to siblings to friends.

I have always been ambivalent towards I think Valentine’s Day is about all Valentine’s Day, but maybe that is because kinds of love. Even if Valentine’s Day I have never had the opportunity has focused on romantic love in to celebrate the holiday with the past, people can evolve the a serious significant holiday into a day to cherish other. This year will all the loving connections mark the first year that they have in their lives.

I am celebrating the Especially in our new holiday with a romantic COVID-19 reality, it is partner, and she has important to express to expressed that she would your loved ones how like flowers. “Why?” I much their love and asked her. According to her, support means to it’s because she has never you as we continue to received flowers from a cultivate meaningful partner before, and she thinks relationships while it would be nice. My hunch is staying safe. that she does not care as much Although I appreciate about the flowers as she cares the value of Valentine’s about receiving flowers from Day as a focused someone she loves. expression of love, I think If we apply this example to that there should not be a gift-giving on Valentine’s Day, single day to express love, it is less about receiving the just like there should not be flowers as a material gift and a single day to appreciate more about the sentiment that your mother or to appreciate the flowers convey to your loved workers’ labor. People should one. Namely, that you love and express their feelings all care about them enough to give 365 days of the year. They them a beautiful gift; I can accept should give gifts and have a this notion of Valentine’s Day as a special night out with their special time for symbolic gestures. partner spontaneously However, I think there is a mediabecause surprises are so driven notion of the holiday as much more fun than a a desperate scramble to find a planned festivity. date in order to avoid feelings of I may be a cynic for loneliness. These are similar to presenting this take, media narratives that promote but I am also a romantic the idea of one true love or love at — I see the value in first sight, which are not realistic gift-giving and other representations of romantic love. overt expressions of love.

I believe there are multiple people There’s just something that could be your “true love” and about a good surprise that love does not develop only and incrementally telling through physical attraction. I think people how much you love these media representations of love them that trumps the allure are misleading and make people of a single day for love. So, overly value romantic love, at the here’s to demonstrating our GRAPHIC BY YELENA FLEMING, HEADSHOT BY KAYLA PAYNE expense of appreciating platonic love. love every day of the year — AND ANGELA VASISHTA / THE FLAT HAT My sense is that the holiday has Valentine’s Day included. traditionally been more about the media-fed notion of Teddy Chunias (he/him) is a junior history major. He is romantic love. Therefore, when you do not have a significant the supplies manager for the Meridian Coffeehouse — a DIY other on Valentine’s Day, you feel like something is missing or arts and event space. He is also a DJ for WCWM Radio. Email you are compensating for your loneliness by celebrating with Teddy at gchunias@wm.edu.

Teddy Chunias

STAFF COLUMN

College life from an out-of-state perspective: what to know, pack and research before committing

Caitlin Noe FLAT HAT OPINIONS ASSOC. EDITOR

The College of William and Mary recently released Early Decision II results, and with the regular decision around the corner, now is a good time to write about the college experience as an out-of-state student. For some background, my home state is Illinois, and I would have appreciated having more information on life as an outof-state student when I made the decision to come here. It can be hard to find that kind of information all in one place or without a connection to a current student.

There are many benefits to the out-of-state student experience. As the college cliche goes, I feel I have grown immensely. I have learned to make a home for myself in a completely different environment.

I have never regretted my decision to go to college in a different state.

That being said, there will be the occasional inconvenience.

For one thing, traveling to and from school can prove a nuisance. Just two weeks ago, the College decided to delay move-in for this semester by a day with only a few days’ notice due to a small amount of snow. I already

had my flights and car service booked to take me to a now-closed campus.

Luckily, I had a friend I could stay with in Virginia, but do not be surprised to have unexpected things happen to ruin your original travel plans. Delays, canceled flights and long days are a given at some point in your college life.

Moreover, Williamsburg is not a terribly convenient place for getting to the Richmond Airport. Ubers and Lyfts here are unreliable. The James River Car Service is reliable but at a high price point. There is also a reasonably priced bus service offered by the College, but it will not always line up with the day you want to leave or arrive on campus.

Additionally, traveling during short breaks is exhausting and stressful.

For example, Thanksgiving break is so short, I spent half the time in an airport or on a plane. If there had been delays, it would have been for most of my break. Breaks are just shorter for out-of-state students.

In terms of the logistics of getting belongings here, I would recommend storing your things in Williamsburg. I did the drive to Williamsburg with my things only once for freshman movein. Since then, I have brought back just one suitcase during breaks and stored my things in Williamsburg with Storage Scholars over the summer. However, something you should know about this strategy is you will have to do quite a bit of shopping once you return to Williamsburg each semester. Obviously, there are some items you cannot bring on a plane or things you have forgotten

to pack. Build in an extra day for a Target run every semester. Don’t forget medicine or snacks.

I have learned to make a home for myself in a completely different environment.

On a less serious note, out-ofstate students should familiarize themselves with Virginia slang. You will first come across these terms when people tell you where in Virginia they live. NoVa refers to Northern Virginia.

Charlottesville and Richmond are sometimes referred to as C-ville and RVA. The DMV refers to DC, Maryland and Virginia (not where you get your driver’s license). It is also essential to learn the following: When they reference Cookout, they mean a fastfood restaurant, not a literal cookout.

When someone tells you, “Let’s Go to Wawa!” they are referring to a convenience store. There may be a few things I have forgotten to share, but don’t worry, you will soon catch on.

Caitlin Noe ’24 is a government major.

