The Flat Hat March 21, 2017

Vol. 107, Iss. 7 | Tuesday, March 21, 2017

The Flat Hat The Weekly Student Newspaper

Danny O’Dea ’18

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of The College of William and Mary

Annelise Yackow ’18

MEET THE CANDIDATES FOR STUDENT ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT

Nami Srikanth’19

O’Dea is a member of Kappa Sigma, a resident assistant, chairman of the senate, member of honor student advisory council, student organization recognition committee member and has been an orientation aide.

Levine is president of Sigma Chi, features writer for ROCKET magazine, prose editor for the William and Mary Literary Review and has never held a position in Student Assembly.

Elijah Levine ’18

ELECTIONS ARE ON MARCH 23 VIA ELECTRONIC BALLOT

Trump’s election shapes SA platforms Levine, O’Dea react to political climate post-inauguration SARAH SMITH // FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR Two months after the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump, the College of William and Mary is voting for a new Student Assembly president.

In these two months, the campus has been the site of protests, letter-writing campaigns and efforts to spread awareness about how federal policies could impact international students and those students protected under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

According to SA presidential contenders Elijah Levine ’18 and Chairman of the Senate Danny O’Dea ’18, these policies have, in some ways, shaped their campaigns. Each has worked with student groups addressing policies like Trump’s executive order, which created a 90-day ban on immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries.

Both candidates have platforms that specifically address the College’s role within the international community.

“The political climate has left a lot of the members of our community uncertain as to their place in it,” O’Dea said. “I have spoken on this in the past; no one on this campus should ever feel that they are not welcome for any reason at all, no matter their beliefs or culture or background. William and Mary is a place for everyone who wants it, and we want to make sure that no one questions that.”

Levine and his vice-presidential running mate, Sen. Annelise Yackow ’18, have a section of their platform dedicated to diversity, which includes their goals for supporting international students. If elected they’d like to hold the

College accountable for supporting the City of Williamsburg’s proposed refugee resettlement resolution, securing DACA provisions and becoming a sanctuary campus for undocumented students.

In these last two months, the College has published information through the Reves Center for International Studies on how it would respond to a request to comply with a federal warrant or other immigration matters. The College has also signed the second iteration of a letter, drafted by college presidents, declaring their support for an end to such executive orders.

However, according to University Spokesperson Brian Whitson, because the College is a state institution, it will follow the Virginia General Attorney’s guidance for becoming a sanctuary campus, which is not something Whitson said is possible according to current guidance.

“As you know, W&M — The issues | below is a state institution, and if there are changes in — Checking the facts | p. 3 the DACA law, we’ll look to Virginia’s Attorney — The Flat Hat endorses | p. 5 General for guidance,” See TRUMP page 3

ON THE ISSUES DIVERSITY

Candidates propose amendments to funding, EAC SARAH SMITH FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

Feb. 14, three students representing various multicultural student organizations presented on the floor of the Student Assembly Senate and shared their concerns about the 2017-18 academic year’s Executive Appropriations Committee process, which they felt had not taken into account the specific needs of these multicultural organizations.

One of these three students, Pallavi Rudraraju ’17 said that often, she feels that multicultural student organizations have to work to “sell” themselves to members of either the senate finance committee or the EAC board when they seek funding.

“Multicultural organizations do not get enough funding at this school for enough events,” Rudraraju said. “We have to go to places like the [Center for Student Diversity], Africana studies, academic departments, because we aren’t receiving it from [Student Assembly] … you’re supposed to be our main advocates.”

Another student who attended the Feb. 14 meeting, Sherifa Atwa ’17, agreed with Rudraraju and said that she feels like she has to make her culture or her beliefs desirable to seem worthy of funding.

“I feel like I have to sell my culture to get support,” Atwa said.

Now, with SA elections Thursday, March 23, reforming the EAC process, as well as the senate’s protocol for approving activities and event requests, has moved to the forefront of both Elijah Levine ’18 and Chairman of the Senate Danny O’Dea ’18’s platforms.

Both candidate pairs have promised to amend the budgeting process to be more inclusive of the needs of multicultural organizations. For Levine, this reform appeals to the cultural change part of his and Sen. Annelise Yackow ’18’s two-pronged platform.

According to Levine and Yackow’s platform, the two plan to do a “large scale overhaul” of SA funding for multicultural student organizations that would include establishing different funding guidelines for them.

While Levine initially said he was interested in creating a system separate from the EAC that would create a different categorization for funding similar to that used by service groups, he and Yackow now plan on developing a new set of regulations for the senate finance committee. Yackow said that she hopes these new guidelines will make it harder for the senate to deny funding to multicultural organizations.

“We tend to deny a lot of multicultural organizations that used to get funding, like the African Cultural Society,” Yackow said.

“The way A and E [activities and events requests] are now, is that it makes it harder for senate to give funding that could have been acquired through the budget process … we don’t want to form a separate group to approve EAC funding.”

O’Dea and Srikanth also have included this reform in their platform under a broader category called “Student Assembly Reform.” In this section, they discuss reforming the EAC to alter See REFORM page 4

SUSTAINABILITY

MENTAL HEALTH

Candidates divide on importance of sustainability

Platforms aim to address mental health culture

SARAH SMITH FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

SARAH SMITH FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

Chairman of the Senate Danny O’Dea ’18 and his running mate, Nami Srikanth ’19 dedicate part of their platform to promoting sustainability on campus. They suggest providing all dining halls with compost systems, hosting speakers and question and answer panels on topics on environmental justice and sustainability and introducing a carbon offset program within Student Assembly to create a more environmentally friendly senate and executive branch.

According to O’Dea, this part of his platform is important, because organizations on campus like the Student Environmental Action Coalition

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and Take Back the Tap are doing effective work on campus. He also acknowledges the effectiveness of SEAC’s organizational format and proposes creating a similar student health coalition comprised of existing student organizations on campus that prioritize one aspect of health and wellness.

The other presidential contender, Elijah Levine ’18 and his running mate, Sen. Annelise Yackow ’18, do not include a section on sustainability in their platform. During the SA debate Monday, March 20, Levine said that this decision was made because of the relative importance of issues like sexual assault and diversity compared to sustainability. He said that because SA’s resources are limited, he thought it better to prioritize other things.

Student Assembly presidential contenders Chairman of the Senate Danny O’Dea ’18 and Elijah Levine ’18 each address mental health in their platforms. Much of their platforms centers on promoting awareness and identifying the causes of stress and mental illness on campus.

According to Levine, his platform on mental health is unique because he and his running mate, Sen. Annelise Yackow ’18 identify academic stress as one of the primary causes of mental illness on campus. To combat this, they propse requiring professors to include a clause in syllabi that would tell students to prioritize mental health

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over academic assignments. According to Levine, this piece of his platform came from conversations with faculty in the psychology department.

O’Dea and his running mate Nami Srikanth ’19 center their platform on making mental health a greater part of conversation on campus, particularly for incoming students during orientation.

O’Dea and Srikanth also propse providing subsidies for appointment co-pays if students choose to seek out mental health treatment at offcampus providers if on-campus resources, like The Counseling Center, are not working for students or are unable to see them within a few weeks. O’Dea said that he hopes this will help students without socioeconomic privilege access off-campus counseling services.

Rahul Truter ’19 discusses the right way to handle casual racism and homophobia, whether found online or while hanging out with your bros. page 5

Around the world in one night

World’s Fair returns to campus for a second year, celebrating cultural diversity page 7

newsinsight “ Pilgrimage to professorship

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

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| Tuesday, March 21, 2017 | Page 2

THE BUZZ

My older brothers were all smoking and riding motorcycles and I needed a way to rebel, so instead of smoking and riding bicycles I went to a Franciscan seminary.

— George Greenia when speaking about how he became involved with the Catholic Church

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

George Greenia talks life from the seminary to the schoolroom Page 2 Spotlight

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CORRECTIONS An article published March 14 incorrectly said that the Tribe men’s basketball fell to UNC-Wilmington 78-69 in the CAA Semifinals. The correct final score was 105-94.

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LEONOR GRAVE // FLAT HAT CHIEF STAFF WRITER

One year into his retirement from teaching full-time, modern languages professor George Greenia is leading a life that is far from quiet.

Greenia, who is still actively involved in academia, is cooking more than ever and exploring new avenues of knowledge.

In addition to working on international research projects and continuing to go on pilgrimages in Spain, he’s been teaching and taking classes with the Christopher Wren Association. Through CWA, Greenia teaches a class on the ideas in medieval books and he is taking classes like Slavery in Virginia and Art History on the Nile.

Long before his retirement and long before Greenia stepped foot on the campus of the College of William and Mary, he was a young boy growing up in Detroit.

“Life was interesting — I didn’t know it at the time,” Greenia said. “My older brothers were all smoking and riding motorcycles and I needed a way to rebel, so instead of smoking and riding bicycles I went to a Franciscan seminary.”

After studying at a Wisconsin-based seminary for five years on the track to becoming a Franciscan brother, Greenia realized that his calling was to higher education, so he left the seminary to go to college.

“I’m in different vows now — I’m married,” Greenia said. “So I never went back, but I still have wonderful friends there and it was just one of the happiest, healthiest groups I’ve ever seen.”

With the aid of an interest-free loan from the seminary, Greenia got his undergraduate degree from Marquette University in Wisconsin, where he majored in Latin and Spanish.

Greenia said his knowledge of theology and languages made him a perfect fit for the field of medieval studies. “[My background] was a way to explain things that otherwise are so mysterious and maybe even creepy for other people — living in a monastery, wearing a habit,” Greenia said.

“You know, people would ask me, ‘What’s this thing about having this hood over your head?’

You know, it’s just that monasteries are cold and hoodies are warm.”

Greenia’s academic pursuits led him to get a doctoral degree in medieval studies from the University of Michigan, and, after brief stints as a visiting professor at several other universities, he joined the faculty of the College’s Hispanic studies department in the fall of 1982. However, Greenia said that if given the option, he would not relish the opportunity to live in the middle ages.

“Cervantes, the Spanish author, he dies at 67 — he’s got six teeth left and they don’t touch,” Greenia said. “And that was the norm for the age. So, another historic period? No thank you. You know, it’s taken a lifetime — you spend your lifetime learning to navigate and re-navigate your historical moment. So no, there’s no silly nostalgia for another time period.”

Though Greenia has taught many courses over his years at the College, he considers Love and Prostitution in Medieval Spain — which would flash-fill during registration based on name alone — as one of his favorites.

“I would always tell students on the first day of Love and Prostitution, ‘Please tell your parents there’s no practicum, there’s no field experience, there’s no lab, we’re just going to read stuff and talk about it,’” Greenia said.

