The Flat Hat April 12, 2016

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

Today’s Weather 2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10

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

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The Flat Hat | Tuesday, April 12, 2016 | Page 2

THE BUZZ

For me this is a special moment to see Eboni exalted by her peers to Student Assembly president and take on the torch.

— Outgoing SA president Yohance Whitaker ’16 on last week’s inauguration ceremony

All smiles at Marketplace

Cashier Christian Olver discusses the injury that shaped his life The Flat Hat

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ABBY BERRY // FLAT HAT ASSOC. VARIETY EDITOR

Behind the smiling face of Marketplace cashier Christian Olver is an unexpected story.

When Olver was two years old, he was hit by a car and lost use of almost the entirety of the right side of his body.

“

Growing up I played sports, did a lot of different things. I was on the basketball team in middle school for my school team ­— best one handed player out there — it’s beside the point that I was the only one handed player out there.

— Christian Olver

“I pretty much haven’t had use of my right hand. Picking up a book — I can’t do that with my right hand at all. I have use of my right arm — kind of, very limited, but I do. [As for] my leg, it’s more so of walking with a limp from time to time or just getting stiff,” Olver said. “But I’ve learned to handle what I have going on. It’s been nearly 33 years and I’m still going strong.

I was so young that I don’t remember any of it, which is a positive and a negative.

But I feel like there’s a reason for me not knowing. Whatever doesn’t kill you makes

you stronger — I believe that can be true.

It’s true if you make it that way.”

In spite of having to cope with a significant impediment, Olver has always been unafraid to try new things.

“As a young child, I thought, ‘Try things out.’ Not necessarily try everything out, but the things that you’re interested in doing, try it out,” Olver said. “Growing up I played sports, did a lot of different things. I was on the basketball team in middle school for my school team — best one-handed player out there — it’s beside the point that I was the only one-handed player out there.”

Olver said that most of his time on the basketball team he didn’t get to play, but one game he was put in. Within a minute he made a shot, which he followed up with another, only to score again with a free throw after he was fouled.

“Now not only are my fans rooting for me, but the opposing team, as well as their fans, are rooting for me, and I’m like, ‘What alternate universe am I in where the opposing team is rooting for me?’” Olver said. “It was neat just to see the reaction from everybody. That also told me don’t give up.”

After graduating from high school, Olver took a trip to New Zealand where he went bungee jumping, skydiving and glacier climbing.

“We found out that we couldn’t go skydiving the day that we were supposed to, so what ended up happening was bungee jumping in the morning, skydiving in the afternoon — same day. But it’s a day that I’ll never forget. I was only 23 at the time, so that plays a little part in it,” Olver said.

In addition to his adventurous side, faith is a huge part of Olver’s life. He is a founding member of the King of Glory Lutheran church and attends every Sunday.

“I grew up in the church. I’ve found that that helps me have a reason to do everything that I do and gives me a reason

to just kind of be happy,” Olver said. “And if others can see that through me just living and doing, then that’s even better. My name is Christian, and I put it out there. No hiding, no shame in it.”

Olver has been working at the College of William and Mary for four years. He also works at Food Lion in the mornings, but enjoys his job at the College more ­­— or, at least, that’s what he told the reporter.

“Seeing [the students] and seeing how [their] lives are being shaped by the school that [they] are [going to], that makes a big difference for me. I love being able to hear everything that happens, and a lot of people don’t realize that I hear a lot of what’s going on, even when they’re not realizing it coming up to the register,” Olver said. “Being able to be talkative feels very nice and rewarding, and to have a steady job that I can come to and that I can enjoy is something that I think everybody needs.”

Not only does Olver love his job, but students love him. Jack Hollingsworth ’16 said that Olver’s positive attitude and dependable smile always brighten his day.

“I’ve been friends with Christian for the past three years, and almost every time I walk away from one of our conversations I cannot believe how upbeat and cheerful he is. It forces me to reevaluate and think about how I interact with other people in my life, even strangers whose paths I cross. Christian has a talent for brightening the day of people eating at Marketplace,” Hollingsworth said. “He never fails to ask me about my day and, more importantly, genuinely wants to know the answer.”

If Olver could choose to undo the accident that caused his injuries, he said that he would not want to. What happened all those years ago has made him who he is today Olver said. He said he believes he is stronger because of it.

“This is how I was meant to live,” Olver said.

TUCKER HIGGINS / THE FLAT HAT

CORRECTIONS An article printed last week incorrectly said no-contact orders could be issued by the William and Mary Police Department. They can not. Another article incorrectly reported that in-state students received 15 percent of total Pell Grant funding. In fact, 15 percent of in-state students receive Pell Grants.

The Flat Hat wishes to correct any facts printed incorrectly.

Corrections may be submitted by email to the editor of the section in which the incorrect information was printed. Requests for corrections will be accepted at any time.

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TUCKER HIGGINS / THE FLAT HAT

Marketplace cashier Christian Olver discusses his work life, being founding member of King of Glory Lutheran Church and playing in one of his first basketball games.

POLICE BEAT

Apr. 8-11 1

Friday, Apr. 8 — An individual was arrested for being drunk and using profane language in public on Richmond Road.

2

Friday, Apr. 8 — An individual was arrested for being drunk in public on North Henry Street.

3

Saturday, Apr. 9 — An individual was arrested for a hit and run on Richmond Road.

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Page 3

ACADEMICS

Winning ethics: Grad students come in first Team wins American Counseling Association’s national ethics competition WYATT FALCONE THE FLAT HAT

Counselor education Ph.D. students Keosha Branch, Brian Kooyman, Clayton Martin and Becky Sheffield were sitting in one of their first seminar classes of the semester when Kooyman looked up from his computer and said that they had won. Within seconds, their class came to a halt, and the four doctoral students from the College of William and Mary’s School of Education received the congratulations of their peers and professor.

These four students had just received first place in the American Counseling Association’s Graduate Student Ethics Competition. The team spent several weeks in November and December writing a 15-page response paper to a hypothetical ethical dilemma, and was competing with teams from other doctoral programs across the country.

According to the contest website, the students were required to defend their arguments with research from the ACA’s Code of Ethics, along with several outside sources, and were judged based on their identification of the problem,

their proposed solution, their method of reaching that solution and their use of relevant ethical guidelines and literature.

According to Martin and Kooyman, the dilemma involved a potentially dangerous student and a counselor educator who received unauthorized information about him from a separate counseling program.

“This was like a Gordian knot of ethical conundrums,” Martin said. “It was just a mess.”

The students learned about the competition from Professor Eleni Honderich Ph.D. ’14, who also served as their faculty advisor. Honderich was a member of the College’s first winning doctoral team in 2014 and understood the time commitments the students would have to make.

“Ask any student right before finals if they would like to volunteer for ten hours a week to write a paper (for no credit) … ah, we know what the response will most likely be” Honderich said in an email.

Kooyman and Martin said that the extra workload was daunting at first, but, after an interest meeting with

Honderich, her enthusiasm for the parties.” feedback on their paper from the ACA. competition helped inspire them to Each member of the team received Kooyman said that this competition meet the challenge. Each team member a $100 gift card to any ACA bookstore, has made him more interested in ethics ultimately spent 10 to 15 hours working a certificate and a letter of recognition and the way it could be part of his on the paper. They dedicated the last for their success. A second team of career. weekend before the paper to editing. graduate students from the College “It’s made me more interested in “We were reading it and reviewing placed second in a section of the teaching ethics,” Kooyman said. “It has what it is that we had all done competition reserved for master’s made me a more ethical counselor and previously, and then finally we got this students. counselor educator …. It put ethics complete paper right at the eleventh The team is still waiting for specific more in the forefront of my mind.” hour,” Kooyman said.

Besides the time commitment, the team also had to deal with the ambiguity of ethics. The students began by confronting relatively unambiguous issues, such as those involving safety, before they moved on to more complex ethical conflicts. Through research, they devised a plan of action that took into account the effects any interventions would have on all of the parties involved.

According to Martin, the research showed that in ethics, there isn’t always a right answer.

“There aren’t necessarily ‘right answers’ as there are well-considered answers,” Martin said. “Answers that will potentially reduce harm … [and] COURTESY PHOTO / WM.EDU consider the best interests of multiple Graduate school students took first place in national competition centered on practicing ethics.

Initiative celebrates ideas, diversity of many types

I AM W&M Week features broader collaboration with student organizations DIVERSITY from page 1

I AM WM Week Act Part II, allocated $2,520 from SA reserves for materials needed for the week.

