The Flat Hat September 13 2023

Renovated PBK Hall welcomes rst audience with “Nine” performance

JAKE

FORBES AND SAM BELMAR // THE FLAT HAT

Saturday, Sept. 9, the College of William and Mary’s new Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall opened its doors to the public for a soft opening, which included a performance of “Nine – A Tribute to the Little Rock Nine” by the Leah Glenn Dance Theatre. The event marked the official beginning of the Year of the Arts at the College.

The celebratory evening began at 6:00 p.m. with tours of the new performance building, courtesy of theater students at the College. Attendees toured the three new performance spaces, the Main Stage Theatre, the Studio Theatre and the Laboratory Theatre, as well as various classrooms, dance studios and rehearsal spaces located inside the new building.

At 7:30 p.m., attendees filed into the Main Stage Theatre for the performance of “Nine,” occupying all 499 seats in the auditorium.

Choreographed by Frances L. and Edwin L. Cummings professor of dance and Africana Studies Leah Glenn, “Nine” originally began as a four-minute solo dance performance depicting the youngest member of the Little Rock Nine, then 14-year-old Carlotta Walls LaNier. Glenn later decided to expand the performance to include all nine members of the Little Rock Nine, as well as some of their classmates.

“I am incredibly honored and appreciative that my company, Leah Glenn Dance Theatre, was invited to provide the inaugural performance in the new Arts Quarter,” Glenn said in an email. “It is my hope that Nine serves as a catalyst for building community as we move forward in celebrating the arts at William and Mary.”

Steve Prince, director of Engagement and Distinguished Artist in Residence at the Muscarelle Museum of Art, led the costume and set design for “Nine.” Prince discussed how the performance aimed at highlighting the bravery and challenges faced by the nine African-American students who desegregated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957.

“This piece, in essence, documents some of that tension and some of those spaces where they actually went within the school structure,” Prince said. “But it also speaks of how they were on the front line, and these kids took those brunts in order to open up school systems in the ways in which we are

integrated now all across this nation.”

The show began with nine dancers, each representing one student of the Little Rock Nine. The dancers proceeded down the aisles and onto the stage carrying large banners with silhouettes of the students painted on them.

All the dancers remained silent the entire performance to provide greater attention to the combination of dancing, music, poetry, costume and set design.

Prince also noted that many of the racial tensions faced by the Little Rock Nine are still prevalent in the United States today. He explained how the performance both reflects our nation’s past and critically examines current shortcomings.

“We still have a lot of those tensions in the fabric of our nation,” Prince said. “This piece is one, to address some of that past, get us to look back, but at the same time, get us to look at what we’re doing right now, and how we can continue to raise awareness about the history, and raise awareness about the ways in which we are continuing to replicate those same sins of the past.”

Allison Foley ’25 was one of the dancers in the performance. She reflected on her experience participating in “Nine” and the importance of its message.

“My favorite part of participating in ‘Nine’ was being able to contribute to this choreographic and artistic vision,” Foley said. “The arts are a means of inciting social change, and I think this piece certainly does that. The audience is invited to not only remember the Little Rock Nine, but also to recognize how recent integration truly was and call to question what work there is left to do in our current society concerning race. Everyone had a different background and way of dancing. It created a beautiful combination of movement on and off the stage.”

After the performance, professor of English and Africana studies Hermine Pinson along with Glenn and Prince joined the dancers on stage for a question and answer session with the audience.

Several members of the Leah Glenn Dance Theatre took the opportunity to express their gratitude towards Glenn, Prince and Pinson for making the production possible. Some of the members also elaborated on the continued fight for social justice in the United States.

Following the question and answer session, attendees proceeded into the lobby for a reception

to celebrate the performance and commemorate the beginning of the Year of the Arts.

Tobin Doherty ’25, shared his initial reaction to “Nine,” reflecting on the culmination of the various artistic elements of the production.

“It was overwhelming,” Doherty said. “It told a story in a way that you could take in with all your senses and stay in the moment.”

American poet, author and educator Latorial Faison attended the production and was deeply impressed by the performance.

“The choreography, the art, the music, Hermine’s poetry, the dancers… it was all outstanding,” Faison said. “Very humbling. So well done. So many moments where I just felt like emptying my soul and spirit with a cry… what a racial, yet spiritual road we have trod in America.”

Following the performance, Prince discussed hopes of increasing collaboration between the Muscarelle Museum and departments within Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall.

“We definitely want to do some collaboration between the Muscarelle Museum and Phi Beta Kappa, and so there needs to be more intentional collaboration across the disciplines,” Prince said. “I think that’s one of the things that is a hallmark of the institution. Being at a liberal arts institution is about funding rules, pathways between different things, whether it be theater, whether it be dance, whether it be music, whether it be visual arts, whether it be English and literature.”

As for the future of the Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall, Foley believes the new facility will inspire general enthusiasm for the arts.

“This new building means more time for dance classes, more opportunities to rehearse, and with that, a draw towards the Dance Program at William and Mary, something that has shaped my college experience,” Foley said. “Dancing in the new studios has been wonderful, and I can’t wait to keep performing on the main PBK stage.

Prince conveyed similar views, stating that the new building and the Arts Quarter will inspire unity in the College and Williamsburg communities.

“Art can be used as a tool to draw us closer together,” Prince said. “Art helps us to remember, art challenges, art inspires, art uplifts. Art is something made from nothing.”

GOODMAN /

PHOTO / LEAH GLENN

COURTESY

SAM BELMAR / THE FLAT HAT

Despite moments of offensive stagnation, Tribe relies on steadfast defense, vigorous run game to continue undefeated start to year

ETHAN QIN FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR FOOTBALL

Saturday, Sept. 9, No. 4 William and Mary football (2-0, 1-0 CAA) defeated Wofford (0-2) 23-6 in its home opener at Zable Stadium in Williamsburg, Va.

Following the team’s hard-fought 34-24 away win against Coastal Athletic Association foe, Campbell, on Aug. 31, head coach Mike London emphasized the anticipation of playing in front of the home crowd for the first time this season.

“The team’s first home game opportunity; our ticket sales, the students that come to support, our local community, family, friends and football alumni has been outstanding,” London said. “To watch the atmosphere and interest continue to grow, it’s been something that our players feed off of.”

Coming off one of the most successful seasons in program history last year, William and Mary has high expectations for the first half of the fall. With 15 starters from the 2022-2023 roster returning, experience and leadership are the backbone of this Tribe team’s identity.

Wofford entered Saturday night’s game with a loss against FBS opponent Pittsburgh, but the Tribe ensured proper preparation for the potential challenges the Terriers and head coach Shawn Watson could present.

“Coach Watson has been an outstanding football coach all the years he’s been doing this,” London said. “They have a team that will spread you out, attack you vertically and horizontally. They just play good football. These kids are hungry, but our guys

INDEX Pro 2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10

are hungry, too.”

Saturday night’s matchup marked just the third meeting between William and Mary and Wofford, with both previous games played in Williamsburg. In the teams’ first matchup in 1930, William and Mary shut out the Terriers 190, and the Tribe beat Wofford 30-14 during the homecoming game in 1988.

Much like the previous two matchups, the Tribe’s offense found success early, putting points on the board on the opening drive. After a 19-yard kickoff return by junior wide receiver JT Mayo, the team looked to establish its ground game early. Primarily feeding the ball to senior running back Bronson Yoder, the Tribe picked up two large gains and advanced near midfield.

Building on momentum from Yoder’s gains, junior quarterback Darius Wilson rushed for an eight-yard gain before returning to Yoder’s groundwork. After an offsides penalty against Wofford and rushes from Wilson and junior running back Malachi Imoh, Wilson completed his first pass of the game to junior slash Hollis Mathis for a five-yard gain.

Mathis’ unique position as a slash — usually a quarterback that may not start, who can play multiple offensive positions — enables Tribe offensive coordinator Christian Taylor to vary his playbook, utilizing Mathis in different ways that diversifies the playbook.

Mathis’ reception advanced the Tribe to the Wofford 17-yard line. William and Mary went back

Inside Opinions

Park it right...where? The College of William and Maryʼs parking issues.

to Yoder and the run game. After two carries, Yoder scored a touchdown from the two-yard line, putting the home team on the board early.

The Tribe drove the ball 81 yards in 10 plays, only one of which being a pass play. Yoder recorded 51 of his 88 total rushing yards of the night and scored his third touchdown of the season. With eight minutes, 58 seconds left in the first quarter, the Tribe were up 7-0.

On Wofford’s opening drive, the Terriers’ found stiff resistance from the Tribe defense, and the visiting team went three-and-out.

After getting the ball back, the Tribe failed to spark another drive into Wofford territory. Following a sack on Wilson from Wofford junior inside linebacker Eli Purcell, the Tribe punted back to the Terriers.

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Tribe Field Hockey outmatched against No. 6 Virginia, lose 6-1

After beating No. 12 Wake Forest last week, Tribe fails to keep ball rolling page 9

New

Starbucks location opens on Richmond Road

Friday, Sept. 8, Starbucks Coffee Company officially opened a new location at 327 Richmond Road at 6:00 a.m. The establishment is across the street from the College of William and Maryʼs Bryan Complex and adjacent to Wawa.

The Starbucks replaces the William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research, which occupied the building for nearly 30 years until Aug. 26, 2022, soon after which renovations to build the Starbucks began. The Center for Archaeological Research is now located on Holmes House at 308 Jamestown Road.

The first customer was a firefighter for York County named Zach who came to the location because his wife works at the coffee shop.

He ordered a Trenta black iced tea with sweetener and a Venti iced water at around 6:05 a.m.

“I like how the architecture is on the inside and outside of the building as well, and the location is pretty awesome,” Zach said.

While the coffee house officially opened on Sept. 8, they hosted a Family and Friends Night on Thursday, Sept. 7. Invited guests and interested passers-by were treated to free drinks in advance of the official first day.

F LAT H AT

dance called

Pooja Muthuraj incites change through involvements wi th performance, non-profit groups

Pooja Muthuraj ’26 has made a name for herself at the College of William and Mary as a woman of numerous talents who is committed to becoming an ambitious leader. She hopes to help mitigate health and environmental problems on both a domestic and international scale.

“I truly enjoy helping other people, and making people laugh and smile. I think these desires motivate many of my decisions –alongside my love for my family and desire to make them proud,” Muthuraj said.

As a high school senior at the Maggie Walker Governor’s School, the National Honor Society recognized Muthuraj’s contributions to her community and named her a nalist for the annual NHS Service Scholarship. is award is given to 600 students, each of whom represents one of the four pillars the society stands for: scholarship, service, leadership and character.

Muthuraj received the award for the scholarship pillar for her application’s focus on promoting education. During her time in high school, Muthuraj participated in Speech for Public Education, Action and Knowledge and established a new local chapter of PERIOD, an organization that focused on destigmatizing periods and combating period poverty.

Muthuraj also co-founded her own non-pro t, Teen Polytx, which encouraged students to engage in civil discussion from both sides of the political spectrum.

“I felt incredibly happy and grateful, but also shocked and almost guilty,” Muthuraj said. “I hadn’t done anything entirely on my own, and it felt wrong to stand on a stage and be solely praised for all of the work.”

Despite her initial shock at receiving the award, Muthuraj noted the pride in her accomplishments felt by her parents, friends and community.

“ e NHS award has given my parents, teachers, mentors, friends and community the pride of knowing that a woman they raised has been recognized nationally for the values and work ethic they instilled in her,” Muthuraj said.

After receiving the NHS award, Muthuraj began furthering her work in women’s health. Currently, she acts as Ambassador Advisor for the Pad Project, an organization aimed at mitigating period poverty and furthering menstrual equity in various countries. In this role, Muthuraj is responsible for leading a group of other ambassadors in researching, collaborating with other experts and interacting with lawmakers to progress towards long-term change. Her team also created and presented instructions to over 300 new ambassadors that year on how to host fundraisers and drives for period products.

