September 6

Resurrection

Check out The Flat Hat’s annual football preview.

Learn all you need to know about the Tribe football team before tomorrow’s home opener.

Vol. 103, Iss. 4 | Friday, September 6, 2013

The Flat Hat The Twice-Weekly Student Newspaper

of The College of William and Mary

Williamsburg

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Housing

The Jewish Mother returns ResLife

reshuffles

New housing creates RA jobs

BY Abby boyle Flat Hat News Editor

can order and pick up a meal to go. Miller noted the restaurant also plans to build a covered outdoor patio area for dining.

The restaurant will also have a full bar license, but the owners said they won’t implement any age restrictions for the music shows.

“This gives students a late-night … place to go that’s open to everybody,” Tuttle said.

Part of the space will be dedicated to the restaurant, while another section will feature a stage for live musical performances. The owners noted The Jewish Mother features various national and regional musical acts, but

Last spring, Bianca Rogers ’14 chose a single in the Hospitality House — now called One Tribe Place — during room selection. A few months later, Rogers received an email from Director of Residence Life Deb Boykin explaining that she was being moved to Chandler Hall due to mold issues in one wing of the former hotel. However, Rogers was unfazed by the change.

“It didn’t really bother me that much,” she said.

“As long as I still had a single, I didn’t really mind.”

The conversion of One Tribe Place into student housing, the construction of the new fraternity and independent houses and the changes in freshman housing all contributed to a somewhat hectic few months. The Residence Life staff made various adjustments to prepare the new buildings for movein and to ensure each hall would be staffed with Resident Assistants.

“Obviously it was a crazy summer for ResLife because there were huge projects going on everywhere, but overall I think there’s a lot of cool new housing options for people,” Head Resident Mary Grech ’14 said.

Among the new housing choices in last year’s room selection was One Tribe Place, which the College purchased in March. The acquisition of the building meant the College was able to meet the demand for on-campus housing — there was no waitlist for room selection.

However, students who had signed up to live in One Tribe Place received an email in June from Boykin explaining that approximately 73 residents would be moved to Chandler Hall due to the mold issues in the addition of the former hotel.

See CITY page 3

See RESLIFE page 3

KATHERINE CHIGLINKSKY / THE FLAT HAT

(Left to right) Real estate agent Vernon Geddy, Jewish Mother owner Scotty Miller, Director of Operations Dave Coleman, City Manager Jack Tuttle and Economic Development Director Michele Dewitt sign the lease. The restaurant will occupy space in the Triangle Building on Prince George Street.

The restaurant and live music venue will open a location on Prince George Street

BY Katherine chiglinsky // flat hat Editor-in-chief The Jewish Mother, a restaurant and live music venue, is returning to Williamsburg this year, filling the empty spot in the city’s Triangle Building, located at 601 Prince George St. Owners of The Jewish Mother signed a five-year lease Thursday to rent space in the Triangle Building. The business will occupy 5,454 square feet and neighbor the MAD About Chocolate store.

The business owns two other restaurants in the area: The Jewish Mother Backstage in Norfolk and The Jewish Mother Hilltop in Virginia Beach. The owners previously maintained a Williamsburg location on Richmond Road in the 1990s. After a fire destroyed the property,

they decided not to rebuild the Williamsburg restaurant.

The Jewish Mother’s return to the city marks the first time since early 2011 that the Triangle Building has reached full occupancy.

“This, for the city, is a big deal,” Williamsburg City Manager Jack Tuttle said. “Having The Jewish Mother come back to Williamsburg is news in itself, but having them come downtown and specifically to the Triangle Building is, for us, big news.”

Owner Scotty Miller said the business plans to cater to all citizens, providing a menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Part of the restaurant will offer take-out food, so students

International

law school

Community reacts to Syria

Puller aids injured veterans

Professors ponder ethics of involvement

BY ZACH HARDY Flat Hat CHIEF STAFF WRITER

BY Ariel Cohen Flat Hat ASSOC. News Editor

After serving in the armed forces, veterans are entitled to certain benefits if injured.

Because of the difficult nature of diagnosing issues and the complicated process required to receive benefits, many injured veterans don’t submit claims or their claims are backlogged and waiting to be processed.

The Lewis B. Puller Jr. Clinic at the MarshallWythe School of Law has become a model by which veterans can obtain benefits they are entitled to receive.

The clinic pairs law students with attorneys to help veterans file benefits claims. They conduct interviews with the veterans and gather documents such as private treatment records. With this information, they can submit what’s called a fully developed claim — a claim that helps the applicant receive benefits faster.

“We make it easy as possible for the veteran by gathering all the evidence they need to make a claim,” Managing Attorney StaceyRae Simcox said. “These issues can be really complicated and they need someone to sit down and spend lots of time with them.”

Since the clinic started in 2008, it has helped hundreds of veterans successfully process claims.

When Evan Coyne ’12 arrived in Syria in January 2011 to study Arabic, he thought Syria’s stable political climate would remain constant.

“At the time we were watching the other revolutions in the area, like in Yemen, but no one ever thought that would happen in Syria,” Coyne said.

Two years after being evacuated from his university in Aleppo due to political and military tensions, the conflict has turned into a civil war and the United States is deliberating intervention.

“I think that the United States has had a lot of opportunities in the past to possibly do something more effective, but now we’re at a full blown civil war rather that just a revolution,” Coyne said. “There are on average about 5,000 Syrians being killed every month and the violence is not going to stop. We have a lot of very limited options right now.”

President Barack Obama’s administration is proposing a ‘punitive military strike’ against the Assad regime in Syria in response to President Bashar al-Assad’s alleged use of chemical weapons against civilians. Syria has been involved in a civil war for the past two years.

The use of chemical weapons crossed the “red line” Obama had previously set, leading to the recent call for See SYRIA page 4

Index News Insight News News Sports Opinions Variety Variety

Today’s Weather 2 3 4 Insert 9 10 11

Law school program to help vet benefit backlogs praised by McDonnell, Warner

COURTESY PHOTO / LAW SCHOOL COMMUNICATIONS

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va. spoke on how the Puller Center will help backlogs of veterans’ claims at the Law School.

The Puller Clinic helps veterans navigate the legal processes involved in applying for benefits by collaborating with nursing students from Old Dominion University and faculty and students from Virginia Commonwealth University’s Center for Psychological Services and Development.

These students help evaluate veterans for physical and mental health issues, like posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain damage.

“There are very few veterans clinics around the nation, and this is the first one that put lawyers together with doctors and people

Inside opinions

See PULLER page 3

Inside VARIETY

Virginia only hurts itself by discriminating

Sunny High 79, Low 55

from other schools,” Simcox said. “It makes us unique as well as very helpful.”

Several politicians, including Gov. Bob McDonnell, R-Va., and Congressman Rob Wittman, R-1st, have praised the Lewis B. Puller, Jr. Clinic as a model that should be implemented at other law schools.

Senator Mark Warner, D-Va., wrote a letter to the senate on how similar clinics could help process the U.S.’s large backlog of claims.

He recently announced with U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki that the

By not extending health benefits to the partners of profession in samesex partnerships, Virginia weakens its public universities. page 9

Summer Fun in the ‘Burg

School might be in, but summer’s not over yet. Here’s where you can hit the beach or grab a snow cone before autumn. page 11

newsinsight “ “THAT GUY” WITH NEAL DESAI ’14

This week’s “That Guy” features Neal Desai ’14, who is on the pre-medicine track. He also serves as the chair of the Conduct Council and was an Orientation Aide this past year. He describes about his experiences in the Sentara Scribe program, and his involvement on the council. For more, check out flathatnews.com.

“

THE DIGITAL DAY

News Editor Abby Boyle News Editor Annie Curran fhnews@gmail.com

The Flat Hat | Friday, September 6, 2013 | Page 2

THE BUZZ

“Death is death, and whether you do it by bullet, bomb or sarin gas it doesn’t make a difference.”

— Government professor Deborah Shushan on the conflict in Syria

AROUND THE ‘BURG

THE BLOG LOG

FROM “EMBRACE YOUR UNIQUENESS”

By Daniela Saniz

“There is no one else quite like you, and that’s the reason that you were selected amongst the thousands upon thousands of applicants. You were selected, in part, in the hopes that you will impart the blueprint of who you are on the lives of these students who are, quite undoubtedly, going to change the world. Embrace change, but never embrace what you feel is a betrayal to your sense of self. This is what I have discovered is one of the most important satisfactions that you can attain here, should you be prepared to fight to keep it.”

Read more at flathatnews.com

A THOUSAND WORDS

COURTESY PHOTO / NETRIGHTDAILY

Senator Tim Kaine, D-Va., took part in a Senate Foreign Relations Committee this week and expressed support for limited military action in Syria.

State records increase in tourism Virginia generated $21.2 billion in revenue from tourism in 2012, the Daily Press reported. This is a 4 percent increase from 2011 and a record high for the Commonwealth. According to Gov. Bob McDonnell, R-Va., Virginia tourism supported 210,000 jobs over the year. Since McDonnell took office, tourism revenue has increased each year. He said tourists are drawn to Virginia because of “all that this great state has to offer from Atlantic Ocean beaches to Appalachian Mountains.”

Gubernatorial candidates participate in parade Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, R-Va., and Terry McAuliffe, D-Va., walked down Magnolia Avenue in the Shenandoah Valley town’s annual Labor Day parade Monday, The Washington Post reported. The two candidates for governor, as well as Libertarian candidate Robert Sarvis, gave speeches at the end of the route. The parade, which used to be a large event, has decreased significantly in size over the years. A parade-watcher held a sign that read: “Wanted: A few honest politicians.”

