The Flat Hat March 28, 2017

Vol. 107, Iss. 8 | Tuesday, March 28, 2017

The Flat Hat The Weekly Student Newspaper

of The College of William and Mary

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Friday, March 24, six student organizers of BLM were stopped while chalking for the week’s events. Here’s what happened.

MARCH 24

BLM educates for change KAYLA SHARPE / THE FLAT HAT

The third annual Black Lives Matter Conference at the College of William and Mary started Sunday, March 26. Events include tabling at Pride and a candelight vigil.

Black Lives Matter conference addresses College’s history SARAH SMITH // FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR According to the Washington Post’s Fatal Force database, 963 people were shot and killed by police in 2016. 233 individuals, or 24 percent, were African-American. So far in 2017, 25 percent of the 250 individuals shot by police have been African-American.

Four years prior, in 2013, the international Black Lives Matter movement started in response to the shooting of teenager Trayvon Martin and the subsequent acquittal of George Zimmerman. In the City of Williamsburg, the BLM movement was established to address institutional racism, particularly in criminal justice system, and the commodification of black lives and bodies.

Now, Williamsburg’s BLM, in partnership with the students at the College of William and Mary involved with BLM, are kicking off the third annual Black Lives Matter Conference to educate, agitate and organize students and community members, under a tagline, “Built on Our Backs.”

“I definitely think [what] it promotes is uplifting black lives, but within that is, when you uplift black lives who are the most targeted in society, you’re uplifting the lives of all minority groups and frankly all people

in the community who experience the systemic injustice and oppression,” Student Assembly Secretary of Diversity Initiatives and BLM organizer Erica West ’17 said. “We are centering narratives of people across the spectrums. It’s important that we recognize that it’s about black people uplifting what’s been going on historically and at the present day, but also the intersection there. I think diversity runs throughout that.”

The week’s events include a keynote speech by activist and former Green Party vice presidential nominee Rosa Clemente, a “walk out” and march on Williamsburg, a discussion on environmental discrimination, tabling and performances the College’s Pride festival and a spoken word and candlelight vigil.

Additionally, in its third year, the conference received funding from Student Assembly through the Black Lives Matter Conference Act, which allocated $7,550, primarily for the keynote lecture.

“I think it’s important to hold this conference because a lot of people on this campus think that because we are in Williamsburg as a mostly white community about whether they have a place here

or if they are important,” BLM organizer Damiana Dendy ’17 said. “I think people need to know how to educate themselves, reflect upon their own opinions and then be able to organize and act in an activist community in an effective way.”

According to one of the conference’s supporters, Idan Woodruff ’20, the tagline “Built on Our Backs” is important because of the College’s history with slavery. He said that this was even more relevant after controversy emerged Charter Day weekend when the Thomas Jefferson statue was spray-painted.

“It’s relevant to the specific setting of our campus,” Woodruff said. “‘Built on Our Backs’ is very much important, there was the thing with the Jefferson statue which stirred up controversy of its own. The College was built by slaves, built with their labor … As far as ‘educate, agitate, organize’ goes, that’s kind of what we are trying to get people out here to do. I think there are a lot of people on campus who aren’t against the movement but are ignorant about what it’s about. A lot of this week is about making sure people See BLM page 3

WMPD officers approach BLM organizers chalking in front of Integrated Science Center.

MARCH 25

Sen. Mitch Croom M.A. ’17 drafts open letter to WMPD, gathers 17 SA signatures.

MARCH 26

WMPD Chief Deb Cheesebro meets with BLM organizers to extend apology.

WMPD CHIEF DEB CHEESEBRO, MARCH 27 The students discovered chalking the sidewalk and parts of the exterior of ISC Friday night were in violation of university policy which prohibits chalking any vertical surface (building wall) as well as any surface, including pavement, within 30 feet of an entrance to any building.

That being said, after review of the exchange between our officers and the students, I’ve determined that the communication between the officers and the students could have been handled more effectively. In the process of trying to clarify the specifics of the policy on chalking, attain student information and respond to questions posed by members of the group, our officers could have been more sensitive to their perspective and employed more effective techniques for de-escalating the interaction. For that, we sincerely apologize.

I met this weekend personally with the students involved to convey that apology.

Additionally, I shared the students concerns with the officers involved and discussed alternate techniques for deescalating situations.

Our department strives to provide police, public safety, emergency communications, and emergency management services in a manner that not only keeps people safe, but also ensures that people feel safe in their environment.

STUDENT ASSEMBLY

Levine, Yackow take SA presidential election with 45 vote margin work ethic on a very abstract level; you have to want it,” Levine said. “Working smart and hard at the same time is obviously as important. There’s nothing more powerful than inserting yourself and your own experiences where they’re necessary but taking them away where they’re not. And not putting yourself in a position where you’re speaking on something you shouldn’t be speaking on.”

Yackow said that she has learned to open her mind to see the perspectives of others.

“I have learned a lot about how all of my past shapes me, and some of these things are good and some of these things are not as good and how I need to learn to view my perspectives on the world,” Yackow said. “I need to learn to open up my mind to the fact that there are a lot of different places where people are coming from.”

Yackow and Levine said that the first part of their platform they’d like to work on is the People’s Report.

Levine also said that he’d like to see Yackow continue the financial reform

Following his arrest Feb. 27, Tejaswi Shrestha ’ 18 appeared at the Williamsburg-James City County General District Courthouse March 21. He was initially arrested on one count of felony abduction and two misdemeanor counts of assault.

At his first court appearance, he waived his right to a preliminary hearing for the abduction charge.

Typically, waiving a preliminary hearing is done by a defendant who intends to plead guilty or who intends to call witnesses unable to attend a preliminary hearing.

Shrestha’s two misdemeanor assault charges are being sent directly to Williamsburg-James City County circuit court for trial.

Shrestha’s docket date was set for May 10, which is when it will be officially on the court’s calendar.

However, the judge said his actual trial date would be later in May or early June 2017.

The College of William and Mary Police Department officers arrested Shrestha Feb. 27, and College administrators issued him a trespass notice, banning him from campus.

See STUDENT ASSEMBLY page 4

— Flat Hat News Editor Sarah Smith

36 percent of students vote to elect new student body senate, executive representatives SARAH SMITH FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

In a narrow race, Elijah Levine ’18 and Sen. Annelise Yackow ’18 won the College of William and Mary’s Student Assembly presidential and vice presidential races by a margin of 45 votes.

Levine and Yackow took 1,582 votes,

or 50.8 percent of the vote. The runnersup, Chairman of the Senate Danny O’Dea ’18 and Nami Srikanth ’19 took 1,537 votes, or 49.2 percent of the vote.

Out of all eligible voters at the College, 3,119 of 8,386 students participated in the election. Total voter turnout was 36 percent.

“We’re ecstatic,” Levine said. “This day has been long, and tiring in a lot of

SIOBHAN DOHERTY / THE FLAT HAT

Elijah Levine ‘18 and Sen. Annelise Yackow ‘18 won SA presidential race March 23 by 45 votes.

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ways, but reaffirmed the reason that we did this and the vision we see for having a conversation. Conversation is such a big part of today, the ones we’ve been having [with] people walking by, the ones we’ve had with people the last few months … it was about getting people to understand … I don’t have words right now. It’s been about getting people on board. It sounds so groupthink, but it’s always meant listening more and it shows with the new ideas that we brought, I think that the premium on focusing on where people on campus are doing it best, and focusing on those efforts and merging those perspectives.”

Yackow said that for her, winning the vice presidential race reaffirmed her goal of bringing a fresh perspective to SA. “It’s been about a lot of change,” Yackow said. “It’s been about a lot of fresh perspective, bringing SA down to the ground a little more. I don’t have a lot of words either right now.”

Levine said that over the course of the campaign, he learned a lot about the values of work ethic and how to use personal experiences in a beneficial way.

“For me, I always knew the value of

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STUDENT WAIVES PRELIM TRIAL

Emily Hauge ’ 18 discusses the importance of sleep and the problems with a culture that treats deprivation as dedication. page 5

Flying from the high bars to the future Senior gymnast Neal Courter speaks out about mental health awareness, his new hobbies and plans for the future. page 10

newsinsight “ Reaching for global health

News Editor Nia Kitchin News Editor Sarah Smith fhnews@gmail.com

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The Flat Hat

| Tuesday, March 28, 2017 | Page 2

THE BUZZ

We’re ecstatic. This day has been long, and tiring in a lot of ways, but reaffirmed the reason that we did this and the vision we see for having a conversation.

— Elijah Levine ‘18 after winning the election for Student Assembly president

Now it’s easier than ever to stay upto-date on all on-campus news.

David Aday discusses work from College to Central America ERIN MURPHY // FLAT HAT STAFF WRITER

Page 2 Spotlight

The Flat Hat

Sociology professor David Aday established himself at the College of William and Mary as a teacher without borders.

From serving as the chair of the sociology department, to director of the American studies program, to his current position as a professor of sociology and community studies, Aday has worked for almost 40 years to build opportunities for students at the College to broaden their research and world perspectives.

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CORRECTIONS The Flat Hat wishes to correct any fact printed incorrectly.

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Some of my colleagues would disagree with me, but I believe that department chair is the best job on campus.

I became chair of the sociology department relatively early in my academic career, and I thoroughly enjoyed that role. While we never had — and still don’t have — the resources to do many of the imaginative and very promising things we’d like to do to advance teaching, learning and research, we are challenged to find ways to optimize the use of the resources we do have.

— David

health program and liaison to the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

“Without question, the most rewarding opportunities for me have come through my work with the student-initiated projects known as Student Organization for Medical Outreach and Sustainability and Medical Aid Nicaragua: Outreach Scholarship,” Aday said. “More than 10 years later now, I’ve been the beneficiary of opportunities to teach, learn, conduct research, supervise research and work beside two truly remarkable [student organizations].”

MANOS, an organization founded under the supervision and guidance of Aday in 2007, helps students at the College work with the community of Chaguite in northern Nicaragua.

Students then attempt to use sociology and public health research methods to improve community health. Members come from a wide range of academic backgrounds, including global health, neuroscience and finance. Aday says that this intellectual diversity proves that students in any field of study are welcome.

Its partner organization, SOMOS, founded its first free medical clinic in 2005, in the region of Paraiso in northern Santo Domingo. The students spent a single week in the Dominican Republic, diagnosing illnesses and handing out medicine in the community. Aday offered his support at the time and has remained a supervisor of SOMOS. Today, students in SOMOS focus their efforts on the issue of flooding in the Paraiso community and serve as representatives to a local community health committee. The ultimate goal of both organizations is sustainable community development — showing both communities how to identify and solve pressing health issues.