While on campus, Muthuraj has interned with the College’s on-

campus research lab AidData, working on the organization’s research related to international nance in China.

“International nancing was certainly not an area I had much expertise in before starting with the lab, but as I’ve become more involved with AidData, it’s endlessly fascinating to learn about the controversies surrounding multiple projects and their political implications,” Muthuraj said. “My fellow [research assistants] and I have worked on a number of projects, but my favorites have de nitely been the ones where we’ve gotten to excavate multiple sources in di erent languages to nd details and updates on Chinese- nanced projects, either ones we input into the database ourselves, or those previously created by more senior sta .”

Alongside Murthuraj’s involvement in the Pad Project and AidData, one of her core interests is in the arts. Muthuraj shared her aim to take note of beauty in unexpected places through modes of artistic expression. Among these diverse interests, Muthuraj writes poetry and music, including the release of a physical collection of her poems in her recently published book titled 18 (Whatever at Means).

“When I was really young, I would pick up discarded objects on the side of the road, beaten-up lip balms, tape dispensers, shoe soles etc., and place them in more perceptible locations, in hopes that people would then recognize their beauty more easily. I still do that through my poetry, my songs and the conversations I try to engage others in,” Muthuraj said.

As president of the Inside Out eatre, lead vocalist in the Middle Eastern Music Ensemble, member of the South Asian Student Assembly and secretary of the College’s Hindu, Sikh and Jain Student Association, Muthuraj maintains a strong connection to the performing arts on campus.

In her free time, Muthuraj has also studied a form of Indian classical dance called Bharatanatyam for 12 years and had her debut performance in August of 2022.

Muthuraj feels she owes her love and expression to one person in particular.

“I just want to add a huge shout-out here to the teacher who introduced me to that world and helped me break past many of my reservations about standing on a stage and sharing my opinions with others, Mrs. Joan Hodges,” Muthuraj said. “She’s currently battling Stage 4 lung cancer and is one of the strongest, most inspiring people I know. If you feel inclined to donate to her recovery campaign, please do so.”

College announces passing of employee John Grober

Grober joined College as building support worker, previously served in United States Air Force EMMA HENRY FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

Friday, Sept. 8, College of William and Mary Interim Associate Vice President for Business Affairs Sean Hughes sent an email to students announcing the passing of Raymond A. Mason School of Business building support worker John Grober. According to his obituary, Grober passed away on Aug. 30 at 67 years of age at Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News, Va.

“He led with empathy, humility and compassion because he lived his life that way,” Hughes said in the email. “He made the people around him feel significant, like they belonged, demonstrating one of the university’s most important values.”

Grober first started working at the College in 2016, beginning as a custodial worker for the facilities department. In 2017, he transitioned to his role as a building support worker at the Mason School of Business. According to Hughes’ email, Grober

was also a United States military veteran who previously served in the Air Force and was cherished by faculty and staff at the College

“Although he had been ill for some time, John kept working because he didn’t want to let his co-workers or his customers down,” Hughes wrote. “He was a servant leader in everything but job title.”

I would say, definitely find a few things that you love and get involved with them on campus, because for me personally, that has made William and Mary feel like home to me.

̶ Ishita Gomes ʼ24

“I truly enjoy helping other people, and making people laugh”

YANA GLEIMAN // THE FLAT HAT

BRIEF

COURTESY IMAGE / POOJA MUTHURAJ

Muthuraj finished her debut performance of an Indian classical

Bharatanatyam in 2022 after studying for the past 12 years.

DANIEL

- Pooja Muthuraj '26

“

When I was really young, I would pick up discarded objects on the side of the road, beaten-up lip balms, tape dispensers, shoe soles etc., and place them in more perceptible locations, in hopes that people would then recognize their beauty more easily

Student Assembly senate holds first official meeting of fall 2023 semester

Senate members discuss increasing student outreach, Pronoun Pin Act, extra COVID tests, SNORE Act

Tuesday, Sept. 5, the College of William and Mary Student Assembly Senate held its rst meeting for the Fall 2023 semester and approved three nominations from SA President Sydney ayer ’24. Class President Mia Tilman ’24 and Sen. Daniel A. Bess ’24 introduced e Pronoun Pin Part 3 Act.

who both recounted their high school student government experience, were also nominated by ayer to ll the vacancies.

Khorn, in particular, said she has experience running elections at her high school of about 3,500 students.

e Senate did not ask the nominees any questions and all nominees were con rmed by unanimous voice votes.

Student Leadership Development Anne Arseneau ’89 MA.Ed ’92 said she believes some of them may have been o ered to the College sta

“I know there was a point this summer where Student A airs was o ered the option to come get expired tests, it wasn’t the whole university stock,” Arseneau said. “But I think, there were tests that were expiring, I don’t know where the rest of them went, but I imagine that a good source of stock, because they’d have shelf life, were then made available to sta on campus over the summer.”

Past, Passed and Pending Business

Tilman provided updates on e . Act Part IV, which aims to provide menstrual products for the College community. Tilman said she still needs to gure out which speci c dispensers to purchase, and has requested dispensers in the Raymond A. Mason School of Business, the School of Education and the Integrated Science Center. She also said that she is tracking the usage of the dispensers in the next two months.

Arseneau said the sleeping pods, as ordered by the Senate through e Swem Napping for Optimal Rest Enhancement (SNORE) Act, are still in the BuyWM purchasing process. e pods will be located in the Earl Gregg Swem Library once they arrive. ayer, speaking on updates for e Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Course Evaluation Resolution, said she met with Dean of Faculty of Arts and

bias and inclusive practices.

ayer said she will follow up on the process with Dean of Students Stacey Harris.

Chair of the Senate Justin Bailey ’24 said the Constitutional Reform Committee’s rst meeting will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 13. e committee was created by the Senate with SR 33101: e Student Assembly Constitutional Reform Resolution, sponsored by Bailey, Arts and Sciences graduate Sen. Morgan Brittain, Sen. Eugene Lee ’23 and Sen. Matt Swenson ’26.

e resolution created a committee comprised of SA Attorney General Owen Williams ’23 MPP ’25, who also serves as the chair, an SA Executive Leadership Team representative, Bailey, Vineet, two additional senators, Zheng and SA sta advisors. e legislation charges the committee with presenting a revised Code and Constitution to the Senate for rati cation before the conclusion of the 331st session to take e ect at the beginning of the 332nd session.

Also at this week’s meeting:

Arseneau said a new 60-inch television monitor is approximately two weeks away from arrival and installation in the SA o ce. She said this monitor is to be used for meetings and shared work opportunities.

Sen. Connor O’Neil J.D. took his oath of o ce, replacing former Sen. Brendan Clark J.D., who, in

Special Business

e Senate heard introductions and approved three nominations to the Independent Elections Commission. Jason Zheng ’26, who has been serving as a member of the commission since his appointment last Spring, is lling the vacancy created by Megan Campbell ’24.

ayer noted that Campbell had to step down, but did not specify the reason.

Zheng, a former SA class presidential candidate, called his policy platform “O.N.E.” which stands for outreach, notability and engagement.

Zheng, pointing to low turnout numbers in recent election cycles, said he plans to conduct tabling and promotional events to increase student outreach. As chair, Zheng will also be tasked with exploring options to conduct ranked-choice voting for the Class of 2027 presidential election.

Currently, all members of the commission are new members, with Zheng being the only one returning after having only been con rmed in the Spring 2023 semester. Former members Mateo Huerta ’24 and Reenie Tian ’26 are both not returning.

Sophia Ho man ’26 and Kathleen Khorn ’27,

New Business Tilman and Bess introduced e Pronoun Pin Part 3 Act, which aims to allocate $200 from SA reserves to purchase more pronoun pins. e bill serves as a continuation for the initiative which was last renewed with e Pronoun Pin Part 2 Act in 2021.

“It was actually when we stopped at the SA o ce and realized that there was a low supply of pronoun pins,” Bess said. “ is is essentially kind of a restock bill.”

Bess also hopes that SA will conduct more events to distribute the pins to the campus community.

Executive Updates

ayer said SA is holding elections information sessions for the upcoming Class of 2027 elections, saying also that around 20 students came to the rst one. She also said a new executive branch application is open, noting that with the amount of engagement the Class of 2027 is having, some students will not be able to secure a senatorial position and might be interested in applying to join the cabinet.

Secretary of the Senate Sen. Hazel Vineet ’25 asked a question regarding the potential leftover COVID-19 tests from the summer. Director of

Sciences Suzanne Raitt the week prior and was told the diversity e ort was dispersed among administrators. e resolution, passed in the Senate’s 330th session, encouraged the College to take various measures to improve diversity, equity and inclusion in courses, including requiring all faculty, teaching assistants and sta to undergo training on implicit

Ishita Gomes ’24 builds connections, strong foundation

Gomes discusses volunteer work with House of Mercy, Dream Catchers, SASA events

Ishita Gomes ’24 has had many memorable experiences with organizations, activities and students during her time at the College of William and Mary.

Gomes recounted her involvement in Williamsburg Engagement as one of her most memorable experiences at the College. Starting her time at the College amidst the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, she felt the need to explore and engage with the community after withstanding isolation. After searching through various involvements, Gomes joined Williamsburg Engagement her sophomore year. She rst began volunteering for the House of Mercy, working closely with team members and other volunteers to distribute food to those who su er from food insecurity.

“I was super trapped, losing my mind, but then I found [Williamsburg Engagement] and I started volunteering at the House of Mercy, which was a cool, fun way to get o campus and see the wider Williamsburg community,” Gomes said.

e House of Mercy also o ers other services, such as workshops for employment and housing, free haircuts and regular distribution of clothes, diapers and home goods.

Last semester, Gomes became a Williamsburg Engagement team leader. In this role, she will lead a small group of volunteers this fall for the Dream Catchers at the Cori Sikich erapeutic Riding Center.

“ is semester, I am a team leader for Dream Catchers, which is a riding stable that o ers animal therapy for people with disabilities,” Gomes said. “It’s a new organization we added. We’re still guring out the kinks and stu . But, I think it’s a great opportunity to get involved with the community,” Gomes said.

Gomes and other participants in the Williamsburg Engagement program work with a variety of other

organizations in Williamsburg, including the Heritage Humane Society and the Habitat for Humanity Restore. After attending an orientation at the beginning of the semester, student volunteers visit their chosen organization for 2-3 hours each week. e scope of volunteer work depends on the requirements and needs of the organization.

Gomes encourages students to get involved with organizations such as Dream Catchers in the Williamsburg Engagement program, explaining that it is a great way to feel more connected to the surrounding community.

In her time on campus, Gomes also engages with a variety of organizations, including as the College’s Women in Business Club. Gomes is majoring in economics and has participated in research alongside her professors. Her interest developed in economic theory and how it a ects groups of people and society. roughout her time in the club, Gomes has taken on greater responsibilities. After serving as a vice president, she became president of the organization last year.

“It was really cool. I think in the beginning, before I joined, Women in Business was very big and had a lot of involvement, but because of COVID, all of that went down a lot,” Gomes said.

She found the process of rebuilding the club reinvigorating. For students involved in the club, Gomes expressed the value of connection to the business world and the impact of forming valuable bonds.

“A lot of the members of Women in Business that we get regularly that come to the meetings are freshmen who are interested in the business school but

aren’t in the block yet or actively in the business school yet,” Gomes said. For those involved in the club, a series of events and workshops allow for broader connections within the business world. Workshops topics vary from learning more about LinkedIn to

that’s a little more light,” Gomes said. “I feel like I’m involved with a lot of heavy things, so just kind of having fun with my friends and dancing and eating good food and just celebrating my culture is amazing.” Gomes explained how SASA allowed her to stay connected with her culture when moving to a new area.

