“
It feels like we can beat anyone and every game we’re going in like we’re going to win. —Sophomore forward Jackson Eskay on second win over national No. 1
SPORTS // College rolls through No. 1, again First it was No. 1 Creighton, then No. 24 Elon, and now No. 1 UNC. It took double overtime, twice. It took a game winner in the 73rd minute Tuesday. It took ten days, and all fell to the unranked Tribe men’s soccer team. Head coach Chris Norris and company haven’t even begun conference play. page 8
Vol. 103, Iss. 10 | Friday, September 27, 2013
The Flat Hat The Twice-Weekly Student Newspaper
of The College of William and Mary
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STUDENT ASSEMBLY
Elections postponed until Monday Power outage prevents freshmen, seniors from voting online
BY CLAIRE GILLESPIE FLAT HAT ASSOC. NEWS EDITOR
When Augustine Haam ’17, James Castro ’17, Seth Greenspan ’17 and Eboni Brown ’17 woke up Thursday morning, they were anticipating the end to the campaigning season that has marked almost half of their collegiate experience so far. The next time the Election Commission contacted them,
however, was not with the news of winning or losing a Student Assembly position. A power outage at Votenet, the electronic eballot service the SA works with on election days, prevented elections from occurring Thursday. Many freshmen never received the initial email informing them they could vote. “It went from 10 to 10:30 and there
was no email,” Brown said. “Then it went from 10:30 to 11 and there was no email.” At 10:30 a.m., a massive power outage at Votenet’s data center kept the initial email, usually sent in waves, from reaching the entire classes of 2017 and 2014. “I was kind of nervous and waiting for this day and I was going to go around and start reminding people to
vote again,” Greenspan said. “But now it’s like what do I do?” SA President Chase Koontz ’14 received an email from Votenet soon after the power outage apologizing for the problem. At 1 p.m., Election Commission Chair Ryan Brophy ’14 emailed the candidates to inform them of the problems with Votenet. “The first people we informed were
CONSTRUCTION
the candidates because they have the most at stake today,” Brophy said. Koontz emailed the senior class at 5 p.m. and Brophy emailed the freshmen class a little after 8 p.m. to inform them of the problems with the voting system. “The thing that frustrated me the most was probably the fact that the committee emailed the candidates See ELECTIONS page 4
ACADEMICS
Behind rankings Halleran reviews methodology BY abby boyle FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR
feasibility study. Plans for the Arts Quarter — a large addition onto Phi Beta Kappa Hall designated for the arts, theater, music and dance — as well as renovations for Zable Stadium, are also in this phase. Additionally, the committee also discussed plans for renovations to Tyler Hall and the third installment of the Integrated Science Center. The budgets for both projects are still being discussed at the state level. The administration is also drafting a plan for the
Provost Michael Halleran delivered a report on the College of William and Mary’s recent U.S. News and World Report rankings in the Board of Visitors’ Committee on Academic Affairs meeting Thursday morning. While praising the College’s performance and ranking as the sixth best public institution in the nation, Halleran discussed the methodology behind the rankings as well as areas for potential improvement. Various proxy measures comprise each college’s ranking, Halleran said. These include peer assessments — which are presidents’, provosts’ and deans’ impressions of other schools around the country — and assessments from high school guidance counselors. This year, the College received a 3.7 out of 5 in the peer assessment category and a 4.5 from guidance counselors. “First of all, most of these presidents and provosts haven’t got a clue about most of these schools,” College President Taylor Reveley said. “They’re going by reputation. I think the fact that we call ourselves a college hurts us because there’s not much of a pervasive belief out there that we are a research university.” Halleran cited the College’s general reputation as one area that can be improved, along with financial resources, where the College was ranked 114. However, he emphasized that the U.S. News and World Report rankings did not take the William and Mary Promise, approved last spring, into consideration. “I will be stunned and shocked if that 114 doesn’t improve, but I have no way of saying whether based on what we’ve done or what
See CONSTRUCTION page 3
See RANKINGS page 3
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A tentative plan for the College of William and Mary Alumni House’s potential $8 million renovation and expansion. The project’s plan was presented Thursday.
Alumni House renovation planned BOV buildings committee discusses expansion project BY BAILEY KIRKPATRICK FLAT HAT ASSOC. NEWS EDITOR
The College of William and Mary’s Alumni House may undergo an $8 million renovation and expansion. Alumni Association Executive Vice President Karen Cottrell ’66, M.Ed. ’69, Ed.D. ’84 presented the plan for the proposed changes to the Board of Visitors’ Committee on Administration, Buildings and Grounds during its meeting Thursday. The Alumni House addition is currently in a phase called the
BOARD OF VISITORS
Students may struggle against fear-based model of excellence BOV Committee for Student Affairs discusses student vulnerability, ways of reaching out to College alumni BY ANNIE CURRAN FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR
Assistant Vice President for Health and Wellness Dr. Kelly Crace thinks students at the College of William and Mary are very intelligent and hardworking, but “vulnerable.” Speaking to Board of Visitor members during the Committee for Student Affairs meeting, Crace described his study during the past 25 years of how people flourish
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and languish. He believes that current students are living their lives by a fearbased model of excellence. Crace has concluded that when something becomes important to someone, that individual develops a fear of the uncertainty of things beyond their control. Additionally, he noted that students live in an era where they feel they are constantly being evaluated in terms of success. Students respond to this fear in two ways — by trying to over-
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control or master their situations through perfectionism, or by avoiding or escaping problems through procrastination. He says that by the time students go to college, they have become experts at both tasks in order to control their environments and escape the discomfort of fear. This is the fear-based model of excellence. The problem with the fear-based model of excellence is that it often causes so much strain that students shift from the pursuit of excellence to the pursuit of
calm. He says his work at the College has included encouraging students to work towards authentic excellence. “The authentic model of excellence makes wellness synonymous with excellence,” Crace said. Crace says there are three steps to get students to work toward authentic excellence. First, they have to manage their fear through an avenue other than perfectionism and procrastination. Second, they must foster an expressive
Inside opinions
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Inside VARIETY
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mindset. Third, students have to be able to clarify their own life values, but not let those values dictate their definition of excellence. Vice President of Student Affairs Ginger Ambler ’88, Ph.D. ’06 said she was pleased to have Crace as a new member of her team. “He is the perfect champion for us to start thinking differently about what
As the Dartmouth College lacrosse suspension shows, hazing is just as alive as ever, and just as dangerous. page 5
Hookup culture
There’s nothing casual about these hookups: When being spontaneous gets awkward, the perils of public furniture, and why men and women can’t really be friends. page 6