In addition to his accomplishments in the world of academia, Greenia contributed to establishing non-discrimination policies at the College over the course of his career. In

2006, he was awarded the Founders’ Cup for Outstanding Lifetime Service to the Gay and Lesbian members of the College of William and Mary Community by the William and Mary Gay and Lesbian Alumni/ae Association.

“I was out when I came to William and Mary and some well-intentioned colleagues told me, ‘Don’t come out until you’ve had tenure,’ and I figured, ‘If being out keeps me from getting tenured, I shouldn’t be here,’” Greenia said.

“Actually [being out] turned out to be more of a protection than a liability, because there were so many wonderful folks who made sure that the ‘gay bit’ would not interfere with my getting tenure.”

Greenia served as the faculty facilitator of the Gay Student Support Group on campus, which met every Monday night at the College for 24 years. However, according to Greenia, while the College has become a much more accepting and diverse place over the years, shifts in attitude happened slowly.

“Things were very much underground back then,” Greenia said. “People were very much hiding, fearful; especially students. Already, when I came in ’82, people were coming out.

It took a number of years before people were out on the faculty, openly saying that they were gay or lesbian. I thought that was good for the institution.”

Greenia said that while people are often confused about how he reconciles his identity as a gay man and as a Catholic, he considers both of those to be integral to who he is.

“People know that I’m Catholic, and they associate me with Catholic causes, and with gay causes, and they don’t know how to fit them in,” Greenia said. “I feel they complement each other beautifully for me.”

Greenia sees colleges as having a unique role in affecting national cultural change, leading the way for progress.

“America has always been upset with what happens in college, because this is where America does its social experimentation,” Greenia said. “We’re coming out of a long period of complacency; the challenge is to integrate political awareness and activism into the four years that you’re also studying.”

2017 marks the 10th year since Greenia was knighted by order of King Juan Carlos I of Spain and granted the Encomienda de la Orden de Isabel la Catolica, the highest order given by the Spanish crown, in recognition of his promotion of Spanish culture within the United States.

Greenia has published widely on the subject of the Spanish Middle Ages and its literature, language, art and social history, and for 14 years he was Editor of La Coronica, a journal devoted to medieval Iberia.

However, out of his myriad of accomplishments, Greenia said that his proudest achievement is the same thing that compelled him to leave the seminary in his youth: teaching.

“The great accomplishment of my life is teaching at the College of William and Mary,” Greenia said. “I can’t imagine a better place.”

Greenia retired in 2016 after 34 years at the College. In his time here, he founded the Institute for Pilgrimage Studies and served as director of the College’s medieval and renaissance studies program for 10 years, but he said that his connections with students have been the most rewarding.

“We are a world-class education, humanely scaled,” Greenia said. “I’ve known students as they arrive as freshmen — like the guy I was just talking to for his honors thesis — I’ve known him for four years. I saw when he arrived, I’ve seen him grow, I’ve seen him become an independent intellectual, who can use me, [but] he doesn’t need me anymore. And that’s what you hope for.”

COURTESY PHOTO / WM.EDU

Recently retired modern languages professor George Greenia teaches and takes classes through the CWA.

POLICE BEAT

March 17 - 19 1

Friday, March 17 — A simple assault was reported on Richmond Road.

2

Friday, March 17 — Charles Lawson was arrested on a charge of assault and battery on Richmond Road.

3

Sunday, March 19 — Michelle Bailey was arrested on a charge of larceny on Richmond Road.

4

Sunday, March 19 — A simple assault was reported on York Street.

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Page 3

STUDENT ASSEMBLY

Bill emphasizes intervention after student suicides

Virginia Senate passes bill requiring colleges, universities to institute intervention after suicide HEATHER BAIER FLAT HAT ASSOC. VARIETY EDITOR

A bill passed in the Virginia Senate places an emphasis on services following student suicides. Bill 1430 requires that Virginia colleges and universities create and implement policies that provide mental and behavioral services to students following a tragedy.

The College of William and Mary is often regarded as one of the most stressful colleges in the United States, consistently ranked among the top 50 on most stressful colleges lists. The College currently provides numerous services to students struggling with high levels of stress, but it also offers postvention services if a tragedy is to occur.

Associate Vice President for Health and Wellness Kelly Crace said the College was one of the first institutions in the country to provide these services. They are meant to ease the grieving process, calm the campus atmosphere and provide resources to prevent “suicide contagion.”

“We had one of the first emergency intervention plans in the country over 60 years ago,” Crace said. “Every university now has an intervention plan that stemmed from ours … We got severely criticized by having an early intervention plan …

Many universities felt like that was too restrictive and intrusive and now it was declared best practice and now everybody’s doing that.”

The College’s postvention services, a term from the suicide prevention field used to mean

intervention after a suicide, have been constantly evolving over the years. Vice President for Student Affairs Ginger Ambler ’88 M.Ed. ’06 said the College entered a four-year agreement with the Jed Foundation campus program in 2015. This program gives the College feedback on its current programs and provides recommendations for further improvement.

“Becoming a JED campus has given us a lot of structure and external eyes on what we do, which is so valuable to have somebody come in and look at our programs and services and how we’re staffed and what our protocols are and to help us see where we can do things better or differently or in a more enhanced way,” Ambler said.

The second program is a suicide prevention grant, which entails a three-year commitment to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Crace said these programs have helped the College develop suicide postvention over the years, but have also regraded the College’s programs as already highly effective.

“A few years ago, we had a year where we had some loss, some tragic losses in the course of a year,” Crace said. “During that year, we asked for JED and SAMHSA to come in and scrutinize what were we doing and how did they feel about it.

They walked away saying, ‘You’re doing it right.’

There are just some times, where as you know, there’s a deep complexity to suicide and you can be doing everything right and you may still have

loss. It’s about doing everything we can to prevent that loss, but then trying to understand how we heal when that happens.”

The College administration is not the only source of support for students after a tragedy.

Health Outreach Peer Educators is a student-run organization on campus dedicated to providing students with resources in areas such as mental and sexual health and substance abuse.

Because it is a student-run organization, Vice President of the Mental Health Branch Austin Kalasky said HOPE does not provide specific services to students following a tragedy such as student suicide, but the organization does offer peer care to grieving students.

“HOPE focuses its efforts on offering preventative and proactive programs to the W&M community,” Kalasky said in an email. “While our programs are strongly influenced by the needs of the community, HOPE tends not to offer specific programs in response to student deaths or other tragic events on campus … Even though HOPE itself does not usually offer postvention programs, students are still encouraged to reach out to HOPE members who can then guide them to the appropriate people and places on campus.”

Because the College already has an intensive postvention program, it is not required to change its policies in response to the Senate bill. However, Crace said the College’s programs are constantly changing and administrators said that they will continue to improve their programs beyond the

baseline level the bill mandates.

“I’m really happy that they passed that bill because it brought kind of a discussion of postvention to the foreground, but it’s more at a baseline level to make sure all universities were coming up to a baseline standard,” Crace said. “We really kind of follow more advanced evidence-based best practices. As a result of the bill, there’s nothing we need to change.”

The College is, however, looking to improve its programs by transitioning to the new Integrated Wellness Center, which is expected to open within the next few years. The Center will provide a centralized location for students to visit for medical needs as well as counseling and mental health support.

Crace said that he credits the College’s constant desire for feedback as the biggest factor for its advanced postvention services and that administrators intend to continue seeking feedback in order to make their programs as effective as possible.

“I think we have always been on the forefront of looking at issues of wellness and mental health and I think it’s culturally because we have a humility and curiosity about ourselves at William and Mary that I think always wants us to be open to learning,” Crace said. “So, that’s what I think our assets are, is always being open to learning and then learning from those specialists out there that are devoting their lives to research in that area.”

STUDENT ASSEMBLY

SA candidates’ platforms fact-checked, contain multiple errors

Issues including diversity, sexual assault, campus life contain factual innacuracies SARAH SMITH FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

Students at the College of William and Mary will vote for the next Student Assembly president and vice president March 23. On the ballot are Chairman of the Senate Danny O’Dea ’18 and Elijah Levine ’18 and their respective running mates, Nami Srikanth ’19 and Annelise Yackow ’18. The Flat Hat reviewed each of the proposed policies.

While each candidate addresses topics of diversity, mental health, sexual assault and inclusion of international students, O’Dea and Srikanth’s platform includes more proposed solutions and more broad platform categories.

Diversity Levine and Annelise suggest creating a social media-based campaign to discuss diversity, support the City of Williamsburg’s refugee resettlement resolution and ensure that the College declares its status as a sanctuary campus for students protected under the Deferred Action Childhood Arrival program. Currently, according to University Spokesperson Brian Whitson, the College has no intention of becoming a sanctuary campus, following a precedent set by other public institutions.

Under their diversity platform, O’Dea and Srikanth include student accessibility services. They suggest working to expand hours of transportation assistance beyond Campus Escort’s hours of 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. to account for student commitments in the evening.

Campus Escort runs from 9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. on weekdays.

Sexual Assault Under their platform regarding sexual assault, Levine and Yackow suggest “establishing transparent and clear definitions of terms surrounding sexual assault.” Levine said that he believes it is necessary for the administrative offices at the College to include the investigation of multiple forms of sexual assault and include it in official documents. The College, through their Office of Audit and Compliance, includes forms of sexual assault such as stalking, rape and intimate partner violence in collecting and reporting for Title IX. They also say they would like to strengthen the parameters of no-contact orders, but specifically mean that if a student is issued a no-contact order, they will be moved farther away than one residence hall.

O’Dea and Srikanth propose subsidizing Physical Evidence Recovery Kits for students who have been sexually assaulted.

Currently, PERKs are provided “at no cost to students” according to campus resources from the Haven, who attend the College and access one at the Riverside Regional Hospital.

Campus Life Levine and Yackow propose adding a subsidy at the Student Health Center for students seeking Plan B, an emergency contraceptive. Currently, there is already a subsidy available for this drug at the Student Health Center. Alternately, O’Dea and Srikanth also propose increasing advertising for subsidies already available, such as ones for Plan B and testing for sexually transmitted KAYLA SHARPE / THE FLAT HAT Danny O’Dea ‘18 and Elijah Levine ‘18 debate at Tucker Hall on March 20, 2017. infections.

President Trump’s election informs Student Assembly presidential candidates’ platforms In light of recent events, O’Dea and Levine’s focus on specific issues in the Student Assembly election is shaped by the current political climate TRUMP from page 1

Whitson said in an email. “In the meantime, we will continue to provide our DACA students with as much support as we can. I want to be clear that it has long been our policy that unless we are required to by law, such as being asked to comply with a federal warrant, our police do

“

The last few months have put a premium on things like DACA and refugees. Those are continuations of things that people have been putting their fingers on for a long time. There have been communities speaking out against these.