ELEANOR LAMB / the FLAT HAT

House delegation divided on Syria According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Virginia’s house delegation is divided on whether to support using American military force in Syria. Six Republicans and a Democrat represent the individuals who do not support the strike. Senator Tim Kaine, D-Va., participated in a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing this week and has come out in support for limited military action in Syria. Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-11, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has also come out in support of a strike with no ground troops.

Local middle school enters lockdown According to Williamsburg Yorktown Daily, Hornsby Middle School in James City County was locked down for a few hours Wednesday afternoon after a student found a loaded rifle magazine in a classroom. The police questioned several students, and an investigation is ongoing. The lockdown began around 12:15 p.m., with parents alerted following the incident.

CAMPUS POLICE BEAT

Aug. 27 — Aug. 31

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

The Flat Hat

1

Friday, Aug. 27 ­— An individual was arrested for possessing marijuana on Ukrop Way.

2

Saturday, Aug. 28 — An individual was arrested for stealing four brass statues from One Tribe Place.

The estimated value is $200.

Aug. 30 — An individual was arrested for 3 Monday, $50 worth of vandalism at Yates Hall.

4

‘STABILITAS ET FIDES’ | ESTABLISHED OCT. 3, 1911

Tuesday, Aug. 31 — An individual was arrested for being drunk in public and underage possession of alcohol on Wake Drive.

25 Campus Center, The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Va. 23185 Newsroom (757) 221-3283 — Advertising Dept. (757) 221-3283 / flathatads@gmail.com Editor flathat.editor@gmail.com News fhnews@gmail.com Sports flathatsports@gmail.com

Opinions fhopinions@gmail.com Variety flathat.variety@gmail.com Photos flathatphotos@gmail.com

Katherine Chiglinsky Editor-in-Chief Ellen Wexler Executive Editor Meredith Ramey Managing Editor Abby Boyle News Editor Rebecca Marshall Copy Chief Annie Curran News Editor April Smith Copy Chief Aine Cain Variety Editor Benoit Mathieu Photo Editor Jack Powers Sports Editor Hayley Tymeson Photo Editor Chris Weber Sports Editor Benming Zhang Online Editor Zach Frank Opinions Editor Matt Camarda Editorial Writer Zach Hardy Chief Staff Writer Emily Nye Assoc. Variety Editor Veronique Barbour Assoc. News Editor Emily Stone Assoc. Variety Editor Ariel Cohen Assoc. News Editor Mick Sloan Assoc. Sports Editor Claire Gillespie Assoc. News Editor Richie Thaxton Copy Editor Bailey Kirkpatrick Assoc. News Editor Emily Lowman Copy Editor Eleanor Lamb Assoc. News Editor Allison Ramage Copy Editor Matt Camarda Assoc. Opinions Editor Jenna Tan Copy Editor Andrea Aron-Schiavone Assoc. Opinions Editor Lindsay Wade Cartoonist Ashley Hamilton Assoc. Online Editor Lizzie Dabbs Cartoonist Rachel Brown Assoc. Variety Editor Brian Kao Graphic Designer Natalie Ferenbach Assoc. Variety Editor Karin Krause Social Media Manager Devon Ivie Assoc. Variety Editor Kaitlin Kunowsky Business Manager

News in brief VIMS professor re-appointed

Physicist prepares for “rotator”

The College’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science Professor Roger Mann was recently re-appointed to a second three-year term on the state’s Aquaculture Advisory Board

by Gov. Bob McDonnell, R-Va. The board, which was created in 1992 by the General Assembly, searches for ways to sustain Virginia’s aquaculture while maintaining the economy and the environment. Mann, who serves as the Molluscan Ecology Program at VIMS, will continue to bring a fresh scientific perspective to the board.

Mann’s work focuses especially on oyster culture in the Chesapeake Bay and works closely with local oyster farmers to help the mollusk population thrive.

Marc Sher, a physics professor at the College, will take a year-long hiatus to serve as a program director, or “rotator”, at the National Science Foundation. In his position, Sher will decide how to allot between $12 million and $13 million in funding to scientists wishing to advance their work in cosmology and theoretical particle physics. Sher will have to sort through about 100 grant applications, which will arrive in December. This inundation will be sifted through tiers of reviewers and panelists, who will work with Sher to make the decision of who gets the funding. Sher’s advanced knowledge of the subject matter will help in the decision-making process.

NPR reports on James River eagles National Public Radio included a report on September 4 about the area’s bald eagle population during their morning segment. Elizabeth Shogren, who works with NPR’s science department, did the reporting. She is working on a series about the recovery of species that were once endangered. Shogren went on a James River cruise in mid-August with graduate student Bryan Watts to examine the area’s eagle population. Shogren’s story focuses on how eagles are fighting for breeding grounds. Eagles have swarmed to the area, which has come to be known as “comeback central.” The bald eagles’ vocalizations were recorded as part of the radio segment.

Friday, September 6, 2013

The Flat Hat

Page 3

CRIME

Handgun, ammunition stolen on campus

Construction employee at Green and Gold Village reported robbery over the summer

by ANNIE CURRAN flat hat news editor

On Aug. 5, one of the many contracted construction employees working near the Green and Gold Village realized a handgun and ammunition valuing $200 had been stolen from his belongings.

After he reported the missing items, the employee was banned from campus and given trespass notice for violating the College of William and Mary’s weapons policy. The College is not releasing the employee’s name.

“The items have not been recovered and the owner of the weapon was charged

with carrying a concealed weapon,” William and Mary Chief of Police Donald Challis confirmed in an email.

Even though the man was hired through a contractor, Director of News Marketing Suzanne Seurattan says the employee knew it was illegal to bring a handgun on campus.

“Our weapons policy applies to all university employees, including faculty, hourly and wage employees, and contract workers, and volunteers (collectively, members of the campus community) on any property owned, leased, rented, or otherwise under the control of the university (university

property),” Seurattan said in an email.

“Contractors are made aware of the policy.”

If it was the employee’s first offense, carrying a concealed weapon in the Commonwealth of Virginia is a Class 1 misdemeanor. He could face up to year in jail or up to a $2,500 fine.

Law school program aids veterans

Students adjust to new housing

PULLER from page 1

RESLIFE from page 1

Puller Clinic was added to the Fully Developed Claims Community of Practice, a group established by the Department of Veterans Affairs dedicated to expediting the process by

which veterans receive benefits.

“This is a win-win-win: veterans get quicker approval for benefits they have earned, and VA can move quicker through its backlog because it will be receiving more complete and accurate claims,” Warner said in his letter.

Live music venue to return to Williamsburg CITY from page 1

also supports local artists, potentially offering a venue for student musicians.

“You don’t have to be Garth Brooks to go there and play,” Director of Operations for The Jewish Mother Dave Coleman said.

The move to the area comes as the city hopes to revitalize the Prince George Street section of downtown Williamsburg.

Two mixed-use developments, Prince George Commons and G-Square Redevelopment, are planned for a section of the street located directly across Armistead Avenue.

City officials anticipate that the mixeduse developments and new businesses will attract more visitors to that area of downtown. Because of increased traffic, the city plans to invest in an infrastructure improvement project to increase sidewalks and patios near the Triangle Building.

“It’s going to truly transform that part of downtown,” Tuttle said.

Calculated net present values.

Then netted a 10-pounder.

COURTESY PHOTO / KATE HOVING

The Jewish Mother will fill the empty space in Williamsburg’s Triangle Building, located on Prince George Street.

“Many of [the affected students] were disappointed — of course they’d be disappointed — but we ranked those assignments based on the order they’d selected the rooms,” Boykin said.

Some of the students who were notified about being moved to Chandler opted to take other available housing spaces on campus, Boykin said.

Despite the fact that many of Chandler’s residents were originally supposed to live in One Tribe Place, Grech said most seem happy with the building and its location. To accommodate the students who were moved, ResLife installed air conditioning units in each newly occupied room. Grech said two students share each bathroom, mirroring the private bathroom setup in One Tribe Place.

“I think people were initially really disappointed, obviously, but when people were moving in, they were really excited about it,” Grech said. “There were no huge complaints at all, because the rooms in Chandler are huge.”

Rogers was pleased with the amenities in her new room.

“I really like my room,” Rogers said. “I have a sink in my room, air conditioning, two closets. … It all worked out.”

Additionally, since One Tribe Place was purchased after RAs had already been assigned to their areas for the 2013-14 school year, Boykin said ResLife used a list of alternates in choosing the RAs for the building.

“When we go for our RA selection, we always have [alternates] because we always, every year, have people who sign up to be RAs who end up leaving the position for one reason or another,” Boykin said. “We always use that alternate list to fill the positions. We had a good number of alternates, so we just went back through that list and called people and made offers.”

This year there were 17 hires from the alternate list, but Boykin emphasized that the situation was abnormal given that nine positions were added for One Tribe Place and Chandler. She explained that ResLife also always holds four spots in freshman housing to be filled in May when the staff knows the makeup of the class and can determine whether to

hire male or female RAs. In total, there were four other vacancies between February and the start of classes. Boykin said there are still students on the alternate list.

In August, Daniel Park ’16 learned his roommate had been chosen off the alternate list. Park is now living in a DuPont Hall double by himself.

“Mostly I reacted like, ‘Okay, well how’s the school going to handle this? Will they give me a new roommate or will I be living alone?’” Park said.

“The school actually didn’t contact me. I waited for a week, so I called [ResLife] myself to get an answer, finally.”

The 2013-14 housing contract states that if a space in a vacancy like Park’s is not filled by Oct. 15, the student can request to keep the room a single but pay a “double as a single fee,” which is one-half the cost of the unoccupied half of the room in addition to the normal housing fee. If Park does not request to make his room a single, the College reserves the right to assign him a new roommate at any time — the same policy reserved across campus.