“From the beginning, we agreed that the primary focus of the projects should be on the benefits for communities rather than on the value of the experiences for students,” Aday said. “I hoped that they would develop an awareness of the risks of ethnocentrism and an appreciation for the limits of personal experience and common sense for

understanding aspects of the world that are unfamiliar.”

SOMOS and MANOS were the first organizations of their kind at the College.

Aday explained that when they began, the only hope was for students to learn to appreciate the complexities of poverty, injustice and poor health. Echoing the College’s own Thomas Jefferson, Aday also said that he hoped students would learn just how powerful knowledge is.

“My hopes have been fulfilled beyond my wildest expectations, partly because the projects have drawn extraordinary students and partly because working together, we’ve found ways to keep ourselves focused on the work at hand: partnering respectfully with communities to nurture and develop community-owned solutions to persistent health problems,” Aday said.

Years before traveling to Latin America with students at the College, Aday said that he was impressed with their academic enthusiasm and involvement. When Aday first came to interview at the College, he met informally with students to have a “job talk” about his research in sociology and the sociology department’s courses.

“Compared to those [students] I had known in other universities, it was clear that William and Mary students were intellectually turned on,” Aday said.

“They were welcoming and they talked with excitement about their research and teaching interests.”

Aday said he plans to stay at the College for a few more years and continue to work with the SOMOS and MANOS projects, although he said he is now optimistic that the organizations will have new faculty mentors in the near future. In retirement, Aday plans to travel more internationally with his family and devote more time to writing.

“In my view, being a university professor is a privilege nearly beyond compare,” Aday said. “I will miss my colleagues and the time I spend teaching, learning, thinking and imagining with students.”

Aday

“Some of my colleagues would disagree with me, but I believe that department chair is the best job on campus,” Aday said. “I became chair of the sociology department relatively early in my academic career, and I thoroughly enjoyed that role. While we never had — and still don’t have — the resources to do many of the imaginative and very promising things we’d like to do to advance teaching, learning and research, we are challenged to find ways to optimize the use of the resources we do have.”

Aday arrived at the College in the fall of 1978 and has held 14 academic leadership positions during his 39 years at the College. He currently holds four positions as professor of sociology and community studies, academic director of Students for Medical Outreach and Sustainability and Medical Aid Nicaragua: Outreach Scholarship, co-director of the public

COURTESY PHOTO / WM.EDU

David Aday worked for almost 40 years at the College of William and Mary as a teacher without borders.

POLICE BEAT

March 24 - 25 1

Friday, March 24 — Edwin Hernandez-Nieves was arrested on a charge of destruction of a monument on Parkway Drive.

2

Friday, March 24 — A hit and run was reported on Richmond Road.

3

Saturday, March 25 — A residential burglary was reported on Richmond Road.

4

Saturday, March 25 — Private property damage was reported on Merrimac Trail.

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Page 3

WILLIAMSBURG

Lecture exposes historical context of DAPL controversy College of William and Mary history professor Andrew Fisher gives lecture about pipeline NIA KITCHIN FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

The first in a series of lectures that bring the College of William and Mary history professors to talk about contemporary issues was held at the Stryker Center Monday, March 27. The talk was titled “A Historian’s Response: Standoff at Standing Rock” and was cosponsored by The Lyon Gardiner Tyler Department of History at the College and the Williamsburg Public Library.

The lecture focused on providing context for the Dakota Access Pipeline controversy by explaining the history of conflict between the U.S. government and the Lakota tribe, as well as describing why this particular pipeline is so contentious. It was also intended to expound upon the power of native activism in the 21st century.

History professor Andrew Fisher gave the lecture. His research focuses on environmental and indigenous history of the Columbian Basin in the Pacific Northwest. He said he followed the DAPL conflict closely because it parallels his own research.

He first gave background information about what is happening on the ground with the pipeline right now, explaining that this pipeline has been contested from the beginning by the Lakota tribe.

“The water protectors refer to the DAPL as the black snake, because of an ancient story,” Fisher said. “There was a prophecy saying there was a black snake above the ground, highways, and when it goes underground it’s going to be devastating to the earth.”

Fisher said the the Lakota are specifically concerned that the DAPL will explode and contaminate the Missouri River, which is the main source of water for

the tribe. Since 2010, over 3,300 incidents of crude oil and liquefied natural gas leaks or ruptures have occurred on U.S. pipelines according to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Organization. The pipeline is set to carry 570,000 gallons of oil and cost nearly $4 billion.

“This pipeline is set to begin carrying oil any day now, perhaps next week,” Fisher said.

Although Fisher did provide information about the legality of the pipeline and conflict over it, he maintained that as a historian, his job is to provide background and connections.

“My purpose today isn’t to trace the legal disputes or the protests, rather as a historian, it’s my job to provide context, legal and historical, that helps people to understand what has shaped current events,” Fisher said.

Fisher continued to explain that unless you are aware of the larger context of indigenous rights and how they have been constantly disrespected, you cannot understand why there is so much conflict over this particular pipeline. He said the Lakota want respect, and their rallying cry, “Mni wiconi,” means “water is life” and emphasizes their request for respect of their basic necessities. The Lakota want to be recognized as a sovereign nation within the United States, however they havxe always been seen as an impediment to modernization.

“From the early 19th century, the Lakotas have often been seen as being in the way of American progress,” Fisher said.

Fisher went on to give a history of the Lakota tribe and its quest for autonomy. He explained that they themselves moved west during the 17th century and displaced other tribes. However, Fisher said that there

are important differences between what the Lakota did back then and what the United States is doing now. He said that the decision for the Lakota to move was made through a series of pragmatic decisions about trade possibilities and bison availability, not out of a thirst for conquest.

“The legal doctrines that guided American expansion in the 19th century sanctioned the right of conquest, but then the U.S. recognized the Lakota as the dominant people on the plains,” Fisher said.

“However when we say they recognized the Lakotas, it doesn’t mean the Americans liked or respected the Lakota and their sovereignty.”

At this time in history, Fisher said that Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark on their expedition with explicit instructions to make a good impression on the Lakota because of their trade connections. However, Fisher said, this did not happen. “[Lewis and Clark] offered the tribe gifts they considered inadequate and fired a gun to attempt to impress them,” Fisher said.

Fisher explained the root confusion over the argument about whether the DAPL is on reservation land or not. He said that the Lakota had never technically ceded the land that the DAPL is on, even though the federal government considered it ceded.

Fisher said this led to deep mistrust between the two entities.

“The Lakotas have a long history with the U.S. government, and it’s a bitter one,” Fisher said. “A history of being ignored and having their rights trampled on.”

Bright Sun, a member of the Williamsburg community, asked why the tribes in Virginia are not considering helping the water protectors.

“I don’t see much activity with the Virginia tribes;

some are state recognized, just one is federally recognized,” Sun said. “They have not made moves to help Standing Rock.”

Fisher replied that he believes the Virginia tribes are preoccupied with their own struggles. He said that many of the tribes are working to become federally recognized at the moment and probably do not have the time to leave Virginia. He also said that while being recognized by the federal government is risky, he believes the positives outweigh the negatives.

“Being recognized by the federal government is certainly a double-edged sword,” Fisher said. “The Standing Rock case also shows that treaties and reservations and the sovereignty that they hold can be a powerful weapon in this fight.”

Laura Ansley, a member of the Williamsburg community, asked whether divestment, or the withdrawal of investments from businesses supporting the pipeline, was a possible way to discourage the pipeline.

“The whole country of Norway did it … I think this is an effective way to take a stand without physically going out to South Dakota,” Ansley said.

Fisher agreed that putting economic pressure on a company when legal arguments do not work would be a good idea.

Fisher emphasized that this conflict is not disappearing any time soon.

“The fight is not over,” Fisher said. “They are already gearing up to fight the Keystone XL pipeline. These issues are not going away, just as tribes are not going away. Conflicts like the conflict at Standing Rock are the legacy of conquest. This will not end until treaties and tribal sovereignty are upheld in action as well as in word.”

WILLIAMSBURG

Transgender talk cosponsored by Baptist Church aims to inform

Lecture focuses on transgender experience, issues faced by local community LEONOR GRAVE FLAT HAT CHIEF STAFF WRITER

A talk called “Listening to your transgender neighbor” was cosponsored by the Williamsburg Baptist Church, Equality Virginia and the Wesley Foundation at the College of William and Mary on Friday, March 24. It was part of a conscious effort by the church to become more supportive of the local LGBTQ community.

This goal of this talk was to engage the religious community in a dialogue about the transgender experience and assist them in learning about the problems transgender people face.

Williamsburg Baptist Church Pastor Daniel Wilson, who has been the pastor at the Williamsburg Baptist Church for almost two years now, addressed the crowd gathered in the pews Friday evening for the event.

“I’m thankful for times like this where we can just sit and listen and share in someone’s story,” Wilson said. “I’m a big believer in changing one’s mind.

I grew up in a Christian context where I used to believe that it was a sin for women to wear pants.”

The keynote speaker, Tracey Swinarski, followed Wilson’s introduction and spoke about her life as a transgender woman. Swinarski said that, while she did not seek to speak for everyone in the transgender community, she hoped her experience could help people learn more about the issues people in that community face.

“I am a claims adjuster for a major insurance company, I’m a musician, I’m a cyclist, I’m a Christian and I’m even a veteran of the United States Army,” Swinarski said. “I’m a 56-year-old transgender woman who transitioned at 43 years old.”

Growing up as one of five children in a small, northern-New Jersey town, Swinarski said that many of her early memories involve feeling a discrepancy between her assigned gender and her true identity.

“I was about two or three years old — it was the only thing in life I wanted to be,” Swinarski said. “I prayed, I did everything, I don’t know why I wasn’t born a girl, it’s all I dreamed for and all I wished for. I knew something was

wrong deep inside me. I didn’t feel like I belonged in my body.”

Swinarski described other episodes in her childhood that were influential — she described how heartbreaking it was to tell her seventh grade girlfriend about feeling out of place in her body, only for her girlfriend never to speak to Swinarski again.

She recalls hating wearing “boys’ clothes” and wanting to wear dresses instead.

“It just felt like that cold winter night where you take out your favorite sweater and put it on you and how that feels so nice and warm — it’s kind of that same feeling for me also,” Swinarski said, describing how it felt to try on her sister’s clothes as a child.