—Elijah Levine ‘18

not get involved in immigration matters nor does the university release immigration status of students.”

Levine said that while he knows it is unlikely the College could stop a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, he believes discussing the College’s status as a sanctuary campus is an important conversation to have.

“From my talks, especially with Amnesty, I have seen that there is an important aspect that speaks to the cultural aspects of our platform,” Levine said. “There is a lot to be said for an institution, or at least the student body of an institution, to pronounce its support of undocumented students and accept their legitimacy on this campus. We have the responsibility to fight for this, while also being aware of the realities.”

The City’s refugee resettlement resolution is something that was first introduced in the City Council with support from Amnesty International before November’s U.S. presidential election.

If passed, it would codify the City’s support of welcoming refugees into Williamsburg. Yackow said that one factor for a delay in passing this was pushback from Williamsburg residents who were not in support of the resolution.

Yackow said that if elected, she and Levine believe that because students make up approximately 33 percent of Williamsburg’s population, they should be able to advocate for City policies. While this resolution was initially brought to SA President Eboni Brown ’17 for support, Yackow said that the time is better for SA support now, because it is more removed from the election and inauguration of Trump.

While Levine said that Trump’s inauguration has influenced what was prioritized in his platform, he thought it was important to acknowledge that many communities, like those of people of color, were not surprised by Trump’s

election.

“The last few months have put a premium on things like DACA and refugees,” Levine said.

“Those are continuations of things that people have been putting their fingers on for a long time. There have been communities speaking out against these. There had always been a place for this, Trump or not, for a People’s Report, not just because it has never been a staple of the greater majority society. So at the heart of it, I don’t think the platform is a reaction to Trump, but those pieces are.”

O’Dea and his vice-presidential running mate Nami Srikanth ’19 include a section in their platform on increasing the College’s focus on international students that encourages “increasing an outreach … with an emphasis on the fact that international students are a welcome and valuable group on campus.” While their platform does not specifically mention refugees or students protected under DACA, O’Dea said he has been working with student groups to publish an amendment to their platform.

“Ignoring the climate change after Trump’s election would be silly,” Srikanth said. “It has impacted us and our close friends and other people on campus … what our platform and our slogan represents is the idea that we want to make sure that no matter what is going on, students know that their peers and the student body is here for them. What’s going on in the White House has a direct impact on their education, they should feel supported by their peers and by the administration.”

One student, Nairuti Shastry ’17, who is leading the College’s Books Not Bombs campaign, said she worked with O’Dea to help shape this amendment to his platform.

“He was really receptive to the idea that an education at an institution like William and Mary

“

[O’Dea] was really receptive to the idea that an education at an institution like William and Mary needs to be as accessible as possible.

—Nairuti Shastry ‘17

needs to be as accessible as possible,” Shastry said. “A lot of the current platform relating to international students was relating to outreach.

Danny and I are working to craft something in terms of accessibility, not just financial accessibility. They don’t want to put something in there that is not necessarily going to be accomplished in just one year, so we want to talk about the general campus culture and how SA can work with admissions to make sure that these programs and the great things that they offer here are as accessible as possible. In terms of what Books Not Bombs and me as an individual hope to see moving forward, we want individuals not just committed to William and Mary as it stands, but growing it as an institution moving forward.”

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The Flat Hat

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

WILLIAMSBURG

Community rallies to save Chesapeake Bay Students, politicians organize to protest President Trump’s funding proposal HEATHER BAIER FLAT HAT ASSOC. VARIETY EDITOR

U.S. President Donald Trump submitted his budget proposal for 2018 Thursday, March 16. It proposed cutting the Environmental Protection Agency’s funding by 31 percent and eliminating the Chesapeake Bay Program. In response to this proposed budget cut, a “Rally to Save the Bay” was organized Saturday, March 18.

The budget plan outlines a dramatic increasing in defense spending, funneling an additional $54 billion into defense programs while slashing EPA funding and eliminating the entirety of the $73 million that previously funded the EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program.

Delegate Mike Mullin (D-Newport News) hosted the Rally to Save the Bay along with Sen. Monty Mason and members of local and state governments and environmental organizations in order to protest Trump’s budget cuts. First Lady of the Commonwealth Dorothy McAuliffe and Virginia Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam’s wife Pam Northam were also in attendance.

“We are here for one reason and one reason only, and that is to make sure that our Chesapeake Bay is protected” Mullin said. “Today we have politicians, such as our president, who feel that funding our bay isn’t important. We have to make sure that we not only preserve the funding which we have for the Chesapeake Bay, but we expand it.”

Mullin said that progress had been made to clean up the bay, but there is still a long way to go.

He also emphasized the importance of the bay to

the local economy.

“Does the president remember how polluted the Chesapeake Bay was only a generation ago?”

Mullin said. “I know no one here forgets that. The president talks about how he’s a world-renowned businessman. Does he remember the local industries that rely on tourism, on fisheries and on shipping — all the things that need a clean bay to support the thousands of jobs that are all here in Virginia?”

The Chesapeake Bay Program is a regional partnership that brings the federal government together with state and local governments, non-governmental organizations and academic institutions. The program monitors and models the bay and has a wide variety of programs aimed at cleaning it up and fostering its ecosystems.

With tributaries, rivers and streams touching almost all of Eastern Virginia and stretching all the way up to parts of Pennsylvania, the Chesapeake Bay is vital to coastal economies.

“In the year 2013 to 14, bay oysters’ dockside value was $44 billion. With $28 billion of it coming from Virginia” Mason said. “So, we know that whether it’s the working watermen, whether it’s the recreational fisherman or tourism, the bay generates about $22 billion of economic activity a year. So, this is not just an environmental play.

This is critically important. This is a play for the future of the Virginia economy.”

The bay not only represents an important source of jobs for people living in the watershed, but it is also a leading source of tourism in Virginia and is an important location for many Virginia residents.

Executive Director of the Virginia Conservation Network Mary Rafferty spoke about the connection Virginia residents have with the watershed and the importance of preserving it.

“Everybody in Virginia probably has a story, whether it’s going kayaking on the Potomac, jumping off the rocks on the James River, eating oysters from the Rappahannock,” Rafferty said.

“That’s why cleaning up and restoring and protecting the Chesapeake Bay is such a Virginia value because everybody has a connection with it, and that’s why President Trump’s budget is completely out of step with the Virginia values.”

In response to the budget cuts, two separate letters have been signed showing discontent over the elimination of federal funding for the bay.

One letter has been signed by every Democratic senator in the Chesapeake Bay watershed except for one. The senators from Pennsylvania also did not sign.

Mullin expressed the importance of the federal government in intervening in state issues. He explained that because Pennsylvania is not directly affected by the pollution of the Watershed, they have no incentive to sign the letters of discontent.

“That’s why this is so important. Federal regulatory efforts and federal oversight is not a bad thing. This must be done comprehensively,” Mason said. “Pennsylvania has just a drain today, no bay fronting. But the bulk of the agricultural runoff in the Chesapeake Bay comes from Pennsylvania … That’s why it must be done at the federal level.”

The second letter was sent from the House

of Representatives asking President Trump to restore full funding to the bay. Every Democratic representative from the Chesapeake Bay area signed the letter as well as three Republican representatives.

“This is a bipartisan issue,” Mullin said. “This is not something that Republicans or Democrats have to disagree about. Our voices have to be loud and clear that we’re standing here to protect our Chesapeake Bay, to protect its funding and to know that we can and will preserve this wonderful water space.”

The EPA is facing a 31 percent decrease in federal funding, and the Trump administration intends to eliminate one in five of its employees.

The budget proposal increases federal spending in only three areas — veterans affairs, homeland security and defense. However, before the cuts, the EPA’s budget represented less than one percent of the overall federal budget.

The rally ended with attendees signing a letter written by Mullin to President Trump asking him not to cut funding to the bay and urging him to continue restorative efforts. Near the conclusion, Sierra Club Conservation Program Manager for Norfolk Zach Jarjoura encouraged attendees to continue their efforts to protect the bay.

“We’re going to have lots of challenges over the next few months, the next several years, but we can’t give up,” Jarjoura said. “We cannot stop fighting. We’ve got to get involved, we’ve got to get organized and we more importantly have to stay that way. We’ve got to stay engaged; this has to be for the long term. We’ve still got to keep providing for our morals, our values and our ideals.”

STUDENT ASSEMBLY

Greek candidates permeate Student Assembly race Student Assembly members speak about influence Greek life has in politics

SARAH SMITH FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

Approximately 33 percent of students at the College of William and Mary are involved in Greek life. This year, 100 percent of students running for Student Assembly president and vice president are members of Panhellenic sororities or fraternities in the Interfraternity Council.

Greek life has become the focus of the platform of one presidential contender — Elijah Levine ’18 — as he looks at how Greek life affects sexual assault and diversity at the College.

Levine serves as Sigma Chi’s president, and his running mate, Sen. Annelise Yackow ’18, is a member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority. Chairman of the Senate Danny O’Dea ’18, the other presidential hopeful, is a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity, and his running mate, Nami Srikanth ’19, is a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority.

Additionally, out of the 18 students running for spots in SA senate, nine are in Panhellenic sororities or IFC fraternities, and one, William Jackson ’18, is the president of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, which is not part of the IFC. At the time of last year’s election, SA President Eboni Brown ’17 and SA Vice President Hannah McKiernan ’17 were not members of Greek life; however, the other candidates, Katherine Ambrose ’17 and Liz Jacob ’17, and A.J. Scalia ’17 and Justin Canakis ’17 were members. Since her induction, Brown has been initiated into Delta Sigma Theta sorority, which is a member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, the governing body for traditionally

African-American fraternities and sororities.

“I definitely think that one of our strengths in our campaign was our position as two people not in an IFC/ Panhellenic organization,” McKiernan said in an email. “In past years, I think that a lot of the campaigning was focused on this demographic but our position outside of those groups allowed us the opportunity to engage more closely with nonGreek students and focused attention of other campaigns on these groups who may often feel left out of the SA election hype. I absolutely believe that inclusion of non-Greek students is essential to a good campaign because these students, myself included, make up over 60 percent of the student body and are just as interested in the issues that affect Student Assembly as an IFC or Panhellenic organization. I hope that our term has given these groups the opportunity to make their voices heard and feel as though they have a stake in what happens in SA as opposed to simply feeling unwanted or unheard.”

Levine and Yackow’s platform focuses in on Greek life, particularly on how the College’s Sexual Assault Task Force report highlighted that Greek males are more likely to be the perpetrators of sexual assault than non-Greek men.