Some new buildings do not have RAs. There are eight housing assistants serving in fraternity and sorority houses, Boykin said.

As far as amenities in the new housing options go, Boykin said laundry should be available inside One Tribe Place by the end of the semester, and the staff is working hard to resolve the parking situation.

Boykin said she has heard positive feedback from the building’s residents as well as from students in the fraternity and independent complexes and freshmen in the newly renamed Green and Gold Village.

“We really feel like the synergy of having those 400 students there will be similar to the synergy that’s always been there for Botetourt,” Boykin said. “There’s that community built around the courtyard, the porches, the way the buildings are laid out there.”

Looking ahead, Boykin anticipates a possible reorganization of housing areas to rectify the current imbalance in the number of residents per area director. Since the College will add 50 new freshmen next year, she said ResLife is exploring various options to fit the whole class in campus housing.

“Last month, I joined a team in San Francisco to start working on a Silicon Valley project. Come to find out, a few of the clients share my passion for fly-fishing.

And some of the best in the world is just a short drive into the Northern Sierras.

Needless to say, when we head out on weekends, we take the phrase ‘Gone Fishing’ to a whole new level.”

See every amazing angle at exceptionalEY.com.

© 2013 EYGM Limited. All Rights Reserved. ED None.

COURTESY PHOTO / JULIA HOLEMANS

ABBY BOYLE / THE FLAT HAT

Above: A double in One Tribe Place. Below: A single in Chandler Hall, which originally would have housed two students.

The Flat Hat

Friday, September 6, 2013

Page 4

STUDENT ASSEMBLY

SA debates fall break transportation bill Washington Office cosponsors D.C. Fall Break Act to bus students to Dupont Circle for $15 or $20

Forty minutes of debate and split votes marked the first Student Assembly senate meeting of the 2013-14 academic school year. The seven dissenting votes in Tuesday’s meeting revealed a notable difference from last semester, during which only 11 “no” votes were cast the entire semester.

The subject of the debate — the Washington, D.C. Fall Break Act — ultimately passed 13-2.

The act outlines a plan for students to receive bus transportation from the College of William and Mary campus to Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. for $15-$20 on the Friday that kicks off fall break, Oct. 11.

The College’s Washington Office, which is cosponsoring the plan, will also host an internship workshop and networking event at 11:30 a.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 16. Bus transportation taking students back to the College will leave from the Washington Office following the event at 2 p.m.

Senators first debated whether the bill should be moved to old business without going through the standard committee procedure, which would take an extra week.

“Sending it through the committee system … gives you points from different perspectives that I think get lost in meetings like this,” Sen. Colin Danly ’15 said.

Chief of Staff Drew Wilke ’15, the main point of contact with the Washington Office, and Sen.

Daniel Ackerman ’16, who wrote the bill, argued that they needed to begin marketing the program immediately.

“I know it seems like fall break seems so far away … but I’m already thinking of how I’m going to get home,” Ackerman said. “I think every Ackerman day we wait is a loss of people who could be interested in the program.”

Wilke noted that if the program proves extremely popular, an extra week would give the SA time to book another bus.

The bill takes $1,500 out of SA funds, which — matched by $1,500 from the College’s Washington Office — covers the cost of one 55-passenger bus and the Tuesday event.

“We throw around so many numbers sometimes we forget what that actually means,” Sen. Caleb Stone J.D. ’15 said. “$1,500 may be a drop in the bucket for us, but it’s still $1,500. I don’t think this is so important that it can’t wait another week.”

The senate voted 9-5 to move the bill to old business and debated its points before passing it.

“I don’t know if this is the best way to showcase the DC office,” Danly said.

Danly also suggested that people taking the bus would not come to the Washington Office workshop on Fall Break and instead just use it as a means to go home.

“Yes, we want people to go to the DC office, but

“

I know it seems like fall break seems so far away … but I’m already thinking of how I’m going to get home.

—Sen. Daniel Ackerman ’16 on the Washington, D.C. Fall Break Act

it still is a service of transportation,” Wilke said.

“We felt like it was a good opportunity to allow students who are from DC a cheaper way to get home and/or if you’re someone who lives out of state and wants to go to DC for the weekend, it’s a great opportunity.”

The DC office and SA will market the workshop to all students, even the ones who did not take the bus.

At the meeting, the Photo Booth Reimbursement Act passed unanimously, allocating $2,400 to repay Phantom Shadow Entertainment for their photo service at Convocation.

“A photographer took pictures of students,” Secretary of Student Life Alyssa Zhu ’14 said. “The photos were printed then and there and were put on [a] white photo cover that had the SA seal on the outside and ‘one tribe, one family’ on the inside slot.

We just wanted to get [the students] excited to be at William and Mary.”

Arrion Dennis ’08 J.D. ’15 was also approved

“

by Claire Gillespie flat hat assoc. news editor

for appointment to the Review Board.

“I’m really interested in getting actively involved in all parts of campus,” Dennis said.

“Being a law students, in terms of reviewing constitutionality in any action, gives me good skills for [the Review Board].”

Other students who are interested in getting involved in elected SA positions can attend an information session Sept. 8-11 at 7 p.m. about the up coming freshmen election and Class of 2014 vice president of social affairs and secretary elections.

Homecoming T-shirt designs are due Sept. 10.

The Undergraduate Council wants to sell them at family weekend this year.

“If you’re into art, please submit a design,” Class Treasurer and Undergraduate Council Chair Brett Prestia ’14 said. “We’d really like to have a wide variety. … This is a big step up for us, especially reaching out to the campus like this. Please submit to myself or to any of your class officers.”

ALUMNI

Glenn Close’s costumes will go on display at Muscarelle Exhibition will coincide with Close’s visit to campus in late September to receive Cheek Medal Award, meet students

by Ariel Cohen flat hat assoc. news editor

COURTESY PHOTO / PAUSELIVEACTION.COM

Glenn Close ‘74 in “Dangerous Liasons.” Close played the Marquise de Merteuil.

Beginning Sept. 29, some of actress Glenn Close’s ’74 most famous costumes will be on display in the Muscarelle Museum of Art. The exhibit, “Glenn Close: A Life in Costume,” consists of Close’s costumes from some of her films and will be on display for the rest of the semester. The exhibit features costumes from Close’s roles in “101 Dalmatians,” “Dangerous Liaisons” and “Maxie,” among others.

“I am thrilled to bring this exhibition to the place that prepared me so well, on so many levels, for my life and my career,” Close said in a press release.

Close will be on campus the weekend the exhibition opens to receive the Cheek Medal Award for her contribution to the arts as a part of the Arts and Entertainment Conference.

“We delight in the generosity of Glenn Close in sharing these memorable costumes with her alma mater,” Director of the Muscarelle Museum of Art Aaron DeGroft said in

a press release. “These pieces are treasures in the world of popular culture, and we are so pleased to be able to offer the public the opportunity to view them in person.”

In addition to opening the exhibit, Close will hold a masters theatre class for arts students at the College of William and Mary during her visit.

When theatre minor Celeste Hall ’14 was in high school, Close came to speak in her hometown. During her lecture, Close advised students interested in theatre to pursue a liberal arts education and recommended the College.

“We are very fortunate to have a theatre alumnae who continues to support the arts at William and Mary,” Hall said. “I’m so excited for her to return to the College and am planning on participating in her master class and visiting the costume exhibit on the opening weekend.”

COURTESY PHOTO / FANPOP.COM

Close played Cruella de Vil in the 1996 film version of “101 Dalmatians.”

Students, professors discuss views on conflict in Syria As situation escalates, Obama sanctions action but government, religious studies professors are split on support SYRIA from page 1

military intervention.

“I don’t think you cure a humanitarian problem with more violence. It may make you feel good by dropping a few bombs, but it just adds to the violence,” Distinguished Adjunct professor of government and public policy Colonel Lawrence B. Wilkerson said. “The only way that’s moral, in my mind, is if the outcome produces a better situation in Syria. Right now that’s very doubtful, you’re probably going to produce something like Afghanistan.”

For the United States to take military action, Congress must vote to approve the strike. Obama, Speaker of the House John Boehner and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, as well as Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham, among others, have all expressed support of the strike.

“I am quite skeptical about the efficacy of a limited U.S. military strike against Syria,” government professor Deborah Shushan said. “It will inevitably kill innocent civilians, may lead to a further radicalization of the extremely splintered opposition to the Assad regime, and is likely to fan anti-U.S. sentiment in a region already quite resentful of meddling by the U.S. military.”

The strike is in response to the reported 1,400 Syrian deaths as a result of sarin gas. The conflicts over the last two years have resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths.

“Death is death, and, whether you do it by bullet, bomb or sarin gas, doesn’t make a difference,” Shushan said. “I think that the rationale for the U.S.

government is that there tends to be this dichotomy when it comes to the use of chemical weapons.”

Despite the numerous deaths, technically, Syria has yet to violate international law, although the use of nuclear weapons does conflict with international norms. However, the U.S. government would be violating international law if we were to proceed with the “punitive” strike.

“The international legal system has failed us,” Shushan said. “We have to follow international law and we have to do ‘what’s right.’ But in this case, what is right?”

The United States has already ruled out the options of putting “boots on the ground” in Syria as well as implementing a “no fly zone” or supplying Syrian rebel forces with arms.

The Obama administration has been pushing for a peace deal with the Assad regime, but Syria has refused all efforts.

“A military strike would exacerbate hostilities, but we have to make a choice,” religious studies professor Tamara Sonn said. “Are we considering intervention at a humanitarian level or are we wiling to risk expansion of the war in Syria by appearing to take a partisan stance?”