“I’m from Edison, New Jersey, which is a very big hub for South Asian people, so coming here to Williamsburg was a huge culture shock for me. So being a part of SASA kind of helps me feel more connected in that way,” Gomes said.

Gomes is also a member of the Human Engagement, Awareness and Response to Trafficking Club at the College and volunteers regularly with the safe house located in Williamsburg. She shared her excitement to participate in such a valuable organization and participate in some of the activities that club members are involved in together.

turn, succeeded him as a member of the Student Bar Association.

College President Katherine Rowe is scheduled to attend the Tuesday, Sept. 19, Senate meeting for a presentation and a question and answer session. Vineet gave a presentation on what SA members and Arseneau did during the summer.

Agouris offers updates on data science school

Steering committee discusses final report

Thursday, July 27, the College of William and Mary board of visitors discussed the steering committee for the Computing, Data Science and Applied Science Initiative’s final report as part of its annual summer retreat session. If created, the school would house not only the namesake computing, data science and applied science departments, but also the physics department, which unanimously voted to join the effort in the spring. According to the College’s website, the initiative is consistent with the Vision 2026 strategic plan and will build on the College’s current strengths in computing and data science for educational and research pursuits, while also expanding the College’s presence and influence in those areas.

building connections with recruiting rms and alumni.

“Whoever comes, they can explore many di erent areas of business,” Gomes said. “It’s a very diverse eld. You can go into anything pretty much. And yeah, there’s a lot of workshops and events where di erent rms will come in.”

For Gomes, building connections on campus is an essential component of a ful lling student experience, especially when adjusting to a new environment.

Gomes feels she has built a particularly strong foundation and connection with the College’s South Asian Student Association during her time as a member. She re ects fondly on SASA’s annual Expressions and Mock Mehndi events.

“I love being a part of that because I get to dance and just celebrate my culture and just be a part of something

“ e people in our club really love that opportunity to volunteer there with actual survivors of human tra cking. One time, we built a whole garden from scratch for them, and we set up rooms for the residents,” Gomes said.

HEART meets every other Wednesday and holds a range of activities and events, including presentations related to human traffickin g and updates on current happenings.

“Recently, there was a human tra cking ring that was busted in Williamsburg,” Gomes said. “So, we talk about those things and make sure the education aspect is also highlighted as well as the service.”

Gomes said that anyone can attend the events or activities as long as they are subscribed to the Tribe Link chain and that all events relate to the service or educational aspect of human tra cking.

College Provost Peggy Agouris created the 15-member steering committee Jan. 23 and tasked it with exploring and analyzing options to create a new school for data science at the College. Agouris also directed the committee to work with the budget office and the associate dean for finance and administration on its report.

“The steering committee will refine the model of the proposed new academic entity by considering implementation aspects and financial parameters, as well as relevant advantages and disadvantages of possible structure,” Agouris wrote in an email to members of the committee.

The committee submitted its final report to Agouris June 12. Following a series of town halls and surveys, the 98page document details feedback from relevant stakeholders in the College community. The committee also met with Student Assembly, which incorporated questions regarding the new school in its Omnibus Survey.

PEERAWUT RUANGSAWASDI FLAT HAT NEWS ASSOC.

COURTESY IMAGE / WILLIAMSBURG ENGAGEMENT

Gomes has found a home at the College by investing herself in the things she loves.

Women's Network hosts reception celebrating women workers

Faculty, staff, administrators share stories of female empowerment, reflect on advocacy efforts

Thursday, Sept. 7, the College of William and Mary Women’s Network hosted its Fall 2023 reception to welcome the women workers of the College back to campus. Professors, administrators, professional and operational staff and classified and hourly employees all filled Hunter Hall of the Alumni House to celebrate the work and advocacy of female faculty and staff on campus.

The Women’s Network is a support group of faculty, staff and administrators at the College who act as an advocacy and social network on campus. The organization does not discriminate based on sex, allowing all interested employees to participate in its efforts. The Society of 1918, an endowment created in 2018 on the centennial anniversary of the admission of women into the College, sponsored the reception.

“If you have benefited from daycare on campus, if you’ve ever considered salary issues for yourself or another woman you’ve worked with, if you’ve gone up those stairs from the ISC that were once clear and are no longer clear, if you’ve used a pumping or a breastfeeding room on campus, then you have benefited from a lot of the behind-the-scenes advocacy that this network has been doing for many, many years,” Meghan Miller, co-chair of the Women’s Network and senior lecturer in the psychology department, said during the reception.

Miller and Sarah Thomas, associate director of the Lemon Project, are the two co-chairs of the Women’s Network. Their executive committee is made up of six other volunteer female employees at the College.

“We all come from different backgrounds and we obviously make a lot of different salaries, but together we’re an important group of William and Mary employees,” Thomas said. “We’re the largest group of William and Mary employees, women. It matters to be able to come together as fellow employees and celebrate each other.”

The event featured two main speakers, Provost Peggy Agouris and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Suzanne Raitt.

Agouris spoke on the importance of vocally supporting other women across campus and about how the Women’s Network has supported her since she began her tenure as provost in 2019.

“I discovered the Women’s Network when I arrived at William and Mary, and it has been a tremendous network of support, even if it’s just to really commiserate and talk about crying in the bathroom and, kind of, trying to find the strength to move forward in difficult times and, actually, daily,” Agouris said.

Agouris briefly mentioned recent Supreme Court decisions that could have far-reaching effects on higher education and women in higher education, tying this allusion into her central message of the importance of the Women’s Network support system.

“To me, what we see and experience in the world around us underscores the importance of what it is that we are doing

POLITICS

here,” Agouris said. “Changing times, yes. Our mission, which is to advocate for women and to promote an inclusive community, remains vital. The more we see incidents and developments like this, the more convinced we are that what we are doing is important. So let’s continue to be together, to have our voices stronger together, because that’s really what will make William and Mary and hopefully the rest of the academic environment a little bit of a better place for everyone.”

If you have benefited from daycare on campus, if youʼve ever considered salary issues for yourself or another woman youʼve worked with, if youʼve gone up those stairs from the ISC that were once clear and are no longer clear, if youʼve used a pumping or a breastfeeding room on campus, then you have benefited from a lot of the behind the scenes advocacy that this network has been doing for many, many years.

For Doris Taylor, chief communications and marketing officer at the College of William and Mary Law School, the reception was the first Women’s Network event she had attended as a recent hire.

“I thought it was interesting to meet the other women around William and Mary, because we are a community and working together is how we make a difference for our students,” Taylor said.

Taylor has worked in education communications for over five years and began working at the Law School in June.

“Working together as a community, but then also encouraging other women, learning how other women are doing jobs in different schools, different parts of the campus, really makes a difference,” Taylor said.

Raitt spoke after Agouris, sharing stories of the women in her life who have helped her become the leader she is today. Raitt also noted the importance of having a network of women with diverse backgrounds and experiences.

“Even if we have lots in common as women, there are plenty

of ways in which we’re all different from one another,” Raitt said. “We have different histories. We have intersectional identities. We became women in very different ways; I’m sure some of you have heard of Simone de Beauvoir, we weren’t all women. Our root there is different for every single one of us. One of the things that I really value about William and Mary community is the way in which we are good at following the advice that Biddy Martin gave at convocation, which is ‘Seek out people that you disagree with, seek out people that you don’t understand, and look for something, and try and understand that person.’”

Raitt shared that she grew up with several maternal figures in her life, one biological mother and two step-mothers.

“Each of them gave me something different and taught me in very different ways that there are a lot of different ways to love other people,” Raitt said. “So I’m really glad that I’m a woman, and I’m really glad to be here with you today. I think it’s an incredibly joyful thing to celebrate that we’ve all made it this far in our lives, and I look forward to going much further with all of you.”

Arielle Newby, assistant dean for student affairs at the Law School, spoke on behalf of the Black Faculty and Staff Forum transition team. The team is in the process of reviving their organization after a hit to its membership from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are focusing on achieving revitalizing our organization through advocacy and awareness, connection and networking, personal professional development, recruitment and retention and definitely getting some speakers and events to build our empowerment,” Newby said.

Newby invited the room to attend the forum’s meeting Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 10:00 a.m.

“We ask that you definitely support, come and attend,” Newby said. “Obviously you don’t have to be Black, but if you are here to be supporters of Black encouragement, empowerment, especially on this campus, we would love to have you with us.”

Valerie Cushman representing the Society of 1918 remarked that there are currently 40 members of faculty and staff at the College who are members of the Society, with the endowment growing to $5.4 million with 600 supporting women in five years. Membership requires a payment of $10,000 over a five year period to the Alumnae Initiatives Endowment, or $5,000 for faculty and staff, active duty/veterans or alumni within their first 10 years of graduation.

“We put out a request for proposals last spring asking for men and women alike to submit a proposal that would somehow empower, celebrate, network, mentor, all William and Mary women,”Cushman said. “I’m really excited to announce that just this week, we have offered $45,000 in scholarships to faculty and staff around campus.”

Miller encouraged the women in the room to carve out time wihin their days, using events like The Women’s Networks’s monthly book club that meets on Thursdays at 8:00 p.m., to take time for themselves, while supporting and celebrating one another.

Students share perspectives on upcoming 2024 presidential election

In recent election cycles, economy, healthcare and immigration were the key issues among voters. But as the 2024 presidential election nears, education policy is emerging as a top concern for many.

On August 23, Republican presidential hopefuls participated in the first primary debate of the 2024 presidential race in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Eight of the 12 confirmed GOP candidates participated in the debate, not including former President Donald Trump. While several candidates garnered attention that evening, Trump remains the party’s frontrunner.

“I’ve been a Trump supporter since like 2018,” vice president of the College of William and Mary’s College Republicans Club James Schlik ’26 said. “I’ll probably [vote for him]. Yeah, I mean, there’s nothing I can really foresee him doing because I think he’s a great political leader, a hero in many ways.”

Bella Hosang ’25, the president of College Republicans, shared the same sentiment, expressing minimal doubt in Trump’s re-election.

“I am a Trump person. I have always backed Trump. I will always back him. I’ve backed him before and I won’t ever not back him unless for some reason he doesn’t run,” Hosang said.

As for the Democrats, the Democratic National Committee has decided not to sponsor any primary for its three candidates. Traditionally, the incumbent does not participate in debate, and neither former environmental lawyer Robert Kennedy Jr. nor author Marianne Williamson hold enough standing in the polls to challenge President Joe Biden.

Considering Biden’s standing, the Young Democrats chapter at the College has instead focused its energy on upcoming state and local government elections. The Virginia State Senate general election is scheduled for Nov. 7.

“Most of our party is behind the incoming Joe Biden. I mean, he is really our only viable option, you know,” Young Democrats Outreach Chair Matt Swenson ’26 said.

The President of the College’s Liberal Student League Giorgianna Heiko ’25 also advocated for Biden’s re-election.

“Yeah, so I’m actually in the Green Party, but I’ll probably be voting for Biden almost certainly as long as he is still alive,” Heiko said.

Education-based policies have come to the forefront of recent political discussion and debate. All three political clubs credit

the increased focus on education issues to the impact of COVID-19, as parents became more involved in their students’ virtual education.

“Parents were able to look in and see what their children were being taught, how the teachers were teaching it, what they were saying, if they were interjecting their political ideas, and parents found out,” Hosang said. “Yes, teachers are talking about politics. They’re talking about other things that should be taught by a parent and not by a teacher in a public school.”