“

This is something that is near and dear to my heart due to the many experiences I have had as a student of color here on campus.

— SA President Eboni Brown ’17

“This week is so very important to the College because it offers students a space to celebrate and embrace the many forms of diversity here and in this celebration, students from all different backgrounds can embrace who they are and their importance to make the College of William and Mary great,” Brown said in an email.

“This is something that is near and dear to my heart due to the many experiences I have had as a student of color here on campus. I got involved with the funding aspect of this event because I understood its importance to campus. It is vital that the SA continue to lead this program. As the leaders of the student body, we must make sure our activities are representative of our campus and our week does just that.”

QueerBrew, one of the week’s events, occurred April 11. Hosted

by SA and AMP, the event aimed to showcase the musical talent and poetry of the LGBTQ community at the College of William and Mary.

George Valdes-Dapena ’19 along with Ellie Grace ’19, performed “Luv, Luv, Luv” by Pansy Division, “The Moon Song,” by Karen O and “Transgender Dysphoria Blues” by Against Me!.

According to Valdes-Dapena, events like QueerBrew are important because they give students insight into issues related to

sexual and gender diversity. “[This event is] important for people to be exposed to gender and sexual diversity because a lot of people these days think [queer people are] a total joke because it’s so different from how they were raised,” Valdes-Dapena said in an email. “I just want people to know that we’re real, whole people, and we’re not just acting out for attention. Although to be fair, I love attention.”

Other events throughout the week focus on different forms of diversity, such as racial diversity, ethnic and cultural diversity, and neurodiversity.

Some events, like Chalk the Crim Dell, are for students to identify what about them makes them part of the College.

According to Teklu, this week stems from the larger campus dialogue on diversity, as it aims to address the different issues smaller groups tackle throughout the year.

“I think that there is obviously not one specific definition of diversity — everyone has different interpretations,” Teklu said.

“In terms of what the College is talking about right now, there’s talk about the current racial climate. In terms of policies, we just

recently launched flexible housing. There’s a lot of talk on sexuality, gender and race. We also want to talk more about mental health and neurodiversity. In the context of this greater diversity conversation, we are in a very important time. It is important for SA to recognize this and be advocates for students. It is important to establish that we are here for students, for the community, and show that we want to do everything we can to empower students.”

Moving forward, Teklu said she hopes SA will increase marketing next year so that more students are aware of the week’s events.

Teklu also said she believes it is important to acknowledge that I AM W&M Week does not attempt to put diversity in one week and that SA aims to address diversity throughout the year.

“A lot of students don’t know what the Student Assembly is or what the departments are,” Teklu said. “The department of diversity has table talks that we host every semester, different panels discussing the LGBT climate on campus and we host financial seminars. We put on a lot of events throughout the year, we need to advertise how we can help them. My advice for next year would be to hone in on who we are as Student Assembly and how we can help.”

TUCKER HIGGINS / THE FLAT HAT

As part of I AM W&M Week, QueerBrew performer Sam Yu ’17 looks on at a fellow performer during the Student Assembly and AMP sponsored diversity event.

Student Assembly, local politicians reflect on VA senator John Miller SA passes resolution signaling the College’s remembrance of Miller, will present it to his family during funeral services SENATOR from page 1

constituents and higher education. As a higher education administrator, he was constantly fighting to represent the student body here and the Williamsburg community in Richmond.”

Stalnaker continued that he viewed Miller as a constant advocate of students of the College and a “fixture of the community.”

Delegate Monty Mason (D-93) ’89 also saw Miller’s dedication to the College’s student body.

As a public official also representing the College and Williamsburg and an alumnus himself, Mason observed the close interactions between Miller and students.

“John loved the William and Mary students, whether it was the Young Dems club, Virginia 21, you could just see him light up when he interacted with students,” Mason said.

Not only a mentor to students, Miller supported Mason’s 2013 and 2015 campaigns for the Virginia House of Delegates.

According to Mason, Miller’s expertise, guidance and friendship were invaluable assets to

have during the start of his political career.

“John was invaluable,” Mason said. “In these jobs everybody tends to tell you what you need to do, whether — you’ve got to do this, or you’ve got to pay attention and do it this way — but John never once told me what I needed to do. He was always there for me to hash issues out, to walk through the way of the land to discuss the big topics of the day and we tended to have very similar interests and issues that we both paid attention to — education, particularly early childhood education, just one of many examples.”

Much more than a political ally, Mason said that Miller was a personal friend.

First winning a seat in the Virginia Senate in 2007, Miller supported bipartisan action on redistricting, electing judges and environmental efforts, founding the Commonwealth Caucus with three other freshman Senators — two Republicans and one other Democrat.

Winning reelection in 2011 and 2015, Miller most recently served on three committees: Agriculture; Conservation and Natural Resources; Local Government; and Privileges and Elections.

Dylan Campbell ’17, an intern for Miller during the recent 2016 General Assembly session, said Miller even responded to the “ridiculous” people who proved difficult to reason with.

“I mostly did checking his emails and stuff for him, but honestly there’s not much you can do when you’re in his office, because he responds to every email and every letter,” Campbell said.

Although his committee assignments, district and the composition of the Virginia Senate changed over time, one element of his work always followed him: his passion for public education.

His supporters said that Miller was a constant advocate for Virginia’s children in government.

McKiernan, this made Miller a mentor and an inspiration to her.

“He was a quiet leader who was in it for all the right reasons and deeply, deeply cared about K-12 education,” McKiernan said. “It’s what I’m most passionate about, which is why I latched on to him and really admired him as a human being, because he devoted his entire political career to education.”

Even after death, Miller’s work on education

will impact the community. Governor Terry McAuliffe approved Miller’s SB 336, shifting focus in Virginia high schools from standardized testing to college and workforce readiness April 6.

Government professor John McGlennon, who knew Miller for over 30 years, emphasized Miller’s thoughtfulness, both in the Senate and in the community.

McGlennon, who has a stack of handwritten notes from Miller, which he collected over the years, said Miller would always follow-up after a meeting or congratulate someone on an accomplishment.

“When you put together all of the attributes he had, he was a smart guy, he cared a lot about the issues, and he was able to articulate his plans for dealing with those issues. That’s a powerful combination and it’s really going to be missed in the Senate,” McGlennon said.

The College’s Student Assembly passed a resolution April 5 honoring Miller. During his funeral Saturday, members of the SA presented the family with the resolution, remembering a faithful public official and a man of character.

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Page 4

STUDENT LIFE

PIPS symposium presents research findings Research fellows develop, share projects on international security topics SARAH SMITH FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

Following a year of brainstorming and research, the Project on International Peace and Security research fellows presented their projects Friday, April 8. Their projects covered topics such as sand as an emerging source of conflict in East Asia, growing instability among East Bankers in Jordan and the link between foreign aid and conflict.

PIPS research fellows spent much of the fall semester brainstorming security issues in different areas of the world and potential research topics. They dedicated the spring semester to writing their formal policy papers, known as white papers, and preparing to present their research findings. The group has met for three hours each week since August, and members have spent time outside those group meetings working with professors, policy experts and each other.

The final step of preparing for the symposium started in March, when the group submitted the final versions of their white papers.

Since then, they have practiced presenting their projects in front of different groups at the College of William and Mary to get feedback on their research.

Research fellow Emily Wasek ’17 said that the idea for her research project came from working with PIPS director and international relations professor Dennis Smith. According to Wasek, the original idea came from something Smith overheard on National Public Radio.

“One morning when I went to visit Professor Smith, he mentioned to me that, while listening to NPR on his way to campus, he had heard a report about how gang violence against women in El Salvador had become so severe that many of these women had essentially become prisoners within their own homes,” Wasek said in an email. “Curious, I asked him to tell me more about what we had heard, and soon we became engaged in a dialogue about how to effectively solve this problem.”

After that initial meeting, Wasek began to research the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace, a women’s group responsible for

peace negotiations that led to the end of the Second Liberian Civil War. As her research developed, she became invested in the idea that by fostering the development of women’s networks, the United States could both provide marginalized Central American women political empowerment and mitigate growing gang violence in Central America. The final component of her research focused on the ways mobile phones could enhance women’s political mobilization.

Another research fellow, Darice Xue ’15 M.A. ’16, examined the link between foreign aid and conflict. Specifically, Xue looked at how a lack of coordination among donors reduces the efficacy of foreign aid by exacerbating corruption. She used new data on Chinese development finance in sub-Saharan Africa to examine the relationship between conflict in African countries and the share of aid provided by donors.