Swinarski joined the Army as a musician, and was stationed in West Berlin with the Berlin Brigade band when the Berlin Wall came down, which she credits as accelerating her coming out process.

“I thought, ‘I need to feel this liberation for myself, I can’t be in this prison anymore,’” Swinarski said.

After returning to the United States from Berlin, Swinarski and her wife had a daughter, but she said she still did not feel at ease. Swinarski transitioned in 2004, at the age of 43.

“Every second of everyday of my life until I transitioned, that was completely on my mind,” Swinarski said. “Something’s not right, I need to be a girl. My body isn’t right.”

While Swinarski said she is happy to have transitioned, she recognized that the process has not been without its challenges. After coming out, her wife asked for a divorce and a court ruled that Swinarski would not be able to see her daughter anymore. She said her immediate family also was not initially supportive.

Two of the students in attendance, Hannah Mawyer ’17 and Sam Biddle ’18, who are both members of the Canterbury Association, the Episcopal organization at the College, said they found Swinarski’s story powerful.

“I was really impressed with the quality of Tracey’s talk because she made it seem really casual, and like this is no big deal, but I just can’t imagine having enough courage to do that myself,” Mawyer said. “So I was really impressed

and grateful for what she had to share.”

Mawyer said that as someone from a conservative small town, it is valuable to be equipped with firsthand stories, rather than newspaper articles or statistics, when discussing issues of social justice.

“It’s a lot easier to be compelling when presented with combative neighbors at home, to present experiences and real life to them rather than trying to make it seem like I’m smacking them with a book,” Mawyer said.

Biddle also saw this event as a unique opportunity to engage in open dialogue, especially for Williamsburg community members.

“Our campus is a really special place — a lot of people are only going to have this opportunity then they’re going back to work life and workplaces which don’t permit the type of conversation that we have on campus,” Biddle said.

Swinarski said that the main issues affecting the transgender community today involve employment discrimination and the disproportionately high levels of violence targeted at them.

Six months into working at a private music store after transitioning, Swinarski said she was fired after two families complained to the store owners. While Swinarski has consistently been able to find jobs, she said that is not always the case for people in the transgender community.

“I’ve been fortunate — I’ve been completely employed the whole time since I’ve transitioned,” Swinarski said. “A lot of my [transgender] sisters and brothers don’t have jobs ­­— they get fired because of who they are.”

In Virginia, there are no laws preventing private employer discrimination against people based on sexuality or gender identity. Equality Virginia’s Trans* Advocacy Speakers Bureau aims to use personal narrative’s like Swinarski’s to raise awareness of the most pressing issues facing the transgender community.

“I lived through a lot of challenges before I transitioned,” Swinarski said. “I’m so much happier now. I’m at peace with God, I’m at peace with everything in my life right now. It’s just awesome being Tracey. It’s just fabulous to be yourself.”

Black Lives Matter conference strives to promote visibility for students of color on campus Students, community members organize week-long Black Lives Matter conference to instruct, advise community members about sensitive issues BLM from page 1

understand why BLM is important.”

Beyond this conference, BLM has been present in Williamsburg since 2014. One community member, Beth Haw, said that community activists work to promote visibility and recognition of the group in Williamsburg.

“We have the lemonade stand every Saturday,” Haw said. “We try to engage [people] in conversation about why black lives matter. Black people don’t need to keep telling people why they’re important, but it’s important for us as white people to talk about this issue. We give people an opportunity to think about it from a different perspective, maybe not trying to change their minds, but trying to let them think on a broader scale by suggesting books and movies. We’ve been doing it since last August. Every time we come out, we get someone to stand there and talk to us for at least an hour about the issue.”

Kicking off the week’s events, Clemente took the stage to lecture on the systematic oppression she saw in today’s political structures March 26, starting with her interpretation of the current state of political activism.

“We, as a part of the Black Lives Matter movement, have to be clear that we don’t have a movement right now,” Clemente said. “We don’t have any national movement in this country. We have mobilization and protest with no tangible wins. We have daggering and reactions with no tangible, political resources or changes that affect the majority of our people who are

poor, who are struggling to pay rent, to eat food, to have clean water, to not be deported, to be able to be in their faith.”

Clemente then discussed the effects of the presidential election, police violence in places like Ferguson, Mo. and the public education system.

By tracing the history of organizing community movements and her personal experiences, Clemente highlighted the necessity of organizing the events.

Finishing her keynote lecture, Clemente said that she was determined to organize activism against current oppression in all its forms.

“I do believe that we are going to win but I know we are about to a lot more losses,” Clemente said. “My faith lies in the people and people’s power. This group of us all over the country, we’re committed to striking the hammer to the system of white supremacy every day. The fight you’re in right now is a fight for very existence, and with every tool I have acquired, with every fight, I gain more momentum. We have to go out on our feet, with our power fists out, confronting unbridled, unchecked power and we can’t ever stop until we’re free.”

One student who attended the keynote address, Travis Harris Ph.D. ’18, said that he thought the lecture was inspiring, particularly in addressing BLM goals in public education.

“Scholar activism empowers and equips scholars to go out into the community and be activists,” Harris

said. “We can’t just stay in the class instead of going into the community. A lot of what she said confirmed what I both believed and have been doing. I’m actually the one who organized Black Lives Matter in Williamsburg so it was a confirmation of the work I’ve been doing.”

Another student, Alex Yuemeni ’18, said that she thought the lecture highlighted the importance of being connected with the communities that organizations were serving.

“Work never finishes, and the fight never ends,” Dendy said. “This week, for me, is to the students and the community and after this week, is going to be me doing work with the students and with the communities. Come to our events to educate yourselves, to learn to how to organize, and after the conference, you’ll have the tools to act on those things.”

Reporting was contributed to this article by Flat Hat Senior Staff Writer Kayla Sharpe ’17 and Flat Hat Associate News Editor Yutong Zhan ’20.

KAYLA SHARPE / THE FLAT HAT

The BLM conference is taking place this week, it aims to educate and inform students and community members.

Page 4

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

LECTURE

Orenstein discusses current political arena Author, scholar Norman Orenstein emphasizes importance of open debate HEATHER BAIER FLAT HAT ASSOC. VARIETY EDITOR

Norman Orenstein, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a political columnist and an author, was selected as the 2017 Hunter B. Andrews Fellow in American politics. He lectured on the current state of politics March 22, 2017.

Orenstein is the co-director of AEI-Brooking’s Election Reform Project and is on the advisory board of the Future of American Democracy Foundation.

He helped to draft parts of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act 2002 and was consulted on the writing of the American Anti-Corruption Act. Government and public policy professor John McGlennon introduced Orenstein as one of the most prominent scholars in his field.

“After completing his Ph.D., he quickly established himself as a leading scholar in congressional politics and a tenured professor at Catholic University,” McGlennon said. “From there, he went on to become a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and a continuing informer of American politics through books, articles and essays.”

Orenstein began his lecture by discussing the recent events in U.S. history, specifically the financial crisis of 2007-08, that led to the election of U.S. President Donald Trump. He credited the current political status to “angry populism” and “partisan tribalism” that flared after the recession of 2008.

However, Orenstein said that one of the most important factors in Trump’s election was party polarization.

“We have polarized, there’s just no doubt about that,” Orenstein said. “It was not symmetric. The Republican Party moved much further than the Democratic Party did, but the polarization was there.

I’ve been around Washington [D.C.] long enough to

see all kinds of polarizing and polarized figures who still manage to find coalitions that make policy.”

According to Orenstein, many shifts in party geography have led to this polarization. The formerly Democratic south was almost entirely “red” after the 2016 election, and the West Coast, formerly dominated by moderate, liberal Republicans is now the bluest region in the United States.

Orenstein said that these changes were due partially to natural phenomena, but they also resulted from people moving near those who share similar views and ideas.

“Increasingly we are living in places where we are surrounded by likeminded people, and it’s all reinforcing and we’re losing that sense of heterogeneity out there,” Orenstein said.

Among many developments that have shaped modern politics, he said advances in technology and social media have led to significant changes in elections and political campaigns.

Orenstein said that society’s constant connection to current affairs, both uplifting stories and those of violence and poverty, lead users of social media to become hardened against tragedy and less responsive to hate.

“When you live in a world where you not only have sources of rich information ... but you are one click [away] from the worst violence that you can imagine, you deaden your senses and you coarsen your culture and now anything goes,” Orenstein said. “We have no sense of shame anymore, and that’s something that troubles me a great deal about these new media and about the nature of social media.”

He said that, given these conditions, the election of Trump was not surprising to him. However, he believes that Trump’s consistency in his actions before and post-election is shocking.

He discussed the changes a person undergoes

after taking office. In many cases he has seen people change greatly under the stress and responsibilities of the presidency, but said he hasn’t seen the same changes in Trump.

“I’ve gotten to know a whole lot of people, including some presidents … and what characterizes every one of them is they are transformed the moment they hear they won the presidential election,” Orenstein said.

“We have the first president I have ever seen in my lifetime who has not changed one iota by becoming president and instead is doing everything he can to transform the presidency to fit his own personality.”

Trump is changing the office in many ways. One of the major changes Orenstein noted is his use of Twitter, but also his political rallies, his lack of knowledge of official intelligence reports and his request that policy recommendations be composed mainly of pictures and diagrams as opposed to written advice.

Orenstein also said that Trump is one of the first presidents not to rid himself of personal commitments upon taking office. Among Trump’s continuing financial obligations outside the White House are two major loans — one worth approximately $364 million to Deutsche Bank and the other worth $282 million to Ladder Capital.

Orenstein said Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, should also be required to forfeit her interests alongside her father.

“By every legal standard, she’s supposed to divest herself of all of her business interests,” Orenstein said.

“It’s not just the president, it’s the people around him. I’m skeptical that any of that will happen … The possible conflicts here, as they involve foreign policy or even domestic policy, are staggering.”

Despite the many issues Orenstein discussed surrounding Trump’s election, he said he praises the rise in social activism since Trump took office.

“There are a few hopeful things out there,” Orenstein said. “One is this jolted a lot of people into an activism that we haven’t seen before … What we’re seeing is a kind of social activism where people are stepping up.”

Karen McPherson ’69, an attendee and former teaching assistant for Orenstein, said the negative effects of Trump’s election do not outweigh the rise in activism.