In addition to training as opinions editor for the Flat Hat, she is a member of Alpha Phi Omega, the service fraternity, and works as a research assistant for AidData on the TUFF team. Email Caitlin at cjnoe@wm.edu.

STAFF COLUMN

As social class sizes are rising, housing options are dwindling

Lucas Harsche FLAT HAT OPINIONS EDITOR

On March 22, 2013, the College of William and Mary announced that it had agreed to purchase the Williamsburg Hospitality House — now better known as One Tribe Place — in order “to address critical space needs for student housing and on-campus parking.” On Dec. 2, 2021, it was announced that One Tribe Place would be closing for the 2022–23 academic year despite having undergone significant renovations during 2020.

Ah, but don’t worry, because after nearly 10 years the College hasn’t quite overcome those critical space needs. With One Tribe Place out of the picture, the new plan for the upcoming academic year is to simply poach existing upperclassmen residence halls, Giles and Page Halls, for incoming freshmen housing, continuing a long-standing tradition of the College expanding its undergraduate ambitions beyond what is currently sustainable. Ah, tradition. What more could one expect from a 329-year-old institution?

So, is the correct solution for the College to simply accept less students? Of course not! You will never hear me advocate as such in this piece. Instead, perhaps it is time for the College to seriously update and expand its campus housing before it continues this concerning trend. The campus as currently designed is simply not capable of accommodating such continuous growth in its student population.

Consider these statistics. The freshman Class of 2023 had 1,545 enrolled students in the fall of 2019. At that time, the College was one of many universities facing a national enrollment crisis, and so in February 2020 announced their plan to scale up to 150 new students per year over a four-year period, with 600 new undergraduate students by fall 2025. We can see this plan carried out in real time with the current Class of 2025, who according to the Admissions Office measures at a class size of 1,686 students — a little below the 150 student mark, but still a considerable increase from my own freshman class two years ago.

It is commendable that the College is on the path of helping more students to achieve a college education. At this rate, however, the College will have an undergraduate population of around 7,000 students by the fall of 2025. At the current levels of available housing on campus, does anyone reasonably believe that the College will be able to accommodate such growth?

As it is, the residence halls which are still available are in dire need of improvement and have been recognized as such since at least 2015, with no substantial improvements made since. In the College’s 2014 Campus Master Plan, it displays Fraternity Row, One Tribe Place and Chandler Hall as the only major residence halls having been completed or renovated within the past five years, and that was nearly 10 years ago. With exceptions such as Landrum Hall or Lemon Hall, few other residence halls have been seriously renovated since the 1970s or 1980s. Failure to sufficiently modernize these buildings — many of which are commonly ridden with mold, roaches and common leaks — can have dangerous repercussions for student health, as our community recently witnessed last fall when the College was forced to install air conditioning units on the top floors of several freshmen halls in response to an unprecedented high heat index. Left unaddressed, these chronic hazards could even lead to some halls being deemed unsuitable for residency, and then the lack of housing will only worsen.

In my current residence hall of Old Dominion, a filtered water fountain was only added this semester; my floor has a plug-in dehumidifier because the building itself is not built to withstand mold growth; and there are no elevators, ramps or any form of accommodations for residents with disabilities. As few residence halls that fulfill ADA requirements as there are already, this could provide yet another problem if residence halls continue to close in the wake of a growing student population. Given the price that we pay for housing, I wonder if any of the conditions that I have described above would be considered acceptable if the residence halls were simply hotels for tourists visiting Williamsburg, or if members of the Board of Visitors would feel comfortable allowing their own children to stay in such conditions for a full academic year.

But why can’t upperclassmen simply find other places to live off-campus? First, around the time that the College announced their ambitious plan for student population growth, they also wisely decided that students must live on campus for two full years compared to the previous one. Second, as many upperclassmen will tell you, not only are options for rent difficult and time-consuming to find on their own, but they are also considerably pricey relative to what many of the students at the College can afford. And while, contrary to popular belief, there may not be a formal “brothel law” in Williamsburg, Sec. 21-161.1 in Williamsburg’s city code states that “no more than three unrelated persons may occupy a single-family dwelling” unless the group has permission from the city. Is this a reasonable number of hoops to expect College students to jump through, short on time and stressed as they are already during the academic year?

Really, the only solution to this issue going forward is for the College to seriously plan expansion for more student housing in the coming years, and in the meantime actively renovate and secure its current residence halls to prevent any more halls suffering the same fate as One Tribe Place. To those who doubt the College’s current ability to accomplish all of this, I will only say this: As a freshman, I witnessed the fully-renovated Alumni House miraculously spring out of the ground within the span of a year. I have faith in the ability of the College to get things accomplished, at least those which it no doubt considers to be most important.

Lucas Harsche ’23 is majoring in history and minoring in accounting. In addition to The Flat Hat, Lucas is also the treasurer for Swim Club and plays violin in the Symphony Orchestra. Email Lucas at lmharsche@.wm.edu.

To view citations, visit flathatnews.com.

variety

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

THE FLAT HAT | Tuesday, February 8, 2022 | Page 5

NOBCChE: A catalyst for change on campus, forming lasting bonds

NOBCChE provides a welcoming space for chemistry students, fosters a sense of belonging for students underrepresented in STEM MILES MORTIMER // THE FLAT HAT

Initially created in 2017 and formally becoming a chapter of the College in spring 2018, the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) is a club on campus that seeks to ensure that people of all backgrounds have the opportunities to pursue a major and career in chemistry.