Any actions taken in Syria will inevitably affect the rest of the region. Some believe the strike is more about sending a message to Iran rather than Syria.

“If it’s perceived to be a strike or chemical weapons use and if it’s not too intense or too long that’s one thing,” Wilkerson said. “But if it’s regime change and around the clock bombing, Iran will

have a significant problem with it. But its also a question of credibility, the United States does not have good credibility in the region right now.”

Sonn agreed that what happens in Syria will affect the rest of the area.

“Any action taken in Syria is unquestionably impacted by other countries in the region, in particular Iran,” Sonn said. “Ideally, our allies would talk to Iran about bringing their nuclear program into accord with international law in exchange for [Iran] pulling their support of the

Assad [regime].”

Although they are thousands of miles away, some students at the College of William and Mary are feeling the effects of the tension.

“As cliché as it sounds, its insane to think how we are all the same and how divergent our lives are,” Maryam Kanna ’14 said. “Students our age in Syria may not be able to go to school because their professor got kidnapped or because there is a protest outside their university. It really puts things in perspective.”

COURTESY PHOTO / NEWYORKER.COM

The conflict in Syria has escalated this month. The United States government is deciding whether to take military action.

football ’13 The Flat Hat

Resurrection

GRAPHIC BY BRIAN KAO / THE FLAT HAT

After back-to-back NCAA tournament runs in 2009 and 2010, the Tribe won just seven games the past two seasons. Head coach Jimmye Laycock looks to return the College to prominence in 2013.

2009 11-3 (6-2 CAA)* 2010 8-4 (6-2 CAA)*

2013 Football Preview

2011 5-6 (3-5 CAA) 2012 2-9 (1-7 CAA)

2013 Football Preview

Sports Editor Jack Powers Sports Editor Chris Weber flathatsports@gmail.com

Reinvigorated

The Flat Hat | Friday, September 6, 2013 | Page 2

Offensive coordinator Kevin Rogers replaces longtime coach Zbig Kepa

BY CHRIS WEBER FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR

MICHAEL GRAHAM

Senior quarterback

indication, Laycock has no qualms with replacing quarterbacks mid-game or during the week.

“Being able to have solid play at quarterback in this league is so, so important. We’ve had guys in and out of the lineup who haven’t been able to get the practice time,” Laycock told the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

“Hopefully, we don’t have all that this year and get some guys ready and get them some practice and be able to put some games together.”

Junior wide receiver Tre McBride returns to help Graham after being named to the preseason AllCAA team. McBride, who led the Tribe receiving corps with 897 yards and ten touchdowns on 55 catches last season, came down with two ridiculous catches against West Virginia to set himself apart as a go-to playmaker on Roger’s offense.

Pulling in 16.3 yards a catch in 2012, look for McBride to threaten defenses with long routes.

Graham, given time and room, has proven he has the necessary arm and touch to get the ball downfield to his target.

“The main thing is that our timing with the offense is a lot better,” Graham told the Daily Press. “Coach Rogers has really helped me with getting the ball out on time — knowing where to go and getting the ball there on time. I think that’s really helped our passing game.”

After the departure of Tribe-great Jonathan Grimes ’11, Laycock tinkered with tailbacks before naming junior Keith McBride the starter last season.

Despite the designation, expect running-back-bycommittee. Both junior Jarrell Cooper and red-shirt freshman Kendell Anderson (76 yards combined) showed moments of promise against the physical Mountaineer defense.

Junior fullback Darnell Laws figures to play into Roger’s scheme, especially after a breakout performance in the season opener. The 66-foot-0, 225 pound back found success in check-down routes, hauling in eight passes for 45 yards and a score out of the backfield.

Up front, senior offensive lineman Matt Crisafi returns after starting every game in 2012. With a developing offense, Rogers will rely on the run game to convert short yardage situations and protect whichever quarterback lines up behind center.

For Laycock, Rogers and the rest of the College’s offense, the 2013 season holds promise — but no guarantees.

“I don’t know if we’ll be great on offense, but I’m hoping we can be efficient and get better as the season goes along, especially if we can maintain some consistency at quarterback,” Laycock told the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

New offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Kevin Rogers began the offseason with a problem. Of William and Mary’s four quarterbacks with a shot to start Saturday, two were sidelined with injuries, one had never seen a collegiate snap, and the last gimped through last season with inconsistent play, injuries and illness. “[Rogers] is a good coach, but he can’t play quarterback,” head coach Jimmye Laycock told the Richmond Times-Dispatch, dismissing one solution to the quarterback issue. “[Rogers is] helping us out a lot with the offense. We’re changing a few things around to give us some different looks, but it still boils down to you have to have the players to execute it and play.”

With fellow quarterbacks junior Raphael Ortiz and senior Brent Caprio unable to practice fully and with sophomore Christian Brumbaugh’s inexperienced, the majority of offseason snaps fell to fifth-year senior Michael Graham.

The extra practice snaps, coupled with Roger’s coaching, helped Graham throw for 207 yards on 18 of 27 passing against West Virginia, including two touchdowns, in the season opener in Morgantown.

“With a new offense, the more reps you get, the more efficient you’re going to be, the better you’re going to know it — what checks to make and stuff. So it definitely did help,” Graham told the Daily Press.

“I’m very comfortable with the offense. Me and Coach Rogers are on the same page about a lot of stuff, so I feel really good about what we’re doing.”

Graham, who has alternated starts and snaps for seasons, has taken advantage of Roger’s consistent input.

“His understanding of the offense is much better,” Rogers told the Daily Press. “He’s getting through his reads and progressions much better, instead of hanging onto one receiver. He has become a better leader and has demonstrated some poise in the huddle and on the field.”

Decision-making, the crux of the College quarterbacks’ inconsistent play last season, has also improved.

“It’s not just being accurate in the throws. Obviously, that’s important. But sometimes, the decision not to throw is equally important as throwing on the money,” Laycock told the Daily Press.

While Rogers and Laycock may have found a temporary solution, don’t expect Graham to get through the season without pressure from both the coaching staff and the bench. If last season was any

TRE Mcbride

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RB McBride

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MATT CRISAFI

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Ugokwe

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Conference Schedule

DARNELL LAWS

Junior fullback

RHODE ISLAND

@VILLANOVA

@MAINE

JAMES MADISON

September 21, 7 p.m.

WHEN Zable Stadium, Williamsburg, Va. WHERE 24-21 loss (2011) MOST RECENT RESULT

October 5, 1 p.m.

WHEN Villanova Stadium, Villanova Pa. WHERE 20-16 win (2011) MOST RECENT RESULT

October 19, 12:30 p.m.

WHEN Alfond Stadium, Orono Me. WHERE 24-10 loss (2012) MOST RECENT RESULT

October 26, 3:30 p.m.

WHEN Zable Stadium, Williamsburg Va. WHERE MOST RECENT RESULT 27-26 2OT loss (2012)

COMMENTARY Rhode Island, the only team that finished below the Tribe in the Colonial Athletic Association last year, should be one of the Tribe’s easier matchups. The Rams’ senior quarterback Bob Bentson finished with less than 100 yards passing against Fordham last week. No wonder this game was scheduled for Parents’ Weekend.

COMMENTARY Consistently one of the premier teams in the CAA, Villanova enters this season widely touted as one of the favorites to win the conference. Similar to the Tribe’s West Virginia experience, the Wildcats led Boston College through the first half, but couldn’t score in the second half and finished with a 24-14 loss.

COMMENTARY The Black Bears ruined the College’s Homecoming last year, controlling the game from the start en route to a 24-10 win. The Bears’ three running backs rushed for 180 yards in their opening-day romp of Norfolk State.

They will keep the Tribe’s front-four defenders busy all day long.

COMMENTARY Tribe players are surely still smarting from their double overtime defeat to the Dukes last year and will look to exact retribution this time around. It will be a tough task, however. Coming into the year ranked 15th in the Football Bowl Subdivision, JMU crushed Central Connecticut 3814 in its first game.

2013 Football Preview

The Flat Hat | Friday, September 6, 2013 | Page 3

Rock and Roll

Seniors Jerome Couplin III and George Beerhalter lead daunting defense

BY JACK POWERS FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR

LUKE RHODES

Sophomore linebacker

Stone-solid defenses are the core of championship-contending teams. If its exemplary performance in the first half of last week’s game against West Virginia is at all representative of what’s to come, William and Mary’s defense will pose a staunch test for any Colonial Athletic Association offense.

Any discussion of the College’s defense must begin with the two senior captains — safety Jerome Couplin III and defensive tackle George Beerhalter. Both were strong against West Virginia — Couplin finished with a game-high 14 tackles, 10 of which were open-field solos.

Up front, Beerhalter, a four-year starter, leads a defensive line that promises to be one of the deepest units on the team. Juniors Jasper Coleman and Stephen Sinnott bring a wealth of experience, both having started the majority of last season’s games.

“Up the middle we’re pretty solid,” head coach Jimmye Laycock said. “I think George Beerhalter is as good, or potentially as good, as anyone in this league. He’s been healthy now and doing very well.”

The surprise starter of Saturday’s game, junior defensive lineman Mike Reilly, made his impact on the game with five tackles, two for a loss, a forced fumble and the Tribe’s two sacks of the game.

Expect him to have a big season at defensive end.

“We can’t get too confident,” Reilly said. “We have got to get better, every single day.”

Although senior defensive lineman Bryan Stinnie didn’t start against West Virginia, he figures to play a large role after starting every game last year.

Besides Couplin, the Tribe’s secondary is relatively untested. Two of the College’s starters in the secondary earned their first collegiate starts Saturday against West Virginia. Junior safety Ryan Tagoe followed Couplin’s lead Saturday, wreaking havoc on the Mountaineer skill-position players to the tune of nine tackles.