Xue, who has worked at AidData since her first year at the College, combined her experience with AidData and with PIPS to develop her project. Xue aims to raise awareness about the lack of coordination of foreign aid through her project.

“My project was a culmination of my research experience at William and Mary,” Xue said. “This is my last year here, and I’ve been involved with PIPS and AidData since my freshman year in 2012. I wanted to merge the gap between development and security. PIPS has been good working on all types of security, including human security, where development falls, and I used the data I have been working with at AidData to really combine the two.”

Research fellow Caper Gooden ’16 built her project on a topic she found fascinating in previous classes — Jordan, a country in the Middle East that is often left unaddressed in discussions on international security.

“In classes that I’ve taken about the Middle East, Jordan is often an overlooked country, reduced to one or two sentences when discussing other regional events, and I’ve found it fascinating for that reason, especially since the United States seems to rely on its partnership with Jordan in several ways,” Gooden said in an email. “When I was brainstorming a topic back in September, I decided to dig deep into the

news from Jordan to see if there were any emerging security threats.

International news and reports on Jordan are sparse, but I was sure that I could find something. Once I started looking into Jordan’s economy, I realized that things weren’t adding up, so there had to be underlying problems. As I kept digging, my project evolved into what it is now.”

Gooden’s project examines how Jordan faces the threat of economically driven instability. Specifically, it looks at how liberalization policies have harmed East Bankers, which could possibly end their support for the Hashemites. She argues that the United States should help create a source of well-paying jobs for East Bankers by encouraging the development of Jordan’s IT industry.

Other PIPS research fellows who participated in the symposium include Amanda Blair ’16, Mitchell Croom ’16, Catherine Crowley ’17 and Jimmy Zhang ’16. Moving forward, the group will be presenting their white papers Friday, April 15 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. During the day, students will also be sharing their projects at organizations such the Atlantic Council, USAID and New America.

“While presenting at the campus symposium was a thrilling milestone, it’s not the end of the road,” Wasek said in an email. “Our day will definitely be a whirlwind. In the early afternoon, we’ll be splitting up to hold informal lunch talks at three amazing institutions: the Atlantic Council, USAID, and New America. Then, later in the evening, we’ll present our research to a larger audience at the National Press Club for our annual Washington D.C. symposium. It’s something to look forward to that’s both extremely exciting and nerve-wracking.”

The research fellows have diverse hopes about how quickly their policy proposals should be implemented. Wasek believes that gang violence will only escalate if her research is not implemented immediately. Gooden, however, acknowledges that the security problem in Jordan is a future problem, as the region is currently stable. Ideally, she said she would like to share her research with the Department of State and USAID, but acknowledges that it is a project that warns of a distant threat.

Up to Us team takes home first place in competition

Students win $10,000 prize after political debate, dance event, DEF[X] conference

LEONOR GRAVE FLAT HAT STAFF WRITER

The fiscal future of our generation is up to us — or at least, so says a team fof students from the College of William and Mary who won the fourth annual Up to Us competition, which sought to educate and engage millennials on the fiscal challenges of the United States.

Up to Us, a non-partisan program sponsored by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, the Clinton Global Initiative University and Net Impact, aims to empower students to raise awareness about the United States’ long-term fiscal and economic health in a competitive and educational campaign. The competition has grown in scope from just 10 colleges and universities in 2012, when it debuted, to 53 in 2016.

The core team, led by Sruveera Sathi ’16, was made up of members of the College’s Net Impact club, housed in the Mason School of Business but open to students from all majors. Hannah Cannon ’18, Aastha Uprety ’18, Octavia Goodman ’16, Merci Best ’17, Sudeep Kalkunte ‘16 and Arjun Rastogi ‘18 rounded out the team.

The team had the opportunity to travel to Berkeley, Calif. to attend the annual CGI University conference and be recognized for their efforts, in addition to attending the variety of panels and networking with other college students from across the country involved in Up to Us. Sathi delivered a speech, and former President Bill Clinton, Net Impact CEO Liz Maw and Peter J. Peterson Foundation president Michael Peterson presented the award to the team.

According to Goodman, this was an invaluable opportunity.

“Meeting people that were there from Up to Us, and hearing what other schools did, was pretty cool because it gives us ideas of what we can do next year and how we can be more creative,” Goodman said.

In addition to this recognition, the team received a $10,000 cash prize, will travel to Washington, D.C. to meet with a range of policy organizations, civic groups and leaders from across the political spectrum to discuss millennials’ stake in fiscal issues, and will attend the Peter G. Peterson Foundation’s 2016 Fiscal Summit May 11.

The Up to Us team organized a plethora of activities throughout the year, beginning with My Two Cents Day in October, a campaign which encouraged students at the College to send a signed pledge to their elected officials telling them about the issues they care about.

The bulk of the campaign took place in February, with the “Great Debt-bate,” which brought together the Young Democrats, the College Republicans, the College Libertarians and the College Socialists for the first time in College history to debate fiscal policy. Other events included “Dance the Debt Away” in partnership with Syndicate, participation in the DEF[X] conference held at the Mason School of Business, and the hosting of weekly educational webinars on different topics related to the national debt. According to Sathi, the three main sectors they aimed to address in their programming were education, healthcare and defense, which take up substantial portions of government spending.

“Millennials are the ones who are least involved in the conversations about these topics; however, as the up-and-coming generation, we will have to make decisions about our fiscal future,” Sathi said.

Sathi contends that one of the reasons that their initiative was successful was that they were able to promote dialogue and bridge the gap between two populations that were not interacting: millennials and the current generation of leaders. Sathi, Cannon and Best travelled to the Virginia state capital for the College’s annual Road to Richmond event to promote this dialogue.

“We spent an entire day lobbying to our elected officials, and so we took our Up to Us shirts with us.

We made sure to talk about Up to Us with a lot of the senators that we met,” Sathi said.

According to Uprety, one of the reasons that the national debt is not at the forefront of many millennials’ thoughts is because it lacks the sense of urgency other issues have.

For Uprety, it is important to fill this silence and make our generation’s voice heard on the pressing issue of the national debt, because it has a tangible effect on our lives.

“The economy is something that’s very important to care about; it’s real and it affects people,” Uprety said. “And the national debt affects the economy because when we’re busy paying off interest on that, we can’t really invest in other things.”

However, the team said they hope that this recognition is only the beginning of a continuous effort to engage the campus community in the issue of the national debt, and that students at the College in future years will use the momentum from this recognition to take this initiative even further. Sathi said that the team was pleasantly surprised by the

success of the campaign, which surpassed their expectations, both in terms of campus involvement and of recognition.

“What was really encouraging was, as we were doing this in February, we had students reach out to us, asking how they could be involved,” Sathi said.

Sathi explained that, while they do not have definite plans for how they will allocate the cash prize, they plan to donate a majority of it to various programs in the Office of Community Engagement.

According to Sathi, the team’s hope is that this is just the seed of a larger movement and will bring millennials of all backgrounds together to take control over the pressing issue of the national debt.

“Just because this competition is over doesn’t mean we need to stop raising awareness about this, because it affects people in all walks of life … I’m actually a neuroscience major, and I want to become a medical professional in the future, and I know how being aware of fiscal issues will make me a better physician in the future,” Sathi said. “So this issue will relate to you — it affects everyone.”

COURTESY PHOTO / SRUVEERA SATHI

Up to Us team member Sruveera Sathi ‘16 gave a speech at the “Beyond Good Intentions” session at the CGIU conference.

Student Assembly inauguration marks start of new session Eboni Brown ’17, Hannah McKiernan ’17 begin their new roles as SA president and vice president INAUGURATION from page 1

Catie Pinkerton ’16.

Whitaker has worked closely in the past with Brown and described the day he first met her. She visited the College while she was a senior in high school

and stayed on campus with one of his close friends. Since that day, Brown and Whitaker have participated in many of the same organizations such as SA and the Sharpe Scholars program.

“For me, this is a special moment to see Eboni exalted by her peers to

SARAH SMITH / THE FLAT HAT

Brown and McKiernan were sworn into office in the Sir Christopher Wren Chapel Wednesday, April 6.

Student Assembly president and take on the torch,” Whitaker said. “The moment I met her, I knew she was destined for great things and had a heart for service.

Since that day, I haven’t been able to escape her, and truth be told, I wouldn’t want to. I have often referred to her as Yohance 2.0, or the updated Yohance.

Now to be here, to bear witness to Eboni’s inauguration, I am overjoyed. In each capacity, Eboni has managed to outdo me. I truly could not be more proud of her and her passion for William and Mary. Keep outdoing your predecessor.”