The Parents’ Rights Movement, which began in 2009, is a movement seeking to transfer the responsibility of shaping public school curricula from the federal government to the parents of children in K-12 education. Publicly supported by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, the movement has gained significant support among conservatives in recent years. To some members of the movement, this also implies the dismantling of the federal Department of Education. However, members of College Republicans view that perspective as going too far.

“I don’t know if we would necessarily agree with completely abolishing the Department of Education,” Schlik said. “I think there are

many ways it can be utilized to promote good education.”

Schlik also commented on Critical Race Theory and its impact on the education system.

“Critical Race Theory has been a big point of contention, and I think a lot of the discourse around that is good,” Schlik said. “I think that, you know, it’s important to call into question not only, you know, the methods by which the education system is structured, but also what is actually being taught to the students, because all education is values. Education, you know, whether it be anything, any kind of, any time you’re teaching someone else’s kids, you’re not only inherently teaching the values, but you’re also inherently, you know, guiding their future in a way.”

Meanwhile, LSL member Aedan Corrigan ’26 views the increasing anxiety surrounding curriculum changes as an overreaction.

“[The Parents’ Rights movement’s popularity] is just kind of a vague wave, and I think that it’s just going to crash over the problems of education in the next election cycle and not go anywhere,” Corrigan said.

Swenson, who is majoring in Public Policy and

minoring in Educational Policy, also supports maintaining the Department of Education and believes that subjects such as Critical Race Theory and Sex Education are necessary for the growth and development of children.

“I think those are all important topics that need to belong in our classroom if we’re ever going to move forward and progress,” Swenson said. “I think that it’s not in our best interests for students individually and for our society as a whole to stay silent on those topics. And I don’t think we should shy away from them just because some people think they’re controversial. I definitely think with queer [identity], race, sex ed, all that, we need to talk about in order to move forward in society.”

Despite differing opinions on the scope of classroom curricula, individuals from across the political spectrum generally agree that higher education is too expensive.

During his presidency, President Biden has made several attempts to offer aid to individuals burdened by student loan debt. One of his most celebrated initiatives, a threeyear suspension of interest-accumulation on student loans during the COVID-19 pandemic, recently ended Sept. 1.

In this post-suspension period, although interest will continue to accrue, Biden has announced another 12-month grace period until the implementation of his Save on Valuable Education and Revised Pay as you Earn plans July 1, 2024. The SAVE plan operates on an income-based model and doesn’t require former or current students making less than $15 an hour to pay their loans, which may eventually be forgiven altogether. The subsequent REPAYE plan requires individuals to allocate 10 percent of their income toward loan payments.

Members of each club recognize that the increasing cost of education will eventually make college unattainable for many students.

LSL member Ari Pearlstein ’26 views the lack of transparency regarding college affordability as larger than mere economics.

“For me, I view this more as a moral issue,” Pearlstein said. “I just think that it’s wrong to force people of lower incomes to have to just go to college and risk being straddled with debt for most of the rest of their life.”

As the 2024 presidential election approaches, the discourse surrounding education, the federal government’s role in curriculum development and student debt will continue to evolve as the candidates build their campaign platforms.

Members of Young Republicans, Young Democrats, Liberal Students League assess candidate field

ANGELA VASISHTA / THE FLAT HAT

- Meghan Miller

opinions

I’m coming clean as a GGV apologist

For all of the wonderful things that the College of William and Mary is known for, its on-campus housing is without a doubt its most charming feature.

Last year as a freshman, I lived in Griffin E, one of the 13 dorms that makes up the Green and Gold Village, otherwise known as GGV. Built in the 1960s and once fraternity houses, each year GGV is where the majority of the freshman class spends nine months living in uncomfortably close quarters — or in the ‘trenches,’ as most students at the College would say. As the school year carried on, we dealt with every GGV quirk that we had been so kindly warned about from our upperclassmen orientation aides, from ant infestations to mold on our mattresses.

Park it right...where? The College of William and Mary’s parking issues

the question “What dorm are you living in?” last year, I have annoyingly mentioned that I’m in Hardy this year several times already. As far as on-campus housing goes, we had gone from the very bottom of the housing totem pole to the very top.

However, while strange to say, after living in Hardy for only a little over a week, I have found myself missing certain aspects of GGV.

Now, don’t get me wrong, Hardy is undeniably an upgrade from my living situation last year. Rather than sharing a communal bathroom with 15 other girls, I have an on-suite bathroom that I share with my roommate and our two suitemates (two fellow Griffin E survivors). Instead of an old AC window unit (filled with mold that so kindly gave me a smoker’s cough for about two months) in my dorm now, the entire building has central air conditioning and heating.

Still, the many perks that come with living in Hardy are hard to compare to the certain je ne sais quoi that GGV has.

For starters, I found it so much easier to connect with the people that I lived in Griffin E with as we could commiserate over the size of our rooms and lack of water pressure together. Now, I just know to expect the mutual smile that comes with sharing an elevator ride with another student in Hardy.

When one spends nearly $400 on a parking pass for the year, one expects to be able to park relatively easily on campus. Is this the current state of affairs on campus? I would say no.

just resign themselves to always parking in Kaplan, which is usually less crowded than the parking garage. But for students with classes in Boswell Hall, the Raymond A. Mason Business School, or other buildings on that side of campus, Kaplan’s inconvenient location adds ten to 15 minutes to their commute since it is not particularly close to any academic building.

I do commend the parking services department for reassigning the stretch of parking spaces between Kaplan and Caf to first come, first serve parking between commuters, residents and faculty and staff, like the Kaplan lot currently is. It shows that they recognize and are trying to deal with some of the issues on campus, which I readily appreciate. It is probably not their fault that there is a lack of parking on campus. What irks me, however, is that in the “West 1 Housing and Dining” plan, consisting of the new residence and dining facilities where Yates was, there is no replacement parking for the Yates lot.

This past spring, my roommate and I couldn’t believe our luck after we chose our dorm for sophomore year: Hardy Hall. Since its opening in the fall of 2006, Hardy has had the reputation of being the crown jewel of upper level on-campus housing at the College. While I dreaded hearing

There was also the benefit of having so many shared spaces in Griffin E. While I might not have had my own private bathroom last year, I had too many conversations to count while waiting for a shower to be free or brushing my teeth.

The dorms in GGV are known for fostering close-knit communities because quite frankly, it’s much easier to deal with living there if you have friends to do it with. Last year, my friends from Griffin E and I would get a meal at the dining hall together or talk about our days in each other’s rooms for hours, practically everyday. These were the moments that helped make transitioning to college life feel a little bit easier.

While my time spent in GGV is not something that I would necessarily do again if given the choice, looking back, it made for both a unique and fond freshman year experience.

Emma Halman ’26 is a prospective English major from Virginia Beach, VA. Along with writing for The Flat Hat, she loves to dance, spend time with friends and rewatch 90s romcoms. Contact Emma at eghalman@wm.edu.

Parking was already a stressor last year, but with the closure of the Yates parking lot due to construction, there’s even less parking, which creates even more competition for spots “close” to classes. I say “close” because almost all of the parking options for students are on the west side of campus; the main spots for commuters are the Parking Deck and the Kaplan Arena Parking Lot, and residential parking is primarily situated along the roads near the Green and Gold Village, fraternity row, the Commons Dining Hall (better known as Caf), DuPont Hall and the Botetourt Complex. Notably, all of these spots are away from classes on Old Campus and upperclassmen housing. Students in One Tribe Place and Richmond Hall have access to their own parking garages, but upperclassmen on Old Campus are forced to walk to the other side of campus to get to their vehicle.

I understand why, of course. Parts of Old and Historic Campus are quite literally caged in with roads on either side, leaving very little space for added parking options, which would ruin campus aesthetics. Students with one class or two classes back to back

in places like James Blair Hall or the Sir Christopher Wren Building could park on Richmond Road and walk from there. But students who plan to be on campus longer than just a couple of hours either have to park on the far side of campus or face receiving parking tickets since all of the parking along Richmond Road is strictly limited to two hours.

Here’s where I get really frustrated: If I leave my apartment 20 minutes before class (a relatively normal amount of time to leave, I’d think), take five minutes to drive to campus, and successfully park in the Parking Deck or Kaplan, whichever one I happen to go to, I’ll probably make it to class with about three minutes to spare. If, however, I go to one lot and it’s full, I’ll probably be late to class. This is especially frustrating when you drive to the parking deck and figure out it’s full while inside and have to somehow extract yourself from the mess that is multiple cars stuck in a parking garage without an easy way to turn around (ie: a parking spot).

Something that could make this a little easier would be to put a “full” or “open” sign on the Parking Deck — even having the number of spots left could be helpful. That way, students ideally would not enter the garage if it’s full and save themselves the hassle of searching for a spot that’s not there. Of course, one could

It is entirely possible that I missed where they’re adding in a parking lot or deck, or they’re adding it somewhere else. But in the current plan, there is still no parking on that side of West campus. Maybe they’ll add parking when they demolish Caf, GGV or Botetourt. But those projects are to be completed after the construction of the new housing and dining facilities, which means that the precarious parking situation on campus is probably going to last for at least another couple of years.

Is there anything to be done about this? I’m not sure. But, as a student, it bothers me that while the College of William and Mary has taken away resident and commuter spots in the center of campus (like the resident spots on Landrum Dr.), they have not provided similarly convenient alternatives. I understand that faculty and staff also need parking on campus, but that’s almost beside the point — the larger issue is the competition for parking spaces that are only shrinking in number. Going forward, I hope that the administration will consider additions to their current expansion plans or put out parking change considerations so that at least someone has a stress-free parking future to look forward to.

LaurenMeyer’24isan AnthropologyandHistorydouble major.BesideswritingopinionsforThe FlatHat,Laurenparticipatesinanthropologyclubandclubfieldhockeyon campus.Herfavoritebeverageisa StrawberryKiwiCapriSun,whichis indubitablythebestflavor.Contact Laurenatlemeyer@wm.edu.

Fuzzy Issue 44: Fuzzy Becomes a True Politician

However, while strange to say, after living in Hardy for only a little over a week, I have found myself missing certain aspects of GGV.

GUEST COLUMN

COMIC BY ARIANNA STEWART

Lauren Meyer

GRAPHIC BY CATHERINE STORKE / THE FLAT HAT

STAFF COLUMN

The case of Bobbi Althoff: stop making talentless people go viral

If you haven’t heard the name Bobbi Althoff recently, what’ve you been up to? Honestly, not missing out on much. Some context for those out of the loop: the seemingly average, white millennial woman launched into the spotlight over the last couple of months after she brought A-List celebrities like Drake (on a now deleted episode) and Lil Yachty onto her new, ironically titled show, “The Really Good Podcast.” My description of Althoff as an “average white girl” may come across as a jab, but it’s a nod to her marketing strategy; part of her allure is that she comes across as just any other girl you might see in line at Starbucks, which many think makes her star-studded interviews all the more impressive — and confusing.

Why are people praising Althoff like sheʼs somehow reinvented comedy and podcasting?

Althoff’s meteoric rise in popularity despite having unknown, mysterious origins has everyone scratching their heads and doing deep dives on the internet, with an entire Reddit thread dedicated to Althoff and speculation over who she could be. Many have accused her of being an industry plant or the product of her husband’s extreme wealth because it’s unheard of that someone with virtually no platform would suddenly be out parading with Tyga.

I personally agree and find her sudden stardom fishy, so it’s difficult for me to find her content’s low production value and brand as a one-woman, rags-to-riches show personable and authentic like her fans do. If anything, it feels forced and fake, like she’s playing into this persona of someone who serendipitously stumbled into the spotlight (just like anyone else could!) when there were definitely invisible strings being pulled and connections having already been made behind the scenes. It’s understandable to have privilege, but you’ve got to at least acknowledge it.