Fellow beginner, senior cornerback Ryan Smith, needs to improve from his lackluster first-game start in which he only had one tackle.

Sophomore cornerback DeAndre HoustonCarson, who started every game last year opposite current Dallas Cowboy B. W. Webb ’13, will guard the other side of the field. Even with last season’s experience, Houston-Carson looked shaky at times Saturday, especially when he was burned on

a 69-yard West Virginia touchdown reception.

Backup junior cornerback Frank Tamakloe, a highly-touted player, also received a significant amount of playing time Saturday and did not disappoint, notching four tackles. While HoustonCarson is relatively secure in his spot, Tamakloe and Smith will likely compete for the second cornerback spot.

Easily the most questionable unit in coordinator Scott Boone’s defense due to its inexperience, the secondary is led by arguably the Tribe’s best player: senior Jerome Couplin III. With tremendous athleticism and blistering speed, Couplin’s excellent performance against West Virginia won’t be an outlier. Couplin is primed to infuriate rival quarterbacks and receivers all season long, just like he has since he was a freshman.

“Jerome, back there at safety, is a great leader and a solid, solid player,” Laycock said.

The College will have one of the CAA’s most intimidating linebacker corps, returning three linebackers who appeared in all eleven games last year. However, the Tribe will miss Jabrel Mines ’13 and Dante Cook ’13, who both graduated after distinguished careers. Senior linebacker Quincy September looks to prove himself after playing behind Mines and Cook for three seasons. September had a good start against the Mountaineers, finishing with nine tackles.

The man in the middle, sophomore linebacker Luke Rhodes, should improve on an excellent freshman year in which he garnered a thirdteam all-conference nod. Rhodes anchors the linebacker corps with the kind of smart, hardnosed performances he demonstrated Saturday and all last season. Rhodes’ speed and strength as the Tribe’s middle linebacker should make him the scourge of opposing running backs.

“Luke Rhodes at linebacker is a very consistent performer and a hard-working guy that just loves to play football,” Laycock said .

Junior linebacker Airek Green started all but one game last year and finished with an impressive 53 tackles on the year. Together, Green, Rhodes and September make an intimidating trio that should be able to prevent opposing offenses from getting easy yardage.

It’s hard not to think of the 17-7 halftime score against West Virginia’s high-octane offense and not be confident about the Tribe defense’s prospects for the season. With standouts like Beerhalter, Couplin and Rhodes harassing opponents, the defense could be good enough to prop up the offense if needed.

S

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Conference Schedule NEW HAMPSHIRE

@DELAWARE

TOWSON

@RICHMOND

November 2, 1:30 p.m.

WHEN Zable Stadium, Williamsburg, Va. WHERE 28-25 loss (2012) MOST RECENT RESULT

November 9, 3:00 p.m.

WHEN Delaware Stadium, Newark, Del. WHERE 51-21 loss (2012) MOST RECENT RESULT

November 16, 1:30 p.m.

WHEN Zable Stadium, Williamsburg, Va. WHERE 20-17 loss (2012) MOST RECENT RESULT

November 23, 4:00 p.m.

WHEN Robins Stadium, Richmond, Va. WHERE 21-14 loss (2012) MOST RECENT RESULT

COMMENTARY The College hosts New Hampshire in the thick of its Colonial Athletic Association slate. Similar to the Tribe, the Wildcats’ quarterback position was in flux last season after starter Sean Goldrich went down with an injury in the second week. Look for either Goldrich or experienced backup Andy Vailas to lead New Hampshire’s potent offense.

COMMENTARY With 10 returning starters, first-year head coach Dave Brock has plenty to work with offensively. Brock worked as Rutger’s offensive coordinator last season, coaching the Scarlet Knights to the Big East title. Look for coordinator Scott Boone and the Tribe’s defense to have a busy afternoon.

COMMENTARY An illegal forward pass from junior quarterback Raphael Ortiz stalled the College’s comeback a season ago, as the Tigers narrowly won. Towson returns five offensive linemen to bolster an offense that averaged 31 points per game the last two seasons. The Tribe offense will face three returning all-CAA defenders.

COMMENTARY Longtime rivals, the College and Richmond meet in Richmond for both teams’ final conference game of the season. The “South’s Oldest Football Rivalry,” first played in 1898, resumes a season after a tightly contested affair in Williamsburg. Look for playoffs to be on the line for at least one of the teams.

The Flat Hat

Friday, September 6, 2013

Page 4

2013 Football Preview

2013 The

Season

Does the Tribe have an answer at quarterback?

How will new hire Kevin Rogers impact the College?

Can Scott Boone’s defense hold up against conference opponents?

The Flat Hat Sports desk has a few

QUESTIONS Jack Powers Chris Weber Flat Hat Sports editors

Q

Given the College’s recent turnover at the quarterback position, who will be the Tribe’s quarterback come season’s end?

Jack Powers: As much as I would love to believe that senior quarterback Michael Graham will be just as deadly the rest of the season as he was in the first half against West Virginia, I find that hard to believe.

My money is on junior Raphael Ortiz taking over late in the season after the team suffers through its hardest stretch. We still don’t know the severity of his injury, but there’s no doubt he’s the most dynamic contender.

Also, if other things don’t pan out, expect head coach Jimmye Laycock to start planning for the future with Ortiz.

Chris Weber: Wildcard pick here: I’m going with sophomore Christian Brumbaugh.

With Ortiz and senior Brent Caprio out with injury, I don’t see either ready for a game this season. Look for Laycock to get fed up with Graham’s inconsistency and insert Brumbaugh for a change of pace.

Q

2-9 a year ago, there’s plenty of room for the College to improve. What’s the Tribe’s record when the season finishes?

JP: It’s difficult because the second question is so contingent on the first. I may have been seduced by the Tribe’s sexy first half last week, but I’m relatively optimistic right now. There’s a lot of talent on this team, and the attitude they showed against WVU had me convinced they’re intent on revenging last year’s quagmire. That said, I can’t see them doing much better than 6-5,

possibly 7-4. It’s easy to forget how good the Colonial Athletic Association is, but the Tribe will have no easy matchups past its next three.

CW: After a two-win season, there’s no way the College can move backward. At least, that’s the hope. I see more close games, but better execution down the stretch. Look for at least five wins — ­ best-case scenario, the Tribe is looking at an 8-3 season. My money says closer to five than eight.

CW: With the team’s game planning around junior wide out Tre McBride, I’m looking for junior wide receiver Sean Ballard to benefit from the attention McBride will get from opposing defenses. You’ll hear Ballard’s name over the Zable Stadium public announcement system.

Q

With seniors gone, the depth chart has suffered numerous changes. Who’s your pick for the team most valuable player?

Q

JP: I have to stay safe and go with senior safety Jerome Couplin III. He was a monster in Morgantown against supposedly bigger and more athletic players.

JP: James Madison for Homecoming. No doubt in my mind. Last year’s game was an instant classic and the Tribe certainly hasn’t forgotten the sting of that heartbreaking loss.

JMU will probably come in as the favorite, but an upset to ring in Homecoming could be in the works.

CW: After a year of getting the majority of the carries, Keith McBride gets my vote for most valuable player. If nothing else, Laycock does have solid running schemes — look for McBride to surpass expectations.

Q

Of the eight Colonial Athletic Association games on the schedule, which one will be the best to watch?

CW: Richmond, last week of the year.

How can you not love a rivalry that started in 1898?

Every year one or two players surprise analysts and fans. Name this season’s breakout performer.

Q

JP: This is kind of cheating because he already broke out last week, but junior Mike Reilly is going to be a menace at defensive end this year. He recorded two sacks against Mountaineer offensive linemen who were much bigger than most he will see for the rest of the year.

JP: The best defensive unit is the linebacker corps. They’re intent on proving there won’t be a drop-off without Jabrel Mines ’13 and Dante Cook ’13. Rhodes can only get better after a sparkling freshman season, and that’s frightening. His mates, senior Quincy

Taking the offense, defense and special team units, which one will impress the most?

September and junior Airek Green, are also imposing and set for a big year.

CW: Secondary.

Scott Boone will have his squad sharper than in Morgantown. Watch out for junior DeAndre Houston-Carson — I’ve watched him play since high school. His potential is limitless. Couplin III will contend for the conference’s most valuable player.

Q

Head coach Jimmye Laycock brought longtime coach Kevin Rogers on board for the 2013 campaign. What impact will Rogers have on the offense?

JP: Irrespective of play calling, which I don’t think will change too much from last year, Rogers is invaluable as a mentor to the Tribe’s extensive quarterback stable.

Graham looked more confident than ever against WVU last week. I don’t think that would have happened without Rogers.

CW: Huge fan of Rogers. Laycock made the right call bringing in the longtime coach.

It just so happens that Rogers specializes in quarterbacks — the Tribe’s weakest position.

Funny how that happened.

Follow @FlatHatSports for coverage and analysis as the College (0-1) hosts Hampton (0-1) Saturday, September 7 at 7 p.m. at Zable Stadium.

opinions

Opinions Editor Zachary Frank fhopinions@gmail.com

The Flat Hat | Friday, September 6, 2013 | Page 9

Wake up,

The state’s lack of same-sex partner health benefits will hurt its colleges and economy

“

You think you have a problem funding public education now — wait and see what monster you’ll create by withholding domestic benefits for an issue as mundane as sexual orientation.

Change your policy and you will save your universities.

Under current policies, you undervalue your colleges. You, in the words of Trammell, harm your graduates’ chances of landing a job in businesses that value a good education.

You’re hurting yourself.

As gay faculty and staff leave your borders, your colleges and universities weaken. Your graduates, as a result, weaken. You will produce class after class of students unprepared to compete in the global economy, beaten out of jobs by students whom your former faculty and staff taught in another state.