Whitaker also touched on some of the 323rd session’s accomplishments this year. He cited the creation of the website — fulfilling his campaign promise of increased transparency. He also discussed this year’s senate legislation, such as the SA Kickstarter Act, the Swem Massage Chairs Act and the Make College

Affordable Again Act. According to Whitaker, one of the most monumental bills of the session was the One Family, Many Perspectives Act, which showed SA support for promoting diversity at the College as well as acknowledging the role enslaved African Americans played at the College.

Following Whitaker’s speech, Brown took the podium to share her final thoughts before officially becoming SA president. Her speech focused on how unlikely this inauguration was based on her life prior to attending the College.

“As I stand before you all today, I stand before you as someone who should not be here,” Brown said. “From birth, the odds have been stacked against me.

Growing up as a black female and lowincome student in Hopewell, a place synonymous with violence and drugs, I should not have been my high school’s

valedictorian. Attending the College and experiencing micro-aggressions and questioning whether or not I belonged here, I should not be here. Instead, this led to the development of a woman who is stronger by comparison and ready to make a difference.”

Brown said that she hoped that the senators and class presidents in attendance would use their passions to push forward even when things were difficult and to remember why they ran for election. According to Brown, the next academic year will be marked by her and McKiernan’s bold leadership and the implantation of their platform’s policies.

Following these remarks, Brown and McKiernan were sworn into office.

Senators and class presidents were sworn into the 324th session at this time as well.

opinions

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

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, April 12, 2016 | Page 6

STAFF EDITORIAL

Diversifying grants

GRAPHIC BY BRIAN KAO / THE FLAT HAT

GUEST COLUMN

Actions speak louder than laptop stickers

Francesca Maestas FLAT HAT GUEST COLUMNIST

My brother, who is still in high school, recently came back from a college tour at George Mason University. As he recounted his trip, one thing really stood out to me. He said that a couple of GMU students were doing an awareness event for homelessness in the area, and, in partnership with an organization to advocate for affordable housing, set up camping tents all over their quad. They lived this way, with little to no provisions, for about a week. Surely, one can argue that a week is not the same as a lifetime of homelessness and find problems with the ethics of that issue, but this article strives to address a different point. What really surprised me about this story was the level of activism that these students demonstrated in order to raise awareness and start a conversation.

A few weeks before I heard this story, I was messaging one of my friends who goes to the University of Pittsburgh. Within the past year she has become a leading student activist for increasing labor wages at Pitt, and her movement is now spreading to the rest of the city. She often sends me pictures of streets chock-full of students peacefully standing in front of their school buildings, with signs advocating for higher wages for all the employees at the university, and especially for racial and gender minorities.

They usually bring fold-up tables and megaphones to create a platform on which speakers can vocalize their concerns.

The reason these stories are important is because I rarely see action on these levels at the College of William and Mary, and I often wonder why. In a way, activism can be a form of tough love; you will always be most critical, in the analytical sense, of those you love the most. In 1942, black American advocates of the “Double Victory Campaign” exhibited this form of affection,

defending America abroad by joining the army, but also defending their basic rights at home via activism. I personally believe that a community in which public criticism is rarely heard and peaceful activism is rarely seen is generally not a good thing. If we truly love our school, we would feel free to criticize it and find ways in which it can be improved.

I must truly commend the person or group that put up the sticky notes on the campus Thomas Jefferson statue because it led to a conversation, which ultimately leads to progress. Certainly, no matter where you go, there is always something to complain about. I often see it in different forms: posted on the comments of the Overheard Facebook page, expressed on my way to class or affixed to water bottles and the backs of laptops. Complaints are everywhere and they are healthy for the community. My concern is that there are many complaints on our campus and hardly any public action being taken to address them.

The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s wouldn’t have existed in our history had it not been for the brave people who spoke up against Jim Crow laws and discrimination and took action to push for racial equality. Although there is still a lot of work to be done as a society in terms of equity, at least the conversation was started and sustained thanks to the heroes of black American history.

Complaints in our community are testimony that our First Amendment rights are being exercised, that we have a venue for expression, and that we have an environment in which students can safely communicate their concerns without fearing institutional consequences.

I have lived in places around the world where even a whisper of complaint can land a person in jail, lead to fines or even to death. I urge students on our campus to take bolder steps towards public action. Not only is it healthy to vent, it is also good for the community, as long as it is determined to reach a set of goals or start a dialogue.

So kick some dirt, stomp your feet, get creative (I heard somewhere that students at the College have particularly high levels of creativity) and enjoy college for its freedom, because rest assured that in the workplace there will be fewer channels of expression without consequences.

Email Francesca Maestas at fhmaestas@email.wm.edu.

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I urge students on our campus to take bolder steps towards public action.

The College of William and Mary has the least socioeconomic diversity of any public university in the nation, at least based on the proportion of students who qualify for Pell Grants. Only 12 percent of those enrolled at the College receive Pell money, a form of need-based federal aid generally available to students from households that make under $50,000 per year.

This statistic isn’t the only possible measure, but it does help track the numbers of low income students. The school’s poor showing suggests we need to do more to build a culture welcoming to its lower income students. Few low-income students are attending, which, in turn, discourages students of comparable backgrounds from applying to or choosing the College. Some of those who do attend are implicitly made to feel unwelcome on campus or even undeserving of the chance to attend college. Diversity isn’t a theoretical problem; it is a personal one. When such a tiny slice of the student body comes from similar socioeconomic circumstances it becomes harder for a student to feel a sense of belonging.

The College has made progress in recent years. In 2008, only 8 percent of students received federal assistance. From 2012 to 2014, that number was up to 10 percent. Now it’s up another two points. But it is evident that the College still has to make vast improvements. “Worst in the nation” is a significant label, no matter the metric. As a public institution, the school has to make sure it remains accessible to people of every background.

The health of the school — and of its students — depends on it.

The numbers become even more telling when broken down by in-state vs. out-of-state status. While 15 percent of Virginia residents are Pell Grant recipients, only 6 percent of out-of-state students meet the same criteria. In a crude way, this makes sense. In-state students, who

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The College needs real and immediate action. This means ... placing human concerns over economic ones. make up 64 percent of the class of 2018, pay about $12,000 per year in tuition, whereas out-of-state students — the remaining 36 percent — pay $35,000 per year. That is to say, the College makes a lot more money off of out-of-staters than it does from Virginia residents. In April 2013 this board said the school’s policies discouraged middle class students from outside Virginia. Sadly, the same seems true today.

This isn’t necessarily an indictment of the admission policy. The school has a set of financial needs to address. But with in-state tuition slated to increase to over $15,000 for the incoming class of 2020, the administration has to keep accessibility in focus.

Pell Grant qualification is only one way to measure socioeconomic diversity. The College offers its own need-based financial aid, which typically applies to students above the $50,000 threshold. Lower-income students also get aid from the College, though they make up a relatively small segment of that demographic. 35 percent of undergraduates receive need-based assistance, but from that group only 32 percent also receive Pell Grant aid.

Rectifying this imbalance will take not only funding, but also a significant shift in priorities. At least on the face of it, the College is moving toward more diversity. One of the aims of the For the Bold campaign is to expand the proportion of lower-income students, including Pell Grant recipients. But those changes are not immediately implementable. The College needs real and immediate action This means making the College more readily available to low- and middleincome students from outside of Virginia and from within it. It means placing human concerns over economic ones. The College likes to make diversity a selling point; it’s time to deliver.

The staff editorial represents the opinion of The Flat Hat. The editorial board, which is elected by The Flat Hat’s section editors and executive staff, consists of Emily Chaumont, Tucker Higgins, Isabel Larroca, Miguel Locsin, Quinn Monette, and Kayla Sharpe. The Flat Hat welcomes submissions to the Opinions section. Limit letters to 250 words and columns to 650 words. Letters, columns, graphics and cartoons reflect the view of the author only. Email submissions to fhopinions@gmail.com.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: READERS RESPOND TO “THINKING OUTSIDE THE VOX” Today, upon skimming the headlines of the Flat Hat, I saw the title “Thinking Outside the VOX.” Albeit, a clever title that caught my attention, the article concerned me. I am interested in hearing about the lives and aspirations of fellow William and Mary students, and although I identify as pro-life, or as the newspaper would insist “anti-choice,” I am intrigued to hear the perspectives of the opposing viewpoint in order to better understand what I myself believe and why.

However, what I truly found repulsive was the way that the pro-life movement is portrayed in the article.