And then there’s Althoff’s other main draws that’s got everyone talking: her deadpan, “The Office”-style humor that makes interviewees and watchers alike cringe (mainly in a bad, agonizingly painful way) and her out-of-the-box filming locations like a dirty warehouse floor with billionaire Mark Cuban for extra shock value and haha-funny points.

Of all the things wrong with Althoff, here’s where I’ll really dig in. While I do loathe Althoff’s comedic timing and find her absolutely not funny at all but rather grossly overhyped, I’ll begrudgingly concede that humor is subjective, so people are allowed to find her funny. What I do take issue with is that her entire shtick is directly ripped off from another female creator from across the pond.

Enter Amelia Dimoldenberg, a UK-based influencer best known for her series “Chicken Shop Date,” in which she

STAFF COLUMN

When I moved into campus early and a woman in the Integrated Science Center kindly informed me that Drips-and-Sips wasn’t available, I chalked it up to bad timing. “Oh, it’ll probably start working like usual by the time the first day of classes comes around,” I reassured myself.

Fast forward to the eve of the first day of classes when someone walked up to my friend to complain about how Earl Gregg Swem Library’s Column 15 isn’t offering unlimited drinks for those with the All-Access dining plan, period. If you can’t believe the sentence you just read, trust that you are not dealing with an amateur. I wasn’t going to let some gossip ruffle my feathers, so I asked the baristas themselves. Alas, they did not refute the blasphemy.

I later learned that Starbucks at ISC, Boehly Cafe and the William and Mary Law School

Vivian Hoang FLAT HAT EXECUTIVE EDITOR

interviews celebrities at a fast food chicken joint in London — another unusual filming location, you catch my drift? One of Dimoldenberg’s most viral interviews was with rapper Jack Harlow, with whom she shared beautifully awkward chemistry. Watching Dimoldenberg’s impassive character and blank-eyed expressions slowly crack as she and Harlow exchanged stifled giggles and subtly flirted with one another was amazing in every sense of the word as it really humanized Harlow and brought out his playful side.

So if using a dry, cheeky persona during interviews with A-Listers from the U.S. and UK alike originated with Dimoldenberg, why are people praising Althoff like she’s somehow reinvented comedy and podcasting? They really have no reason to, especially as Althoff frequently crosses the line between being an NPC character for laughs and showing poor etiquette towards her guests while Dimoldenberg gracefully toes it.

If you’re going to blatantly steal, you should at least do it better, Bobbi. I get you’re playing a character, but even then, your persona shouldn’t make guests uncomfortable, impede the flow of conversation or prevent viewers from actually learning anything real about the celebrities they love. A great podcast host is someone who can sit back and listen or whose engagement with their guest can showcase a side of them that wouldn’t otherwise be seen. Althoff does none of that, so it’s difficult for me to say she deserves her platform at all.

Without having stolen another interviewer’s whole gag or being propped up by external connections, Althoff really has no discernible talent of her own and brings absolutely nothing innovative or special to the influencer scene. We need to stop allowing social media to bring fame and money to bland, uninteresting people like Althoff because it causes other influencers who actually work hard to differentiate themselves and create their own niches to get swept under the rug.

Women’s Wrongs” and a signature pink, feminine aesthetic. Like Dimoldenberg but unlike Althoff, these are creators who actually know how to use a character to enhance an interview rather than distract from guests brought onto the show.

Choose to support other comedians and online creators that actually make meaningful content, give guests a real platform to share their stories and have a damn personality. I’m not asking you to be an outright Bobbi Althoff hater like me, but I think there’s a greater lesson to be learned here about who we as a society deem worthy of our watch time. Think critically about what the content you consume says about you as a person and who you’re letting have a platform. Don’t mindlessly scroll; be an active consumer of media and shape your own online watch history, especially as Gen-Zers tend to be the target audience for gimmicks like these.

And to Bobbi Althoff: I sincerely wish you the best, and I hope you have as equally steep of a drop-off as your rise-up. Have a great rest of your (hopefully) short-lived career!

Vivian Hoang ‘24 is from Fairfax, VA and hopes to use her historyandjournalismanddigitalmediadoublemajortouplift marginalizedvoices.OutsideofbeingTheFlatHat’sExecutive Editor,sheisaCommunicationsStudentPartnerwithSTLIand aReportingFellowwiththePulitzerCenteronCrisisReporting. Asajournalist,sheisespeciallypassionateaboutreportingon topicsrelatedtorace,ethnicity,community,displacementand power.Contactheratvvhoang@wm.edu.

So, let’s give our attention not to Althoff but to genuinely unique interviewers like Nardwuar, who brings an infectiously eccentric charm and shockingly in-depth knowledge of famous rappers’ pasts to elicit huge, emotional reactions from rappers that traditionally don’t otherwise occur during televised interviews. Let’s give praise to Ziwe, a Black female host with a confrontational, big-sister-trying-to-get-the-tea interviewing style, creative game show segments based on relevant internet culture like “Women’s Rights and

RIP to Drips and Sips

Agavni Mehrabi FLAT HAT VARIETY EDITOR

and Boehly as well as convenience store locations like Student Exchange and Tribe Market. Perhaps once a day would have been better for the school’s budget. But a complete extermination?

Eliminating this option from Marketplace may make sense as a means of preparing students for the demise of Campus Center. However, implementing a paywall behind the new kiosks at Boehly is brutal for someone who has two morning classes back to back and whose stomach wishes for just the smallest solace in the form of a meager lunch. My humble afternoon meal should not require a zero-sum choice between emptying one’s student loan-scarred pockets and a 20-minute walk to the nearest cafeteria.

I’m well aware money is king and all that.

However, a more reasonable request I have to make up for the loss of Drips-and-Sips along with Griffin Deals concerns our dining halls’ breakfast schedules. As they stand currently, our breakfast schedule squelches the flow of fresh eggs, pancakes and the like at 10 a.m. so that lunch can begin at this time.

Cafe would at least be offering the sacred, money-saving system. But unless you’re a business student, a future attorney, a Ludwell exile or an ISC inhabitant at all times of the day… there is still reason to be upset.

Before anybody calls me dramatic, I must air out a reminder that the prices of signature lattes have risen dramatically due to the recent acquisition of what was previously known as Aroma’s in Sadler Center and Swem. And before any caffeine critic croons that it’s just coffee, I must be the harbinger of yet another upsetting announcement: the death of Griffin Deals.

Gone are the days when one could get a sandwich, a bag of chips and a soda virtually for free as a perk of the All-Access meal plan. I will admit that it was a little too good to be true when such a package was offered twice a day, at both made-to-order kitchens like Marketplace

One could fall for the misconception that the end of Griffin Deals has served as a solution to those who struggled to spend all of their dining dollars before the end of the school year when any leftover money would essentially be dumped down the drain. After all, the loss of Griffin Deals seemingly means there are now more places for people to spend their dining dollars besides coffee shops, giving those who dislike coffee more options on campus. However, there have always been an abundance of options to spend dining dollars, such as convenience stores, Chick-Fil-A and the Bake Shop, and places that offered Griffin Deals always also allowed people to deplete their dollars if they didn’t want to partake in a Griffin Deal. The extermination of Griffin Deals leading to more dining dollar opportunities on campus is merely an illusion; those opportunities have been there all along.

Though I may hold a grudge, I’m not so naive as to believe the school will care about such a trifling thing as feeding stomachs fashionably when our construction-depleted budget is just as hungry. Offering countless coffee cups and bottomless sandwich bundles is probably not in the administration’s best interest. I’m a finance major, after all;

I would be willing to give this practice the benefit of the doubt if it was confined to the school week when one may possibly experience an unconventional morning hunger for hamburgers after a 9 a.m. class. But during the weekend? I cannot be the only college student who is just waking up at 10 a.m. since there are no classes to wake early for. In fact, I know that I am not the only college student with delayed morning rituals on the weekend since it is in our natural biological clocks to be late to bed and late to rise.

Even morning people go out, on occasion, on a Friday or Saturday night. When they do so, they most likely wake up a little bit later if they wish to maintain a healthy eight hours of sleep. And when they do so, their bare, yet barely awakened bellies would most likely appreciate an option that is between the extremes of a scant swath of cereal and a heavy serving of pizza.

Surely, it wouldn’t cost the school an extra penny to make the switch from breakfast to lunch a single hour later. Surely, making better decisions on all of these three points wouldn’t cost them nearly as much as it costs all of the students at the College combined to turn to Wawa, which doesn’t accept dining dollars, instead. Certainly, I’ve borne the brunt of the inflated laundry prices and the expenses of printing out words on paper. I think I’m speaking for many of us when I say I’d like to see a similar flexibility on the part of our friends in administration fixing the food costs.

AgavniMehrabi’26isplanningtodouble majoringovernmentandfinance.Outsideof TheFlatHat,AgavniisamemberofWCWM 90.9andArcheryClub.EmailAgavniat almehrabi@wm.edu.

If anything, it feels forced and fake, like sheʼs playing into this persona of someone who serendiptiously stumbled into the spotlight.

GRAPHIC BY SYEDA SAFDAR / THE FLAT HAT

GRAPHIC BY SYEDA SAFDAR / THE FLAT HAT

Activism through art

Professor at the College of William and Mary works to help curate art gallery serving as homage to marginalized group in India

VIVIAN HOANG // FLAT HAT EXECUTIVE EDITOR

How can art be used as a platform for marginalized voices and a tool for social justice? One professor at the College of William and Mary seeks to answer this question from across the Atlantic Ocean, over 4,000 miles away from Williamsburg.

From Sept. 15 to Oct. 10, an art exhibition curated by assistant professor of English and Asian and Pacific Islander American Studies R. Benedito Ferrão will be on display at Galerie Xippas in Geneva, Switzerland during Geneva’s first ever Art Week. The show, titled “Can’t See the Forest,” is Lisbon-based artist Karishma D’Souza’s biggest to date, with around 60 pieces expected to hang in both of the gallery’s spaces. D’Souza’s art will also be accompanied by a lyrical essay written by Ferrão.

Over a year in the making, “Can’t See the Forest” engages with intersectional themes of environmental ruin, displacement and colonialism in Goa, a small state in India that Ferrão describes as a colony of a postcolony, in reference to India’s colonization of Goa promptly after Portuguese rule of Goa ended in 1691. The exhibition serves as a poignant commentary on the transformative loss of Goa’s once lush biodiversity and thriving greenery in the face of urbanization and tourism, which Ferrão says are legacies of such colonialism.

“The show is essentially asking questions about, what does it mean to be in a place like Goa today, which was once so well-known for its biodiversity and the beauty of its landscape?” Ferrão said. “Agriculture was such an important part of people’s lives and cultural rooting, [but] now [we] see that agricultural land is being transformed into high cost properties that Goans themselves can’t afford because it’s far more lucrative to sell that land to somebody who’s going to put up an apartment complex or palatial home or second home that they’re not going to even live in.”

Ferrão and D’Souza intentionally aim to engage so many complex themes at once to highlight the deep intersectionality of socioeconomic and environmental issues in Goa. According to Ferrão, “Can’t See the Forest” is a nod to the expression “can’t see the forest for the trees,” which essentially conveys that if one becomes too invested in the small details like an individual tree, one loses sight of the bigger picture (i.e., the entire forest).

“When we think one can’t see the forest for the trees, one gets so caught up in the little issues that the big picture doesn’t emerge,” Ferrão said. “So what does it mean to step back and think of these as not just being single-issue problems, but they’re actually intersectional ones?”

This show is especially meaningful to Ferrão and D’Souza, who both trace their familial ancestry to Goa and use their homeland as the focus of their work. For Ferrão, his primary area of interest is literature concerning how Portuguese colonialism manifests in Goan history and identity, whereas D’Souza prefers to engage with these themes through painting. Together, the pair have spent the last ten years collaboratively blending literature and art to create social impact and spark larger dialogues.