How many faculty and staff will flee your borders before you take action?

Without coverage for domestic partners, gay and lesbian faculty and staff are taking their intellect, skill and most importantly, their grants to other states or private companies that offer

benefits.

You face a serious problem — a “brain drain of gay academics,” to echo the Washington Post.

This isn’t a new phenomenon, Virginia. You’ve heard these complaints before.

In 2009, College President Taylor Reveley signed a letter to then Governor Tim Kaine, D-Va., voicing concerns over not extending domestic benefits.

Former University of Virginia President John Casteen and former George Mason University President Alan Merten signed too, underscoring the economic and social consequence of withholding benefits.

You did nothing, Virginia, after Governor Robert McDonnell, R-Va., came into office. On the surface, the issue seems deeply political. The Republican tag-team of McDonnell and Cuccinelli avoided the issue.

Peel back the layer of the problem, and you’ll see not extending domestic benefits isn’t just a political question.

It’s an economic concern, a social concern and a problem for your state’s universities and colleges.

Poor business has no room on the state level. Get on track, Virginia, before the George Masons and the Virginia Techs and the William and Marys of your state lose all hope of equality in the academic world. You think you have a problem funding public education now — wait and see what monster you’ll create by withholding domestic benefits for an issue as mundane as sexual orientation.

Discrimination isn’t a word to be thrown around lightly. You’ve faced this charge before, 50 some odd years ago.

Shockingly, or maybe not shockingly, you did nothing then. You’ve had a Civil War on your front porch. Change your policy before another type of civil war starts, in the courtroom, in the media and on your college campuses.

Since you move slowly and in small steps, Virginia, follow the precedent for extending benefits and avoid legalizing

gay marriage.

The University of Missouri recently enacted a more inclusive benefits package.

They’re not sinking or falling apart as a result.

Wake up, Virginia.

You offer health benefits to the partners of heterosexual state employees, including faculty and staff of your public universities. You deny those same rights to the partners of homosexual faculty and staff. That’s discrimination.

You watch your so-called ‘valued’ gay academics pack up and leave, headed for the greener pastures of your rival states.

You turn a blind eye to gay faculty and staff struggling to support their partners not covered by the state benefits system. You remain blind even when those faculty and staff leave the state, packing millions in grants with them.

You refuse to extend federal benefits because you don’t recognize gay marriage, even as you lose money and the value of your state institutions.

The solution is easy. Asking you to realize the solution is tough, but possible. Follow precedent and extend benefits to partners of gay and lesbian

Staff Editorial

Mixed results and poor planning from the College In just one year’s time, the construction and renovation of major buildings have profoundly changed the appearance of some sections of the College of William and Mary and the living experience for many of its residents. While the sheer ambition and relative success of these projects are commendable, there are aspects of these changes that either could have been improved or perhaps could have been completed at a later time.

The Williamsburg Hospitality House, which the College acquired at the end of last semester, was converted into housing for hundreds of upperclassmen as One Tribe Place. Its inclusion allowed the College to end the waiting list for on-campus housing and provided students with the chance to live in a hotel. There have been a quite a few

Graphic by Lindsay wade / the Flat hat

bumps in the road, however. This summer, due to a mold problem, Residence Life bumped a number of students who had been promised rooms in One Tribe Place to Chandler Hall. Chandler had already been taken offline, so the College had to scramble to put it back online to accommodate the displaced students. Additionally, One Tribe Place also has no laundry access, and it will stay that way until December. The parking situation is a mess, and residents have accidentally demagnetized their key cards by holding them too close to their phones.

Tucker Hall, while significantly improved, was only completed approximately 24 hours before the first day of classes, nearly forcing professors to hold their classes in Tyler Hall, Sadler or not at all.

Another monumental project, the construction of the fraternity housing complex, has been plagued with delays, and even though the fraternity houses themselves are finished, the community building is not, with its area director, Shylan Scott, still not living in her apartment.

The updated keycard system, which most students probably haven’t noticed, hasn’t been consistent, in one instance preventing transfer students living in Ludwell Apartments from entering their buildings.

Although these problems will likely be solved quickly, they pose safety concerns in the meantime.

The one major improvement on campus

that we consider an unmitigated success is the expansion of the Sadler dining hall.

Its massively increased capacity, greater food variety and late-night dining options show a terrific responsiveness to student opinion, attracting mobs of hungry undergraduates during mealtimes.

The College ought to be proud of the progress it made this summer — future students will reap the benefits — but maybe it took on too much.

More foresight might have prepared the College to more efficiently deal with the challenges its ambitious projects created. The College shouldn’t have to break promises to students or risk class disruption in order to finish projects that could have been planned more effectively.

Abby Boyle recused herself from this staff editorial to remain unbiased in her reporting. Meredith Ramey recused herself from this staff editorial due to a conflict of interest.

The staff editorial represents the opinion of The Flat Hat. The editorial board, which is elected by The Flat Hat’s section editors and executive staff, consists of Abby Boyle, Matt Camarda, Katherine Chiglinsky, Meredith Ramey and Ellen Wexler. The Flat Hat welcomes submissions to the Opinions section. Limit letters to 250 words and columns to 650 words. Letters, columns, graphics and cartoons reflect the view of the author only. Email submissions to fhopinions@gmail. com.

By Allison Hicks, Flat Hat cartoonist

faculty and staff.

You’ll retain your high quality academics and benefit from a more progressive society.

Wake up, Virginia.

Email Chris Weber at cmweber@ email.wm.edu.

Comments @theflathat

“

Green and Gold village ain’t that great you know?

They’re still fixing a lot of stuff and there are cockroaches and ants everywhere.

—FratStartAnonymous on “Better dorms and Sunken Gardens: The freshman edition”

“

You must be new here. The “village” is a dramatic improvement over what it was “back in the day.” Those cockroaches and ants are par for the course. Welcome to college, young ‘un!

“

V

irginia, you are, once again, behind the times. Your neighbors are stealing your cherished professors. Your neighbors are benefitting from your grants. You won’t say you discriminate, Virginia, but you do.

Miles behind 13 states and the District of Columbia, you refuse to acknowledge the legitimacy of same-sex marriage. When the federal government ruled gay couples must receive the same federal benefits as heterosexual couples in states recognizing gay marriage, you gleefully toasted that you do not, in fact, recognize gay marriage.

You cling to an antiquated set of political beliefs. You throw around words like “progressive,” but you trot out outspoken anti-gay rights Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II, R-Va., like a prize sheep at one of your county fairs. You talk business and growth, and yet you use policies that encourage employees to flee from you.

Where do you draw the line, Virginia?

You won’t legitimize gay marriage.

You won’t succumb to the national movement toward the legalization of gay marriage. You won’t entertain the idea of gay marriage within your borders. Fine.

But, Virginia, when you refuse to offer health benefits to domestic partners of state employees, you openly discriminate against your population.

You deny your people a right because of sexual orientation. You discriminate.

You cherish your vaunted colleges and universities, but stand idly by, watching your gay and lesbian staff hightail it out of your borders. When these faculty and staff leave, your colleges and universities suffer. You lose grants. You lose money.

Explain how this is good business, Virginia.

With your neighbors offering federal domestic partner benefits to academics in same-sex partnerships and

“

Chris Weber

flat hat sports editor

marriages, you offer nothing. Why should gay faculty and staff, struggling to find benefits for their partners, stay?

If you want to remain as one of the handful of states offering top-notch higher education, go back to the basics.

Your policies drive away faculty and staff, the same faculty and staff that maintain your academic reputation and bring thousands of students to your borders.

Students attend your universities to receive a quality education and are willing to pay. Lose your faculty and staff, lose your students, and lose your money. You might not see this as a problem, Virginia, but your constituents do.

Former Rector of the Board of Visitors of the College of William and Mary Jeffrey Trammell ’73 lays it out for you. It’s simple: “The best business practice, the best way to run the university today, is to extend same-sex health benefits,” Trammell said.

“

Virginia

—Dread_Pirate_Roberts on “Better dorms and Sunken Gardens: The freshman edition”

variety

Variety Editor Áine Cain flathat.variety@gmail.com

The Flat Hat | Friday, September 6, 2013 | Page 10

Professor Scott Ickes Uganda: Maternal Care

rural area with little electricity and only one paved road. Even though the area is impoverished, the research performed by Ickes and the students appeared to have an impact.

“There were several different projects we were doing. My particular project … was looking at maternal capacities for child feeding,” Ickes said. “We were trying to understand what the social and cultural determinants of child feeding were through this lens of maternal capacities. The idea behind maternal capacities is that there are some intrinsic characteristics of women, qualities about them, that are shaped by their social and physical environment and the various structures that create their society.”

With strong social support, a woman

RACHEL BROWN FLAT HAT ASSOC. VARIETY EDITOR

Professor Scott Ickes’ ’04 summer research laboratory wasn’t filled with flammable chemicals or lab rats or particle accelerators. In fact, his laboratory wasn’t even on campus. Instead, he spent a month in Bundibugyo, Uganda, over 7,000 miles away from Williamsburg, where he researched maternal capacity and its relationship to child nutrition.

Ickes and a few students from the College of William and Mary traveled to Uganda, Tanzania and Malawi this summer to perform child nutrition and global health research after receiving a grant through the Reves Faculty Fellows.

Ickes describes Bundibugyo as a remote,

ALL COURTESY PHOTOS / AIDDATA

has better decision-making capabilities and therefore her maternal capacity is high. Maternal capacity is important because it can affect a child’s health.

Relationship dynamics, marriage patterns, physical health and other factors can all affect maternal capacities.