“If you can say that, bacterial infections are to be praised for giving rise to Alexander Flemming and the creation of penicillin,” McPherson said. “The bacterial infection that has absorbed the Republican Party is creating a whole lot of Alexander Flemmings from the left. We would rather not have the bacteria.”

After a lifetime working in the heart of U.S. politics, Orenstein said college campuses will be important grounds for promoting social change and resilience under Trump’s administration.

Promoting freedom of speech and embracing open debate will be the key to moving forward he said. Along similar lines, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe recently signed into action House of Delegates Bill 1401, which requires Virginia colleges and universities to guarantee freedom of speech to students, faculty and guest lecturers on campuses.

“I think we’re seeing on campuses now a real willingness in many cases to try and grapple with this great difficulty of what free speech means and what the First Amendment means,” Orenstein said. “The First Amendment was not designed to protect inoffensive speech; it was designed to protect offensive speech … I think a good part of what a campus can do is to make sure that you have closer relationships with people … having a debate and conversation, finding those spaces on campuses and also trying to build larger, diverse communities.”

LECTURE

Syrian refugee crisis damages education, psychology No Lost Generation sponsors lecture concerning children affected by crisis

CARLEY SCHANCK FLAT HAT NEWS ASSOC. EDITOR

Friday, March 24, on-campus organization No Lost Generation sponsored a lecture about the Syrian refugee crisis open to students, faculty and members of the Williamsburg community.

The lecture was conducted via Skype and covered information about the war in Syria and the toll it is taking on Syrian children.

Save the Children’s Associate Director of Policy Focus Kari Fuglesten Reid began her lecture by asking the students in attendance to imagine an emergency at the College of William and Mary. In her scenario, everyone was told to evacuate immediately, with no time to gather their things or prepare in any way. Different students were evacuated to different places, and people were scattered across different areas. Fuglesten Reid asked the students to imagine how afraid they’d feel and then to imagine how magnified that fear would be if they were children and an even more extreme scenario involving war and bombing happened.

“This is just not a normal environment for a child … Think about what children are feeling under those circumstances,” Fuglesten Reid said.

“This is exactly why Save the Children and our partners are working on this issue. We’re trying to find ways to help children cope with what they’re living with on a daily basis.”

Fuglesten Reid said that the biggest source of stress that Syrian children face is the constant and unpredictable bombing and shelling, and the threat is not only physical but psychological.

“After six years of war, Syria is facing a serious mental health crisis that risks leaving millions of children with potentially irreversible psychological scars by their extreme exposure to the trauma of war,” Fuglesten Reid said.

According to Fuglesten Reid, children who experience this kind of trauma are facing toxic stress. They exhibit signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, and this stress is an ever-present reality for them.

“Some children are so desperate that they say they want to die so they can go to heaven to be warm and eat and play.

The situation has become so dire in some places that we’ve actually seen an

increase in teenage suicide attempts,” Fuglesten Reid said.

Fuglesten Reid talked about a young boy that Save the Children had worked with whose family had escaped from an area controlled by ISIS. This child had witnessed a public beheading, and the experience had affected him profoundly. He couldn’t sleep well, had nightmares of someone trying to kill him and exhibited signs of trauma. His parents didn’t know how to react or how to help him. Save the Children works to prevent children like this young boy from internalizing this trauma and violence and becoming numb to it.

“The longer children are under this type of stress, they can actually become immune to violence and think it’s normal and not a big deal, and they can internalize and act out what they’re seeing,” Fuglesten Reid said.

Fuglesten Reid said that a second major cause of stress in Syria right now is the lack of educational opportunities.

Many children cannot receive an education because their schools are being bombed, which she noted is a violation of international humanitarian law.

“At Save the Children, we do have a specific focus on trying to find ways to get kids back in school,” Fuglesten Reid said. “If they are too afraid to enter school buildings, we do things like increase home-based education … We also run schools underground, literally in tunnels and basements, because it’s safer from the bombing. And we also follow children who are displaced from one camp to another to make sure that they continue to get an education the best that they can.”

Cameron Shifflett ’20 attended the lecture because of his concern about this issue.

“I hope to learn there is something we can still do because on the whole I feel like we’ve failed completely in that area, and it’s rather embarrassing and disgusting,” Shifflett said.

Shifflett explained that this issue is important to him because innocent lives are being taken.

“People are dying,” Shifflett said. “It’s not a matter of ‘oh, it doesn’t impact us because we’re over here.’ It’s everyone.

There are innocent people who are dying.”

Executive Director of No Lost

Generation Mili Nadipalli ’18 explained why the issue hits home for her.

“I’m an immigrant,” Nadipalli said. “I was born in India, and we were actually really lucky with our immigration status because people from my family have applied and been rejected.”

Nadipalli said that the United States’ inactive role in helping Syrian refugees is infuriating to her.

“It’s hard not to sit here and boil about it and be mad … I was hearing a lot of stories about other countries that are being more accepting,” Nadipalli said.

Nadipalli said she wants her fellow students at the College as well as the general public to continue caring about this issue, even when it is not in the news.

“I encourage people to stay up to date with refugee issues,” Nadipalli said.

“The biggest thing is that it falls in and out of fashion … I think people think that if they’re not hearing about it in the news constantly things are improving, but they’re really not so I just encourage people to stay up to date and actively look for themselves rather than waiting for news to come to them.”

Elijah Levine ’18 and Annelise Yackow ’18 elected SA president, VP Student Assembly members, students speak on the results of last week’s election STUDENT ASSEMBLY from page 1

she has been working on in SA senate through legislation aiming to reform the Executive Appropriations Committee and the senate finance committee guidelines.

Srikanth said that she hopes the winning pair can learn from current SA President Eboni Brown ’17 and SA Vice President Hannah McKiernan ’17’s administration.

“I think what we learned is the amount of people on this campus that still want to see change, and I think that we are still going to work for it,” Srikanth said. “I mean, I wish Elijah and Annelise all the luck, and I hope that they can accomplish what they want to and be as successful as Eboni and Hannah. I know Eboni and Hannah did an amazing job.”

The three individuals running for re-election in their positions of class president — Class of 2020 President Kelsey Vita ’20, Class of 2019 President Jonah Yesowitz ’19 and Class of 2018 President Laini Boyd ’18 — were all running unopposed and were re-elected.

45 percent of eligible voters in the class of 2018 participated in this year’s election. A total of 2,235 votes were cast for the 2018 senate positions.

Four candidates were running to fill four empty seats in the senate, so all were elected. Returning members Sen. Alaina Shreves ’18 and Sen. Colleen Heberle ’18 were elected with 576 votes and 584 votes, respectively. New senatorial candidates, William Jackson ’18 and Jack Bowden ’18 earned 539 votes and 536 votes, respectively.

Out of the total vote, Bowden earned 23.98 percent of all voters, Heberle, leading her class, earned 26.13 percent of the vote, Jackson took 24.12 percent of the vote and Shreves took 25.77 percent of the vote.

“

I think what we learned is the amount of people on this campus that still want to see change.

The class of 2020 also re-elected all current senatorial candidates. Sen. Clare DaBaldo ’20 took 549 votes, Sen. Noah Ferris ’20 took 515 votes, Sen. Sarah MacPhee ’20 took 557 votes and Sen. Ellie Thomas ’20 took 594 votes. John Muchnikoff ’20, who was a new candidate for SA Senate, took 402 votes.

Leading the class of 2020 in terms of votes was Thomas, who earned 22.70 percent of the votes, MacPhee took 21.28 percent of the votes, DaBaldo took 20.98 percent of the votes and Ferris took 19.68 percent of the vote. Muchnikoff, who was not elected, earned 15.36 percent of the vote.

— Nami Srikanth ‘19

In the class of 2019, 50 percent of eligible students voted for a total of 2,603 votes for seats in the senate. All four current senators were reelected. Sen. Brendan Boylan ’19 earned 515 votes, Sen. Shannon Dutchie ’19 earned 599 votes, Sen. Alexis Payne ’19 earned 583 votes and Sen. Sikander Zakriya ’19 earned 535 votes. A senate outsider, Alexander Galas, took 371 votes.

Dutchie, leading her class, earned 23.01 percent of the votes. Payne earned 22.40 percent of the votes, Zakriya earned 20.55 percent of the votes, Boylan earned 19.78 percent of votes and Galas finished with 14.25 percent of the vote.

SIOBHAN DOHERTY / THE FLAT HAT

Elijah Levine ‘18 and Annelise Yackow ‘18 won the SA presidential election .

opinions

Opinions Editor Jennifer Cosgrove Opinions Editor Julia Stumbaugh fhopinions@gmail.com // @theflathat

The Flat Hat

| Tuesday, March 28, 2017 | Page 5

STAFF EDITORIAL

Recognizing unequal treatment by WMPD

JAE CHO / THE FLAT HAT

GUEST COLUMN

The importance of rest to academic success

Emily Hauge

FLAT HAT GUEST COLUMNIST

“If I go to bed right now and fall asleep in the next seven minutes I will get exactly six hours of sleep.”

Sound familiar? I know the science.

I know that a lack of sleep reduces my cognitive ability enormously, while simultaneously blurring my ability to see the deficit. I’d venture to guess this isn’t news to you either. But why do we find it so hard to prioritize something as basic as sleep? My mom used to say that whatever you need to do will expand to fill whatever time you have. She was right — somehow, even on the weeks when my workload is manageable, I still find myself allocating my body its hours of sleep like I’m Ebenezer Scrooge begrudging Bob Cratchit a Christmas morning off.

While my research lab on campus does look at how lack of sleep affects us, I don’t have to be a scientist to know I need sleep. So why am I okay with cognitively and emotionally crippling myself?

I can blame technology, busyness, or my workload, but I think it’s deeper than that. As a culture, it’s not just sleep that we struggle to prioritize: it’s rest.

Sleep is at least a biologically busy time, but the idea of rest is inescapably unproductive.

Productivity and progress are the mantras of the American way, but somehow, while the machines we are making become bigger and better and faster, we are forgetting that we aren’t machines. Our value is not increased by our production and efficiency.

We know this, but we’re stuck in the assembly line and feel we must compete — so we grab another coffee after five hours of sleep and wear the deprivation as a badge of dedication to compensate for the fact that we are actually telling ourselves that what we can do is more valuable than what we can be.

Coffee works okay to get stuff done. To be someone, we need sleep — and rest.

I had to ask Google for a definition of rest: to “cease work or movement to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength.”When in the last time you rested? I’m not asking when is the last time you meant to do homework

and watched Netflix instead.