I have frequently stood in prayer outside of abortion clinics, and never once have I or anyone present yelled at a woman who makes the choice to go inside (the only yelling that has taken place has been on the part of angry drivers passing by). Never once have I, or anyone with me, threatened the safety of a woman entering a clinic or even attempted to intimidate them. Instead, we pro-lifers have stood quietly in prayer, remembering the lives of the women and children inside.

Now it is true that not all pro-lifers conduct themselves in this way, but I think it should be acknowledged that every movement has its radicals. While I have heard the stories of “abortion clinic screamers,” I have also myself been flicked off, screamed at and spit on by members of the pro-choice movement. I am in no way trying to justify such actions from either side or defend pro-lifers who

intimidate women, yell at escorts or even kill abortion providers. Actions such as these are unacceptable, anti-life and counter the core tenants of the pro-life movement. I think that is something we can all agree on. But, because that is not what being pro-life is all about, I reject the characterization provided by the author, and say that prolife means respecting life at all its stages, whether it be an unborn child, an abortion provider, or any other person, regardless of their race, gender, beliefs or career.

Upon coming to the end of the article, “Thinking Outside the VOX,” related articles were recommended to me by The Flat Hat online. Every single one of these articles concerned abortion, but every single one was also written from the perspective of the pro-choice movement.

So what I would like to see from The Flat Hat is some acknowledgment of the other point of view. After all, it is “The College of William and Mary’s Student Voice.”

Just as I read about a student who aspires to become an abortion provider so that I can better understand where the pro-choice movement comes from and why, I would like other students to read about Students for Life. SFL is a very active group on campus — conducting diaper drives, tabling in Sadler and creating a database for pregnant and parenting students. I think it could only be beneficial to create a respectful dialogue between the two sides so that we can begin to recognize the concerns held by each.

Email Rebecca Boak ‘19 at rboak@email.wm.edu.

Today, I came across an unsettling article that was featured in your student newspaper, The Flat Hat. It was titled “Thinking Outside the VOX.” I found this unsettling, not because it didn’t align with my personal views, but because it seemed to have been written from an exceedingly biased perspective. The Flat Hat is known to be a student newspaper that articles the opinions and stories of students across the College of William and Mary campus. As a student at William and Mary, I appreciate that. I think it is important to see every opinion from all angles, not only to learn more about your own views and other perspectives, but in order to develop a healthy, educated and resilient opinion.

However, this article, which was a headline story, used specific rhetoric that defined the pro-life movement as something outside its strongly held values by using the terminology “anti-choice” to define pro-lifers. I, as a pro-lifer, have stood outside abortion clinics in prayerful silence, holding the occasional sign which offered help, and always displaying a loving demeanor. The only hate I have

experienced is from the people who would drive by to shout curse words, use vulgar hand signs and spit on us. I understand, and I hope you do as well, that there are extremists on both sides. But to define a whole movement by words that overgeneralize a population, especially in a newspaper that features student opinionbased articles, is abysmal to me. I have thus far only read subjective articles that depict the pro-choice movement in The Flat Hat. I would hope that you would recognize and address my concerns.

Further, I would hope you would allow and, even more so, encourage pro-lifers and pro-life groups to portray their stories in The Flat Hat in order to intensify the diversity and inclusion of all groups at William and Mary.

Email Samantha Malanga ‘19 at samalanga@email.wm.edu.

Editor’s Note: An earlier version of the article discussed in these letters referred to critics of abortion as “antichoice.” The article has been amended to reflect The Flat Hat’s style guide.

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Page 6

FROM THE WEB

Planting in Ecuador

Talia Schmitt FLAT HAT BLOGGER

Over spring break, I joined a group of seven students from the College of William & Mary on the Branch Out service trip, TREE. We loaded onto an airplane and headed off to the dry forest in Ecuador to plant some trees. Clarification #1: The dry forest is different than the rainforest. The dry forest is located on the western coast of Ecuador whereas the rainforest circles around to include the eastern region of the country. Unlike the rainforest, known for its constant wet conditions, the dry forest, on the Pacific coast, has both a rainy and a dry season. When we went, it was the rainy season — green, lush, rainy and roughly 80°F. In the dry season, from June to December, the land appears dead with no rain. This dry season tricks many people who see the forest as “dead” anyway and therefore cut down many of the trees. Now, less than 25 percent of the dry forest is left, resulting in erosion and mudslides as well as the destruction of one of the most bio-diverse habitats on the planet.

Dedicated to preserving the dry forest, California residents

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All of the immense beauty humbled me and reminded me of my small size in the immense, dynamic and essential forests of Ecuador.

Lucas and Jasper Oshun founded Global Student Embassy (GSE) in 2008. We know the story all too well where a white man comes into another community, finds a problem and tries to fix it, but as I learned more about GSE, I began to see why this organization is different.

Lucas partnered up with Ecuadorian science teacher, Mancho, and the two of them work on a program where students are the core labor and funding that supports this reforestation project. Lucas has set up GSE programs and eco-clubs throughout the United States especially in high schools and colleges in California. Mancho started high school eco-clubs in which Ecuadorian students prepare for reforestation throughout the year and then plant trees with American students in our springtime. Some of these Ecuadorian “eco-club” teens are even given the opportunity to visit the United States.

When we arrived in the beaches of San Clemente on the Ecuadorian coast, some of the first faces to greet us were those of Luis, Alvaro, Fiorella, Rolando, Evelyn and Christian — all Ecuadorian students and interns. Country boundaries rapidly faded as we traded a Salsa class for the “Cotton-Eye Joe” dance, exchanged language lessons and compared environmental actions.

Together, we planted over 500 trees in just three days in Bahia, Ecuador. For the first time, I felt the lumpy green skin of the Ceibo tree and ate a bright pink dragon fruit straight off the branch. The mosquitos swarmed and our arms carrying the fifty-pound seedling boxes ached. There were some near-fainting experiences and the harsh sunlight reminded us that Ecuador is on the equator. Yet the feeling of rich soil in-between my fingers, the Spanish jokes and the look of the farmers after they saw our hard work were all I needed to keep planting.

On the last days of the trip we left the bioluminescent-watered, pink-sea-shelled Bahia coast, and stayed in the old Andes town of Cuenca. There, I learned about the various groups of indigenous people in Ecuador like the Quechuas who wear two braids, a velvet skirt and dominate the traditional medicine corner of the market.

We explored the enchanted Cajas National Park with “Quinoa” trees the color of a red crepe myrtles and with waters so clean we drank out of them.

On the last days we reflected on the trip: the culture, the nature, the friends. All of the immense beauty humbled me and reminded me of my small size in the immense, dynamic and essential forests of Ecuador.

Email Talia Schmitt at tjschmitt@email.wm.edu.

GRAPHIC BY MADDY KING / THE FLAT HAT

GUEST COLUMN

Leading students “Out of the Darkness”

Carley Schanck

FLAT HAT GUEST COLUMNIST

“It’s so hard for me to walk around and have nobody know what’s going on inside of me. And when I do tell them, they still don’t understand.”

“I feel like I’m not worthy or good enough the way I am. I’m scared no one loves me.”

“I don’t want to kill myself, but I feel like the only way things can ever be right again is if I die.”

“I’m terrified for my future. I have no idea what will happen to me or who will take care of me. I’m drowning every day silently and people would never know it.”

As quotes from a College of William and Mary student speaking anonymously, these statements illustrate what it feels like to live with depression. Depression is a widespread and serious problem and according to the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders is characterized by persistent depressed or irritated moods, feelings of worthlessness, loss of pleasure in previously pleasurable activities, problems eating and sleeping, and suicidality. Unfortunately, there is often a stigma around depression, and as a result, it tends to be minimized. This leaves people who have been affected feeling isolated, especially in a college setting.

Related to depression, suicide is the second leading cause of death among undergraduate students in the United States. People between the ages of 15 and 24 are especially at risk, with one person committing suicide approximately every two hours. This is an absolute tragedy, and what’s most shocking is that it’s often preventable.

Risk factors for depression and suicide include interpersonal stressors, such the loss of a loved one or a break up, mental health problems and a genetic predisposition for depression. According to College Degree Search, warning signs are sudden changes in behavior, difficulty eating and sleeping, isolating oneself and talking about death, dying, or having no reason to live.

As students at the College of William and Mary, we have

the responsibility to be aware of issues like depression and suicide so that we can help form the support network that those affected so desperately need.

For this very purpose, on April 2 the College hosted its first Out of the Darkness Walk. Headed by Forrest Owens ‘18, the walk was sponsored by his fraternity Alpha Tau Omega and run through The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, which spearheads many such walks around the country each year.