“In general, we … found that this notion of maternal capacity seemed to be an important one to bring to the discussion of child nutrition,” Ickes said. “Some of the key findings were that three life events, which are very socially embedded, affected women’s ability to provide well for their children, specifically in the area of nutrition. The first was getting pregnant at a young age. The second one was having a child that’s closely spaced to another child. And the third was being in

a polygamist union.”

Ickes and his team examined how these factors affected women’s ability to provide for their children through conducting semi-structured interviews and focus groups, along with weighing and measuring babies.

Ickes noticed that his work gave the people of Uganda a sense of enablement and enlightenment, and he plans to regularly go back to Africa each summer with teams of students to continue researching public health.

“Just providing a forum to raise some of these issues and talk about some of the challenges in people’s communities relating to child nutrition, to family dynamics that might be problematic in terms of supporting good nutrition in

general childcare — that seemed to be empowering for women,” Ickes said. “I think men often felt the discussions raised some challenging topics for them to think about relating to their role in society and their role in families and in caring for children, but I think they too felt pretty engaged and challenged in a positive way and ultimately encouraged that some work was being done to shed light on some problematic patterns in the culture.”

Ickes understands the goal of research — to examine a problem and find a solution. Child nutrition is a major problem in developing countries such as Uganda, but Ickes and his team are taking big steps in — and long flights to — Uganda to help improve the health of its citizens.

Emily Mahoney Uganda: Nutrition

BY EMILY STONE FLAT HAT ASSOC. VARIETY EDITOR

Pumping money into aid projects is often the solution that comes to mind when most people think about global development and ending world hunger.

For aid efforts to be successful, however, they must be tracked and compared with similar projects around the world. This is where the AidData initiative comes in.

“Brad Parks, who is one of the founders of AidData, as an undergraduate, wanted to do his senior thesis on tracking environmental aid,” Emily Mahoney ’15 said. “But he came to realize that there’s really no information available in one common database. He thought finding all the data would be so easy, but

it wasn’t. He worked with Professor Tierney to get [AidData] started, and they brought in Professor Dan Nielson from BYU and Development Gateway. It’s a partnership between BYU, William and Mary, and UT Austin through Development Gateway.”

Mahoney began working on local nutrition projects with Professor Scott Ickes during her freshman year.

For most of her sophomore year, Mahoney worked on a research project in Ickes’ lab comparing da about the prevalence of malnutrition in Malawi.

“When I was working on the research project over the school year, it was a lot more statistics,” Mahoney said. “A lot of the work was cleaning up the AidData and going through that data and figuring out what the density of certain activities was in Malawi. It was more data analysis. My work over the summer focused

more on talking to people. It was more qualitative.”

Mahoney spent five weeks of her summer in Kampala, Uganda, and the remainder of summer in the AidData house on Scotland Street in Williamsburg.

“Professor Ickes wanted me to provide local context to this project,” Mahoney said. “What that entailed was me meeting with a lot of nutrition focal people in Uganda and figuring out how they would like to see a map of nutrition projects in the country.”

Mahoney’s work in Williamsburg differed from her time in Uganda — instead of meeting with donors, Mahoney spent time assigning activity codes to aid projects in the AidData system.

“I don’t remember the exact number of how many coders were at the AidData house, but there were a ton, and it was really fun. We were all there from

9-5. I want to say there were about 50 people. There were some UT Austin students, and a couple BYU students. There were about ten graduate students who were working as consultants for various reasons, so all together, a lot of really cool people.”

AidData recently received a federal grant of $25 million to start a development lab.

“Ever since the grant, AidData has hired a ton of new staff and it’s a cool work environment,” Mahoney said. “Something that’s also very characteristic of a William and Mary experience is that they really value undergrads. Any undergrad that has an idea for [AidData] is always encouraged to go and talk to Mike Tierney and Brad Parks. That’s how AidData started, with Brad’s idea when he was an undergrad. That’s definitely the crux of AidData at William and Mary.”

Sara Rock Nepal: Geocoding

BY EMILY NYE FLAT HAT ASSOC. VARIETY EDITOR

For most students, summer is a time to kick back and enjoy the pleasures of life at home. Inevitably, many of us get jobs working as lifeguards at the local pool while others enjoy vacations with their friends and families. Several spend their summer days toiling away behind desks as interns while others choose days of sleeping in well past noon. However, very few can say they spent three months teaching masters

students how to ‘geocode’ at Kathmandu University in Nepal. Unless your name is Sara Rock. Then you can say that.

Sara Rock ’14, a Chinese and international relations double major at the College of William and Mary, spent the summer working to educate masters students at Kathmandu University’s School of Art in the art of geocoding, a skill she herself acquired through her work with AidData.

AidData is an international “initiative that aims to increase the impact of

development assistance by making aid information more transparent and accessible to a wide range of stakeholders,” according to AidData.org.

Rock, who got her start in the program as an intern, traveled to Nepal as part of the AidData Summer Fellowship, a program made possible through a grant provided

by USAid. Over the next five years, the program will work to send students to developing countries in hopes of enabling local people and organizations with the skills needed to utilize AidData’s extensive

data and research set.

“AidData specializes in geospacial data related to development finance,” Rock said, “We have World Bank data, information from USAid, a couple of important different data sets.”

Specifically, Rock focused on teaching her students how to use GIS software called ARCGIS, software that allows the user to make maps of any kind of geospatial information that can be mapped on a spread sheet. Since the students Rock taught were in programs

primarily focusing on development studies and human and natural resources, the skills mentioned were highly relevant.

Rock was struck by her observations on the quality of life in developing countries.

“I was really impacted by the way that people live in poor, developing countries.

Although I had been to China before, which by definition is a ‘developing country,’ in general the entire country is wealthier. It is not nearly the same level of poverty and underdevelopment you see in Nepal,” she said.

Elsa Voytas

Uganda: Waste Management

BY MARIE POLICASTRO THE FLAT HAT

For many, the post-grad life seems grim, but Elsa Voytas ’13 averted the dreaded fate of migrating back to her parents’ basement this summer.

Instead, she uprooted and traveled all the way to Uganda where she partook in a fellowship supported

by AidData, an organization founded in order to provide a database of aid projects.

AidData recently received a five-year USAID Higher Education Solutions Network (HESN) grant, allowing them to collaborate with many different foreign governments, implementing experiments and projects similar to Voytas’.

“The goal of our partnership [with USAID] is to

create information infrastructure, analysis tools and human capacity to enable better decision making within the development community,” AidData Program Manager Alena Stern ’12 said.

Voytas worked closely with students and faculty at the Makerere University, located in Kampala, Uganda. Her project addressed the need for a revision of waste management services in the city of Kampala.

The lack of an efficient solid waste removal system can prove detrimental to the developing society.

A booming population in a bustling city such as Kampala only intensifies these negative effects.

Water becomes contaminated, spreads diseases, and increases greenhouse gas emission.

As an AidData summer fellow, Voytas developed a solid waste crowdsourcing experiment.

“To help mitigate the deficiencies of trash removal, we proposed to encourage students to use their mobile phones and comment on the solid waste removal in their neighborhood,” Voytas said.

Because this was merely a baseline experiment, their efforts did not end there.

“In the future, we will randomly assign zones of the city to receive citizen monitoring, conduct subsequent assessments to determine if that monitoring was accurate and useful, and finally observe if solid waste removal improves due to the monitoring,” Voytas said.

Adjusting to life in Kampala was challenging for Voytas, despite her extensive experience abroad. Her previous trips included studying abroad in Argentina, interning in Belgium, and researching in Guatemala.

“It was really fun to get to experience a lifestyle so different from what I was used to, but parts were really difficult (like losing electricity almost every night and hand washing my clothes),” Voytas said.

Voytas forged many lasting relationships on her trip.

During a trip to Northern Uganda, Voytas interviewed northern Ugandans about their experience under the Lord’s Resistance Army. She learned how the conflict with the government had negatively impacted their lives at a very young age.

Voytas looks forward to making a return trip to lobby for ways to improve the lives of those affected by the LRA. She is interested in ensuring their reintegration into society and reversing adverse psychological effects suffered under the past regime.

Carleigh Snead Nepal: Geocoding

BY EMILY NYE FLAT HAT ASSOC. VARIETY EDITOR

Working closely with local masters students in Kathmandu, Nepal, Carleigh Snead ’15 taught the intricacies of geocoding. Snead was selected as an AidData Summer Fellow and joined Sara Rock ’14 at the Kathmandu University School of Arts in Nepal to teach local students how to geocode.

“Everyone’s voice matters and I think that’s what the summer fellows were able to do we were able to reach down, not just

to the cities, but also to the local towns and villages and develop the skills of the local people so that they, in turn, can help build their communities,” Snead said.

AidData recently partnered up with USAid to create the AidData Summer Fellowship program, of which Snead was a part. After beginning as an intern for AidData last September, Snead, an international relations major, became a research assistant for the initiative and completed the Summer Fellowship in Nepal.

Snead’s work focused on instilling

fundamental operational skills at the local levels of communities.

“We were working to build the capacity of the locals in Nepal so that they would be able to utilize our data and incorporate it into their research,” Snead said. “We worked a lot one-on-one with students, helping them create maps and create their own geocoded data, as well as getting involved with local organizations.”

Working six days a week, Snead’s responsibilities included blogging and networking on behalf of AidData.

Snead and Rock also participated in

local hackathons, in which participants compete to develop computer software pertaining to solving social issues, in their case, violence against women.

Snead spent a week out of the city of Kathmandu and in a small local village called Lamjung, where she had to adjust to the way of life.

“There were no bathrooms, we had to bathe in the river, we really had to rough it out and so that was really interesting,” Snead said. “We had to stay with people we met on the street, and there was no electricity, but the people were really

friendly. Nepal is very hospitable to foreigners.”