When did you plan to spend time in a way that refreshed you and helped you recover your strength?

Maybe Netflix does relax and refresh you, but to truly take advantage of it, psychology tells us that the mindset matters. Procrastination is an escape mechanism we engage in when we feel like we can’t win; rest is a tactical technique we employ when we know how to fight well, and they look very different.

When I procrastinate, I’m much more likely to waste time on Pinterest or eat junk because I need comfort to compensate for the fact that I am telling myself I don’t deserve to rest and can never do enough. When I plan time to rest, I am telling myself that my value is independent of my productivity level. What I plan for rest looks very different than what happens when I reach a point where I need to escape.

What does it look like to plan rest? We each have to decide. As students at William and Mary, this is going to feel unnatural. Let’s be real, administration only allows us to double major because if it was up to us, we would quadruple major.

I’m certainly not suggesting you drop your second major, but rather that we start by setting boundaries for ourselves, like with any healthy relationship. Let’s think about what gives us life, set aside time to do it and not stand ourselves up.

As rumor has it, the word “rest” comes from the Old Norse word for “league” or “mile,” the “distance after one rests.” How many miles has it been since you rested?

Perhaps we need to ask ourselves where we should stop, rather than how long we can go without stopping.

This is hard. Setting boundaries always is. I’m writing this after a long week of exams where I didn’t do the best job at prioritizing my sleep or rest, but I’m better than I once was. I’ve come to the point where the challenge excites me because rest is rebellious. Despite our complaints about how hard it is here, I know us to be a campus of students that loves a good challenge — especially when it’s a little rebellious.

Our culture sees sleep as inconvenient and rest as weakness, and our health is suffering, but we can decide to be different. It can start with the moment we catch ourselves bragging in the Swemromas line about how many hours of sleep we didn’t get. When we refuse to celebrate deprivation as dedication, when we prioritize sleep, we validate our humanity.

When we take time to step out of the assembly line and rest in glorious unproductivity, we reclaim our identity.

And that, paradoxically, is quite productive indeed.

Email Emily Hauge at eohauge@email.wm.edu.

“

We’re stuck in the assembly line and feel we must compete — so we grab another coffee after five hours of sleep and wear the deprivation as a badge of dedication.

Interested in writing for The Flat Hat? The Flat Hat Opinions section is currently accepting submissions for publication. Submissions should range from 450 to 650 words and subject matter should relate directly to the college.

Email columns to fhopinions@gmail.com.

Friday night, a group of students promoting this week’s Black Lives Matter conference by writing the name and date of the event in chalk around campus were stopped by several William and Mary Police Department officers. According to a Facebook post shared by the Black Lives Matter organizers, they were told they needed a permit to chalk around campus, and without one, the act was considered vandalism. Asking for specifics about these chalking rules resulted in conflicting answers from the police officers.

On any given week, chalk messages promoting Greek Life events, local or national elections and student events can be seen at prominent campus locations, including the Sadler Center Terrace, near the Crim Dell amphitheater and the Integrated Science Center. Writing in chalk is an important method of communication around campus. Chalk messages have long been a public platform utilized by people of all backgrounds.

These messages are at times political, including ones expressing support for both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump during the 2016 election, so the Black Lives Matter promotion is not an outlier. In today’s political climate, it is important to make sure that students’ right to post messages, especially those of often marginalized groups, around campus is being respected.

The College has a chalk policy that the students promoting the conference were technically in violation of, but the police officers questioning the students were reportedly unaware of the specifics of this policy. The policy states that chalking is permitted only on flat, horizontal surfaces that are more

“

Applying the regulations to only this group of students is a worrying infringement on students’ ability to speak freely around campus. than 30 feet away from an entrance to a building. However, this policy did not result in WMPD officers stopping and questioning students chalking for recently elected Student Assembly President Elijah Levine ’18. SA Vice President-elect Annelise Yackow ’18 said that while they were also chalking at night, they were not stopped or asked for a permit.

Chalk writing can often be found on surfaces that violate these rules, such as outside the entrance to Lodge 1, but there have been no reports of officials attempting to prohibit other students from writing these messages. Enforcement of the rules must be applied equally if at all; it cannot be used in a way that singles out specific groups over others.

The Black Lives Matter Conference that the College of William and Mary is hosting this week is a notable event. It’s the first time the organization has received funding from SA. Students should be able to advertise its existence and celebrate its importance. Additionally, the political context and tensions that coincide with the conference should be acknowledged.

Friday night’s events detract from the accomplishments of a group of student organizers who have planned a week of activities to “educate, agitate and organize.”

If the College does plan on enforcing this chalking policy through WMPD officers, students should be made aware of these rules and their consequences. WMPD Chief Deb Cheesebro’s statement acknowledging the mistakes made in the encounter, as well as her personal meeting with the students involved, are appreciated. Going forward, similar incidents must be avoided. Applying the regulations to only this group of students is a worrying infringement on students’ ability to speak freely around campus — an infringement which The Flat Hat strongly objects to.

The staff editorial represents the opinion of The Flat Hat. The editorial board consists of Emily Chaumont, Leonor Grave, Isabel Larroca, Noah Petersen and Julia Stumbaugh. The Flat Hat welcomes submissions to the Opinions section. Letters, columns, graphics and cartoons reflect the view of the author only. Email submissions to fhopinions@gmail.com.

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Page 6

STAFF COLUMN

The groutfit: more than a last resort

Emily Chaumont

FLAT HAT MANAGING EDITOR

The “groutfit” is one of the most hated fashion choices a college student could make. Stepping out of your dorm room dressed head to toe in the color gray generally attracts the attention of your friends, and usually not in a good way. Stepping into the lounge is sure to result in laughs of, “Nice groutfit!” with a few eyerolls sprinkled in for good measure, and you’d be hard pressed to escape out the front door without at least one groan-inducing “Fifty Shades” reference.

However, the general disdain for the groutfit seems to me to be unfounded.

Why is it that “monochromatic looks” — ensembles composed entirely of pieces of the same color or of different shades of the same color — can

“

If we are, in theory, all for monochromatic athleisure ensembles, groutfits should be included in this trend. be considered in style every fashion season, but that love stops when the color spotlighted is gray?

An all-black look is considered fierce, empowering and bold. Personalities such as Rihanna, Taylor Swift, the Kardashians, off-duty models and fashion bloggers regularly sport all-black outfits and are praised for looking sophisticated, fashionable, stylish and put together.

Monochromatic blush pink looks have been a recent staple of fashion weeks and street style blogs.

Matching your red lipstick to your red dress and red shoes has always been an iconic, bold statement.

An all-white look has long been a classic choice that projects summertime chic.

Why, then, is it so hard to get away with a monochromatic look in all gray?

Perhaps it is because “groutfit” doesn’t usually refer to a Kardashian-style, high fashion all-gray ensemble with an expensive trench, midi dress and suede over-the-knee boots. Often when people deride the groutfit, they’re referring to the paint-stained sweatshirt and never-washed sweatpants ensemble often sported to 8 a.m. classes in Morton.

But I’ve seen people called out on sporting a “groutfit” when they were wearing gray leggings with a gray top or sweatshirt looking relatively put together.

Besides the obvious fact that people should be able to wear whatever they want without being made fun of, it just doesn’t make logical sense to mock this kind of groutfit.

In addition to monochromatic looks being praised in the fashion world, “athleisure” has increased its presence on Instagram, street style blogs and even in the real world. It should follow that a monochromatic athleisure look be praised rather than derided. If I stepped out to head to the Rec in black workout leggings with a black tank top and black hoodie, I would look like I was comfortable and fashionable at the same time. Gray leggings, a gray tank top and gray sweatshirt should theoretically project the same message, but the all-black outfit would either not attract much attention or would be outright complimented, while the all-gray look would attract teasing from friends and even weird looks from strangers.

If we are, in theory, all for monochromatic athleisure ensembles, groutfits should be included in this trend.

Email Emily Chaumont at emchaumont@email.wm.edu.

JAE CHO / THE FLAT HAT

LETTER TO THE EDITOR This letter to the editor was written in response to The Flat Hat’s Mar. 21 staff editorial and was received before the Student Assembly elections took place.

I’m voting for Elijah & Annelise for SA President and Vice President because of their experience inside and outside of SA has proved to me that they are best equipped to lead our student body. Although Danny and Nami have a more detailed platform, it contains bullet points of goals that mostly deal with increasing publicity for initiatives. On the other hand, Elijah and Annelise provide narratives before they state their policy goals to express their deep understanding of the issues they care about.

When Elijah discusses diversity, he speaks to his experience as a mixed person of color, and acknowledges the struggles of other races, ethnicities, sexualities, and socioeconomic statuses. Under Sexual Assault, Elijah speaks to his experience as IFC VP of Programming and his personal work on the Supporting Survivors program.

Under Mental Health, Annelise speaks to her experiences with PTSD. For the Flat Hat to say that Elijah and Annelise “…seem to lack a full understanding of current campus initiatives addressing the concerns that they claim to focus on” is a flippant dismissal of their leadership experiences and personal identities. To say that Danny and Nami want SA to reach the people discounts Elijah and Annelise’s People’s Report plan for student forums. Overall, Elijah and Annelise celebrate William and Mary’s diversity while setting up a plan for strengthening understanding among the student body and building community beyond re-structuring organizations.

Caroline Martin ccmartin01@email.wm.edu

COMMENTS @THEFLATHAT

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At the end of the day, people should feel free to express their own opinions without fear of reprisal ... at the same time, people should also feel free to disagree with those opinions without fear of retribution.

— Todd Franklin Grunlien on “Reveley cannot remain detached from politics”

variety

Variety Editor Katie Koontz Variety Editor Akemi Tamanaha flathat.variety@gmail.com // @theflathat

The Flat Hat

| Tuesday, March 28, 2017 | Page 7

Cheers to one year PHOTOS BY LEXI GODFREY / THE FLAT HAT

Founded by alumni Robby Willey ‘05 and Chris Smith ‘07, the Virginia Beer Company commemorated one year in business with a full weekend of events. The festivities included bottle releases, live music, food trucks and a collaboration with Aromas Café.

Pitcher perfect: The Virginia Beer Company celebrates with drinks, music and fun LEXI GODFREY FLAT HAT STAFF WRITER

This weekend featured clear skies, warm temperatures and the smell of spring, and beer, in the air.