Levine said he was serving on the IFC when the College initially went under Title IX investigation, and he saw these statistics as red flags but believes that it was treated like an abstract problem.

Their platform states that it is necessary for the College to address the social

culture that allows rape, particularly male privilege Levine identifies as being present in fraternities.

“We subliminally are not surprised that this is the case, but the way we approach the conversation on sexual assault is short-sighted,” Levine said.

“It needs to implicate my privilege, the male privilege of other fraternity men, to take a hard line stance on sexual assault. We never look it in the face and do a thorough investigation of how our own actions perpetuate this. It’s not an earnest effort unless that statistic is taken at a very deep level. There’s a glaring myopia that fraternity men have; it’s right in front of our face, and we have the privilege to not look at it.”

Levine said that as the president of a Greek organization, he identifies as being guilty of perpetuating sexual assault, and he believes this irony is at the center of why he is running for SA president.

He said that he believes that people need to look beyond someone’s labels to see the circumstances of their actions and behaviors — more specifically, he hopes people will look beyond his identity as Sigma Chi’s president to understand why he joined an IFC fraternity.

According to Levine, he was predominately surrounded by white people for most of his childhood.

He believes that this upbringing influenced his decision to join Sigma Chi. “Those 18 years before I came here, necessarily set me in the way that I pursued my social life,” Levine said. “I can tell you that I was a totally

different person when I stepped on this campus; I couldn’t be more different … When I broadened my social scope, I began to see the tangible effects of that exclusivity. That is a conversation that is not conducted a lot in Greek life, and it has not been discussed by other Greek life candidates.”

Levine said that he and Yackow have both distanced themselves from Greek life because of what they’ve identified as problems within it. He said he has scrutinized issues in Greek life such as racial biases, transphobia and sexism.

Because of this, he believes he is a candidate who can also appeal to nonGreek students.

“For that voice to be inside Greek life is unique,” Levine said. “I think that [these problems] have been largely ignored because a lot of students, for a large part of my student career, have seen that as an irreconcilable worldview. By addressing it, we are on a path to considering more nuance.”

O’Dea and Srikanth, whose platform does not explicitly mention Greek life, also believe that they can appeal to non-Greek students.

In discussing sexual assault, their platform also addresses cultural issues like toxic masculinity but does not link it with Greek life. Srikanth said that although she is involved in her sorority, she and O’Dea still believe there are problems in Greek life.

“I am proud of being in my sorority; I love my sisters, but we both recognize that there are still a lot of issues with the Greek community,” Srikanth said.

“We aren’t going to try and deny that, we see problems with masculinity in

fraternities. We do bring an insider’s perspective — we can see how Greek life operates and how we can also fix it from a realistic point of view. We are also part of other groups on campus … being involved in a lot of different organizations bring us a bunch of different perspectives.”

O’Dea said that in drafting their platform, he and Srikanth focused on how their experiences at the College and with the world are not universal.

“Our entire campaign is built on the concept of reaching out to as many voices as possible on this campus and having those conversations and fostering that dialogue,” O’Dea said.

“We hope the student body believes, that throughout our campaign and throughout our outreach, that we have reached out to as many perspectives as we could and gotten to see and hear about this campus from as many points of view as possible. We believe that we have been building that bridge since the first day. We hope that when the election comes it is time for us to cross it.”

While Greeks for Respect, Inclusion and Diversity President Jack Sims ’19 said the group will not be endorsing a candidate, the group is excited to see that both platforms focus on diversity and inclusion.

“The Greek Community has a lot of room for improvement concerning these specific issues,” Sims said in an email. “No matter the outcome of the election, GRID is excited to work with the 2017-2018 Student Assembly to continue facilitating a dialogue about these complex issues.”

Candidates attempt to reform funding for multicultural groups Following funding cuts, proposed changes would allow SA ‘loans’ to organizations REFORM from page 1

alter the structure of the questions that traditionally focus on attendance of multicultural events to determine funding.

The two plan on altering these questions to make the process more accessible. They also support efforts that are currently being made to provide organizations with “loans” to cover the initial fees required to host events.

The two also plan to transfer the costs associated with keeping Earl Gregg Swem Library open for longer hours during finals to the College; to create options for alumni giving, where money would be allocated to specific student concerns such as multicultural organizations, mental health initiatives and SA events; to create “after action” reports for events that are funded

by SA; to codify guidelines for the finance committee; to improve internal communication between the executive and legislative branches and to improve the role of cabinet delegate, which is a

senator appointed by the SA president to attend cabinet meetings and report back to the SA Senate.

Two of these issues stem from initiatives started in the 2016-17 academic year to improve relations with the SA executive branch after former SA President Yohance Whitaker ’16’s administration.

Members of the senate wanted more access to what was going on in th executive branch to plan events and write legislation accordingly.

At the beginning of this year, the senate approved the Cabinet Delegate Act, which gave one senator the power to sit in during executive branch meetings to learn what the different executivelevel secretaries were working on. This bill currently gives the power to appoint the Cabinet Delegate to the SA president.

Former Sen. E’Driana Berry ’17 held this position until she graduated, and now, Sen. Brendan Boylan ’19 holds this position.

According to O’Dea, these steps would help prioritize a “refocusing” on SA’s goal of serving the student body.

Srikanth said that she has seen from personal experience as a member of the South Asian Student Association that it is difficult for multicultural organizations to get funding.

“One of our big things in the diversity platform is to try and increase funding for multicultural organizations,” Srikanth said.

O’Dea also said that he has been working with the current administration under SA President Eboni Brown ’17 and SA Vice President Hannah McKiernan ’17 to reform these senate funding guidelines.

According to O’Dea, Yackow has also been involved with this process.

“These aren’t buzzwords for us, they’re things we actually care about,” O’Dea said. “For large events that require massive amounts of funding that would also require students to pay at the door, the SA right now is going to be offering to front-end that funding. This would help multicultural organizations that often host events like this.”

opinions

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

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, March 21, 2017 | Page 5

STAFF EDITORIAL

The Flat Hat endorses Danny and Nami for SA Presidency

JENNY COSGROVE / THE FLAT HAT

GUEST COLUMN

How to handle casual bigotry on campus

Rahul Truter

FLAT HAT GUEST COLUMNIST

It is a warm Friday in our lovely Williamsburg, and naturally you are indoors playing FIFA with your bros.

Your friend, who you have been consistently beating since freshman year, misses the game winning shot.

He gets up and shouts at his virtual Olivier Giroud, “How the f— did you miss that! He’s such a f—g.”

Now, this isn’t the first time that your friend has used this kind of language.

He’s used these slurs many times before, such as calling something or someone gay or saying, “Wassup, ma n—?” when he sees you at a party. Keep in mind, this friend is as white as mayo. All these instances have the same underlying theme: each of them uses casual bigotry.

What is casual bigotry?

Honestly though, what is it?

I couldn’t find a consistent definition in the dictionary, Urban Dictionary, or even the almighty Reddit.

Amongst all the answers, I was able to boil it down into this phrase: unthinking or automatic use of bigoted phrases. If you need an example of casual bigotry at William and Mary, we recently had a very public display of it on Facebook last week. A student screenshotted and posted an image of another student’s public playlist called “N— music.” This student felt that it was okay, at the time the playlist was created, to have a collection of rap/hip hop music and label it “N­— music.” Obviously, I don’t have to explain why

this is wrong and I am very glad that this issue was addressed. However, there is a large problem with the way that this conflict was handled.

By going on social media and trying to expose the individual, you make an issue that was already bad even worse. The student who created the playlist is now seen as a racist, without any chance to explain why that playlist was created. Maybe the playlist was not created by the student. Maybe the playlist was created before the student was educated about common decency. Or maybe student is just plain racist. Regardless of the reasoning behind it, that student deserves the environment to explain themselves, and present-day social media does not allow give us that freedom.

Casual bigotry needs to be addressed in person for discussion to occur. The most effective way of dealing with this issue would have been to personally tell the student that having the playlist is not by any means okay. If the individual doing the reporting still feels that merely having the playlist taken down is not enough, then working with the administration is the next step. Our institution must recognize that these events happen frequently and work with our current students to ensure that issues such as these are addressed.

I hold the administration accountable in part for allowing these events to occur. 20-minute “political correctness” seminars during freshman orientation are not enough to educate students about what is and is not okay to say. Education on this topic needs to be included in our freshman seminar classes. Calling something gay or calling anyone, regardless of orientation, a “f—g,” is middle school behavior, and the students at William and Mary should be educated enough to know better than that.

Email Rahul Truter at rltruter@email.wm.edu.

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Casual bigotry needs to be addressed in person for discussion to occur.

COMMENTS @THEFLATHAT

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Fascinating concept. You’re talking about taking control of subliminal seduction. I’d be interested to see if there were any case studies where people have managed to change the links with behavior modification.

— SnazzyO on “The science behind a change in mindset”

The two tickets campaigning for Student Assembly president and vice president this year both prioritize important issues for the College of William and Mary community in their campaigns, and the issues they address do not differ significantly in scope.

However, we believe that this year, one pair’s outreach efforts, effective communication skills and combined experience make it the most qualified to represent the undergraduate student body — Danny O’Dea ’18 and Nami Srikanth ’19.

Danny has served as a senator within SA since his freshman year at the College and as Chairman of the Senate for the past year. His institutional knowledge and experience with the nuances and inner workings of SA make his ticket stand out this year. Nami, despite not having served in the SA senate, has served as SA undersecretary for mental health.

This involvement, as well as her role of former vice president and current PR chair for Active Minds, shows a genuine commitment within the campaign approach to the issue of student health.

Danny and Nami’s experience makes them the two most likely to be able to follow through and implement the policies they propose in their campaign. While this is not the most decisive strength in their campaign, for a one-year term, having less of a learning curve can be crucial in affecting change.

Elijah Levine ’18, who heads the other ticket, has no experience working within SA. His running mate, Annelise Yackow ’18, does have experience serving in SA senate and displayed a better working knowledge of SA procedures, but Elijah’s lack of experience with SA comes across as more of a liability than an asset in this case.

“

For more effective leadership, The Flat Hat sees a clear difference between the two campaigns.

While both platforms prioritize issues such as diversity, mental health, sexual assault and transparency, Danny and Nami have released a significantly more detailed platform on their website. In addition, Danny and Nami have shown a concerted effort to actively revise their platform as they reach out to student organizations.

The policy proposals on Elijah and Annelise’s platform, also published on their campaign website, lack specificity and also seem to lack a full understanding of current campus initiatives addressing the concerns that they claim to focus on.