Despite having to rough it, Snead found the experience exceptionally rewarding.

“It was an amazing experience,” Snead said, “I learned a lot, how to network with people and how important that is and how important it is to engage with local communities at local levels. Everyone’s voice matters. We were able to reach the local towns and villages and develop the skills of the local people so that they, in turn, can help build their communities.”

The Flat Hat

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Friday, September 6, 2013

Explore the Governor’s Palace Gardens

BY AINE CAIN FLAT HAT VARIETY EDITOR

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It’s not hard to imagine the gentlefolk of Colonial Virginia strolling through the magnolias and dogwoods between minarets during a gala at the Governor’s Palace. Getting lost in the tunnels of trees and hedge mazes allows the minutes and centuries to melt away without a second thought.

In the heart of Colonial Williamsburg, the Palace’s dark green gardens attract hordes of tourists and school children during its peak summer season.

On quiet days, however, it’s an ideal place to read, write or take artsy photos of the butterflies hovering among the magnolias. The Palace grounds also feature a canal and a patchy boxwood maze, frequently navigated by College of William and Mary students during nighttime triathlon escapades.

The phrase ‘the Governor’s Palace’ may have originated as an ironic nickname for the house. Lieutenant Governor Alexander Spotswood angered the House of Burgesses with his lavish expenditures on the structure, which was completed in 1714. The modern house and gardens owe their existence more to the philanthropy of John D. Rockefeller Jr. than their original architect.

During the Revolutionary War, the compound was used as an infirmary. The main building burned in 1781.

Reconstruction of the house and the grounds took place during the 20th century with the support of Rockefeller. Traces of vegetation were used to reconstruct the composition of the colonial gardens, with special attention paid to historical authenticity along with aesthetic design. Today, the tiered, geometrical gardens feature many benches and shady spots to hide away for a few hours. Students need a Collegiate Pass to access the gardens, which can be attained for free from the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center.

Splash at Jamestown Beach

BY BAILEY KIRKPATRICK FLAT HAT ASSOC. NEWS EDITOR

While driving down Jamestown Road, you will encounter a 7-11 on the corner of the intersection of Humelsine Parkway where you can stop for an ICEE or sunscreen if you’ve run out — you’ll need it in the Williamsburg summer heat.

If you continue on down the road, you will pass multiple gas stations as well as multiple swamps — a signature landmark in this

area. Feel free to also enjoy the sights as you pass the many colonial homes and buildings along the road until you finally reach the Jamestown Settlement.

While it is an interesting stop, the huge Jamestown museum you will see on the left — with all the tourists’ cars parked in the lot out front — is not the intended destination. If you drive a minute further down the road, there is a right turn onto a sandy driveway located just before the bridge. This road leads to the parking lot of a quaint beach and picnic area that is

always full of locals, college students and people walking puppies — always a fan favorite at the College of William and Mary.

Now, the water in this sound may not ever go deeper than your knees and the portable toilets may be a little on the sketchy side, but if you’re in the mood for some sun and some barbeque, this is a great place to hang out. The beach, extended not long ago, is long enough to walk around and to bring a towel to lay out.

There is an area off to the side with many picnic tables and barbeque pits — just bring your own food, grilling utensils

and coal. You can bring drinks, of course, but glass bottles are not allowed here. And be warned, sometimes police cruisers do roll by.

Jamestown Beach is a very peaceful place either to enjoy a lazy day or to bring your homework and eat dinner.

Bring along your friends and family; you don’t need to pay to park or lay out on the beach here. It is a bit of a trek, and no buses go all the way to the beach, but there are other resources you can use to get there. Just bring your laptop, turn on some tunes and enjoy this summer beach outlet while the weather is still nice.

Savor some Sno-to-Go

BY KATHERINE CHIGLINSKY FLAT HAT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The orange and peach-flavored shaved ice surrounds creamy custard, both held in place by Sno-to-Go’s Styrofoam cups. The stuffed Snoball, Sno-to-Go’s mixture of custard and ice, offers some respite from the rest of Williamsburg’s humid summer days.

Located on Richmond Road closer to the Outlets, the gray shack that houses Sno-to-Go often teems with students and Williamsburg locals looking for a cool summer treat.

The menu of shaved ice options covers

Tan at College Creek

BY BAILEY KIRKPATRICK FLAT HAT ASSOC. NEWS EDITOR

While many students may think the closest beach is an hour away, there are two nearby beaches that often go overlooked because many students do not know about them. College Creek beach is informally named because of the creek you pass getting to it called “College Creek” that runs alongside and underneath the Colonial Parkway.

If you aren’t familiar with the road that makes the historic triangle a

triangle, the Colonial Parkway — albeit bumpy — can take you to all sorts of fun places. However, College Creek beach is probably the stop known best by students of the College.

There is a small parking lot directly across from the beach entrance that is partially hidden by tall grass, but you will be able to see the bright tops of umbrellas sticking out before you reach the entrance. Typically scattered with families, groups of students and locals sunbathing on their beach chairs, grills and picnic tables have been sacrificed for

LING BEISECKER / THE FLAT HAT

the basic flavors, such as cherry, grape and raspberry, but shakes up the options with its shaved ice combinations. The Fuzzy Navel consists of orange and peach-flavored ice, while the Ninja Turtle combines margarita, granny smith apple and lemon lime-flavored ice. Even more unusual combinations fill the menu.

The Richmond Road location is open Monday through Friday from 3 to 8 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 10 p.m., but as the summer season comes to a close the venue will operate on a different schedule. Starting in October, Sno-to-Go will be closed Monday

a much wider length of beach.

You can actually swim in the water, since it quickly becomes fairly deep, but the current is strong, so don’t get pulled too far out because there are no lifeguards here. The view, however, is much nicer than that of Jamestown Beach. It has the feel of both a big beach and a secret retreat that you just discovered.

Pack a lunch and some corn hole and take a day trip to the beach to recover from a night out, take a mental health day, or just to get a nice bronze on your skin. This beach is a nice place to be

through Thursday and will open up Friday from 3 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 9 p.m.

At the Richmond Road location, the Snoball season officially closes Saturday, Oct. 26..

The closing of Sno-to-Go used to herald the end of summer, but the business opened a second location this August.

Located in the Premium Outlets behind Nike and near Auntie Anne’s, the second location will stay open year round. The store will is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

whether you are there for the day or night, and while there are no places to cook, you can bring other food and a large blanket to prevent sand from getting on it.

While on your way, watch out for bikers and runners, as exercisers frequent the road. It is a very scenic route and part of the historical intrigue of where we go to school.

Again, there are no buses that stop here.

If you do not have a car, you will have to find another mode of transportation, but it is well worth the trip.

Sober hookups do not equal intoxicated consent

A friend’s story about sexual assault and some clarification on drunken hookups

Mariana Debbe

Behind Closed doors columnist

The following story is one of a very close friend of mine. Even though she does not attend the College of William and Mary, I have kept her name confidential out of respect. Here is her story: During her freshman year, a friend of mine hooked up with a senior guy who had been one of friendliest, most chill guys she’d ever met. After he graduated, she never thought she’d see him again.

That is, until she received a Facebook message from him one night during the following year. That’s right, a Facebook booty-call message. He suggested they should “hang out” and “catch up.” She asked her

friends for advice and they all agreed that a booty call through Facebook was a bit desperate. They weren’t even friends on Facebook, which meant he made the deliberate effort to search for her with the sole purpose of sending that message. Regardless, she decided to go for it. He was the first guy she’d ever gotten naked for freshman year and the farthest she’d gone with anyone before. He was so sweet and understanding. Whatever, she decided, “I’ll message him back.”

He soon became her own personal booty call.

Whenever she was drunk, she would call him or text him and he would be down to hookup. He wasn’t using her; she was using him. She had complete control. She didn’t want anything serious — just someone to have fun with.

In the following weeks she began seeing him in between classes and during the day. They had a lot of fun together and she really enjoyed spending time with him. She gave him what he wanted and he gave her what she wanted in return. He taught her new things and she felt more confident with each new

lesson she learned.

Suddenly, things became sour. He began pressuring her for sex. They were constantly getting into fights and sometimes went days without speaking. She was a virgin. She wanted her first time to be special and with someone she loved. He was really great and all but she just wasn’t ready. She was getting a strange vibe but decided to dismiss it.

There’s a lot about the night that she doesn’t remember. She had been out with her sorority sisters having drinks at a bar. One thing led to another and she was blackout drunk. Her friends tried taking her home but that’s not where she ended up.

He called, and she went.

She thought she was in the hands of a friend, someone she could trust. She knew they had been having problems lately but that didn’t matter now.

She was just happy to see him. And he was happy to see her, too. In fact, he was excited by her state of being. He saw his opportunity.

That night, she lost her virginity. He took something from her that she can never get back. She

was forced. She was tricked.

She was sexually assaulted.

Hearing my best friend, shocked and upset, on the phone the next morning was one of the most difficult situations for me to handle. Her story is not easy to hear, but it’s definitely worth sharing.

When my friend debated whether or not to report the incident, she feared the potential backlash that would ensue. Would the guy argue that their sober hookups were consent for something more?

If someone says “yes” when blackout drunk, is that still considered consent? Even though they had explicitly said “no” when asked sober? Was she leading him on? Was he the victim?

Here’s my answer: Sober hookups do not equal consent while intoxicated. My friend is a strongwilled, intelligent young woman who knew her limits. In a moment of vulnerability, she was taken advantage of and must forever bear the burden of what happened.

Mariana Debbe is a Behind Closed Doors columnist.

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Friday, September 6, 2013

The Flat Hat