The Virginia Beer Company celebrated its first anniversary and Waypost Weekend bash Friday through Sunday, beginning with the much-anticipated bottle release of the company’s two new Waypost batches amidst music and food trucks. The celebration continued Saturday with live bands, cornhole and sloshing glasses of craft beer. Sunday marked the end of the weekendlong festival with a “hangover jazz brunch,” during which the Company released its coffee porter stout, created in collaboration with Williamsburg’s Aromas Café.

The two founders of the Virginia Beer Company, Robby Willey ’05 and Chris Smith ’07, are William and Mary alumni themselves.

According to Wiley, their connection with the College helped the duo get the Virginia Beer Company on its feet.

“It’s really been that alumni connection that’s really pulled us back,” Willey said. “So the experiences we’ve had serving the College on the annual giving board, kind of getting connected with other alums … the whole ‘For the Bold’ campaign … The William and Mary community has been very supportive, and it was a big reason we decided to come back to Williamsburg.”

The Company released two new batches Friday: “I Pray You Remember,” also known as Waypost Green, and “Biere de Garde,” or Waypost Black. The Waypost Green batch was aged in Islay Scotch casks for four months, resulting in a beer with a kick and smoky peat undertones. Alternatively, the Waypost Black was aged in Kentucky Bourbon barrels, giving it a sweet, rich, chocolaty flavor that was smoother than its sister brew.

“The fun of it — the reception we were looking for — was to be kind of polarizing, because some people love scotch and will specifically want to drink that beer, and some people won’t like that beer, but it’s fun to see the reactions,” Willey said.

Both Willey and Smith expressed their satisfaction with the reception of the brews and are excited to offer their first bottled beers to the public.

The anniversary celebration continued Saturday with two different stages of live music in addition to more food trucks and beer. There were three food trucks on the lot: two for meal options (Your Pie and Slideways), and one for those with a hankering to satisfy their sweet tooth (Sinful Treats).

“I thought that the food truck selection complimented the beer

quite well. There was a little bit of everything, from super salty to sweet,” Adam Crenshaw ’17 said.

All good things must come to an end, but the Virginia Beer Company was set on ending the weekend with a bang. Little Piggy’s Wurst Nightmare provided catering for a non-ticketed “jazz hangover brunch” at the Company Sunday. Free Emily’s Donuts were available, and Timeline Jazz performed soothing background tunes.

Additionally, the Virginia Beer Company released another base brew named “Dammit! Brad’s Hungover.” The porter was then mixed with Aromas Café’s cold brew coffee to create the

City Plus Coffee Porter. The mixed porter was served in branded Virginia Beer Company mugs and was intended to be a smooth pick-me-up for anyone who had a headache that needed some TLC. “Dammit! Brad’s Hungover” is the base porter recipe with full-bodied chocolate, bourbon and maple syrup flavors.

Willey and Smith were excited about the festival’s success.

“One of the things Robby and I love about this, and what we do, is that we are a community gathering spot,” Smith said. “So, I see it being the same thing, and hopefully bringing in a greater number and a greater variety of people, too. But hopefully, we will throw an even bigger party.”

LEXI GODFREY / THE FLAT HAT

Customers stand in line to sample some of the Virginia Beer Company’s various beverage options. Over the weekend, they released several new brews to the line up.

Ironing out the rough spots: Flat Hat team fore the bold

Student journalists dressed as Girl Scout Cookies compete in Campus Golf tournament ALYSSA GRZESIAK FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR

Lady Gaga throwbacks blasted from the Sunken Garden, accompanied by the sound of singing Kappa Delta members. From Mario Kart enthusiasts to the seagulls of “Finding Nemo” to fancy teas, hundreds of eccentrically dressed College of William and Mary students dragged themselves out of bed early Saturday morning for the annual Campus Golf event.

Alive and thriving, the Flat Hat team arrived at 10:48 a.m. They were an assortment of colors, and people looked at them questioningly. Were they M&Ms? Skittles, perhaps? Maybe macaroons? Then the team turned, displaying an array of cookies taped to their shirts. To the shock of many, The Flat Hat had managed to pull off a theme: Girl Scout Cookies. From the deep green of classic Thin Mints to the cheerful yellow of Savannah Smiles, the team had it all.

With a successful theme, the journalists expected an equally prosperous performance.

Carefully reading the green, Associate Sports Editor Brendan Doyle ’20 stepped up to take his first swing.

“Obviously my swing is silky smooth,” Doyle said. “It’s a well-known fact. So whether I was hitting a golf ball, a tennis ball or a basketball, you can guarantee it’s going to be beautiful.”

“

Unfortunately, there were no basketballs to be hit; they would have been a much easier target for Doyle, who could never seem to find the bucket he was aiming for. He did, however, manage to hit another golfer, scoring him and the team a few bonus points.

Former Digital Media Editor Kayla Sharpe ’17 was ecstatic to end her golfing career on a high note, only losing one tennis ball this year.

I didn’t lose my ball ... It was stolen. Just because I hit it into a tree and couldn’t find it afterwards does not mean that I lost it.

— Kevin Richeson ‘20

“I really wanted to capitalize on my long and glorious golf career,” Sharpe said. “The greens on the bottom nine were a bit quick, but I think the team adapted well enough.”

The “greens” that Sharpe referred to were actually bricks, which may explain the struggle the team faced near the end of the course. The change of landscape was a relief to the team, especially after the disaster that was the group picture. The wind ruffled many of the players’ hair, and the sun overexposed the photos.

Sharpe and Staff Writer Kevin Richeson ’20 were the only two players to lose their balls.

“I didn’t lose my ball,” Richeson said. “It was stolen. Just because I hit it into a tree and couldn’t find it afterwards does not mean that I lost it.”

While The Flat Hat may or may not have had a sweet victory, the team tagged along and made Samoa fun memories they will never forget. But that is just how the Girl Scout cookie crumbles.

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Page 8

the Latest Buzz on campus

Students start their own beekeeping club at the College KAELYN ELEUTERIO THE FLAT HAT

When scrolling through the long list of clubs on campus, you have probably seen one or two that made you go, “What the heck? We have a Guacamole club?” This year, the Beekeeping Club has joined the ranks of unexpected clubs on campus.

Claire Murphy ’19 and Ben Lazarus ’19 first tried to start the club last year after a casual conversation about beekeeping.

They emailed a few people, but had trouble getting things up and running. This year, Murphy was driving with Casey MacLean ’18 when the topic of beekeeping came up again. They met with Lazarus, sent out some more emails, and finally got approval to start the beekeeping club.

The club founders got a Green Fee from the Committee on Sustainability, which gave them the funds to set up two hives on the College of William and Mary campus. They plan to start the hives in late March or early April.

“Once we get the bees, we’ll probably have a schedule for everyone to rotate taking care of them,” MacLean said in an email. “In the long run, once the bees start producing enough honey, we’re hoping to sell the honey to help support the club.”

MacLean admits that beekeeping doesn’t sound like the typical hobby for the average college student.

“I’ve always thought beekeeping would be a really worthwhile hobby, but never thought I could do it; it seemed more like a daydream for a future, retired, old lady me,” MacLean said.

However, having the hives on campus will allow students to pursue that hobby today instead of waiting to start a hive until they’re older.

Beekeeping is surprisingly low-maintenance. After the hives are set up, the bees will keep the hives running with very little human involvement.

“The idea of being able to produce something … has always

been fascinating to me,” Lazarus said. “So the fact that we could just set these up, let them do their own thing, and then harvest the honey with a minimal amount of work is something that I think is really appealing to a lot of people.”

This self-maintenance also means that bees use up very few natural resources, which makes them environmentally sustainable.

“Bees are incredibly environmentally friendly because they’re incredibly self-sufficient,” Lazarus said. “The colonies run and manage themselves, they find their own water, their own flowers. On top of that, they help pollinate, which is a vital aspect they play in the environment, both in human-run farms and gardens, as well as in naturally occurring ecosystems.”

Murphy said she hopes that the Beekeeping Club will make people more aware of the role that bees play in our environment.

“Bees play a very important role in ecosystems pollinating plants and unfortunately, their populations are declining due to dieoffs. We wanted to help the bees in whatever small way we could but also wanted to become more aware and informed about them and the practice of beekeeping,” Murphy said in an e-mail.

Much like the beehives themselves, MacLean hopes that the club will continue to sustain itself long after the current students graduate.

“We also knew lots of people who were potentially interested, so it seemed like a niche that needed to be filled on campus,” MacLean said. “Even though students are only here for four years, the club will ensure that the hives are taken care of long into the future.”

Before the hives get set up, free beekeeping classes will be offered from 6-9 p.m. every Thursday hosted by Williamsburg Colonial Beekeepers Association.

COURTESY GRAPHIC / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Award winning service, with a smile

Marketplace worker Christian Olver wins national Sodexo award for his service EMILY CHAUMONT FLAT HAT MANAGING EDITOR

Heffernan hasn’t been the only one talking up Christian’s accomplishments. Christian’s father, James Olver, is a professor at the Mason School of Business and said that he was excited to spread the news about the award his son won.

“When I heard about Christian’s award, I had to tell all my classes that day about it: that was about 100 undergraduate and graduate students,” Olver said in an email. “Several came up to me after class to talk about how awesome Chris is.”

He said that winning this award is just another example of his son going above and beyond in everything he does.

“Chris was hit by a car at the age of two — if you notice his limp and limited use of his right arm, that’s the result of the damage to the left hemisphere of his brain back then,” Olver said. “It’s a lot like having a massive stroke. Chris was not

expected to live through the night. He did. The brain surgeon warned us to be prepared for the possibility that he might never talk or walk again. He did. He rode a bike too. The schools Students who frequent Marketplace at dinner time are sure warned that he wouldn’t be able to handle the physical or to be familiar with Christian Olver, the cashier who greets mental demands of a normal school day. He did … Nobody everyone who enters the dining hall with a cheesy grin and thought he’d be able to get a regular high school diploma. He exclamations of “Oh my goodness!” did. Or manage to keep up with full-time work. He has, and has Last week, Christian was informed that he had won Sodexo’s had at least one job since his early teens. Usually two, to make national Spirit Award for his outstanding customer service. ends meet. And he has done it all with that big grin firmly fixed After being recognized at the College of William and Mary, on his face and words of encouragement for all and probably a Christian was recognized at the district level and then honored big hug.” with the national award.