Danny and Nami’s campaign slogan, “Amplify Your Voice,” is reflected in the outreach efforts they have led over the course of their campaign and in their detailed platform. Danny and Nami have sought to prioritize the needs of a broad range of student organizations. These range from multicultural organizations, student publications, Greek Life and organizations focused on improving student health, like HOPE, Active Minds and The Haven.

Danny and Nami described their campaign’s distinctive feature as aiming to shift the focus of SA from being an organization that people have to seek out, to an organization that comes to the people.

Danny and Nami’s platform is divided into sections on student health, diversity and inclusion, engagement with the Williamsburg community, outreach, sustainability and SA reform. Among these proposals is the creation of an umbrella organization for student health, wellness and advocacy groups on campus modeled after the Student Environmental Action Coalition, participation in the national Start by Believing campaign for sexual assault survivors, the allocation of subsidies for off-campus mental health consultations and the creation of student accessibility maps.

As part of their SA reform efforts, Danny and Nami also hope to restructure the Executive Allocation Committee with the goal of expanding accessibility to cultural organizations in particular.

Danny and Nami also seem to have a more well-established rapport and more cohesive working relationship. They seem to communicate effectively and share an understanding of their campaign goals and policies.

For more effective leadership, The Flat Hat sees a clear difference between the two campaigns, and supports Danny and Nami for SA president and vice president in the 2017 SA elections.

The staff editorial represents the opinion of The Flat Hat. The editorial board consists of Emily Chaumont, Leonor Grave, Isabel Larroca, Noah Peterson 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 21 , 2017

Page 6

GUEST COLUMN

Want to get inspired?

Give Branch Out a go

Lorraine Pettit

FLAT HAT GUEST COLUMNIST

Over spring break, eight William and Mary students travelled to Laredo, Texas to build houses with Habitat for Humanity. As the team leader, I coordinated the program with the help of William and Mary Branch Out and the Office of Community Engagement. I was eager to see how the group would bond and develop over the course of the week and how people would enjoy working with HabitatLaredo.

As we started our Branch Out journey, I was clenching the steering wheel of the enormous OCE van on the drive up to Washington, D.C. for our flight. Doubts in my ability and anxieties of the trip circulated in my mind, but I was already driving the van and committed. Then I remembered last year when I co-led a trip of 10 students to Northern Neck-Middlesex Clinic. That was a seminal experience of my time in college; however, this trip was asking more from me because I would be leading it alone and flying halfway across the United States to the U.S.-Mexican border.

Although I was well prepared, I reflected on the standard worries and felt a deep sense of responsibility for the health and safety of my team. But in the end, to say the least, the experience was euphoric.

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It’s not about limiting your life only to service.

It’s about letting those moments of service inspire your next step.

Our team worked on two homes for two families. We became (sort of ) experts in fireproofing, siding, woodcutting and more. We bonded with another school, a group of 24 volunteer students from Carlow University. We befriended the wonderful AmeriCorps and local volunteers who guided us on the build site, essentially adopting them into our team.

By the end of the week, we had accelerated the progress of delivering two houses to two families waiting to make them their homes.

At the end of each day, our bodies were tired but we never stopped rolling. We spent time with fellow volunteers, visited the Habitat ReStore, and learned line dancing from our Habitat build leaders during a pasta dinner. We even got a border patrol officer to escort us to the U.S.-Mexican border and waved to bystanders on the other side of the Rio Grande. We shared every moment as a group, and I felt so much joy that my heart could have exploded.

A wise person once told me that we live in a narrow window of time. This window is so small that it leaves us only to inhabit a slim instant in the lifespan of the universe.

As I reflect on my time at William and Mary, which will always feel too short, I am confronted more than ever before with what I will do with my privileged instant.

I don’t have an answer for you today, but Branch Out has shown me how I can use my instant. Branch Out has afforded me the opportunity to serve others, to engage and connect both on campus and in the world at large. In the process, I’ve learned it’s not about walking away feeling “good” or “important,” but about exchanging laughter, lessons and stories with others to enrich your life.

I will never feel that I do enough service, but I’ve learned that it’s not about limiting your life only to service. It’s about letting those moments of service inspire your next step, whatever it may be.

Let those moments guide your next conversation, next project or next job, because you never know where it could lead you. I hope to move forward with that mindset and to never stop branching out.

Email Lorraine Pettit at lcpettit@email.wm.edu.

GRAPHIC BY JAE CHO / THE FLAT HAT

STAFF COLUMN

Recognizing the privilege behind self-care

Emily Chaumont FLAT HAT MANAGING EDITOR

necessarily a part of #selfcare. Sometimes self-care means actually taking a shower and getting to class, and there’s no Instagram-worthy way of advertising that. It’s important to remember the significance of the small acts of self-care that are actually even more important than the more aesthetically pleasing ones.

Taking a lap around the outside of your dorm building to get some fresh air for the first time in days certainly isn’t glamorous, but it’s more likely to dramatically improve your mental health than the artfully arranged fruit you eat every morning. There’s certainly nothing wrong with the bubble baths and oatmeal brand of #selfcare, but it’s also important to make a concerted effort to recognize the less glamorous side of self-care as equally legitimate. Everyone’s needs are different, and so it follows that their self-care practices would be different as well.

Lastly, it’s all too easy to forget that everything we do also affects someone else. We certainly shouldn’t let others discourage us from practicing self-care as we need to, but if my interpretation of practicing selfcare means that I bail on a group project to take a bath or stop answering work emails because I need to unplug, that creates a severe negative impact on other people in my life.

Now that the concept of self-care has largely been popularized, it’s crucial to start addressing the nuances of it. We need to go beyond promoting #selfcare and recognize that every individual has different needs and abilities. Most importantly, when we’re navigating our own relationship with what kind of self-care practice is right for our own individual needs, it’s important to strike that difficult but necessary balance between caring for ourselves and becoming selfish.

Email Emily Chaumont at flathat.managing@gmail.

“

It’s not at all uncommon to be scrolling through your Instagram feed and see videos of glittery Lush bath bombs hitting the water, “feelin myself ” photos in lingerie or aesthetically pleasing bowls of oatmeal and fruit hashtagged #selfcare.

There’s no doubt that selfcare is important. Few people could argue that it’s a bad idea to prioritize taking care of yourself, especially at William and Mary, and this idea has been increasingly popularized on social media. However, it’s important to look at selfcare in a nuanced way and remember that not everyone can practice the Instagram version of #selfcare.

First of all, there are the obvious barriers based on the varied lifestyles that people live. Not everyone has the socioeconomic privilege to order a $9 bubble bar and take some time out of their day to take an hours-long pamper session. Sometimes the only food you can afford to buy are the meal swipes you already have to pay for, and Sadler oatmeal isn’t nearly glamorous enough to count as #selfcare.

Secondly, what someone needs for self-care isn’t

The small acts of selfcare that are actually even more important than the aesthetically pleasing ones.

The Flat Hat: Training Sessions The Flat Hat Opinions section will be hosting weekly training sessions at the end of this semester! Learn how to write feature length columns and get familiar with editing programs such as InDesign, Wordpress, and Photoshop.

Sessions will be held Wednesdays from 7-8 pm during the month of April.

Email fhopinions@gmail.com for the application.

variety

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

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, March 21, 2017 | Page 7

Around the world in one night

International Cultural Exchange Organization brings its World’s Fair back to campus

COURTESY PHOTOS / JIAXI CHEN

The World’s Fair celebrated cultural diversity through an evening of dance, food and competition. Student performers were members of various cultural clubs, including the Japanese Culture Association (left) and the Dhamaal Bhangra Club (right).

HAYLEY SNOWDEN FLAT HAT ASSOC. VARIETY EDITOR

Saturday, students at the College of William and Mary traveled to Japan, India, China, the Caribbean and the Philippines, all without leaving the comfort of Sadler Center.

2017 marks the second year that the College’s International Culture Exchange Organization, a club dedicated to broadening cross-cultural perspectives on campus, hosted the campus’ own World’s Fair. Students were treated to an array of performances put on by the College’s cultural clubs, followed by an hour of global culinary exploration and trivia.

According to Yuito Ishikawa ’18, President of ICE, the event was in the works for quite some time.

“In early February, we contacted each of the organizations to see if they were interested in performing,” Ishikawa said. “We especially prioritized those who performed last year, and we tried to invite new clubs as well.”

The first of the performances was the Japanese Culture Association’s rendition of Soran Bushi, a traditional Japanese dance that mimics the movements of fishermen dragging their nets and hoisting them over their shoulders. The dance originated in Hokkaido, the northernmost region of the country. Audience members were encouraged to call out Japanese phrases equivalent to “Heave, ho!” as the JCA performed.

For audience member Mark Agrios ’19, this performance was a highlight of the night.

“I really liked the traditional fisherman song because it had a very interesting rhythm, and you could see and hear how well it represented manual labor done by the Japanese men from that time period,” Agrios said. “It just sounded very cool.”

The Dhamaal Bhangra Club followed this homage to Japanese tradition with a tribute to Punjabi culture. The group performed an

extremely energetic dance number, incorporating the synchronized clacking of loud wooden instruments called Saaps.

One of the performers, Hwejean Jeong ’19, was relatively new to the Bhangra dance scene.

“I’d never heard of it before college, but initially my freshman hallmate and then another person from a different club told me about it, so I auditioned, made it, and decided to stick with it,” Jeong said.

Next, the audience got to see a choreographed fight sequence, courtesy of the Shotokan Karate Club. Before the performance, Nathan Chen ’17, president of the club, gave a brief explanation of what practicing Shotokan Karate is really all about.

“What our club basically tries to do is share Shotokan Karate with the campus community — people around campus, faculty, students, anyone who wants to join in,” Chen said. “We try to train our mind so that, no matter the situation — you have a big test tomorrow, you have lots of homework, projects, or you get attacked — we aim to be able to stay physically Zen, and be able to think logically and clearly.”

Following the Shotokan Karate Club was the College’s own Salsa Club, which gave a sultry lesson in Latin dance. Before the performance, Anthony Jones ’20, Salsa Club president, gave some insight into the name of this dance genre.

“Some people believe it’s from the musicians, because when they play their music, they yell ‘salsa,’” Jones said. “Others say it’s from the salsa dip, because it’s like the dip that has multiple ingredients and makes its own spicy flavor, just like salsa takes on multiple dances and makes its own flavor.”

According to club member Angela Yost ’20, it took some time to learn the complex dance choreography.

“Our group learned this piece earlier in first semester, so it took us probably three weeks to learn it, and then we just freshened up on it before this performance,” Yost said.