The chapter of NOBCChE at the College was founded by Chemistry Professor and Senior Lecturer Dana Lashley, who remains the faculty advisor of the organization. From her time in NOBCChE as a graduate student, she retained the positive experiences and founded the club to improve diversity in the College’s chemistry department.

“There came a time in 2017 when we as a department were reevaluating diversity in chemistry and our climate,” Lashley said. “We noticed that we do have a lot of students of color as our freshmen who come in and take general chemistry and maybe organic chemistry, but somehow we were not retaining students of color, and we were losing them somewhere along the way.”

Despite the organization being a relatively recent addition on campus, it retains high membership with students from all different backgrounds being interested in what NOBCChE has to offer. The club impacts each member of the club in a unique way, leading to a wide range of reasons students have joined.

Kyle Lewis-Johnson ’25, the outreach chair of the organization, remarked on how the club helped him find a voice on campus and in academia.

“It felt like an outlet for me to have my voice heard on campus,” Johnson said. “Whether it be a small setting or a larger setting, it made me feel as though I could make a difference in the field of STEM by being a minority.

Being in the club, I realized that I have just as much of a voice as anybody else.”

One of the main purposes of the club is networking.

Much of the day-to-day operations of the organization involve having the members of the club connecting with not only one another but the greater STEM community.

Members of the club, like NOBCChE President Sophia Haile ’23, appreciate the opportunities to talk with not only fellow science enthusiasts, but also people with similar backgrounds to her own.

“A lot of the meetings we spend a lot of the time getting to know each other, and I feel like it’s very important we establish that connection with one another,” Haile said.

“I feel like everyone has gotten so close, and I feel like it’s good to have that support system. We really emphasize getting to know each other and becoming a support group for one another, and I feel like that’s the main goal of our meetings.”

Even despite the limiting factors of the pandemic and the associated implementation of online learning, the members of NOBCChE made an effort to stay in contact with one another.

“We still tried to make sure we were still a community,” Haile said. “Even if we weren’t able to do all of the outreach events we wanted to do, we were still communicating with one another, talking with one another, helping one another and spreading awareness in any way we could.”

However, now that activities have largely returned to being in person, NOBCChE is growing to a size even bigger than before the pandemic, with the club seeing a massive uptick in membership. The new members, most of them freshmen, are taking advantage of the opportunities and connections in NOBCChE, and the growth shows no sign of slowing down.

The bigger size means that the club has been able to expand its reach and solidify its position on campus, with the organization recently placing third in Impact Week, a seven-day-long competition at the College where organizations compete for funding for their desired community service project, despite the group going against much larger clubs.

NOBCChE’s newfound membership, in addition to its Impact Week accomplishment, has allowed them to take on new and ambitious goals in order to accomplish their mission of advancing equality in the field of chemistry.

One of the main goals of the club for the near future is to branch out from the College and serve the greater community as a whole.

“Our plan is to hopefully bring students from underserved communities in the Williamsburg area into the Integrated Science Center so that we can conduct some fun science experiments for them,” Haile said.

In addition to connecting with the Williamsburg community, NOBCChE is also making efforts to connect with other chapters of the organization from around the country.

“One of the goals was to get students from NOBCChE to go and present their research at the national NOBCChE conference, and this is something that we did in 2018, although it was just one or two students,” Lashley said.

“But in 2019, we were able to take five students to present their research at the national conference in Orlando, which was an amazing experience. And so, in 2020, all of the conferences went virtual and the organization died down a little, but my hope is to take a bunch of NOBCChE students from our cohort now to the national, in-person conference that takes place this year.”

Even though the club is academically minded at the core, the members of the club still always try to have a fun time with whatever they are learning. And even though NOBCChE does focus on improving the equality in chemistry for minority students, the club is open to anybody who wants to have an enjoyable time learning about science.

“Our organization is an amazing way to see how smart you can be and how much fun you can have with learning different things about chemistry and applying them,” Lewis-Johnson said. “It’s a club for everyone, and even though NOBCChE is branded in the way it is, it’s not just for African-American chemists or chemical engineers, it’s for anyone who’s interested in a field in science.”

Furthermore, the organization does not just allow minority students to see themselves in a career of science, but also allows lovers of chemistry to express themselves.

“It gave me a space to talk about chemistry and explore my love for chemistry,” Haile said. “In high school, I liked chemistry but I wasn’t doing it outside of the classroom, I was just doing what I needed to get done, but by joining NOBCChE, I was able to see people older than me who were chemistry majors and loved it, and I thought that that could be me one day. I just felt like that gave me hope that I could share my love with other people.”

The positive impacts of NOBCChE on its members cannot be understated as the club is adored by everyone who is a part of it. The fundamental pillars of NOBCChE align with the values of the College as a whole, and the club seems to only have a bright future ahead of it.

“One of the William and Mary values is belonging, and I just want every student to know that NOBCChE is about belonging,” Lashley said. “We want our students of color and our minority students to feel like they belong in this space of chemistry and science, and we want them to be successful and we want to support them as best we can.”

COURTESY PHOTOS / NOBCChE

Page 6

THE FLAT HAT

Tuesday, February 8, 2022

LET’S TALK ABOUT BRUNO

Encantoʼs “We Donʼt Talk About Bruno” has skyrocketed in the charts, but is it well deserved?

NAOMI FRASER // THE FLAT HAT The unforgettable song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” has occupied a permanent space in pop culture for months on end. Once you hear the tune, there is no leaving it behind. All day long, Bruno’s alleged transgressions against his family and friends will bounce around your brain. But I don’t mind the song’s constant presence in my life because it is fantastic. The legendary Lin-Manuel Miranda artfully blends Latin pop and hip-hop to create an insanely catchy song everyone can enjoy by singing and bopping along.