Christian said that he didn’t know how to respond when he According to Dining Services Retail Operations Manager found out that he won the award. He said that the Marketplace Jason Vercammen, Sodexo employs over 89,000 university staff learned about it in a meeting Wednesday, and the news is services employees across the country who still sinking in for him. could have won this award. In light of how For Christian, his job at Marketplace, big this achievement is, Christian will be where he’s worked since 2012, has allowed recognized at Dining Services’ campus-wide him to be true to himself and to meet new meeting this week, where he will receive a people. plaque in his honor and a financial prize to “I can be myself, which is being able to celebrate his accomplishment. be talkative and silly but serious at the Christian said that initially, he did not same time,” Christian said. “I like just realize how broad his recognition was. getting to know the students, as well as “I didn’t know how big it was; I didn’t even anybody else who comes in the door, know it was going to be bigger than outside regardless of if they’re having a good day of the College,” Christian said. “Then I found or a bad day, if there’s something big out that it was much more than that. It was happening, or if it’s just another day, I through all of Sodexo food service, and it want to hear about it.” just went from the College to the district and For many, Marketplace wouldn’t be the from the district to national and somehow my same without Christian’s bright, joyful name was spread. It’s wild to me.” presence. Heffernan said that even outside Marketplace Supervisor Raymond of work, Christian has a sunny personality.

Heffernan placed “congratulations” balloons “He’s born with the happy gene,”

by Christian’s cash register so that students Heffernan said. “I’ve never seen him ever would ask Christian about them and learn not smile. On a personal level, he will about the award that he won. do anything for you to help you … On a “Pretty much every student knows personal level, he’s exactly like he is on a Christian,” Heffernan said. “He got nominated professional level … There isn’t anything because of his customer service and his you can’t ask him to do, and he will do it friendliness and welcomingness … He’s very every day, all the time, respectfully and genuine, and I think the students can see with a smile on his face. It’s my honor to TUCKER HIGGINS / THE FLAT HAT Christian Olver, whose father James Olver is a professor at the Mason School of Business, has worked at Marketplace since 2012. that.” work with him.”

sportsinside

The Flat Hat

| Tuesday, March 28, 2017 | Page 9

BASEBALL

College goes 2-3 in up and down week

Tribe falls to Virginia Tech, beats VMI before going 1-2 in weekend series at UNCW BRENDAN DOYLE FLAT HAT ASSOC. SPORTS EDITOR William and Mary finished an upand-down week Sunday. The Tribe (13-10, 1-2 CAA) went 2-3 and opened up Colonial Athletic Association play on the road with a weekend series.

Inconsistency plagued the Tribe offense, as it dropped a contest with Virginia Tech, beat Virginia Military Institute and salvaged the Sunday game from a set with North CarolinaWilmington.

Tuesday, the Tribe traveled to Blacksburg to take on the Hokies (1412). It was a pitcher’s duel early, until the top of the third inning when senior infielder Ryder Miconi hit one over the fence with nobody on, giving the College a 1-0 lead. Two innings later, the Tribe lead was upped when sophomore infielder Kyle Wrighte tripled, then was driven in on a sacrifice fly by junior outfielder Ryan Hall. The 2-0 Tribe lead looked to be enough, but did not last.

Senior right-handed pitcher Aaron Fernandez, in the game in relief of sophomore left-handed pitcher Nick Raquet, got the first two outs of the bottom of the seventh. But two walks for the Hokies set the table for a threerun homer, putting Virginia Tech on top to stay. The Tribe got a man in scoring position in the top of the ninth with only one out, but it was not to be, as the Hokies struck out the next two batters to preserve the 3-2 victory.

Wednesday night, the Tribe returned to Plumeri Park to take on the Keydets (10-13) in its only home game of the week. The College took advantage of five wild pitches, four walks and a balk in the first two innings to take a 4-0 advantage over the Keydets. In the bottom of the third, the Tribe tacked on another run on a sacrifice bunt.

While the offense was producing, senior right-handed pitcher Daniel Powers was holding down the fort on the other side.

“Powers did a good job of using their aggressiveness,” head coach Brian Murphy said. “He was pretty sharp with his breaking ball … whenever you have all three pitches, you give the lineup an awful lot to think about.”

Powers pitched seven scoreless innings, giving up only four hits. He struck out seven straight at one point, from the last out of the third inning to the last out of the fifth, finishing with 11 total strikeouts. He took his first win of the season, increasing his record to 1-2.

The Tribe offense was not done, as it added even more insurance in the bottom of the sixth inning. An RBI single for junior infielder Cullen Large and an RBI fielder’s choice for senior infielder Charles Ameer gave the Tribe a 7-0 lead that was enough for the win.

“I didn’t think we were very good

UNC-Wilmington. After a quiet top of the first, the Seahawks led off the bottom with a home run to deep left field. After a scoreless second inning on both sides, UNC-Wilmington’s bats woke up yet again. After two walks, three consecutive batters homered.

That explosion put the Seahawks in complete control, up 6-0. They scored another run in the fourth and four more in the fifth, growing the lead to 11-0.

Sophomore catcher Hunter Smith hit his first home run of the year in the top of the sixth, but that was all the College could muster, eventually falling 11-1.

run on a Hall single to gain the 2-0 lead.

In the top of the fourth, the College added on again with a Large double, which scored Hall. The Seahawks cut into the lead in the bottom of that inning, but the Tribe extended the lead back to three on an RBI single by freshman infielder Patrick Ryan. After UNC-Wilmington drew within two again, Hall scored on a wild pitch to go up 5-2 in the seventh.

The tide turned in the bottom of the ninth for the Seahawks. Sophomore left-handed pitcher Bodie Sheehan opened the inning going for the

COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS

The Tribe laid it all on the line Sunday to salvage a narrow 10-9 victory over the Seahawks to avoid being swept in an important conference series.

offensively,” Murphy said. “Most of what we got they gave us, whether it was walks or wild pitches or whatever it may be. We had a few better at bats later, though.”

Friday, the Tribe played the first game of a weekend series against

Saturday, the Seahawks attempted to win the first series of CAA play. In the top of the first, the Tribe struck to open the game when Ameer singled to score Miconi. After an uneventful bottom of the first, the Tribe took advantage of a Seahawks error to score an unearned

complete game win for the Tribe, but was pulled after giving up a single to the first batter of the inning. In came junior right-hander Robert White for the save.

He hit the first batter he faced, setting up first and second for the Seahawks with no outs. White proceeded to walk

the next batter, loading the bases.

The following hitter for the Seahawks doubled, clearing the bases and tying the game at five all. After an intentional walk, junior right-handed pitcher Charlie Fletcher relieved White to try to send the game into extras. Fletcher got the first batter he faced to fly out, advancing the runners to second and third with one out. The Seahawks sent infielder Cole Weiss to pinch hit, and he delivered, driving home the walk-off run on a fielder’s choice. The 6-5 decision set up a possible UNCWilmington sweep.

Conversely, the Tribe offense started the game strong. Miconi, batting second, homered to start the scoring.

UNC-Wilmington doubled that, snatching back a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning. After a quiet second, the Tribe erupted in the third. A Miconi RBI double, a Large single that scored two, a Smith single which plated another run and a two-run Wrighte homer to deep left added up to a six-run inning, giving the Tribe a commanding lead that it did not relinquish.

The Seahawks scored two in the bottom of the third with a two-run home run, but the Tribe answered in the fifth with a Hall double that brought home two. In the seventh inning, the College added a run to bring its lead to 10-4. In the bottom of the inning, the Seahawks put together a rally that nearly overtook the Tribe as an RBI groundout, a single that scored a run and a three-run homer clearly gave UNC-Wilmington the momentum.

After a couple of pitching changes, freshman right-handed pitcher Jamie Sara was able to strike out a Seahawk to retire the side and quiet the rally. UNCWilmington fought the last two innings to tie the game, but Powers came in for the save, finishing off a 10-9 victory.

The Tribe won its first game on the road and its first conference game.

The Tribe will take on Norfolk State and Old Dominion Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, both at Plumeri Park. The College will get another crack at a CAA foe when it travels to Delaware for a weekend series against the Blue Hens Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

TENNIS

Men shut out Howard, women split on the road

Perry, Stepanova, Cheng lead in win over Harvard as Appleby, Cargill dominant against Howard KEVIN RICHESON THE FLAT HAT The William and Mary women traveled north to take on two Ivy League teams, Brown and Harvard, while the men faced off against Howard at home at the Millie West Tennis Center. The women split their two matches, bouncing back from a loss at Brown with a narrow victory over Harvard. The men dominated their only match, shutting out Howard.

March 25, the Tribe women (7-9) came up short against Brown (8-4), suffering a 4-3 defeat.

The College claimed an early lead by winning the doubles point. At the No. 1, sophomore Lauren Goodman and senior Marie Faure were victorious over junior Alyza Benotto and senior Dayna Lord of the Bears by a score of 6-3. Juniors Ekaterina Stepanova and Olivia Thaler closed out their doubles match over Brown senior Mariska Chamdani and sophomore Taylor Cosme to claim the win at the No. 2 spot.

In singles, the College took victories at the No. 3 and No. 5 spots. Freshman Natalia Perry came from behind for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Bears junior Maddie Stearns, while freshman Rosie Cheng picked up a 6-4, 6-1 win over freshman Juliana Simon. Despite these two wins, the Tribe fell short in the final four singles matches.

Stepanova and Goodman each lost in three sets to Lord and Cosme, respectively. Faure and junior Maria Groener both suffered losses in straight sets.

Stepanova March 26, the Tribe women (8-9) returned to the court and recovered from the previous day’s loss with a 4-3 triumph over Harvard (12-6). Once again, the College snagged the doubles point. At the No. 1 spot, Faure and Goodman

lost 6-4 to senior June Lee and sophomore Erica Oosterhout; however, the College was able to secure wins at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots. Stepanova and Thaler teamed up for a 7-6 (8) triumph over Harvard freshmen Natasha Gonzalez and Irene Lu at the No. 2. Perry and junior Cecily Wuenscher won their match at the No. 3 spot against junior Annika Ringblom and sophomore Sabrina Xiong.

Perry In singles, three Tribe players notched wins to clinch the victory. At the No. 1, Stepanova outlasted Oosterhout 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. At the No. 3 and No. 4 spots, Perry and Cheng triumphed with Perry taking both sets 6-4 over Ringblom and Cheng taking both sets 6-3 over Lu. The College suffered straight set losses at No. 2, 5 and 6 with Faure, Goodman and Groener each coming up just short of wins.