Though Ferrão admits that he does not dabble in the arts himself, he recognized the importance of art in platforming marginalized Goan artists who use visual aesthetics to raise awareness about prominent contemporary issues affecting Goa.

“I think that the role of art, literature [and] cultural forms of expression are to chronicle these kinds of issues, to give voice to them in so many ways, be it writing, be it art or the combination of the two of them,” Ferrão said. “I think artists very often have their finger on the pulse of this moment, and it’s not just about creating pretty pictures, it is about telling a story.”

He further praised art’s power as a universal language that can reach audiences across all different backgrounds in a way that other forms of self-expression may not be able to.

“Drawing attention to a really pressing issue through art demonstrates how this is the language that can be used to speak to so many people at the same time,” Ferrão continued. “And I hope that the form itself will help communicate these kinds of issues and demonstrate the kind of commonality to so many viewers as they see this.”

“Can’t See the Forest” being shown on an international stage in Geneva is an especially significant milestone in D’Souza’s career due to the censorship that Ferrão says Goan artists commonly face in India. According to Ferrão, though there are an abundance of Goan artists in India, much of their work is not seen due to the prioritization of Indian and other South Asian voices under Indian colonialism. He points

to the lack of an official venue for Goans to display their art as viable evidence of the suppression of Goan activism.

“When Goan artists use [environmental issues] as inspiration in their art, sadly, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it gets seen by a wide Goan public where it could create a dialogue about these issues because to date in Goa, there’s no museum in which one could go to see Goan art,” Ferrão said. “It’s really telling that this show, which is literally about Goa, in addition to other issues and places in South Asia, is showing in Geneva.”

Ferrão even argues that this lack of accessibility can sometimes be a stronger factor in limiting the visibility of Goan art in India than direct censorship because solely focusing on explicit factors like censorship can overshadow underlying, systemic reasons at the root of unequal representation of art in India.

“It’s also a matter of platform, so an Indian artist showing in Goa will get far more coverage than a Goan artist showing in Goa or even a Goan artist showing anywhere else,” Ferrão said. “I think there’s far more covert kinds of ways where when members of a marginalized community try to have their voices heard, the platforms just don’t exist.”

Given the risks of engaging with present-day issues in Goan art, “Can’t See the Forest” emerges as much more impactful than most would imagine a contemporary art exhibit to be. By boldly challenging the status quo in India and subverting censorship to give a voice to the voiceless, D’Souza displays bravery and an unwavering commitment to bettering her homeland, Ferrão says.

“For a Goan artist to speak about problems of Goa — be they about the environment, be they about tourism, about the Indian colonization of Goa — is [to be] really taking a bold stance on the[se] problems,” Ferrão said.

But like most art exhibitions, “Can’t See the Forest” is ephemeral, showing in Geneva for just under a month. Acknowledging that the showcase is what he simply calls a moment, Ferrão ultimately strives for the exhibit to generate critical dialogues that will far outlast its runtime.

“I think that it allows for a certain kind of global conversation, having this art show about a very small place in South Asia with a very big history,” Ferrão said.

Penne for your thoughts: Does Aramark... hit the mark?

New dining plan at the College of William and Mary rolls out with new changes

The dining at the College of William and Mary has consistently been one of the most contentious topics on campus, with many students in previous semesters harboring a deep dislike for the food. However, one of the biggest changes the College has seen since the beginning of the current academic year is that the previous dining contract with Sodexo that had been in effect for nearly a decade has now been replaced with Aramark. This new agreement will span for 10 years, but even in just the short time the Aramark contract has been active, students across the campus have already noticed a variety of differences in the dining halls. This article will break down some of the most significant and noticeable changes that have taken effect in the past few months, in order to examine what students of the College can expect for the next decade.

One major difference concerns Late Night at Sadler Center’s Center Court, which has been an incredibly popular and well-loved staple of the College experience for many

MILES MORTIMER // FLAT HAT VARIETY EDITOR

years. From 9 p.m. to 12 a.m., students from all across campus would flock to the dining hall to take advantage of the special menu that is offered, which would typically encompass chicken wings, mozzarella sticks, tater tots and ice cream along with the regular offerings of the Grill. However, this year, the muchloved special late night menu is no longer around. Now, Sadler, newly joined by the Commons Dining Hall (nicknamed Caf), are both open until midnight, which provides greater accessibility to dining options for those who have late evening classes and extracurricular commitments. However, there is essentially no difference during late night compared to the rest of the day; the different food stations remain active with the same selections the entire duration of the time the dining halls are open, leading students to mourn the loss of the beloved menu change at the 9 p.m. mark every night. It is truly a tragedy that incoming freshmen will not have the opportunity to experience the glory that is Late Night at Sadler.

Additionally, in what appears to be one of the most popular changes implemented for the new year, students can use a meal swipe at Caf to receive a container of sushi without the use of dining dollars. There are usually 10 pieces of sushi in each container, and, from my personal experience, they have been fresh and without issue. Students can find the station right at the entrance of the dining hall, as the sushi is stored right behind the area where students normally swipe in. However, the sushi swipe does not stack with the swipe required to enter Caf, meaning that two are required to eat your delicacy inside at one of the tables. This is not a problem for those with the All Access Plan, but everyone else would probably be better off eating at the outside tables or at their residence.

The visual aesthetics of the dining halls have also changed. When walking into either Caf or Sadler, the first thing that a student will probably see are the large, colorful and unique labels given to each individual station. For example, the food hall in Sadler

has Under the Hood, True Balance and Sweet Nothings, just to name a few. Giving each spot its own named identity, these labels add an undeniable amount of character to the dining experience. Although this is purely a cosmetic feature, it still makes one’s breakfast, lunch or dinner a lot more memorable than it otherwise would be.

Students who frequented the dining halls last semester may have noticed one particular change becoming incrementally more utilized in the dining halls’ various stations: self-serve. A substitute for the traditional method of being given a plate by a dining staff worker, this method had students using scoops and tongs to fill up their plates themselves. However, this change seems to have been reverted, as almost every station is back to the old system. While the lack of self-serve options, compared to other aspects of the new dining program, is relatively more minor of a change, it still remains noticeable for the upperclassmen who frequented Caf and Sadler last spring.

A Japanese Journey

Student travelers take two months abroad in the bustling city of Osaka through immersive language program for once-in-a-lifetime experience

June 6 to Aug. 6, six students from the College of William and Mary participated in an immersive language program in Osaka, Japan.

First established by an organization known as CET Academic Programs in 1982 to o er learning experiences in Beijing, China Educational Tours now provides students from universities across the United States with study abroad opportunities in various locations across the rest of Asia, Latin America and Europe. After returning to campus, many students who participated in the Collegesponsored program this past summer shared their experiences immersing themselves in Japanese culture for two months.

Kara Park ’26 revealed that upon entering the program, she took a crucial language pledge, vowing to speak exclusively in Japanese for the entirety of their travels. For Dillon Buyrn ’25, who is considering majoring in Japanese Studies in addition to Computer Science, keeping this promise initially proved to be quite di cult.

“Even with a year of classes, especially at the start, there’s just going to be so many things that you cannot explain with the language that you know,” Buyrn said. “A lot of time is just spent not talking if you’re not willing, if you’re kind of scared to be wrong. So you just kind of have to say something stupid and hope the other person understands.”

Aiden Sanders ’24, another CET member who also plans to double major in Japanese Studies along with economics, similarly noted that the program’s emphasis on communication encouraged students to enhance their social skills. He suggested that being attentive to the facial expressions, body language and tone of voice of others as well as being open to having challenging conversations are both crucial practices for linguistic improvement.

“I would just say the most important [aspect] with what you do need to change is you need to be okay with socializing on very deep levels,” Sanders said. “Not even the conversations need to be deep, but I think you need to be very aware of how people carry themselves and just being self-aware.”

roughout the duration of the trip overseas, a typical weekday began with four hours of class beginning at 8:00 a.m., which was then followed by two hours of homework in the afternoon. However, on weekends, students had the option of lling their times with a personalized assortment of walks around town, restaurant visits, club meetings, various cultural workshops and bullet train trips to neighboring municipalities like Kyoto, Kobe, Nara, Himeji, Iga and Tokyo. iha Maung ’26, who plans to double major in mathematics and Japanese Studies, recalled one of his most

treasured moments during the trip: satisfying his sweet tooth.

“I know one of my favorite activities they gave us was an Okashi workshop for Japanese confectionery,” Maung said. “I was really excited to nd… how many sweets Japan has. e shaved ice, the mochi, the dango. ere were so many deserts I wanted to try in Japan.”

Besides the students who came from the College, the program’s attendees represented a variety of ethnic backgrounds as well as a wide array of American universities from agship state

read at a level that would allow him to navigate the rail routes alone.

“When you do these types of programs, you do realize, ‘Oh, I am so much more reliant on the native people of this country that I’m living in,’” Sanders said.

Sanders further pointed out that by continuously being confronted with new circumstances such as these, students were able to leave the program with an enhanced sense of exibility that will continue to be of use well beyond college.

“It kind of thrusts you into a very di erent

unexpected, Sanders recommended it for anyone who is passionate, spontaneous and works well under pressure. He highlighted these traits as useful for what would be the adventure to come.

“I think the best kind of person for study abroad would be someone who is very okay with just being in the moment, enjoying things as they come,” Sanders said. “Obviously, being aware to take advantage of the moment. Highly social, highly driven, preferably relaxed for the overall.”

Maung pointed out that the program is also ideal for anyone interested in Japanese Studies. He said another group who could bene t from the experience would be Japanese students who wish to reconnect with their cultural roots.

“If you’re looking at a Japanese Studies major, I think it’s a great opportunity to get a rsthand experience with the culture, with the people and just really have fun in Japan,” Maung said. “I think the second group of people that it’ll be great for is those who have some kind of family background. I remember one of my friends I met there, she actually had a grandpa who was raised in Kobe. What she did was, she actually went to Kobe, found souvenirs for him and learned more about his home country.” e academic bene ts that come with joining the CET program include completing the equivalent of two full semesters of Japanese Studies classes and ful llment of the required COLL 300 credit. While Buyrn did not take Japanese classes in his freshman year, CET has given him the chance to receive credit for a full four years of language learning by allowing him to catch up in order to take 300-level classes as a junior this year.

schools to prestigious Ivy Leagues like Princeton and Yale. Joining the cohort were students of Osaka Gakuin University who volunteered to take combined roles as roommates, language tutors and tour guides. Maung explained that it was the assistance provided by these Japanese students that allowed him to feel truly integrated into the surrounding city.

“[Sanders] told me about how there are some programs where you never really got into the community of Japan, where you’re kept in your own little bubble as international students,” Maung said. “So I found it really cool how I got to live in an actual Japanese house around Japanese people, and we basically simulated what a Japanese person’s life was like.”

For instance, Sanders’ roommates advised him to stay away from sarcasm when speaking Japanese in order to avoid being misunderstood. Similarly, Maung’s roommates accompanied him on public transportation because he could not yet

situation that you have to adapt to,” Sanders said. “Figuring out how to accomplish that and cope with that can pretty much prepare you to throw yourself anywhere.”

Being put into a foreign environment often comes with experiencing culture shock, which Maung especially felt when discovering the complicated nature of Japanese plans and schedules. Maung remembered the surprise that came with learning that plans were expected to be made far more in advance than what is typically expected in American culture.

“You can’t do in-the-moment kinds of things, not like [in America], which is certainly one of the surprising aspects about Japan,” Maung said. “One of our senseis at the academy told us how one of his coworkers had a really nice dinner. He asked them, ‘Hey, we should have dinner again next time,’ and they said, ‘Sure, how’s next year in December?’”