Originating in the Disney film “Encanto,” released in theaters on Nov. 24, 2021, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” began its ascent up Billboard’s charts in late December. And on Jan. 31, 2022, surpassing the No. 5 ranking of Frozen’s “Let it Go,” “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” finally reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. In doing so, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” became the second song from a Disney animated film to accomplish this feat (the first of which being Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle’s rendition of “A Whole New World”).

But as much as I love “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” and am happy for its success, I can’t help but wonder if earning a number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 today can be compared with earning a spot when a song’s success was measured primarily through its sales. Does topping the Billboard Hot 100 today hold the same significance as it did before the domination of music streaming?

I am tempted to say no. First of all, unlike with sales, having millions of streams on a song does not necessarily indicate that there are millions of fans who admire the music. I was first introduced to “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” through Instagram Reels.

Reel after reel, various parts of the song would play as people either dressed up as characters, danced along to the choreography, or pointed out hidden details and meanings.

After being just told not to talk about Bruno for what felt like the 100th time, I had to understand the reasoning behind this rule and decided to stream the entire song on YouTube. My stream, generated from a social media-inspired curiosity rather than a genuine appreciation for the song, was used in the calculations that moved “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” to the top of the Hot 100. Though inconsequential on its own, when my stream was coupled with other streams originating from similar circumstances, I would venture to say that a significant amount of data was added to Billboard’s calculations.

There is no way to tell whether “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” streams came from sincere fans or curious onlookers. While there is also no way to tell the difference between sales generated from admiration versus curiosity, I believe that the involvement of money makes song sales stronger indicators of praise than song

streams. For if a person is willing to pay for a song, they probably already, or have a strong feeling they will, like the music they are about to purchase.

For songs of today, such as “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” which garnered 34.9 million streams as opposed to 12,300 downloads in the week leading up to its Billboard victory, it’s hard to differentiate between mere popularity and actual appreciation. Therefore, the tied rankings between “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” and Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle’s “A Whole New World” do not necessarily represent equivalent esteem. Between the 1992 release of “Aladdin” and the 2021 release of “Encanto,” the Billboard Hot 100 has become less indicative of public favor.

In addition to representing a blur between curiosity and acclaim, topping the Billboard Hot 100 has become a less impressive accomplishment. Before streaming, when a single was purchased, one tick was added to the song’s cumulative sales total. Regardless of how many times the consumer played the song, their purchase only counted once in Billboard’s calculations. The music streaming system, however, is unable to operate in this manner.

Though Billboard does not value one stream the same as one sale, every stream a single person produces influences the success of a song. This means that every time someone replayed “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” it rose higher in the charts. I wonder how many of the 34.9 million streams of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” accumulated between Jan. 21 and Jan. 27, 2022, resulted from replays.

“Encanto” is a children’s movie after all. I can only imagine how many kids are forcing their parents to play the song on a constant loop.

But children are certainly not the only culprits in streaming “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” repeatedly. Since my first time listening to the song about two weeks ago, I have rewatched the official music video about 20 times. As I said before, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno’’ worms its way into your head and compels you to play it back again and again.

COURTESY IMAGE / DISNEY I say all of this to emphasize how much easier it is for a song to accumulate streams over sales. Since it costs little to nothing to open a streaming service and press play, more people are willing to do so, and often more than once. Consequently, the No. 1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 seems less significant today than it was when “A Whole New World” held the title.

For the song to reach the top, it had to be both popular enough for people to hear and likable enough to convince a large sum of consumers to spend their money.

The songs of today only need to convince consumers to search the track’s name and press play.

Be this as it may, I maintain that “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is a fantastic song. It’s catchy, upbeat, lyrically interesting and fun. I highly recommend listening to the song

Kissin’ Through the Burg In need of last-minute Valentineʼs Day plans? Weʼve got you covered!

JR HERMAN // VARIETY ASSOC. EDITOR Maybe Valentine’s Day to you means a special date with a special someone. Maybe it’s just a typical, busy Monday.

Or maybe it’s worse than the typical Monday, due to the constant reminder of your own seemingly eternal singleness, as happy couples holding hands prance in front of you and fill your feed with Valentine’s Day posts.

Maybe you picked up a Flat Hat trying to distract yourself from your failing love life, and upon reading this article about date spots, you find yourself annoyed anew. If so, my apologies.

But have no fear — the following date spots are perfect for a night on the town with either a romantic partner or a friend. And let’s be honest, because the lines between romance and friendship quite often are blurrier than we’d prefer, these date spots are also perfect for that friend you secretly have a crush on, who you think likes you back, but you’re not totally sure, so you both keep going out just as friends until one of you is inevitably brave, fed up, or foolhardy enough to hint about a friendzone crossover.

But I digress — the point is that wherever you fall on the spectrum, from “taken,” to “it’s complicated,” to “single,” this article is for you.

First, you could take an evening stroll down Duke of Gloucester Street all the way down to the Capitol Building, particularly on the weekend when the streets are lit up with torches — the torchlit street not only has romantic potential, but it’s also a nice change of scenery without having to go too far or bump into every single person you know.

The beautiful, historic buildings and horse-drawn carriages make it all the more quaint, but make sure not to step in what the horses leave behind — nothing is a faster mood killer.