“The purpose of the walk was to raise awareness for depression and suicide prevention on campus ... for the student body to come together and show we have strong solidarity and really want to increase awareness about things such as mental health,” Owens said.

Owens referenced the several suicides that occurred last school year, relating larger issues of depression and suicide specifically to students at the College.

“Enough is enough. We need to figure out what we can do about this and show students we’re all here for each other,” Owens said. “Our school is pretty stressful sometimes, with a heavier workload than most schools. [William and Mary students are] go getters that want to do well.

Mental health can suffer when people only care about grades if they don’t take time to relax and decompress.”

Now that the Out of the Darkness is over, Owens explained how students can remain involved and help combat depression and suicide on campus.

“From an organizational level, you can get involved in HOPE or Active Minds,” Owens said. “But you don’t have to be associated with a group.

The main way to make a difference is to talk to your friends, be there for them, make sure people you love know how much they mean to you.

We spend our whole lives talking.

When you can be silent and listen to your friend attentively, it means a lot that you’re just there for them.”

The Out of the Darkness Walk was a very successful initiative for the college. It had an excellent turnout, with over 250 students attending to listen to the speakers and participate in the walk itself. A total of $9,272 has been raised so far, which will go toward mental health research and advocacy for depression awareness and suicide prevention.

Most importantly, it was the catalyst for a much needed campus-wide dialogue about the issues of depression and suicide at the College.

The Out of the Darkness Walk was a success on multiple levels and I hope to see it become an annual event here at the College.

Email Carley Schanck at ceschanck@email.wm.edu.

“

We have the responsibility to be aware of issues like depression and suicide so that we can help form the support network that those affected so desperately need.

On April 8, the Engaging Media as Citizen Scholars conference featured panels dedicated to discussing the current state of media and journalism and provided students with the chance to network with alumni currently working at a range of outlets.

Panelists included:

— Keynote speaker and CBS legal reporter Paula Reid ‘05

— Closing keynote speaker and Washington Post national economy and business editor Greg Schneider ’85

— Politico labor reporter Brian Mahoney ’09

— National Journal political reporter Karyn Bruggeman ’10

— Richmond Times-Dispatch managing editor Brice Anderson

— Film and media studies professor and director of the W&M Global Film Festival Tim Barnard

— Christopher Newport University professor Joe Sery

We are so grateful to our wonderful panelists for providing their time and insight to this conference. We also wish to thank the members of the student body who attended the event and helped to make this day a success with their questions and participation.

The William and Mary in Washington Center / The Flat Hat

sports

Sports Editor Nick Cipolla Sports Editor Josh Luckenbaugh flathatsports@gmail.com @FlatHatSports

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, April 12, 2016 | Page 7

BASEBALL

COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS

Tribe swept by Seahawks Freshman left-hander Bodie Sheehan pitched a stellar seven innings on Saturday, striking out eight UNC-Wilmington batters while allowing just two runs on three hits in the Tribe’s 7-4 loss Saturday.

Low run totals doom College as UNC-Wilmington takes weekend series at Plumeri JOSH LUCKENBAUGH FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR Entering its weekend series at Plumeri Park against defending Colonial Athletic Association champions North CarolinaWilmington, William and Mary found success when its offense put up strong run totals. In all 15 wins so far this season, the Tribe (15-16, 4-4 CAA) has scored at least six runs, plating 10 or more in 13 of those victories. But the College produced run totals of one, four and one against the Seahawks (18-10, 4-3), losing all three games and falling to fifth place in the CAA. The Tribe’s offensive production in Friday’s opener began and ended in the bottom of the first. Junior right fielder Charles Ameer drew a walk to start the inning and promptly stole second following a fly out. After another out, a pitch hit senior first baseman Charley Gould, putting runners on first and second for sophomore second baseman Cullen Large. Large came through with an

opposite field single, scoring Ameer and giving the College the early lead.

The game quickly turned into a pitchers’ duel, both starters locking in after rocky first innings. Junior right-hander Nick Brown overcame three first-inning walks to keep UNC-Wilmington scoreless for the frame, proceeding to throw six innings while allowing two runs on five hits and six walks, striking out 11. Brown spoke later about what was working for him on Brown the mound.

“After I found my legs, it was pretty easy to get the breaking ball over there, and that really set the tone for getting everything else in there,” Brown said. “I made a change with my change-up midweek in the bullpen, and it worked out really well tonight. It was playing a lot better than it had earlier in the season, and everything was better with the three-pitch mix.”

The Seahawks finally broke through against Brown in the sixth, right fielder Casey Golden leading off with a solo home run before left fielder Steven Linkous’ base hit brought home the deciding run.

The College could not find an answer and UNC-Wilmington celebrated a 2-1 road victory.

The Tribe once again got a strong start Saturday, this time from freshman southpaw Bodie Sheehan. He pitched seven strong innings, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk, fanning eight Seahawks. “[That was] certainly his best outing of his career up to this point,” head coach Brian Murphy told Tribe Athletics.

“I thought he commanded his fastball really well. I thought he did a good job of attacking their hitters, and he pitched from ahead in the count, so it was certainly a great start for him.”

With UNC-Wilmington ahead 2-0, the College exploded with four runs in the bottom of the sixth, three coming from a

costly Seahawk error. Junior first baseman Tim Hoehn came to bat with the bases loaded and sent a hard ground ball down the third base line. The throw to first sailed wide off the bag, enabling all three Tribe runners to score with Hoehn stopping at third. Freshman shortstop Kyle Wrighte brought Hoehn home the next at bat, singling to center field to put the Tribe ahead 4-2.

A reliable force at the back end of the Tribe bullpen for most of his career, senior right-hander Joseph Gaouette struggled on Saturday and was ultimately handed the loss. Taking over for Sheehan in the eighth inning with the two-run lead still intact, Gaouette surrendered five runs over the next two innings, five hits and three wild pitches proving a destructive combination. Down 7-4, the College brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, but Gould flew out with two runners on base to end the game.

UNC-Wilmington completed the sweep on Sunday, holding the Tribe to

just one run on seven hits while plating six of their own. Junior right-handed pitcher Dan Powers took the loss for the College, going six innings and giving up four runs on eight hits and a walk.

The Seahawks took the initial lead early in the ballgame, scoring a run in the first, second and third before sealing the win with a three-run seventh. Gould got a run back for the Tribe with a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth, his third of the season, but it was not enough to prevent the College’s fourth defeat in a row.

“Confidence in baseball, particularly in the batter’s box, is a really fickle thing,” Murphy told Tribe Athletics. “We’re a lot more of the team we’ve been for 30 games than we were for the last three. We need to keep giving ourselves chances, we need to get back to work and we’ll get that done.”

The Tribe finishes up the homestand Tuesday and Wednesday, taking on instate foes Old Dominion and Virginia Commonwealth, respectively. First pitch for both games is scheduled for 6 p.m.

TENNIS

WOMEN’S GOLF

College battles with Old Dominion

Liu wins fourth of season

No. 36 women defeat Monarchs as No. 70 men fall HENRY TROTTER FLAT HAT STAFF WRITER William and Mary split matches with a pair of nationally ranked Old Dominion tennis teams this weekend. The No. 70 men’s team (12-8, 0-1 CAA) fell in a 4-0 defeat, while the No. 36 women’s team (15-6, 1-0) eked out a 4-3 victory with sophomore Maria Groener’s straight-sets win at No. 6 singles.

In the Tribe women’s last match of the season, they fell behind early to No. 62 Old Dominion (11-6) when the Monarchs captured two straight doubles sets. However, the College’s dominant top three singles players continued their command of CAA opponents, as senior Elizaveta Nemchinov, junior Marie Faure and freshman Lauren Goodman all took straight-sets victories to put the Tribe in front. The trio has a combined 48-20 record this season.

Although senior Julia Casselbury dropped a tough three-set match at No. 4, Groener surged to a 6-0 first-set win, before polishing off her opponent with a 6-4 second set to take the match for the Tribe and finish the regular season with a victory. The College, as the Groener defending conference champions, will probably hold the No. 1 seed going into the Colonial Athletic Association Championships, which begin April 22 at Elon in North Carolina.

Winning the CAA would send them to the NCAA tournament a year after exiting in the first round to Dartmouth.

Meanwhile, the men’s team struggled against No. 40 Old Dominion (18-4, 2-0 Conference USA), failing to win a set in a 4-0 loss that hurts the College’s chances of winning the CAA regular season title. The Tribe men also are defending conference champions but could not get going against a highly-rated Monarchs team that boasts the nation’s No. 50 doubles pair.