Despite both the intensive nature of the language program and its tendency towards the

“I think I’d say [one of the biggest rewards would be] de nitely improving my language skills a lot more than if I had just taken classes here at William and Mary and gaining insight onto what I want to do after college, going back to work there or something like that,” Buyrn said.

e stated minimum Japanese language experience required for a student to partake in the Summer CET program is the rst two semesters of college-level Japanese. With that said, regardless of any prerequisites, Sanders shared that it is ultimately up to the individual to decide if he or she is ready for the journey.

“My advice is going to be, have a hard conversation with yourself about it,” Sanders said. “Do you think you’re ready? Do you think you have it in you to socialize that much for this program? Do you feel comfortable living abroad? at’s a big one. And then when you get there, throw those questions away and then don’t think about them. Be in the moment. Once you’re there, just kind of be like, ‘Okay, I’ve made the decision, now I make the most of it.’”

Reel Talk: ‘The Meg TWO: THe TreNch’

Phebe Fahmy gives her take on Ben Wheatleyʼs chaotic new thriller

With a mere 29% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, “Meg 2: The Trench” has, by all available metrics, left its audience - amidst whose ranks included not a small number of grimacing Griffins - utterly dismayed since its release on August 4. Directed by Ben Wheatley, director of “Kill List,” “Free Fire” and more, this PG-13 blockbuster would seem to play to his strengths, considering his experience in making similarly violent movies. Yet, despite his arguably impressive resume, “Meg 2” lacks creativity and originality.

Returning writers Dean Georgaris, Erich Hoeber and Jon Hoeber seem to have created this movie out of necessity. The commonly held perception that some sharks must be constantly moving or else die must have subconsciously influenced the making of this film, with how rushed and unnecessary it seems to be.

“Meg 2” takes place five years after the events of its predecessor, “The Meg.” The film begins with Jonas Taylor (played by Jason Statham) and Jiuming Zhang (played by Wu Jung), who are leading a routine exploration of the Mariana Trench. While on their quest, a female megalodon named Haiqi, supposedly trained by Zhang, escapes captivity and chases the explorers. Haiqi’s escape results in her mating with two other megalodons, and the three megalodons make a recurrence later in the film.

Around this portion of the film, though, director Wheatley drifts from what the viewers may expect and introduces human antagonists, much to the chagrin of those who were wanting shark-based action. A crew committing illegal activities in the trench has a vendetta against

Taylor and attacks him throughout the film. The movie continues to dash from action scene to action scene until Taylor’s crew ends up on a resort-like area humorously named Fun Island, where they find

words, the movie bit off more than it could chew.

Throughout the movie, Wheatley fails to provide an impressive bite to the film’s bark. Clinging on to its PG13 rating, the movie displays little

additions. The presence of numerous new creatures also takes away from the film’s megalodon legacy, instead lumping the movie in with generic science fiction flicks.

And while “Meg 2” is an

flat and uninspired, and Statham appeared grumpy and uninterested. Personally, the cast’s performance and the ever-changing film left me indifferent to following along with the already messy plot. With no emotional connection to the characters, I had little interest in who lived or died.

Before the ending shot of the film, the two main characters discuss the possibility of Haiqi being pregnant, indicating the possibility of a third film being released. According to Collider, since the release of “Meg 2,” the film has made $352.5 million worldwide, proving this box-office hit has itself a chance at coming back for a third iteration. Already having made back its production budget and being reasonably close to breaking even, the film’s debut has fairly succeeded despite competing against the dual hits “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer.” Nevertheless, while it’s a profitable film, the movie has almost universally received terrible reviews.

concludes with Taylor and his crew killing the violent ocean animals. The last shot of the film is the group celebrating their survival from many different death traps on a destroyed Fun Island.

As confusing as this summary may sound, the movie itself is equally as puzzling. The primary flaw of the movie is that it is an unorganized conglomeration of multiple plots that it quickly loses focus of, and it lacks what it initially was supposed to deliver. In other

that’s already been done a million times before. While the film holds eye-catching visuals and cinematic scenes, the storyline itself is absurd.

The plot of “Meg 2” brings in an exorbitant number of new creatures compared to the original film. With snappers, the addition of two megalodons, a giant octopus and human adversaries, the movie is shameless in its illogicality. Instead of revolving around one central megalodon, the movie is stuffed with multiple unnecessary, distracting

chained megalodon from attacking him with just a singular foot. In another, he fights off a megalodon with his legs on a jet ski. One shot in particular shows masses of people being swept into the jaws of a megalodon. Despite this overthe-top chaos, however, it is not gruesome or gory, making the film a bit dull.

Unfortunately, the actors likewise contribute to the dullness of the film. Although the cast was wellknown and diverse, their acting was

A quick Google search of the movie reveals a plethora of YouTube videos, articles and audience reviews arguing against the value of this film. Labeling it to be stupid, mediocre or tacky, many audience members are upset at the film’s disorganization and unoriginality.

All in all, “Meg 2: The Trench” deserves its adverse audience reaction. Its rash delivery, over-thetop yet aggressively PG-13 action scenes and cluttered plotlines all contribute to a second-rate action blockbuster. Only time will tell if a third installment in this series may redeem this unfortunate tragedy; until then, though, I would just stick with “Jaws.”

Tribe fails to keep momentum rolling after beating No.12 Wake Forest last week Green and Gold outmatched against No. 6 Virginia, lose 6-1

MAX GRILL FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR

Friday, Sept. 8, William and Mary field hockey (1-2) suffered a 6-1 loss to No. 6 Virginia (5-1) at Busch Field in Williamsburg, Va.

Coming off of a 2-1 win against No. 12 Wake Forest earlier last week, the Tribe looked at Friday’s game as another opportunity to upset a nationally ranked team, but this time, hoping to do so on home turf. However, the visiting Cavaliers had other ideas.

Early in the first quarter, Virginia’s offense overpowered the Tribe defense. The Cavaliers began its scoring in the game’s sixth minute when freshman back Mia Abello scored her third goal of the season to give the visiting team an early 1-0 lead. The Tribe failed to respond in the first, and went into the first break down 1-0.

The Tribe looked to respond quickly in the second, but only found themselves falling deeper into a scoring deficit. In the first five minutes of the period, Virginia tacked on two more goals, courtesy of Virginia freshman striker Minnie Pollock in the 18th minute and junior midfielder Noa Boterman in the 20th.

In the 28th minute, sophomore midfielder Erin Griffin scored the Tribe’s first and only goal of the game, cutting the Virginia lead to two. But less than a minute later, Virginia junior striker Taryn Tkachuk tacked on another goal, making the score 4-1 going into halftime.

In the third, both team’s offenses went cold. There were no goals, despite three shots on goal for the Cavaliers, all of which failed to pass by Tribe freshman keeper Alexandra de Jesus.

WOMENʼS SOCCER

Takes down CAA opponent Drexel Tribe stays hot, wins 2-1

Thursday, Sept. 7, William and Mary women’s soccer (5-0-3, CAA 2-0) defeated Drexel (4-3-1, CAA 0-1-1) 2-1 to secure its first conference win of the season in Philadelphia, Pa.

The Tribe remains undefeated through its first eight games, the longest opening unbeaten streak in program history.

“I think Thursday’s game proves how far this team can go this season,” sophomore defender Leila Greene said. “Drexel is a good, fast and gritty team that knocked us out in the playoffs last year. Getting to play them for our first conference game certainly sparked a revenge spirit amongst the team.”

Drexel was first on the board, with a goal coming in the 18th minute from junior forward Casey Touey. The Tribe had numerous chances to even the game’s score at 1-1, finally converting one in the 34th minute on a group effort. Sophomore forward Ivey Crain took a shot that was blocked by a Drexel defender, but freshman defender Molly Widderich

VOLLEYBALL

recovered the rebound and shot the ball in the net, marking the first goal of her collegiate career. Crain received credit for an assist on the play.

The half concluded with an even score of 1-1. Entering the 59th minute, Crain managed to convert a goal of her own, with an assist from junior forward Leah Iglesias that gave the Tribe a lead they held until the end.

Fifth year goalkeeper Zoe Doughty held it down in the goal for the Tribe, recording seven saves on the day. With this matchup marking the beginning of conference play, William and Mary hopes to maintain its unbeaten record into the upcoming schedule.

“I think there is always pressure that comes with maintaining an unbeaten record, but for the rest of conference play, our team is focusing on always outworking our opponents and being unstoppable defensively,” Greene said.

The Tribe continued its undefeated season with a win at Delaware on Sunday, Sept. 10 to move to 5-0-3. The team will take on Monmouth Thursday, Sept. 14 at 7:00 p.m. at Albert Daly Field in Williamsburg, Va.

MENʼS SOCCER

With a three goal deficit to erase, the Tribe went into the fourth determined to close the gap. However, the team was unable to cut into the deficit. Virginia added two goals in the quarter and closed out the game winning 6-1

on the road.

William and Mary hopes to bounce back next Friday, Sept. 15 when the team travels to Towson (3-2) for its first CAA matchup of the season in Towson, Md.

Last minute collapse costs the game

After holding lead into 86th minute, Tribe falls short

MAX GRILL FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR

Saturday, Sept. 10, William and Mary men’s soccer (1-3-1, 0-1-0 CAA) suffered a last-minute loss to Delaware (4-0-1, 1-0-1 CAA) 3-2 at the Stuart and Suzanne Grant Stadium in Newark, De.

The Tribe, which looked to begin its inter-conference season on a high note, carried a lead into the 86th minute of the match before letting up two last-minute goals to the Blue Hens.

Saturday night’s game got off to a slow start due to a two hour weather delay. Once play started, the Tribe and the Blue Hens came out sluggish, playing more than 20 minutes before either team scored a goal.

In the 22nd minute, Delaware senior forward Carlos Fernandez put the Blue Hens on the board with his first goal of the game. Just over a minute later, the Tribe fired back with a goal of its own. Sophomore forward Lucas Caldas found the back of the net for his third goal of the season, with the assist on the play going to senior midfielder Ian Krajna and freshman midfielder Aidan Morrison.

Tied at 1-1, the Tribe had no intention of slowing down and pressed with its offense to strike again while the iron was hot. In the 29th minute, freshman back Evan Rabush scored his first collegiate goal off another assist from Krajna, giving the Tribe a 2-1 lead.

Once the Tribe secured the lead, the team locked down on defense. For almost an hour of play time, Delaware’s offense remained silent as the score held at 2-1 going into the final four minutes of regulation time.

However, when the clock struck the 86th minute, the Tribe’s defense began to crumble. Fernandez struck again, tying

the game with his second goal of the day off an assist from Blue Hen senior defender Liam Fuller. Before the Tribe could figure out what happened, Fernandez scored again, securing a hat trick for the match and a 3-2 Delaware lead with less than a minute left on the clock.

In an instant, the Green and Gold went from likely winning a tough road game against a Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) rival to leaving Delaware with its third loss in four games.

The Tribe looks to bounce back at home Sept. 12 when it takes on Old Dominion (1-0-3) at Martin Family Stadium in Williamsburg, Va.

Tribe’s hot start slams to a halt, goes 0-3 at Bobcat Invitational

Green and Gold falls to .500 with trio of losses in last invitational of the year

Friday, Sept. 8 and Saturday, Sept. 9, William and Mary women’s volleyball (5-5) went winless at the Bobcat Invitational, failing to pick up a win in three out-of-conference games at Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio.

The Tribe closed out its non-conference schedule with matches against North Carolina State (8-1), Texas at El Paso (6-2) and host Ohio (5-4).

Entering the Bobcat Invitational, the Tribe maintained a 5-2 record to start the 2023 season, marking the best seven-game start for William and Mary since its 18win season in 2009.