The Tribe men (8-8) took on Howard (0-10) March 26 and came away with a 7-0 win. The College easily took the doubles point with three straight victories. At the No. 1, senior Addison Appleby and sophomore Tristan Bautil claimed a 6-2 win over Bison seniors Ismael Kaouache and William Jones III. At the No. 2 Bautil and No. 3 spots, respectively, senior Aidan Talcott and junior Christian Cargill defeated sophomore Spencer Kelly and freshman Cole Gittens 6-2. Juniors Lars de Boer and Ryan Newman captured a 6-4 win over Howard sophomore Karim Shokeir and freshman Sagar Raju.

“We tried to stay focused all the way through the match and we came out on top,” Cargill said.

COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS

Senior Aidan Talcott won his singles match in straight sets and teamed with junior Christian Kelly to win against Howard.

In singles, the College won all six matches.

All matches were straight set victories except for Newman’s victory over Gittens at the No. 5 spot, which Newman came back to win 2-6, 6-2, 10-4. Talcott, Cargill and senior Damon Niquet grabbed easy victories at the No. 1, 2 and 3 spots, respectively, by defeating Kaouache, Jones and Shokeir. At the No. 4 and 6, Bautil won a close first set, before finishing the match strong for a 7-6 (1), 6-2 victory, while sophomore Michael Ruamthong

eased his way to 6-2, 6-0 victory for the Tribe.

“I was trying to limit my errors and play highpercentage all around,” Niquet said.

Up next, the Tribe women will return home to take on Delaware March 30. The men have a twoweek break before they welcome East Carolina to the Millie West Tennis Center April 7.

“The doubles point is going to be huge and in singles [we need] to get off to good starts,” head coach Jeff Kader said.

sports

Sports Editor Alyssa Grzesiak Sports Editor Chris Travis flathatsports@gmail.com @FlatHatSports

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, March 28, 2017 | Page 10

PROFILE

Neal Courter: flying into the future

COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS

Senior College gymnast Neal Courter goes from National Collegiate Athletic Association All-American on vault his freshman year to one of eight finalists for the 2017 College Gymnastics Association Nissen Emery Award his senior year.

Tribe gymnast talks mental health awareness, Disney hopes, aerial silks EMILY CHAUMONT FLAT HAT MANAGING EDITOR In an alternate timeline, senior Neal Courter could have been a black belt or a star BMX racer. Instead, he is up for the highest honor in collegiate men’s gymnastics and is an outspoken advocate for mental health awareness.

Courter said that part of why he competes for William and Mary is that gymnastics just happened to be the first sport that his parents tried to put him in.

“I was a very active child, and my parents wanted to put me in a sport,” Courter said. “They were going to try BMX, taekwondo and gymnastics.

They ended up trying gymnastics first, and I loved it from the start so I just stuck with it.”

At the men’s Senior Day meet March 18, interim head coach Mike Powell recognized Courter’s achievements in front of the crowd. Courter is one of eight finalists for the 2017 College Gymnastics Association Nissen Emery Award. This award is presented every year to a senior who demonstrates outstanding athletic achievement, sportsmanship and academic excellence. It is the highest honor in collegiate men’s gymnastics and is often referred to as the “Heisman Trophy of gymnastics.”

Courter said that the most important part of his Tribe gymnastics career has been his team.

“I really connected with the team as soon as I got here on my recruiting trip,” Courter said. “The ‘One Tribe, One Family’ mantra holds true, for me at least. Everyone on my team has been there through the struggles I’ve had, including several bouts of depression, and they’ve been with me through that … They’ve been really supportive, and I think that’s a great thing to have a team like that.”

Courter has been open about his ongoing struggle with depression and how it has affected not only his personal wellbeing, but his gymnastics

career as well.

Around his sophomore year he began really struggling with depression.

By his senior year he took a medical withdrawal that he agreed was effectively mandated by the school. He said that it is important to him that people learn what resources are available to them on campus to help with mental health issues so that if they are in need, they can reach out.

“I think it’s important to talk about it and reach out to your resources,” Courter said. “If talking about my struggles can help even one person know that they’re not alone, then I’ve succeeded.”

Courter pointed out that one good thing that resulted from his withdrawal was giving him a new hobby that he said combines strength, flexibility and dance movements.

“One positive thing that came out of being medically withdrawn was being able to take an aerial silks class at home,” Courter said. “Since then I’ve been training on them with hopes of performing in Cirque du Soleil type productions in the future.”

Courter’s performance dreams don’t just include Cirque du Soleil.

This weekend, the chemistry and French double major will fly down to Orlando to audition for a role in a Disney World production.

“I find out really soon if I get that job and that would be a dream come true to keep on using my gymnastics abilities after graduation,” Courter said. “My backup plan would be that I’ve applied to a program to teach English abroad in France, so I think that would be a really cool experience as well and maybe something that I would pursue after performing.”

In the meantime, Courter is still focused on competing with the Tribe. The team just returned from the USA Gymnastics Collegiate Championship hosted by the University of Washington March 24-25 and will be heading to Chicago to compete in the Eastern College Athletic Conference championship April 8.

Courter said that his favorite event to compete in is vault.

“It’s probably my best event, as well as my favorite,” Courter said. “It’s

just a huge adrenaline rush. It only lasts about 10 seconds from when you salute to when you finish the vault.”

Courter’s experience vaulting for the Tribe is responsible for one of his favorite memories from his gymnastics career at the College. He was named a National Collegiate Athletic Association All-American on vault his freshman season and recalled being surprised and overjoyed upon seeing his score.

“I knew I had done a good vault, and then I was changing into my warmups and one of my teammates started screaming, ‘Neal! Neal!

You did it!’ and I didn’t know what was going on or that I had placed so well and then I saw the score,” Courter said. “I just remember calling my parents and crying tears of joy because I never thought I would get there.”

Courter was sure never to highlight his own individual accomplishments without also talking about how important his team was to him.

He said that his All-American run on vault was tied with his memory of winning the ECAC championships as a team his sophomore year as his favorite Tribe gymnastics memory.

“It was a great thing just to be able to hit routines with my team,” Courter said. “It was so great to win that meet as a team and then compete in the NCAA championships as a team.”

He consistently emphasized the importance of his team’s support to his personal enjoyment of and achievement in the sport.

To Courter, one of the crucial things to remember about gymnastics is not just the physical strength and skill needed to hit routines and post high scores, but the mental strength that’s also necessary to make those achievements happen.

“You have to be at 100 percent on the day that matters,” Courter said.

“It’s a testament to the mental strength that gymnasts have that they manage their lives outside the gym so that they are 100 percent prepared for competition day.”

GOLF

GYMNASTICS

College comes back after 11th place scoring

Five Tribe gymnasts earn All-America honors

Tribe places fifth at Towson College men conquer USAG KATIE KOONTZ FLAT HAT VARIETY EDITOR The William and Mary men had a packed schedule this week, hosting the Kingsmill Intercollegiate in Williamsburg and ending the week with the Towson Invitational.

Despite playing on familiar grounds at Kingsmill’s River Course, the Tribe finished sitting in 11th place out of the 22-team field. After three rounds of play, the team ended at 893 (+53), 43 strokes behind team champion Tennessee’s 10-over 850.

Junior Sam Aronoff led the Tribe with a T-20 finish, posting a 217 (+7) score after the three days. Aronoff was followed by senior Austin Morrison at 225 (+15), who tied for 56th, and sophomore Will Stewart at 226 (+16), who tied for 60th. Sophomore David Hicks scored the College’s lowest single round, shooting a 71 (+1) on the final day of play. Hicks finished at 228 (+18), tying for 68th, and freshman Walker Campbell finished at 235 (+25) in 98th place.

The Tribe also had several players competing as individuals. Senior Davis Morrison and juniors Bryce Johnson and Alex Shattuck finished in a tie for 30th at 220 (+10). Freshman Ben Morris finished another 10 strokes back at 230 (+20), followed by junior Tom

Simmonds at 234 (+24) and sophomore Gavin deFisser at 239 (+29).

Only three players ended the tournament subpar, with Pennsylvania State’s Cole Miller and Ryan Dornes and Marshall’s Clark Robinson tying for the top spot at 209 (-1).

Next up, the Tribe competed in the Towson Invitational, where they clinched 5th place thanks to a strong final round score of 296 (+8). After both rounds of play, the team ended at 598 (+22), only 11 shots back from Elon’s winning score of 587 (+11). Aronoff again led the College, posting back-to-back 73s to end at 146 (+2). His T-8 finish was one of two in the top 20, followed by Davis Morrison’s tie for 18th at 149 (+5).

Austin Morrison shot 151 (+7) to tie for 30th, Johnson trailed by one stroke to tie for 34th at 152 (+8) and Shattuck ended in 68th place with a 157 (+13) finish. Bethune-Cookman’s Daniel Brennan shot 142 (-2) over the two rounds to secure the top spot.

Individually, Morris finished in a tie for 34th, shooting a two-round total of 152 (+8).

In two weeks, the Tribe will continue its season with the Wyoming Cowboy Classic in Chandler, Arizona April 10-11.

EMILY CHAUMONT FLAT HAT MANAGING EDITOR The William and Mary men had a solid showing at the USA Gymnastics Collegiate National Championships at Washington last weekend. The College placed second in the team competition, and five Tribe gymnasts earned AllAmerica honors in the individual competitions.

The Tribe posted 388.4 points in the team competition March 24, beat out by Air Force (396.95) and followed up by Navy (379.7) and Springfield (373.85).

Senior Aria Sabbagh was awarded fifth place in the individual all-around competition Friday with a score of 75.7 points, which earned him USAG Collegiate All-America honors.

Saturday, the Tribe showed up strong again for the individual event finals.

After his success in the all-around the day before, Sabbagh was named an All-American on the high and parallel bars Saturday. He placed second on high bar with 13.2 points and sixth on parallel bars with 12.8 points.

Senior Rob Meyer placed first on parallel bars for the second consecutive season, with his 14.3

point score nearing his career-high and earning him All-America honors. Meyer was also named an All-American on pommel horse, where he placed third (13.15), and rings, where he tied for fourth (13.45).

Three other Tribe gymnasts earned All-America honors Saturday. Sophomore Peter Makey tied with Meyer for fourth on rings with 13.45 points, sophomore David Allen placed fifth on high bar (12.7) and freshman Tim O’Neill placed fifth on vault (14.05).

The Tribe will continue its season at the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship at Illinois-Chicago April 8.

COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS

Allen, Makey, Meyer, O’Neill and Sabbagh earn All-America honors.