Walking along the street on a DoG Street date — especially at night when it’s harder to see — certainly has its risks, but if you stick to the sidewalks, you’ll avoid all danger. Be sure to check the weather beforehand and dress appropriately, although accidentally forgetting to dress warmly enough (something I have been guilty of ) can test a friend or date’s chivalry — willingness to give up

or take turns with their sweater or coat means they care about you, one way or another. The downside, of course, is you will probably feel guilty, and in any case, someone will be cold.

But before you complain too much about the cold, consider that it provides some advantages — for the romantics. cold lends itself to holding hands or walking arm in arm, the DoG Street equivalent of the “Do you know how we keep warm in Russia?” Austin Powers line. For friends with sexual tension, the cold invites an excuse to touch hands — I recently witnessed a student employ this trick through the classic “Ugh, my hands are freezing! Do you wanna feel how cold I am?” line.

For a daytime date, consider a trip to the Governor’s Palace Garden. You’ll need a Colonial Williamsburg pass (which all William & Mary students can get for free), so don’t forget to bring it with you. After all, there’s nothing romantic about getting turned away from the gate because you forgot your pass.

Once you reach the garden, you’ll find a lovely tunnel of trees that you can walk through, perfect for the nature lover, the Instagrammer, and the romantic. Behind the trees is the maze. While it’s not large or complicated enough to get lost in it, the maze is still rather enjoyable. The entire garden is absolutely beautiful, and the hidden gem is the lake (with turtles) and the mini Crim Dell-style bridge behind the flower gardens.

For a date night dinner, consider DoG Street Pub, Retro’s, The Hound’s Tale, King’s Arms Tavern, or Mellow Mushroom — or even a combination of two if you want dinner and dessert.

I personally love doing dinner at DoG Street Pub (the Shepherd’s pie is great) before heading over to The Hound’s Tale for an ice cream and brownie sundae or bread pudding to share. Gotta keep the dog theme running, right?

And for those with a sweet tooth looking for a sugar high, an afternoon or evening Retro’s milkshake date is never a bad idea.

King’s Arms Tavern is definitely on the fancier and more expensive side, but if it’s a special occasion with a special someone, and you’ve had the forethought to plan ahead and make a reservation (sometimes more

than a month in advance), the colonial tavern experience is worth it.

Precarious is a fun option; it’s just loud enough that you don’t have to worry about being overheard but not too loud that you can’t hear. It’s usually pretty quick too if you’re in a rush. Order some tacos and chips and get creative with the hot sauces. Although be warned — if you get the chips, the green stuff that looks like guacamole is not, in fact, guacamole. If you’ve ever eaten a chocolate chip cookie only to discover it’s not chocolate chip but raisin, it’s a similarly traumatizing experience.

DoG Street Pub, Retro’s, The Hound’s Tale, Mellow Mushroom, and Precarious usually don’t have a long wait on weekdays, but when they’re crowded on the weekends, you can just hit up the next closest Merchants Square restaurant until you find someplace. It can even be an adventure.

Will we ever find a restaurant that doesn’t have a 45-minute wait? Will we get run over crossing Confusion Corner? Who knows!

If you want to stay on campus, consider checking out the trails. Not only is there great hand-holding potential if that’s what you’re looking for, but it’s good exercise and a great way to spend an afternoon with a romantic partner or friends. However, be wary of dead squirrels on the path … I speak from experience. Also, be sure to head out before it starts getting dark unless you want to have to worry about getting lost in the woods.

It’s a chaotic world out there. Even the bestplanned date is bound to go awry, and that’s part of what makes it fun.

At the end of the day, remember that it’s the person that matters, not the date spot — if you’re with that special someone, platonic or otherwise, it doesn’t really matter if you’re at King’s Arms Tavern, Chickfil-A, or even, Ewell Circle Parking Lot. If you’re with someone you care about who also cares about you and makes you laugh, you’ll have a great time (unless you get run over on Confusion Corner, lost in the woods, or ruin your shoes on DoG Street).

Be safe and have a Happy Valentine’s Day!

sports

THE F LAT HAT | Tuesday, February 8, 2022 | Page 7

BASKETBALL

JAMIE HOLT / THE FLAT HAT

Graduate student Riley Casey stares down JMU sophomore Jamia Hazell from the left wing in the second half of the teamʼs 64-58 loss on Sunday, Feb. 6. Casey played 40 minutes and finished with 20 points, including 11 points in the first quarter.

College jumps out early, loses momentum in Golden Game Relying heavily on star players this weekend, Tribe battle fatigue in second half against JMU JAKE FORBES FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR The College (6-14, CAA 1-8) fell to JMU (11-10, CAA 7-3) 64-58 on Sunday, Feb. 6 at Kaplan Arena in the annual Golden Game.

“I thought we had a great crowd,” Head Coach Ed Swanson said. “The energy was terrific in Kaplan today so I was excited for our fans to show out.”

Graduate student Riley Casey came out firing on offense in the first quarter. She made two three-pointers on back-to-back possessions to set up the Tribe with a 6-2 lead. Several possessions later she converted on a jumper, tallying the College’s first eight points of the day.

“Riley’s been a bulldog for us all year,” Swanson said. “She is playing with great poise and great energy. What you saw today is what we see everyday.”

The Dukes fought to keep the contest close, but hurt themselves with several travels on offense and a total of five turnovers in the first quarter.

After a brief slow down, the College regained momentum from another Casey three-pointer with 4:15 remaining in the quarter. Three more consecutive scores helped the Tribe extend their lead to 23-13 after the first.

Casey led both teams with 11 points and shot 3-5 from behind the three-point line. She played all 40 minutes and finished the game with 20 points.

