The Flat Hat
Vol. 105, Iss. 25 | Tuesday, April 12, 2016 | The Weekly Student Newspaper of The College of William and Mary
Colored powder burst through the air like fireworks on the Sunken Garden April 10 as the College of William and Mary celebrated Holi, the Hindu ‘Festival of Colors.’ page 10
RESIDENCE LIFE
Warner wins early election RACHEL SILVERMAN / THE FLAT HAT
RICHMOND
STUDENT ASSEMBLY
Students reflect on Miller’s career
Redefining the College
SA passes bill signaling solidarity
Student Assembly initiative sparks diverse conversations
EMILY MARTELL FLAT HAT CHIEF STAFF WRITER
SARAH SMITH FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR
During the 2015 Virginia General Assembly Session, Sen. John Miller (D-1) was confronted with an issue he did not know much about: campus sexual assault policy. Wanting information and advice, he turned not to politicians or lobbyists, but to someone close to the community at stake — his intern Hannah McKiernan ’17. For McKiernan, Miller’s attentiveness to someone who would not normally get a say in legislation was powerful, representing his commitment to students, education and his constituents. McKiernan said that moment is among her favorite memories of Miller, who died unexpectedly last Monday, April 4. Journalist and news anchor at WVEC-TV, administrator at Christopher Newport University, Little League umpire and Virginia state senator, Miller had a meaningful presence in the community and an impact on the people in it, according to people who knew him. Although only representing the College after a 2011 redistricting, Miller immediately sought to get involved and learn about campus. A frequent guest at the College’s Young Democrats and Virginia 21 meetings, Miller met with students, took them out for pizza chow-downs and worked with them in his office. In 2013, when the Virginia General Assembly was considering a voter ID bill, a few students in Virginia 21 realized the bill did not include student IDs as an acceptable form of identification. After the students contacted Miller and explained their issue with the bill, Miller went to the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Steve Newman (R-23). Jakob Stalnaker ’16, who knew Miller through Young Democrats, said he saw this action as an important example of Miller’s dedication and receptiveness to students. “They basically drafted a compromise which allowed students to use their student IDs on campus here,” Stalnaker said. “[Miller] was relentless in fighting for his
Building on a campus-wide conversation about diversity that has been present all year long, the Student Assembly Department of Diversity is hosting their annual I AM W&M Week, which started Saturday, April 9. The week’s events include QueerBrew, King and Queen’s Ball, SIA’s annual Rock ‘n’ Roll Stroll Competition and a performance by comedian Kristina Wong, among others. Student organizations such as AMP, Humans of William and Mary and Sigma Iota Alpha sorority are helping co-host these events. According to SA Secretary of Diversity Initiatives Meronne Teklu ’17, this week is important because it celebrates different cultural ideas and perspectives. “To start, a definition of the week is that it is a celebration of different cultural ideas, personalities and perspectives coming together to
See SENATOR page 3
TUCKER HIGGINS / THE FLAT HAT
Brown inaugurated as 324th SA president
April 6 ceremony begins new Student Assembly session
Marking the formal start of the new Student Assembly session, SA President Eboni Brown ’17 and Vice President Hannah McKiernan ’17 were sworn into office in the Wren Chapel Wednesday, April 6. Before the inauguration, College President Taylor Reveley commented on outgoing SA President Yohance Whitaker ’16, and shared his hopes for Brown. He also said what he thought it meant to be an effective leader. “Being an effective leader doesn’t just happen because you won an election,” Reveley said. “You have to learn by experience and capture
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other people’s attention. You have to get people committed to a common goal and help everybody move along. On those days when we are leading effectively, it’s exhilarating, it’s quite wonderful. Since leadership is power, it’s really crucial that those in positions of leadership are operating in the grand William and Mary traditions of service.” According to Reveley, the College has produced countless generations of leaders and public servants, and he believes it will continue to do so far into the future. One of these leaders, he said, is Whitaker. “In my experience with Yohance Whitaker, he has been a servant leader in the William and Mary
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tradition,” Reveley said. “He and Catie [Pinkerton]’s administration has been marked by a real commitment to William and Mary, congeniality and sound goals pursued effectively. I have confidence that Eboni Brown, who was aided and abetted by him, will do the same, and will be wonderful for William and Mary next academic year.” Following Reveley’s introductory speech, Whitaker addressed the 323rd SA session, as per tradition. He thanked his family, outgoing SA Chief of Staff Sutton MacQueen ’16, his cabinet members and outgoing Senate Chairman Dan Ackerman ’16. Lastly, he thanked outgoing SA Vice President See INAUGURATION page 4
WMPD CHIEF REPORTS ALLEGED INTRUSION IN CAMPUS-WIDE EMAIL William and Mary Police Chief Deborah Cheesebro sent an email notice to the student body Monday, April 11, concerning two alleged incidents of breaking and entering. According to the email, both cases occurred off campus in Williamsburg over the weekend. In both instances, a College of William and Mary student reported that an intruder entered the residence uninvited. In one case, a student said that the intruder initiated unwanted physical contact with a resident inside the home. No rape was reported, nor were signs of forced entry found. The Williamsburg Police Department is investigating the incident. “All of these incidents are currently under investigation by the Williamsburg Police Department,” Williamsburg Police Department spokesperson Greg Riley said in an email. “The victim in the case involving the unwanted touching was not injured and was not sexual assaulted [sic]. There is no suspect information at this time.” A female student also reported being yelled at by men in a passing vehicle while walking along the Richmond Road corridor near campus. According to Cheesebro’s email, no connection was found between that incident and the home intrusions. Cheesebro reminded students, faculty and staff to report any relevant information to the Williamsburg Police Department or WMPD. — Flat Hat Assoc. News Editor Nate Wahrenberger
Inside Sports
Inside Opinions
Actions speak louder than laptop stickers
Rainy High 61, Low 45
See DIVERSITY page 3
Monday April 11, students performed songs, dances and poetry in Lodge 1 at QueerBrew, an event sponsored by SA and AMP as part of I AM W&M Week.
STUDENT ASSEMBLY
SARAH SMITH FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR
define what the William and Mary community is, which is hard because it is such a diverse community,” Teklu said. “This week is trying to host events that expose students to different viewpoints and opinions and just to celebrate diversity and to celebrate William and Mary and how far we’ve come and how far we have to go. It is most important because it recognizes what we have and what we still need.” In the past, the SA sponsored the week’s events independently. Teklu said that last year’s I AM W&M Week was hindered by the lack of collaboration, which limited how many people came to events and the number of issues students could be exposed to as part of the week’s programming. Although much of the logistics and planning of I AM W&M Week was done by SA’s executive branch, recently-inaugurated SA President Eboni Brown ’17 sponsored a bill in her previous role as a senator for the class of 2017 to help allocate funds for the week’s events. The bill,
Francesca Maestas ’17 calls for more volunteerism from a student body she sees as passive. page 5
College swept at home
UNC-Wilmington baseball team defeats struggling Tribe 2-1, 7-4, 6-1. page 7