After the College dropped the doubles point with a pair of losses, sophomore Christian Cargill could only pick up a single game in a 1-6, 0-6 loss at No. 1 singles. Sophomore Lars de Boer did not fare

much better at No. 4. Despite boasting a 10-6 dual match record on the season, de Boer was handed a 2-6, 1-6 defeat by Old Dominion’s Javier Jover Maestre. Junior Addison Appleby had the chance to get the College back into the match, but could not overcome the Monarchs’ Aziz Kijametovic, taking a 4-6, 0-6 loss. The Nos. 3, 5 and 6 games were abandoned after the result was confirmed.

This loss means that the College will likely miss out on the No. 1 seed at the CAA Championships, which begin April 22. First, the men’s team will look to close the season with two victories when they host Navy and CAA rival James Madison next weekend. The Tribe then hopes to return to the NCAA Tournament, after last year they were swept 4-0 by No. 13 North Carolina in the first round.

COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS

Senior Elizaveta Nemchinov won in straight sets against No. 62 Old Dominion.

Senior takes River Landing Classic VANSH BANSAL FLAT HAT ASSOC. SPORTS EDITOR

William and Mary claimed sixth place at this past weekend’s River Landing Classic, shooting +61 as a team (925 overall). The Tribe finished 27 strokes behind first place East Carolina and 20 strokes out of the top three.

The College finished the first day of play in sixth place, shooting 624 (+48) over the course of the opening two rounds. The Tribe would hold that spot in the standings after the final round, finishing up the tournament with a 301 (+13), their best round of the tournament.

Harvard entered the final day of play with a five stroke lead, but were overtaken by East Carolina, who took the title with an overall score of 898 (+34).

Individually, senior Alessandra Liu claimed her fourth win of the season Sunday, tying the school record for most victories in a single season. Liu scored a 217, one stroke above par. After an up-and-down first two rounds in which she shot 146 (+2), Liu played a masterful third round, earning a birdie and 17 pars on her way to a 71 (-1) and a comeback victory over Harvard’s Anne Cheng. Liu now ranks third in William and Mary history with five career wins.

The College’s other golfers posted strong third rounds as well.

Sophomore Katie Edelblut notched a 68 on Sunday, four strokes below par and the best overall round at the River Landing Classic this weekend.

The solid day of play pushed Edelblut 24 spots up the leaderboard, on which she finished 14th overall. Senior Tina Chang finished 58th overall with a score of 244, recording an 82 (+ 10) on the final day.

The freshman class took steps to improve the team’s future as well, posting strong rounds to finish the tournament. Both Riley Corona and Elizabeth Choi shot an 81 (+ 9) in the final round, Corona’s best performance of the weekend. Choi finished in a tie for 40th after Sunday, while Corona (259 overall) finished 73rd.

The Tribe will now prepare for the all-important Colonial Athletic Association Women’s Golf Championships April 15-18, which will be hosted at St. James Plantaion in Southport, N.C. William and Mary has never won the CAA title, and will be trying to take the crown from reigning champions Elon. They will then prepare for the NCAA Regional tournament in early May, in hopes to qualify for the national championship in Eugene, Ore.

Page 8

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

LACROSSE

COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS

COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS

Junior midfielder Lindsey Jenks scored the College’s first and fifth goal in Friday’s overtime loss at home against the Hofstra Pride.

Sophomore midfielder McKinley Wade scored two goals on Drexel, one of which broke the Dragons’ opening run.

Losing streak at three after home losses Tribe falls 10-9 in overtime to Hofstra on Friday night, drops to Drexel 11-8 Sunday NICK CIPOLLA FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR With a weekend of two close Colonial Athletic Association losses, William and Mary fell to 0-3 in-conference, suffering three consecutive defeats to counter their preceding three-game winning streak. Hosting Hofstra and Drexel at Martin Family Stadium, the Pride won 10-9 in overtime while the Dragons left Williamsburg with an 11-8 victory.

Friday’s game against Hofstra (3-7, 1-0 CAA) was the second of the season to enter golden goal overtime, but the match looked as if it would be wrapped up in regulation, the Tribe failing to hold a 9-5 lead in the second half.

“I think we had a strong first 45 minutes, and then I think we kind of let up in the last 15,” head coach Hillary Fratzke said. “I think we let Hofstra get a lot of momentum, I think putting the nail in the coffin is something we have to work on.”

To begin the game, the College (6-

7, 0-3 CAA) quickly scored two goals by the 28 minute, 17 second mark of the first half. Junior midfielder Lindsey Jenks scored the first, assisted by junior midfielder Shannon Quinn, while Quinn scored the second goal unassisted.

The Pride and the Tribe traded goals over the middle 10 minutes of the half for a total of six goals between 20:10 and 9:06, putting the score at 5-3, Quinn the Tribe leading.

There would be no more scoring for the remainder of the half, though the Tribe took several shots, holding a 14-9 advantage at the half, 9-6 in shots-ongoal.

After the break, the College opened the scoring again with Quinn’s second goal of the night. The Pride responded with two goals to close the gap at 6-5 by 26:45. After the quick barrage, the Tribe

responded with a trio of goals over a four-minute span, including two from freshman midfielder Hannah Ryan at 21:15 and 18:48. The score now at 9-5, the College didn’t score again, despite keeping possession for long stretches of time.

“We need to attack hard,” Fratzke said. “I think that taking the step to not be selfish but still going really hard because we have to be able to generate for teammates and we just didn’t do a great job of being all seven of us being prepped so it was easier to defend.”

Hofstra fought back, the tying goal entering the net at 4:02 via a free position shot by Pride attack Lindsay Scott, who scored four goals in the contest. Many long possessions for the Tribe ended in saves or turnovers, especially down the stretch.

“I think it gives a little bit of momentum to Hofstra when they do that,” Fratzke said. “A lot of that comes down to, when you get the shot opportunity, making sure you finish it.”

TRACK AND FIELD

Baseball (15-16, 3-4 CAA)

Waterfield, Mistowski lead College at Liberty, U.Va.

Both the men’s and women’s teams had a strong weekend competing at the Liberty Collegiate invitational in Lynchburg, Va. and the Lou Onesty Invitational in Charlottesville, Va. despite heavy winds. The men and women each sent one athlete to Liberty while the rest of the team competed at U.Va. Over the weekend, the men had three Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America meet qualifiers, while the women had three Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference meet qualifiers and five all-time performances.

On the men’s side, redshirt-senior Brian Waterfield competed at Liberty and finished second in the hammer throw with a mark of 61.81 meters to qualify for the IC4A Championships.

After this performance, Waterfield now owns the six best all-time performances in school history, achieving them all within the past year. At U.Va. on Saturday, the Tribe took the top two spots in the javelin, as redshirt junior Bob Smutsky won with a throw of 65.46 meters and sophomore Derek Trott took second with a lifetime best of 64.26 meters. Both have now qualified for the IC4A Championships.

Junior Troy Sevachko took fourth in the 400-meter dash, finishing with a lifetime best run of 49.67 seconds. In one of the most entertaining races of the day, senior Ryan Gousse won a sprint in the last lap to win the 1,500-meter run in 3:56.86 while freshman Riley Covert finished fifth with a time of 4:01.34. Sophomore Dawson Connell finished fourth in the 800 meter run with a time of 1:55.46.

On the women’s side, sophomore Leia Mistowski competed in the hammer throw at both Liberty and U.Va, giving impressive performances at both meets. At Liberty, Mistowski threw for 53.70 meters, her best performance of the season. She placed second overall and qualified for the ECAC Championships. In Charlottesville Saturday, Mistowski threw for 53.56 meters, which again qualified her for the ECACs. Her two marks over the weekend are the third and fourth best in school history.

Redshirt junior Rochelle Evans placed fifth

5-4 deficit with four minutes before halftime. The Dragons would get one more goal past senior keeper Meredith Crizer in the first period for a halftime score of 6-4.

Coming back with renewed life, the Tribe quickly put up three goals to take a 7-6 lead by the 21:47 mark of the second period, the go-ahead goal via junior defender Abby Junior. The momentum shifted, but Drexel took it right back, tying and going up 10-7 with under five to play. William and Mary scored once more with 1:56 remaining, but it proved not to be enough as the Dragons fired their killing blow with 34 seconds left, establishing the 11-8 final score.

The losses put the Tribe in seventh place in the CAA, on the hot seat of missing the postseason. The games also drop the overall record below .500. Next weekend, the College closes out its road slate with a pair of games — Friday night at Towson and Sunday afternoon at Delaware. The Tribe then returns home to face Elon April 30 for the season finale.