The Tribe remained hot from beyond the arc to start the second quarter. Casey and redshirt senior Sydney Wagner each converted from deep to extend the Tribe lead to 16 points. Another two-pointer extended their lead to 18 points, the largest margin of the game.

Strong efforts on the boards from graduate student Kate Sramac, junior Bre Bellamy, and sophomore Kayla Beckwith allowed the Tribe 10 second chance points in the first half. All three players finished the game with six rebounds.

The College’s defense looked strong to start

the second quarter. They held the Dukes to just three points in the first five minutes. Halfway through the quarter, the JMU defense started locking down and held the Tribe scoreless for over four minutes.

Wagner broke the drought with a basket from inside the paint to extend the Tribe lead back to 15 points. She played all 40 minutes and scored 16 points.

In the final minutes of the half, JMU slowly chipped away at the College’s lead. With 1:34 remaining in the half, JMU senior Jaylin Carodine stole the ball from Sramac and converted on the fastbreak layup. The score cut the Tribe lead to single digits for the first time since the first quarter. The College scored just two points in the final 7:36 of the first half, and JMU found themselves down just 33-25 at halftime.

The College struck first in the second half with a two-pointer from Bellamy. However, JMU looked strong on offense and converted on backto-back drives from inside the paint to cut the Tribe lead down to six.

The Tribe started to look sloppy on offense, committing several turnovers that set up the Dukes with good scoring opportunities. JMU began neutralizing Casey and held her scoreless for 10 minutes before she made a foul shot with 6:42 remaining in the third quarter.

“We go into those lulls sometimes because we rely so much on two people to score,” Swanson said. “We have not developed that third consistent scorer yet.”

In addition to poor offensive play in the second and third quarters, the Tribe found themselves in foul trouble. The College fouled 14 times in the second and third quarters combined, versus just six from JMU. The Dukes got to the line 24 times, whereas the Tribe only got 8 looks.

“James Madison seemed to be driving to the hole harder, and we were not,” Swanson said.

“The free throws were a huge difference.”

After a layup from Carodine that brought the

Tribe lead down to four, Casey drained a threepointer to increase the lead back to seven.

JMU continued drawing fouls on offense and slowly chipped away at the College’s lead, which stood at just three points halfway through the third quarter.

After a three-pointer from Wagner, JMU junior Kiki Jefferson converted on a layup and three-pointer to cut the Tribe lead to just one point. Jefferson finished the game with 32 points and seven rebounds, including 22 points in the second half.

“She really scored on our lack of discipline at times,” Swanson said.

On the ensuing possession, Carodine stole the ball from Beckwith and dribbled down the court, taking all of the game’s momentum with her.

After making the layup and drawing a foul, the Dukes bench and fan section erupted into cheer.

JMU retook the lead for the first time since 8:39 in the first quarter. She missed the foul shot, but JMU sophomore Annalicia Goodman secured the rebound and kicked the ball out to Jefferson who drove in for another layup to extend the visiting team’s lead to 45-42.

Freshman Dani McTeer made a layup and drew a foul on the next Tribe possession. She missed the and-one opportunity, keeping the score at 46-44 after three-quarters of play.

Wagner started the fourth quarter with a twopointer from inside the paint to tie the game.

Several minutes later the referees called an offensive foul on the Tribe. After reviewing the play, the officials reversed the call and assigned the penalty to Carodine. Wagner went to the line and converted on both attempts to cut the deficit down to one point.

A JMU turnover from Jefferson gave the Tribe more momentum, and Bellamy drew a foul from Carodine as she drove through the paint. Bellamy drained both foul shots and the Tribe retook a one-point lead.

On their next possession, JMU struggled to

find an open shot. With the shot clock standing at just three seconds, head coach Sean O’Regan called a 30-second timeout. Jefferson received the ball off of the inbound pass and fired up a shot but failed to convert.

After a shot-clock violation by the Tribe, Jefferson drained a three-pointer to regain a two-point lead for the Dukes. On the next JMU possession, Sramac came up with a key turnover.

She drove down the court and passed to McTeer for a game-tying layup. President Katherine Rowe jumped up out of her chair and started marching down the sideline chanting “DEFENSE” to the student section.

With under a minute to go in the game, JMU held a two-point lead and possession of the ball.

JMU sophomore Jamia Hazell, who covered Casey for most of the game, missed a jumper, and the Tribe drove back the other way.

The Dukes continued to play lockdown defense and forced Casey to take a tough shot from just outside the paint. She came up short and JMU regained possession with just 14.8 seconds remaining.

The Tribe fouled, hoping that they could regain possession. However, Jefferson remained hot and drained both free throws to extend the JMU lead to four points with 13.7 seconds remaining, silencing the home crowd, including Rowe.

Following a Tribe timeout, Wagner threw up a three-point shot but missed, forcing the College to commit another foul. Jefferson went back to the line and cemented JMU’s 18 point comeback victory with two more free throws.

“This is just a stretch where we need to stay focused longer, and we have got to play harder longer,” Swanson said. “That is what it came down to today.”

The College will travel to Charleston on Friday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. looking to break a fivegame losing streak.

“Ball security is going to be critical for us against Charleston,” Swanson said.

Tribe’s defensive strategy proves ineffective Fischer has no answer for Okauru, UNCW offense KELSI PUTNAM THE FLAT HAT The College (5-19, CAA 4-7) fell to UNCW (16-6, CAA 10-1) 92-70 on Saturday, Feb. 5, at Kaplan Arena in the annual Gold Rush game.

“Today, Wilmington did everything that we said we needed to make them do to beat us,” said Head Coach Dane Fischer.