To follow, the Filipino American Student Association performed a dance known as maglalatik, where male dancers beat rhythmically on coconut shells secured on their hands, upper body and legs. Last up was the Chinese Student Organization, which treated the audience to a peaceful traditional fan dance.

As the performance segment of the night ended, audience members were ushered to another room for snacks and some friendly trivia competition. Refreshments included everything from Nutella crepes to onigiri, which are cylindrical Japanese rice balls filled with fish.

This year, the World’s Fair paid more attention to this second portion of the night, according to Hayden Hubbard ’19, vice president of ICE. “We put a lot more emphasis on the trivia. We wanted to make this a two-parter, so we had the performances and the trivia afterwards, making that a central focus,” Hubbard said. “Last time it was kind of tacked on at the very end — this time we tried to have more prizes, make it more entertaining.”

As students participated in the trivia competition, many had a chance to reflect on the importance of the event to the College as a whole.

“I think it’s important so that students can be exposed to other types of cultures,” Sana Lana-Trail ’20 said. “I know, for me personally, I’m interested in French, and I’ve participated in events at the French House, but I don’t really have any other connection with different types of cultures or clubs. I think it’s a great way to get to know the other student organizations on campus.”

Jeong said that she was glad the World’s Fair offered students the chance to appreciate diverse cultures.

“It gives our campus opportunities to be able to see performances of other cultures,” Jeong said, “which lets them be more informed about the diversity we have on campus and I guess all around the world, looking at the bigger picture.”

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

STIs on the rise: advice for staying safe while having sex Learning about preventing disease with some helpful words of internet wisdom

Mallory Walker BEHIND CLOSED DOORS COLUMNIST

Not sure if you guys have heard the news, but sexually transmitted infections are on the rise at the College of William and Mary. Seriously, the Health Center has been kind enough to provide us with a tally of how many students on our campus have cases of chlamydia, herpes and even HIV. We’ve all had some version of the “don’t have sex, you will get pregnant and die” talk with our high school health teachers, parents and older siblings. While those conversations can be helpful, there’s certainly a lot of misinformation that is bound to get passed around. So, with the help of the handy dandy internet, I’m coming at you with some cold, hard facts about how to keep your cooch or dangle clean and supreme.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know the best way to prevent the transmission of sexually transmitted infections and disease is to practice abstinence.

And if abstaining from sexual encounters is your thing, then I salute you. There’s a lot of

benefits to abstaining from sex, but the biggest one would certainly have to be avoiding any pesky case of crabs or gonorrhea. I know that abstinence isn’t for everyone, though. So let’s look at a couple other helpful tips from the good ol’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC points out the importance of one preventative measure that I, personally, take for granted. Vaccinations are pretty much a requirement to attend any university, so it’s easy to forget about how vital they are once you’ve left the doctor’s office and removed the Band-Aid. But vaccines are key when it comes to preventing things like human papilloma virus. HPV doesn’t have a cure, so if you want to avoid the warts and lower your chances of getting cervical cancer, I suggest biting the bullet despite any fear of needles. The CDC website recommends getting all three shots of the HPV vaccine before you become sexually active, and while I don’t know a lot about the spread of

“

infectious diseases, I’d say the CDC probably knows what it’s talking about.

In my research — aka reading a bunch of brightly-colored infographics — I’ve also come across a few tips about condom use that I didn’t know about before. It’s no secret that condoms are important for preventing pregnancy and the spread of STIs, but did you know that there’s a bit of technique to this whole condom business?

For one, please never use two condoms at once.

I don’t know if the doubling up was ever actually a thing or just a horror story told by teenagers.

Either way, it’s not a good idea.

And you know what else isn’t a good idea?

Keeping a condom in your wallet for forever.

Condoms can withstand the thrusting of a peen but not the wear and tear of sitting in your back pocket or purse for weeks on end. Replace regularly, or, better yet, just keep ‘em in your bedside table drawer. Here’s a new one for me: avoid “natural” condoms at all cost. I didn’t

... I’m coming at you with some cold, hard facts about how to keep your cooch or dangle clean and supreme ...

know these still existed, but apparently you can still purchase condoms made with animal skin.

This entire concept is an immediate turn off, but if you’re eyeing animal skin over latex, listen up.

Animal skin might help to prevent pregnancy, but latex does a much better job at keeping HIV at bay. So please, for the sake of you and the animal, stay away.

As for my final word of advice: get tested! I know peeing in a cup or getting some bloodwork done can be an unpleasant experience. As someone who has cried throughout both processes, I get it. Trust me. The only way to know if you have any chance of spreading STIs is to get tested regularly. Personally, I get tested yearly when I see my gynecologist. If that’s not an option for you or you simply don’t possess the vagina necessary for seeing a vagina doctor, our very own Student Health Center offers up STI testing that is subsidized by the Student Assembly. So, come on down to your on-campus healthcare provider with your significant other, your friends, your hallmate or ridin’ solo to get tested and maybe grab a condom or 10 while you’re there.

I know STIs are scary, but having the knowledge to protect yourself and your partners is one easy thing you can do to arm yourself against the clap and other diseases and infections.

Dr. Mallory Walker is a Behind Closed Doors columnist who has her M.D. from Google University.

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Page 8

The Flat Hat

“Fly 103” soars to PBK

New student play discusses issues associated with mass media consumption and then letting the characters move in and out between them, and sort of show these different perspectives without saying this is the right one, this is the wrong one,” Ceperley said.

The play incorporated a number of original design elements.

For example, the design process involved the branding of the fictional company, “pump.com,” creating a logo that a marketing firm might realistically create for a company of that nature. The play also involved the digital production of original music. There is even some live music performed during “Fly 103.”

The play’s major focus on music is no accidental occurrence.

Kalnas discussed how music played a role in how he came up with an idea for the play.

“I found a lot of comfort from writing about the radio,” Kalnas said. “Because, at that time, I did not consider myself very wellread, I did not consider myself very well-cultured, but I knew music pretty well. And I knew that I could write about music.

And writing about the radio was a comfort for me because the radio is the outlet, is the middleman between the music and the consumer, and I thought that middleman, that connection, is so interesting and that middleman is being so affected right now.”

Beyond idea-making, Kalnas also described the influence of different musical styles on his writing style. The work of musicians — jazz, rap and blues musicians, for example — and the ways in which they shape their rhythms, fascinated Kalnas and influenced his writing.

“I try to write like Miles Davis,” Kalnas said. “He knows exactly when to speed up, he knows exactly when to slow down, he

knows exactly when to come in. That blew my mind ... His use of negative space is really remarkable, and that’s what I tried to emulate in my writing.”

Whether he was lying on the floor, lighting candles around the The writing process, for Kalnas, was a feat that slowly room, scrawling ideas on a whiteboard, carrying his notebook developed over the course of two years. It was not always an with him at all times in case an idea suddenly struck him or easy process. He was at times challenged with finding the ideas listening to the unique rhythms of artists ranging from Miles he was looking for. But when he did come up with a solution, he Davis to Kendrick Lamar, Tom Kalnas ’17 drew from a host of compared the feeling of finally finding that idea to the kind of sensory and kinetic engagements to inspire his playwriting “relief” of pulling a splinter out of one’s skin. process. After two years of work, the result is “Fly 103,” Kalnas’ Some of the play’s integral components included marketing original play, which will be performed this week in the College and business elements. Kalnas, who is a double major in of William and Mary’s Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall Lab marketing and performance, believed that being a marketing Theatre. major and having an understanding of business was useful for “Fly 103” follows a radio DJ, Dr. Drea (played by Kirsten improving his play.

Linder ’18), who struggles to preserve the integrity of her artistic Another one of the issues associated with markets and media choices as she transitions from working in a small, local radio consumption that the play focuses on stems in part from a station to a mass-market media conglomerate, “Pump.com.” play that Kalnas read by playwright Heathcote Williams. These Kalnas described how this change unravels during the play. ideas of media consumption not only filtered into Kalnas’s “There is a big shift in, for instance, in what she is allowed playwriting, but it also had him reconsidering his personal to say on the radio, and what she has to say, and even like the media consumption habits. music that has to be played, and what she’s allowed to do, and “I realized that I was taking in too much. So now, I don’t go on that sort of thing,” Kalnas said. “That’s the main struggle of the Facebook, I don’t go on social media sites,” Kalnas said. “I really show, is her dealing with this and trying to maintain a sense of changed the quality of data that I’m taking in, and I’m much independence and freedom through that.” happier because of it.”

Genny Ceperley ’17, the production’s director, recalled her Elizabeth Flatt ’20, the head of publicity for “Fly 103,” said impressions reading the first drafts of “Fly 103.” she thought the play transmitted an important message about “I was really excited about the conversation it sort of put media consumption that she hoped would have the members forth that I think a lot of us in of the audience reconsidering the arts are facing going out the quality and amount of into the real world, of sort of data they convey online. what’s important to us, what “I’m kind of hoping … that stories do we want to tell, and it makes people look at what how comfortable are we being they’re posting … and say, ‘Is less financially comfortable this something that’s really telling those stories,” Ceperley going to enrich the lives of said. everyone around me? Is this Kalnas described another really content that’s worth major component of the play sharing right now? Or do I that focuses on a folk bar, The want to save what I have to Apollo, that is struggling to say for a time when I have stay financially afloat, and that’s more important or how this business, combined more special to me? … What with musical elements, moments do I want to share?’” attempts to revive itself, Flatt said. raising questions of whether Ceperley expressed the it is worth sacrificing “artistic same sentiment, believing integrity for economic that “Fly 103” would have the success.” audience reconsidering its Genny Ceperley ’17, media habits. the director of “Fly 103,” “It’ll make them stop and described the various design think about the content they details of The Apollo and the put out there,” Ceperley said. radio studio that had to be The play involved a diverse organized. She discussed the set of skills and creative contrasting spatial qualities abilities ranging from of each, The Apollo with playwriting to design elements patchwork tablecloths and to acting to music production. dim lighting and the studio Ceperley touched on the with slick, silver hardware efforts of the play’s production and fluorescent lighting. She staff and how the play’s many noted how these spaces relate components amalgamated to to the characters that move the play that it is now. around in them.

“It’s been amazing to kind “It’s sort of showing the two of watch and experience all — this spectrum of technology these different minds, all versus anti-technology and these different people come these two spaces … that exist together, and we have one COURTESY PHOTO / ELIZABETH FLATT on the either side of that line, cohesive thing,” Ceperley said.

“Fly 103,” a new play about mass media consumption written by student Tom Kalnas about, will be performed on March 20 and 22 at 7:30 p.m. at PBK Hall Lab Theater.

KATHERINE WEBER FLAT HAT ASSOC. VARIETY EDITOR

CONFUSION CORNER

Are we working hard or wasting our time?