In the first game of the invitational, William and Mary

lost to NC State in straight sets, 13-25, 25-27 and 19-25.

William and Mary got on the board first in the opening set due to a service error, with freshman middle blocker Amber Jarecki-Meyers recording her first career kill. In Friday’s match, which marked her collegiate debut, JareckiMeyers recorded two kills and a block assist, securing 2.5 points.

The Tribe managed to take the lead early, holding NC State off until the eighth point. The Wolfpack responded by erasing the deficit, and with eight straight points, won the first set 25-13.

The Green and Gold built momentum in the second set, led by graduate student outside hitter/opposite Taylor Burrell, who recorded six of 14 team kills. In the latter half of the

set, the two teams continued to battle back-and-forth in scoring.

Freshman right side Katherine Arnason and outside hitter Audrey Brcka recorded two kills to reach set point for William and Mary, 2423. NC State responded with a set point of its own. Graduate student setter Emma Minnick’s first kill of the game came at the right time, tying the match at 25-25. However, two consecutive kills from NC State’s sophomore outside hitter Ava Brizard won the second set for the Wolfpack 25-27.

In the third and final set, Tribe blocking from senior middle blocker Sabrina Malcolm, junior outside hitter Eleanor Stothoff and Burrell kept William and Mary in the game. Despite its stellar blocking, NC State managed to

outhit the Tribe, winning the final set 19-25.

Entering the second of three matches, William and Mary looked to rebound against UTEP. In the first set, the Tribe started with a 4-0 run caused by three UTEP errors and a timely kill by Stothoff. UTEP responded and erased the deficit, taking the lead with its 12th point. The Miners continued its hot streak, winning the set 25-18.

William and Mary emerged for the second set with positive energy, monopolizing on mistakes by UTEP. Although UTEP reached set point first, the Tribe bounced back to win the set 26-24, tying the match at 1-1.

UTEP responded with strong third and fourth sets, winning 23-25 and 18-25, respectively.

On Saturday, William and Mary played Ohio in the final matchup of the invitational. Despite strong showings at the service line, the Tribe lost in four sets to the Bobcats, 3-1.

Ohio won the first two sets. The Bobcats grabbed the lead early in the first set, and maintained it for a 25-18 win.

While the second set had three lead changes and tied scores, Ohio built momentum to take the second set, 25-14.

William and Mary looked to respond in the third set, creating seven tied scores with only one lead change. Despite being behind until the 14th point, the Tribe rallied to win the set 25-23 with decisive points produced by Minnick and Malcolm.

The final set was tightly

contested with multiple tied scores and lead changes. However, after surviving three match points, the Tribe simply was unable to complete the comeback, dropping the set 2519 and losing the matchup. Burrell was a standout performer in the third match, continuing her prolific performance onto the second day of the invitational. She tacked on three aces and averaged 3.5 points per set, which earned her almost 40 points on the invitational. The Tribe will look to recover as it returns home in the team’s first taste of Coastal Athletic Association play to face Charleston on Saturday, Sept. 16 and Sunday, Sept. 17 at Kaplan Arena in Williamsburg, Va.

FIELD HOCKEY

RYAN GOODMAN / THE FLAT HAT

Sophomore midfielder Erin Griffin (top) scored the Tribeʼs only goal on Friday, her first goal of the 2023 campaign.

LACI MILLER FLAT HAT SPORTS ASSOC.

RYAN GOODMAN / THE FLAT HAT

William and Mary field hockey team added to its impressive track record after beating No.12 Wake Forest last week. The Tribe also beat No. 19 Old Dominion, No. 6 Liberty and No. 16 Duke last season, going 3-3 against Top 25 teams in 2022.

ETHAN QIN FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR

sports

Team veterans guide football through second half struggles

Defense keeps Wofford out of endzone, holds Terriers to only two field goals

FOOTBALL from page 1

Later in the quarter, Wofford capitalized off a short kick from Tribe senior punter Will Whitehurst with a field goal from sophomore kicker Bridger Jones. William and Mary still led 7-3 with four minutes left in the first quarter.

Although the Tribe’s third drive started with a 29yard kickoff return from Mayo and a 45-yard rush by Imoh, Wofford held the William and Mary offense short of field goal range, forcing the home team to punt the ball in a fourth and 16 situation at the Wofford 32-yard line.

After another Wofford three-and-out, William and Mary managed to tack on more points with a 40-yard senior kicker Caden Bonoffski field goal. Set up by multiple runs from Yoder and Wilson, the Tribe continued to emphasize the importance of maintaining the ground game in its offensive strategy. Following the field goal, William and Mary led 10-3 with 11 minutes, 28 seconds remaining in the first half. Wofford responded with its own field goal, driving down the field with a combination of runs and pass completions. The over six minute drive ultimately resulted in a Jones 29-yard field goal, cutting William and Mary’s lead to 10-6 with five minutes, four seconds left in the second quarter.

The Tribe’s next drive showcased the brilliance of Taylor’s offensive playbook. Following consecutive pass completions to Mayo and Yoder, the Tribe was poised to put more points on the board ahead of the halftime break. On first down at the Wofford 43-yard line, Wilson handed the ball off to Yoder in what appeared to be a run play. However, Yoder pitched the ball to Mayo, who was lined up in the slot. He proceeded to flip the ball back to Wilson, who connected on a 40-yard completion to sophomore tight end Trey McDonald for the first catch of his career.

Two plays later, Wilson completed a pass to Mayo for a two-yard touchdown, putting William and Mary up 17-6 with under three minutes left in the half.

Carrying the momentum of its recent score, the Tribe defense found success against the stagnant Wofford offense, forcing the Terriers to once again go three-and-out. Wofford punted the ball out-ofbounds at the William and Mary 40-yard line with a minute and a half remaining, leaving the door open for the Tribe to score once more before the break.

Starting the drive with a 15 yard Wofford penalty, the Tribe advanced to the Wofford 45-yard line. After passes to junior wide receiver DreSean Kendrick, Mayo and Imoh, Bonoffski knocked down a 42-yard field goal, leaving just two seconds on the clock and

extended the Tribe lead to 14 points.

Entering the second half of play, the contest shifted to a more defensively heavy game as both offenses came to a standstill. Wofford’s opening drive resulted in a three-and-out. William and Mary’s first drive ended with a turnover on downs after gambling on a fourth and four situation at the Wofford 16-yard line.

This offensive dry spell continued for three more consecutive drives from each team. Both sides found difficulty passing and running the ball, punting the rock away on all three drives.

In the early portion of the fourth quarter, the Tribe offense finally came back to life. After strong runs from both Imoh and Yoder, Wilson turned to the passing game and found redshirt freshman tight end Sean McElwain open for a 21-yard gain. On first and 10 at the Wofford 30-yard line, Wilson went back to the air to record a 16-yard completion to Mayo, putting the Tribe at the Wofford 14-yard line.

Following a short rush by Yoder and incomplete pass attempts to Mathis and Mayo, the Tribe turned to Bonoffski to convert a 30-yard field goal. With the made kick, William and Mary led Wofford 23-6 under seven minutes remaining in the game.

Wofford failed to respond on the next drive, again going three-and-out after taking a sack on third and seven at its own 36-yard line. Punting the ball away, the Tribe looked to run down the clock by handing the ball to Imoh and sophomore running back Martin Lucas. With less than two and a half minutes remaining in the game, the Tribe punted back to Wofford.

With all but the win secured for William and Mary, Wofford went to the ground game for the rest of regulation.

Although the offense was not prolific for the entirety of the game, the Tribe’s defense was steadfast, not giving up a single touchdown and only allowing 156-total yards – the fewest allowed in

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT

one game in the team’s last eight seasons.

Particular standouts on defense were senior inside linebacker Kevin Jarrell, who recorded a career-high 14 tackles, and junior outside linebacker John Pius, who recorded two sacks and two and a half tackles for loss.

Including the four sacks, the Tribe defense recorded nine tackles behind the line of scrimmage for 38-yards of losses. Wofford averaged only 3.1 yards per play, converting one of 13 third down chances.

“I’m proud of the defense in the way they played,” London said. “Sometimes you look at it and you feel like it should have been more, but you don’t beat yourself up about it. You look at the categories in terms of total yards, rushing yards, how many times you had a hit on the quarter, sacks, pressures, and you say, ‘Man, these guys got after them.’”

This is the first instance William and Mary’s defense had not allowed a touchdown since the beginning of the 2021 season.

Another standout performer was Bonoffski, who finished the game three for three on field goal attempts from 40, 42 and 30 yards out. This season marks Bonoffski’s first season with the program, after transferring from Davidson to play for the Tribe in his fifth and final year of eligibility. Bonoffski has been consistent and accurate so far this season, converting five of six field goal attempts in the first two games. Following his performance against Wofford, Bonoffski was honored as CAA Football Special Teams Player of the Week.

William and Mary will now face Charleston Southern (1-1) on Saturday, Sept. 16 at Buccaneer Field in Charleston, S.C.

Moon galvanizes field hockey program culture, inspires as team leader Senior mid elder Jayden Moon propels Tribe to early season success

So far this season, senior midfielder Jayden Moon has played an instrumental role in the William and Mary field hockey team’s successes.

Originally from Spotsylvania, Va., Moon attended Riverbend High School, finishing her prep career with 76 goals and 53 assists. Her 76 goals set the school record. Ahead of her tenure at William and Mary, Moon had earned the distinction of First Team All-District for three years, was named All-Area First

Team by the Fredericksburg Free Lance Star in 2018 and 2019 and was named second-team all-state in Virginia.

Moon continued to find success when she joined the Tribe. During her freshman year, she won Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Week for her performance against Drexel, when she recorded her first collegiate assist. As a rookie she played every game and contributed to the Tribe’s winning record.

In her sophomore season, Moon started all 16 games. She scored her first collegiate goal against

Towson off of two shot attempts. Moon went from playing 55 minutes in her freshman season to 854 minutes in her second year. She also acquired new accolades in her sophomore season, including selection into the 2022 Senior Nexus Championships.

The Senior Nexus Championships is a platform of development for players that have interest in competing at a higher level. This program is designed to develop players to a higher level that may play on the Olympic team in the future. Selection into this program is highly competitive, and the tournament is annually held in the summer. Moon’s selection into this program speaks volume not just to her current skill, but to her potential future in field hockey.

In her junior season of competition, Moon was chosen as a reserve for the US U-21 Women’s National Team prior to the Junior Pan American Championship. On the field, she recorded assists in back-to-back games against No. 11 Connecticut and Central Michigan. Moon started 13 of the 15 games.

Now in her final season with the Tribe, Moon continues to play a pivotal role in the team’s

success. She began

with a goal and assist against

RYAN GOODMAN / THE FLAT HAT

While the Tribe offense slowed down in the second half, strong performances from the defense and senior kicker Caden Bonoffski sparked a 23-6 win against Wofford on Saturday, Sept. 9 at Zable Stadium in Williamsburg, Va.

RYAN GOODMAN / THE FLAT HAT Senior running back Bronson Yoder had an impactful game, rushing for 88 yards in Saturday nightʼs home opener.

the season

James Madison and played a significant portion of the game in the Tribe’s upset against No. 12

Wake Forest. With a large chunk of the season remaining, Moon has many opportunities to continue her influence on the success and culture of Tribe Field Hockey.

SYDNEY WITWER FLAT HAT SPORTS WRITER

RYAN GOODMAN / THE FLAT HAT

The Tribe relied on its steadfast defense and versatile run game in Saturday nightʼs matchup. The contest marked the first game in which William and Mary did not allow a single touchdown since the beginning of the 2021 season.

Senior midfielder Jayden Moon has inspired a positive and winning culture within the Tribe field hockey program. Moon has recorded one goal and one assist in the first three games of the season.