Despite UNCW winning the tip-off, the College started out strong and went shot for shot with the Seahawks for the first five minutes of the game. The Tribe held the lead for 2:33 minutes in the early part of the game.

Several minutes later, UNCW began to pull ahead by making three unanswered three-pointers in a row to increase their lead by nine.

The Tribe kept themselves in the game for the remainder of the first half, in part due

to their impressive foul shooting. The home team shot 80% from the line, compared to only 63.6% for UNCW. Both teams heavily relied on threepointers, as they each shot over 55.5% from beyond the arc. Sophomore Connor Kochera was a perfect 4-4 from deep, followed by graduate student Brandon Carroll who went 3-4.

UNCW graduate student Mike Okauru was a one-man wrecking ball. He went 8-10 from beyond the arc and led the game scoring with 30 points.

“We just talked about being more aware of getting out to them with more urgency,” Fischer said about containing the UNCW offense.

Okauru began the second half with a threepointer for UNCW to create a comfortable 16-point lead. The Tribe gained some momentum in the middle of the half with

a layup from Carroll, followed by Kochera converting an offensive rebound made by freshman Tyler Rice.

In the final 10 minutes of the contest, UNCW maintained a lead in the double digits.

They extended their lead to a game-high of 23 points in the last minute, moments before Rice made a final free throw for the Tribe to end a 92-70 contest.

“The big thing we’ll do is be able to practice Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, which is nice,” Fischer said.

“It is the second time we can do that.

We’ve tried to kind of go in incremental steps of improvement and you know we certainly got to talk about our defensive effort and making sure we’re getting out to shooters.”

William and Mary will travel to Towson on Thursday, Feb. 10 for their next match-up.

JAMIE HOLT / THE FLAT HAT

Sophomore Connor Kochera goes up for a shot during The Collegeʼs 92-70 loss to UNCW on Saturday, Feb. 5. Kochera led the team with 34 minutes and 16 points.

Page 8

THE FLAT HAT

Tuesday, February 8, 2022

PROFILE

Continuing the legacy of Alpha women, sisterhood Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc.ʼs Nu Chi chapter President Alexis Archer ʼ22 encourages community service

LULU DAWES FLAT HAT MANAGING EDITOR

When Alexis Archer ’22 discovered that the College of William and Mary had a chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA), she knew right away that she wanted to join.

Archer has known since she was a child that she wanted to be an AKA; her mother joined AKA after college and, like many others, has been an active member since. Now, years later, Archer is ending her time at the College as the president of the Nu Chi chapter of AKA. “My mom was always very involved with AKA,” Archer said. “Even though she joined before I was born, she was involved with AKA my whole childhood. She still is. She’s still an active member. My whole family is AKAs — my support system. They’re just a group of women that I’ve always really looked up to, and I’ve known since I was young that I wanted to do the same and be a member in the same organization.”

AKA is a Black Greek letter organization and a member of the Divine Nine, which is a group of historically Black sororities and fraternities. The College’s Nu Chi chapter was established in 1981. The sorority is devoted to service work in their community and currently has 18 members.

Archer joined during the spring of her freshman year.

“When I first joined, it was great; I made a lot of connections with Black women on campus that were older than I was,” Archer said. “I was definitely really shy. A lot of people joined, maybe because they knew someone in the organization that they looked up to and that they wanted to be a part of. But I didn’t know anyone in the chapter. I knew from my family that this is something I’ve wanted to do. So I didn’t know anyone going in, and I made a lot of long-lasting relationships with those women over time.”

Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic which hit during Archer’s sophomore year, AKA was no longer able to take in any new members. The sorority was forced to change to a remote style, like many other on-campus organizations, which provided them with a whole new set of challenges.

“Those connections only got stronger with COVID, because we weren’t able to take new members in,” Archer said. “And so my relationship with the women I had already met and fostered relationships with just became stronger as we put on events for the campus and did other service projects and tried to navigate how AKA would still make an impact on the William and Mary community and the Williamsburg community virtually.”

It was not until last spring semester that the sorority was finally able to initiate new members, with whom Archer has been able to make new relationships.

“I made new connections with them, and then again, we took new members in this fall,” Archer said. “And so my relationship with them has only grown stronger as I’ve been able to

COURTESY PHOTO / ALEXIS ARCHER

Archer is a biology major, and will be attending Virginia Commonwealth Universityʼs Pharmacy school next year.

teach them how to be a quote-unquote AKA, how they can make a connection and leave their legacy on this campus and in the Black community. And, you know, keep AKA — the Nu Chi chapter — alive when I do leave.”

Archer says being an AKA means being a standup woman — someone who is willing to give to others more than they do for themselves.

“Being an AKA to me means being, we have this saying, being an alpha woman,” Archer

said. “Making an impact on your community, doing good. Part of our purpose at AKA is to provide service to all mankind. That just means being of service to everyone, no matter what they look like, no matter what they stand for.”

AKA’s prominent service can be seen all around campus. Every semester during finals, they hand out goodie bags filled with snacks and affirmations. They also have put encouraging sticky notes around campus and academic

COURTESY PHOTO / ALEXIS ARCHER

The Nu Chi chapter at the College currently has eighteen active members and was founded at the College in 1981.

buildings. Just last week, they were handing out COVID care packages at the Sadler Center.

AKA also works within the larger Williamsburg community. They have visited nursing homes where they play bingo with the residents and bring food and lunch for the nurses. Nu Chi has also organized an “angel tree,” in which they bought a little girl the presents off her Christmas list.