Let’s examine whether or not the activities we put effort into really reflect our goals.

Emily Gardner

CONFUSION CORNER COLUMNIST

Heuristics, as my brilliant and sexy audience may know, are algorithmic rules used by our brains to make quick and dirty decisions. If deep existential philosophizing were the poached eggs and souffle au fromage of thought, heuristics would be the stale Pop-Tart you shove into your big face hole while rushing to an 8 a.m. They allow a faster cognitive processing speed because they don’t consider all of the pesky little complexities of a situation and instead use the presence or absence of one or two major details to make a decision. They are simple rules of thumb, like the 10-second rule for floor food and the bias that thin, attractive people must be automatically superior. Obviously, these guidelines are not necessarily and in, case of the last one, ever true. But they do help our feeble brains make meaning in a world that would otherwise be so overwhelming that we would collapse from

sensory overload trying to pick out socks in the morning (which happens for me some days regardless). They are not inherently bad, but they can cause more bad side effects than a 1960s antidepressant. In particular, there is one that I know has impacted my life deeply and that may affect many of my peers: the suffering heuristic.

Somewhere in the “delightful” cultural history of work in America, the land of plenty where you can enroll your fetus in the Mason School of Business, and failure is always your own damn fault, we have created a very perverted vision of what it means to be an honest, hard worker. I can’t speak for other countries, but I know that in America we associate pain with hard work and hard work with value, particularly self-worth. This association is, of course, not entirely unfounded. There is a reason that we admire the single mother holding down two jobs or legendary CEOs like Richard Branson or Marissa Mayer who wake up every morning at the ungodly hour of 4 a.m. They struggle and strain for something worthwhile. We have been fed this idea for so long, from bedtime stories of

“

Hercules to the cultural trope of the genius tech startup, that many of us truly believe that hard work is painful, and hard work means you are good. We then make the logic jump that suffering is good. We have run with this association, and many have developed a very problematic heuristic that takes the presence of suffering, exhaustion and sacrifice as an indication that they must be doing the right thing. For example, if I come home after a long day on the verge of collapse, I figure I have given the world all I have, and that should be good enough. I don’t actually stop to ask if the things that I did to wear myself down were what I really should have been or wanted to be doing.

I also find myself assuming that if I am spending hours in the architectural nightmare that is Swem, then I deserve an A, even if I spend half of that time checking Facebook. I am falling back on the old suffering heuristic; I am struggling, so I must be doing something right.

This heuristic isn’t necessarily wrong, but it is an automatic association, so its users are apt to run on autopilot. I generally figure that if I have

But I think it is important ... that we take time to pause and ask if our behaviors really align with our goals ...

worked hard, put in my hours and paid homage to our puritanical forefathers, I am therefore a nice, law-abiding member of society who pulls her own weight and should be rewarded accordingly.

But what happens when something is painful and also a waste of time? And aren’t there better ways to evaluate the small amount of time that we spend on this planet besides in the minutes spent suffering or the work we produce, like whether you are the type of person who promotes equality or will drive a desperate friend to Cookout at 1 a.m. even though you’re vegan and thus can derive no value from the excursion.

I am not trying to say that all work can be wonderful and free of pain. The idea that suffering is self-selected and that you can find “your one true passion” is a myth that shifts the woes of an impersonal, corrupt meritocracy back to the individual. But I think it is important in all aspects of life, especially our work, that we take time to pause and ask if our behaviors really align with our goals and if our struggle is really getting us where we want to go. In the past, I have found that this heuristic was holding me back from leading a more satisfying life because I was so stuck in the self-justification that suffering offers that I couldn’t see another path. I realized that just because I was miserable didn’t mean I was right, and the old adage of working smarter, not harder, may hold some truth.

Emily Gardner is a Confusion Corner columnist who believes in suffering for your art, but only if it’s your art.

sportsinside

The Flat Hat

| Tuesday, March 21, 2017 | Page 9

TRACK AND FIELD

College dominates in Tribe Invitational

Tribe tops Norfolk State, George Mason, Richmond with balanced performances JACOB ROSS FLAT HAT STAFF WRITER The crowd in attendance Saturday at Zable Stadium for the Tribe Invitational grew louder with the passing of each lap.

Corey Leslie, a Nike athlete and George Mason assistant coach, was rabbiting the men’s mile run and was on pace to run right around four minutes. Tribe senior David Barney and sophomore Ryan McGorty were tucked in right behind Leslie, their strides still smooth despite the breakneck clip. When the trio started the bell lap, Leslie stepped aside with his pacing duties complete.

The clock read 3 minutes, 1 second, give or take a second, and the cheers from the Zable grandstand reached their pinnacle. Although the two milers slowed slightly, both clocked quick times. McGorty surged past Barney with a strong last 100 meters to finish in 4:07.28, which ranks seventh all-time at the College. Barney finished in 4:08.87 to rank 10th all time.

The women’s mile had a thrilling finish as junior Regan Rome gave it all she had in the final stretch to nip Norfolk State’s Martha Bissah at the line. Rome collapsed to the track in exhaustion after running a stadium record 4:49.71, a time that ranks as the second fastest outdoor mile in school history.

COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS

The Tribe hurdled into the spring season in dominating fashion, besting their competition behind junior Regan Rome and sophomore Ryan McGrorty.

Elsewhere on the track, junior Dylan Anderson picked up wins in the

110 Hurdles and the 200 in 15.11 and 22.16 seconds, respectively, and senior

BASEBALL

AJ Tucker led the Tribe contingent in the 3K with an 8:24.97 clocking and a

victory.

On the women’s side, freshman Josephine Landis ran 1:00.89 to win the 400 and sophomore Bri Miller won the 100 hurdles in 15.29.

The Tribe also picked up wins in the field and throws. Abigail Jones won the high jump in 1.64 meters. Bri Miller picked up another win by topping the field in the long jump with a leap of 5.43 meters while Julia McDermott took Rome the triple with a jump of 11.43 meters.

Freshman Samantha Moravsky won the javelin throw with a toss of 38.3 meters and junior Leia Mistowski captured the hammer throw with a heave of 53.51 meters.

Senior Lucas Wratschko won the men’s pole vault by clearing 4.70 meters and senior Taylor Frenia won both the shot put and discus with tosses of 17.64 and 51.48 meters respectively.

Frenia also took the hammer throw with a heave of 53.70 meters, and junior Tucker Rizzi won the javelin with a throw of 61.85 meters.

The College is back in action this weekend at the Fred Hardy Invitational in Richmond.

MEN’S TENNIS

College cruises by Rams Tribe crushes Xavier

Tribe excels behind big bats, 11 strikeouts by Sheehan in win

College relies on experience, doubles play in big win ALYSSA GRZESIAK FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR

COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS

Sophomore left-handed pitcher Bodie Sheehan has played well for the Tribe this season, posting an impressive record of 4-1.

KEVIN RICHESON THE FLAT HAT William and Mary hosted Rhode Island for a three-game series at Plumeri Park from March 17 through 19. The Tribe previously defeated the Rams 2-1 earlier this season in the Irish Classic in Cary, N.C. The College grabbed victories in the first two games of the series to improve its record at home to 8-2 for the season.

Game three of the series scheduled for March 19 was cancelled due to inclement weather.

March 17, the Tribe (10-7) opened the series with the Rams (69) with an 11-2 drubbing of Rhode Island.

Rhode Island opened the scoring in the top of the third, taking a 1-0 lead over the Tribe with an RBI single to left field by second baseman Chris Hess. Shortstop Laurence Hill scored on the play.

The Rams’ early lead did not last long as the Tribe put up three runs in the bottom of the third inning.

Sophomore catcher Hunter Smith tied the game for the College with an RBI single which plated junior right fielder Ryan Hall. Hall had a huge day at the plate for the Tribe, going five-for-five with two RBI’s and three runs scored. Later in

the inning, freshman left fielder Brandon Raquet secured a Tribe lead that would last the rest of the game. Raquet had a two RBI singles that put the College up 3-1.

The Tribe added three more runs in the bottom of the fourth to stretch the lead to 6-1. In the bottom of the fifth, the College scored two more runs, punctuated by an RBI triple by junior second baseman Cullen Large, one of his three hits for the game.

The College took an 8-1 lead to the sixth inning and coasted to an 11-2 victory. Rhode Island pitcher Nick Johnson was saddled with the loss, while senior pitcher Nick Brown picked up the win for the Tribe after giving up one run in six innings pitched, boosting his record on the season to 2-1.

March 18, the College (11-7) returned to Plumeri Park and picked up another win over the Rams (6-10) in a 7-3 game.

The Tribe jumped out to an early advantage in the game with the help of early power hitting at the plate.

In the bottom of the second inning in a scoreless game, Smith crushed a solo home run to left field to put the Tribe on top. Two batters later, senior center fielder Charles Ameer provided a solo home run of his own

to give the College a 2-0 lead.

Hall continued his hot weekend at the plate with RBI singles in both the third and fourth innings sitting the Tribe at a solid 5-0 lead over the Rams. After giving up a solo home run to Rhode Island right fielder Mike Foley in the top of the fifth inning, the College put the game out of reach in the bottom of the seventh. Raquet tripled to center field to score both Smith and Large, giving the Tribe a 7-1 edge. The Rams scored two in the top of the eighth, but the Tribe came away with the 7-3 victory. Sophomore pitcher Bodie Sheehan pitched six and two-thirds innings for the win, striking out 11 Rhode Island players and improving his record to 4-1 for the season.

The College has four of its five games on the road this week, where it will seek to win its first road game after starting the season 0-5 on the road. The Tribe will return to action March 21, taking on Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, in hopes of a second win for the season against the Hokies.

The Tribe will return home March 22 to welcome Virginia Military Institute before opening its title defense in Colonial Athletic Association play back on the road against UNC-Wilmington for a three-game series March 24-26.

Saturday, the William and Mary men kicked off a six-game homestand by welcoming Xavier to the McCormackNagelsen Tennis Center. The Tribe (7-8) defeated the Musketeers (4-10) 6-1.

The Tribe secured the first point of the match in doubles. Juniors Lars de Boer and Alec Miller first defeated Xavier sophomore Trent Smith and junior Connor LaFavre 6-3 at the No. 3 spot. A 6-4 win at the No. 2 spot by first-time duo junior Christian Cargill and senior Aidan Talcott versus Musketeers sophomore Jack Dykema and freshman Matthew Graft followed, putting the Tribe up 2-0.

“Doubles is always trying to find what combos are going to work together,” head coach Jeff Kader said.

“It might make sense Cargill in our head, but if it doesn’t actually make sense on the court, then we have to look for something new.”