Archer, who has been trying to increase the organization’s visibility around campus, says not many students know about AKA and that should be the opposite.

“Making sure that we’re reaching further than just the Black community, and that everyone feels welcomed by us and feels like they can come to our stuff and celebrate holidays with us,” Archer said. “We just want to make sure we reach everyone.”

Becoming president in the fall of 2021, Archer says the position has been stressful as she attempts to accomplish her personal goals for the sorority as well as the goals set by the national level. She has attempted to make the sorority members closer through sisterly activities and increase AKA’s social media presence.

Archer is also hoping to bring back some programs the organization had to stop during the pandemic, such as the mentorship program they used to have with Berkley Middle School.

“It can be a lot, but definitely my favorite part is being able to take my skills and my ability to see the best in people and bring out the best in people and apply that to an organization that stands for so much,” Archer said. “It has the ability and the means to make such a huge difference to a lot of people’s lives.”

Outside of AKA, Archer is a biology major and an environmental science and policy minor. After she graduates, Archer is heading to Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Pharmacy, where she hopes to pursue pediatric pharmacy. Archer is also a lover of plants and possesses over 30 in her bedroom.

Even though she is graduating, Archer plans to be a lifelong member of AKA. “That’s stressed from the beginning when you joined one of our D9 organizations.… It’s expected that you continue your membership like for a lifetime,” Archer said. “That’s definitely something that I want to be involved with for as long as I’m able to.”

Archer emphasized just how important service is to her, and how impactful it could be to someone else if you are able to provide a service for them. To the student body, she encourages students to reach out and try to understand other cultural organizations on campus.

“Not everyone, like I said, knows about AKA, and we do a lot that might be of interest to other students that don’t know about our events, simply because they haven’t tried to explore other organizations or tried to be aware of the Black organizations on campus or other multicultural organizations on campus,” Archer said. “We make a huge impact, and we deserve more of a voice, more of a platform.”

CAMPUS

Gregory Parks disucsses new book, lasting legacy of Divine Nine

Members of Divine Nine Black Greek Organizations gather to commemorate Strollinʼ opening STROLLINʼ from page 1

“The important thing about this book isn’t really the history we’re looking at, the important thing for me is that it begs the question, what are we going to do today?”

When Parks opened the floor up for questions, he was asked about issues including recent bomb threats at HBCUs, protecting Black youth and dealing with violence. With each of these heavy topics,

Parks made a similar call to action.

“Our organizations have some of the most brilliant, talented, committed and wealthy Black folks in this country and I believe that it is time for us as a collective to get serious about the threats at our door,” Parks said.

Parks continually returned to the value of the collective community—both in its ability to provide a space of inclusion and its power to create change. That sense of community

was clearly on display during Parks’s discussion. Students, alumni and even those with no connection to the College sat before him, sporting bright colors and embroidered sweaters in celebration of their organizations.

For Taylor, who was wearing a blackand-gold Alpha Phi Alpha, inc. suit, these people are the reason for the exhibit.

“The exhibit is not about my story, and my journey, and my fraternity, it’s about their journey on this campus,” Taylor said.

REBECCA KLINGER / THE FLAT HAT

Earl Gregg Swem Library commemorated Strollinʼ with new decorations in the building.

CHARTER DAY

Online petition reaches 1,272 signatures against Youngkin’s speech, honorary degree Law students campaign attracts attention, student body shows disagreement for Charter Day celebration The “No Degrees for Bigotry” created a public petition, asking the Board of Visitors to not confer an honorary degree to Governor Youngkin.

Sophia Kingsley ’24, J.D. ’24 is one of the leaders of the movement and the curator of the public petition.

As of Feb. 7, the Change. org petition has garnered 1272 signatures.

“Students from historicallymarginalized groups cannot feel respected or included when the administration consistently awards honorary degrees to individuals to seek

to further their oppression,” Kingsley wrote.

McCollum points to the College’s recent survey on diversity, equity and inclusion, showing the presence of widespread prejudice on campus, as reason to prevent Youngkin from receiving an honorary degree. If the College wanted to promote inclusion, McCollum argues, they would not invite Governor Youngkin.

“It comes in contrast with the diversity, equity, and inclusion report that just came out, that the College did,” McCollum said. “They said that they were going to reaffirm their commitment to making sure diverse voices were uplifted and having difficult conversations, and at

“

Students from historicallymarginalized groups cannot feel respected or included when the administration consistently awards honorary degrees to individuals to seek to further their oppression. ̶ Sophia Kingsley

“

YOUNGKIN from page 1

the same time, they’re doing this.

It seems completely paradoxical and doesn’t align with what they say they want to do.”

In a Jan. 27 email from the Chief Diversity Officer Fa chon Glover, summarizing the College’s report on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the intention of the College’s administration is outlined as a commitment to “identify barriers to inclusivity and opportunities to improve belonging on campus.”

According to the report, “the history of Williamsburg and William and Mary continue[s] to negatively impact the experience of employees and students.

Some participants described the

community as unwelcoming to POC and LGBTQ+.”

The founders of the “No Degrees for Bigotry” movement acknowledge the longstanding tradition of Virginia governors receiving honorary degrees from the Colleg e, but argue that if unchecked, the tradition can be problematic.

“If they can revoke degrees if they don’t align with people, they can change this tradition,” McCollum said. “It’s not unprecedented for people to be uninvited or have their degrees taken away if they don’t meet the values of William and Mary.

And I think that this is a problematic tradition, stretching back all the way to the founding of the College.”