Senior Addison Appleby and sophomore Tristan Bautil did not get to finish their match at the No. 1 doubles spot.

“I think we’re definitely improving in doubles,” Appleby said. “We really struggled at the beginning of the year, but I think we’ve been putting a lot of work towards doubles, and we’ve been improving a lot … I think it’s really going to help us towards the end of the year.”

Miller stole the first Tribe singles point with a 6-0, 6-4 victory over Smith at the No. 4 spot.

Cargill finished soon after with another victory at the No. 2 spot against senior Jeremy Schneider 7-5, 6-2.

“We brought a lot of energy, ” Cargill said. “It Appleby was good to get back from spring break and play our first home match in a while. It’s good to kind of get things rolling again.”

Bautil crushed Graft 6-2 in both sets at the No. 6 spot. Bautil’s win brought the College up 5-0, securing the overall victory. Appleby, after a long and hard-fought second set, came back with a 6-3, 7-5 win at the No. 3 spot against Dykema. Talcott fell 7-5 both sets at the No. 1 spot to Xavier senior Matt Bishop.

“I’m pleased with the improvement,” Kader said.

The men will host Howard March 26 at 4 p.m. at the Millie West Tennis Center.

COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS

Junior Christian Cargill picked up wins in both singles and doubles play to lead the Tribe against Xavier.

sports

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

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, March 21, 2017 | Page 10

GYMNASTICS

Men and women post season highs

COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS

The men posted a season-high score of 401.6 in a tri-meet against Army and Temple. The women also posted a season-high score of 193.925 points, placing fourth of six in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship at Brown.

Senior Neal Courter selected as finalist for 2017 Nissen Emery Award EMILY CHAUMONT FLAT HAT MANAGING EDITOR Saturday was a big day for the William and Mary men, with the Tribe posting a season-high score of 401.6 points to win a tri-meet against Army (393.55) and Temple (375.7).

At the beginning of the Senior Day meet, interim head coach Mike Powell recognized senior Neal Courter for his selection as one of eight finalists for the 2017 College Gymnastics Association Nissen Emery Award. This highest honor in collegiate gymnastics — often referred to as the “Heisman Trophy of gymnastics” — is presented every year to a senior who demonstrates outstanding achievement, sportsmanship and academic excellence.

“I’m so honored to have been nominated and to have received selection as a finalist so it’s just so surreal for me,” Courter said. “I’ve enjoyed every single second of today and every single second of the years that I’ve been here. I’m just really happy to have ended the season in Kaplan on a high note.”

Courter also praised his teammates for the support they’ve given him

throughout his time at the College. “[The team] has contributed a lot to my personal development,” Courter said. “They have been my rock, every single one of them. I could name a few names but it wouldn’t do it justice because really everyone has been there for me. They’ve really contributed to me growing as a person and they’ve supported me through my battle with depression, through my struggles with school, through gymnastics, through everything. I’m just really grateful to have them by my side.”

Courter made it to the podium on floor (14.1) and vault (14.2) with second and third place scores, respectively.

Not only did Courter’s performance on floor earn him a season-high individually, but it also helped the College to a season-high team score of 68.6 points. Freshman Tomas Palma placed first on floor with a career-high of 14.15 points.

Tribe gymnasts also took titles in three more events. Sophomore Jacopo Gliozzi placed first on pommel horse with 14.2 points, senior Rob Meyer took first on rings with 13.9 points and junior Griffin Antle’s 13.9-point score put him first on parallel bars.

Meyer placed second on parallel bars, contributing 13.8 points toward the Tribe’s 65.85 event score. Meyer (13.3) and Antle (13.2) both also contributed to the College’s 66.25 points on pommel horse, placing second and third, respectively.

Junior Jeremiah McReynolds took third on rings, with his 13.8 points adding to the Tribe’s 67.2.

Freshman Tim O’Neill took second on vault with 14.3 points, contributing to the College’s 70.55 points.

Junior Mitchell Campbell placed third on high bar (13.1), helping the Tribe to its 63.15 score.

The Tribe also excelled in the allaround, with senior Aria Sabbagh taking the title with 78.2 points.

Powell praised the team’s seniors after the meet, especially recognizing their accomplishments beyond their athletic performance.

“The seniors on this team are unbelievable. They represent exactly what we’re about at William and Mary gymnastics,” Powell said. “All of the guys they’re scholars and at the same time they’re doing athletics at the highest level. … And to go beyond that with community service and giving

back and helping others, and that includes everything from the food drives that they’re doing to working the kids program to the National Eating Disorder Walk to Neal being brave enough to talk about his struggles with depression and how that’s influenced his school and his athletics.”

Powell said that he was proud of the team for its efforts in Saturday’s meet, but it should still always focus on improving for the future.

“It’s been a great day. Any time that you have this kind of alumni turnout and fans out here and the guys are having fun and hitting routines, that’s a great day,” Powell said. “We do, of course, have room for improvement.

We probably missed four or five routines today, but that’s what practice is for. We’ll go back in and try and do a little bit better the next time.”

The men will continue their season in Seattle March 24-25 for the USA Gymnastics Collegiate Championships.

While the men were home at Kaplan Arena, the Tribe women were at Brown for the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship.

The Tribe placed fourth of six with a season-high score of 193.925 points.

WOMEN’S LACROSSE

Tribe falls in final two on the road College defeated by Old Dominion and No. 18 Virginia Tech BRENDAN DOYLE FLAT HAT ASSOC. SPORTS EDITOR Wednesday and Saturday, William and Mary finished off a fourgame road swing with contests against in-state opponents Old Dominion and Virginia Tech. The first of the two games against the Monarchs was a close contest, but a late run by ODU (4-3) put the game away, resulting in a 13-10 Tribe loss.

After the setback, the Tribe traveled to Blacksburg to face the No. 18 Hokies. The College fought hard, but was not able to get back in the game after going down by three early. It trailed the entire way, eventually falling 17-12 to Virginia Tech (10-2). The Tribe finished the road trip 1-3, bringing its overall record to 2-7.

Against the Monarchs Wednesday, the Tribe scored the first goal of the game. ODU responded with the next two, but the Tribe went on a 4-0 run to seize a 5-2 lead. After a couple of goals from each team, the College led 7-4 at the half.

Coming out of the break, the Tribe scored the first goal, extending the advantage to four. The Monarchs took over from that point forward. They outscored the Tribe 9-2 to end the game, finishing with five unanswered scores. ODU cruised from that point on to a 13-10 victory.

Junior attacker Abby Corkum scored three goals for the Tribe. Senior midfielder Lindsey Jenks added two along with an assist. Sophomore attacker Eloise Gagnon and junior midfielder Danielle Palmucci also each had multi-point games.

Senior goalkeeper Alex Lista and freshman goalkeeper Elsa Rall split time in net, each taking a half. Rall was saddled with the loss, while the two combined for 10 saves throughout the duration

of the game.

Saturday night, the Tribe faced off with the No. 18 ranked Hokies. Virginia Tech jumped out to a quick lead, scoring the first three goals of the game in a span of less than two minutes.

The College struck back with two goals of its own, but the Hokies continued to extend the lead throughout the first half. The period ended with Virginia Tech leading the Tribe 9-6.

After halftime, the College scored two of the first three goals, cutting the Hokies’ lead to just two. That was as close as the Tribe got, as the Hokies scored three straight goals and never looked back. The two teams exchanged goals as the clock ticked down, but the outcome was set. The College fell 17-12.

Jenks scored three goals for the Tribe, followed by Palmucci, junior midfielder McKinley Wade and senior midfielder Shannon Quinn, all three of whom chipped in two goals. Freshman midfielder Meredith Hughes also had a multi-point game, with a goal and an assist.

Again, Lista and Rall shared the duties in goal, although this time Lista shouldered the loss. The two came up with 11 saves as a unit over the game.

The Tribe will return home for a two game homestand this week after the initial season-long road trip, welcoming Liberty Wednesday and Richmond Saturday. Following the next two games, the Tribe will go into Colonial Athletic Association play.

All in all, the 2016-17 season in Tribe sports should generate plenty of intrigue and excitement on campus, and maybe even a moment or two of history. You may have arrived thinking William and Mary is not a sports school, but there are several successful teams to grab your attention in the upcoming year.

Yale took the title (194.600), followed

by Cornell (194.450), Brown (194.125), the College, Temple (193.675) and Pennsylvania (192.075).

Senior Briana Gironda had the strongest individual showing for the Tribe, posting a career-high and placing first on beam with 9.875 points.

Sophomore Aaliyah Kerr also posted a career-best on beam with 9.700 points toward the College’s 48.325.

Kerr tied for third on floor with 9.800 points. Her score contributed to the Tribe’s season-best 48.775-point score on that event.

In addition to her strong showing on beam, Gironda also placed fifth in the all-around with 38.250 points. Fellow senior Olivia O’Connor followed close behind with a sixth place finish with 38.175 points.

O’Connor and freshman Erika Marr led the way for the Tribe on vault with matching scores of 9.675 points. The College scored 48.175 points on vault.

Additionally, Marr posted a careerbest score of 9.800 points on the uneven bars, which tied for fifth place. That score contributed to the Tribe’s 48.650 points, which matched the team’s season-high on that event.

TRIBE MEN’S BASKETBALL TRANSFER ALERT According to ESPN college basketball reporter Jeff Goodman, Tribe redshirt-junior center Jack Whitman has informed ESPN that he will be transferring for his senior season. The 6-foot-9 big man will be eligible to play immediately. Whitman came off the bench his first two seasons but assumed a starting role for the 201617 campaign following the graduation of former Tribe center Sean Sheldon.

Whitman played well in his third collegiate season; he posted averages of 10.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while providing the College with an offensive presence in the post.

Whitman’s transfer makes the already depleted Tribe frontcourt even thinner. Hunter Seacat’s sudden departure to Appalachian State left Whitman and true freshman Nathan Knight as the only centers on the roster this season. Behind 6-foot-10 Knight, it appears that 6-foot-8 sophomore forward Paul Rowley will be the second tallest player on the team next year. Rowley has proven to operate more on the wing than low in the post; he shot an excellent 48.7 percent from three-point range this past season.

6-foot-5 small forward Jihar Williams and 6-foot-2 point guard Luke Loewe are two solid freshman recruits, but neither seems to be the missing piece to the Tribe’s frontcourt puzzle. Knight demonstrated in his first year that he can dominate the paint on both ends of the floor, but another big man has to occupy a roster spot and contribute minutes next season in order to give well-earned rest to the Colonial Athletic Association All-Rookie Team selection and much-needed size to the Tribe roster.

— Flat Hat Staff Writer Jacob Ross