SCOREBOARD

Tribe nets six regional qualifiers CHRIS TRAVIS FLAT HAT ASSOC. SPORTS EDITOR

The College failed to get a shot on frame before the horn blew, resulting in overtime.

After a quick timeout after Hofstra took the draw control, Pride attack Lexi Lenaghan tallied their 10th and final goal 31 seconds into the extra period, ending the game and giving Hofstra its first CAA win of the season. Quinn, Ryan and Jenks each scored two goals. Fratzke outlined her goals for Sunday’s game versus Drexel.

“For everybody to be on the same page as far as the game plan and making sure that when we have the opportunity to execute, we do it,” she said.

Despite finishing in regulation, Sunday’s game against Drexel (8-4, 1-1 CAA) was as tense as Friday night’s.

However, it began with a strong opening for the Dragons, as they went up 4-0 before the first 10 minutes were done.

The Tribe finally scored at 16:02, to which Drexel responded with a free position goal to go up 5-1. The College refused to go away, fighting back to a

in the hammer throw at U.Va. with a lifetime best of 47.58 meters, meaning she is also an ECAC qualifier. Sophomore Kathleen Wirshup finished third in the javelin at 33.38 meters, while classmate Jacqueline Meeks finished fourth in the pole vault at 3.35 meters.

Freshman Briana Miller turned in strong performances in both the long jump and the triple jump. In the former, she jumped 5.46 meters. In the latter, she jumped for 11.07 meters. Senior Breanna Brukalo won the 400 meter hurdles in 1:05.11, while fellow senior Ashley Woodards finished fifth in 1:07.09. Sophomore Kacey Wheeler finished fourth in the 400-meter dash at 58.62 seconds.

The Tribe looks to continue its streak of strong performances leading up to the IC4A and ECAC Championships when it competes in the New Captains Classic in Newport News, Va. on April 15-16.

Colonial Athletic Association

Schedule

Charleston (21-10-1, 5-1)............0.833............T1 Towson (14-18, 5-1) ....................0.833...........W3 UNC-Wilmington (19-9, 5-2)......0.714..........W4 Northeastern (15-14, 4-4)............0.500...........L2 William and Mary (15-16, 4-4)....0.500...........L4 Delaware (21-11, 4-5)..................0.444..........W4 James Madison (13-19, 4-5)........0.444............L4 Elon (12-20, 4-7)..........................0.364...........W2 Hofstra (8-24, 1-7)........................0.125...........L3

Team Leaders Batting Average: Ryan Hall (.364)... RBIs: Cullen Large (28)... Homers: Josh Smith/Charles Ameer (5) ERA: Bodie Sheehan (5.12)..............Strikeouts: Nick Brown (39)..........................Wins: Dan Powers (4)

No. 70 Men’s Tennis (12-8, 0-1 CAA) April 3: L, Elon (15-5) 5, College 2 April 6: L, VCU (16-7) 4, College 1 April 9: L, Old Dominion (18-4) 4, College 0 April 16: vs Navy (17-7), noon April 17: vs James Madison (9-9), 1 p.m.

April 22-24: CAA Championships

Lacrosse (6-7, 0-3 CAA) March 26: W, College 10, Liberty (2-11) 5 April 2: L, James Madison (7-7) 17, College 4 April 8: L, Hofstra (3-8) 10, College 9 April 10: L, Drexel (8-4) 11, College 8 April 22: at Towson (9-2), 7 p.m.

April 24: at Delaware (8-5), 1 p.m.

April 30: vs Elon (8-4), noon May 6-8: CAA Tournament in Philadelphia College is currently tied for sixth in CAA

COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS

Sophomore Leia Mistowski had her best throw of the season.

April 5: W, College 12, Va. Tech (11-22) 8 April 6: L, Old Dominion (23-10) 7. College 1 April 8: L, UNCW (19-9) 2, College 1 April 9: L, UNCW (19-9) 7, College 4 April 10: L, UNCW (19-9) 6, College 1 April 12: vs Old Dominion (23-10), 6 p.m.

April 13: vs VCU (20-12), 6 p.m.

April 15: at James Madison (13-19), 6 p.m.

April 16: at James Madison (13-19), 4 p.m.

No. 36 Women’s Tennis (15-6, 1-0 CAA) March 25: W, College 4, Yale (8-10) 2 March 26: W, College 5, Rice (9-8) 2 April 1: L, Houston (5-18) 4, College 3 April 2: W, College 6, Montana (3-14) 1 April 9: W, College 4, Old Dominion (11-6) 3 April 22-24: CAA Championships

Men’s Golf April 4-5: Wyoming Cowboy Classic

Finished No. 4 (field of 19) April 11-12: Greenbriar Invitational

Women’s Golf April 9-10: River landing Classic

Finished No. 6 (field of 13) April 15-17: CAA Championships

Football

Track and Field

Spring practice comes to a close Saturday, April 16, with the annual Green and Gold spring game, held at Zable Stadium at 1:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, as well as broadcast in HD on tribeathletics.com.

April 8: Liberty Collegiate Invitational hosted by Liberty April 9: Lou Onesty Inivtational hosted by Virginia April 15-16 at New Captains Classic hosted by Christopher Newport April 22: Virginia Challenge hosted by Virginia

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The Flat Hat | Tuesday, April 12, 2016 | Page 9

Panel tackles Trapped

VOX hosts a screening and panel discussion of abortion rights film AKEMI TAMANAHA FLAT HAT ASSOC. VARIETY EDITOR

Students journeyed through cold and windy weather Saturday night to watch “Trapped,” a documentary about abortion regulations, in Andrews Hall.

The College of William and Mary’s Voices for Planned Parenthood club, or VOX, hosted the screening. Vox members Sam Yu ’17, Hannah Ferster ’19 and Becca Merriman-Goldring ’19 organized the event with the help of VOX President Taylor Medley ’17. Richmond Reproductive Freedom Project and Planned Parenthood Advocates for Virginia sponsored the event, which was free for members of the public.

VOX also organized a panel discussion after the screening. The three panelists present were Ha Tran, an organizer with the Richmond Reproductive Freedom Project; Nia Bentall, a field organizer at Planned Parenthood Advocates for Virginia; and Janice Craft J.D. ’10, Director of Policy and Government Affairs at NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia.

The panel discussed the abortion regulations presented by the film in the context of their own work for abortion rights.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, 24 states,

including Virginia, have laws that regulate abortions in a manner that is not necessary for the safety of the person receiving the abortion. “[These abortion regulations] were attached as an amendment on a bill that was about disaster preparedness in hospitals,” Bentall said. “So they bypassed a senate committee that would always strike down these laws and they tried to get them passed in previous years. It went to the senate floor directly, and the anti-choice lieutenant governor broke the tie, so they passed. Then the governor declared a state of emergency. There was no public health emergency.”

“Trapped” focused on the experiences of clinic workers and patients in three Southern states: Texas, Alabama and Mississippi. The number of clinics in each of these states has dropped significantly. There are three open clinics in Alabama and one open clinic in Mississippi. Abortion rights activists argue that more clinics are needed to provide equitable access to those seeking abortions.

“There are times when I honestly believe that Alabama feels like a third world country,” June Ayres, director and clinic worker at Montgomerybased Reproductive Health Services, said in the film.

COURTESY PHOTO / TRILOGY FILMS

In a scene from the documentary, clinic escorts gather to pray at a Reproductive Health Services in Montgomery, AL.

Independent organizations like Richmond Reproductive Freedom Project help assist people who need money, time, or child care in order to get an abortion.

“The clinic is in Richmond, and they live in Hopewell,” Tran, the panelist from the Richmond Reproductive Freedom Project, said. “So that’s a half hour drive. So the amount of time to be at the clinic and to drive back and forth is a lot of time to make an excuse to cover for someone who doesn’t want you to get an abortion.”

Doctors and clinic workers, while trying to balance an overload of patients and limited resources, are met by protestors and the threat of further regulations, the documentary argued. In one scene, the Montgomery clinic starts its workday by putting security measures in place to defend the clinic against a purportedly aggressive anti-abortion group.

“It prevented us from investing in our proactive agenda because we had to fight to stay open,” Bentall said. “We had to invest all of our resources, all our power into just opening our doors. And I think that playing defense constantly is very frustrating. It makes me really angry because I see what we could do, like increased services we could provide, but we’re kind of stuck fighting these laws that just keep pounding us back.”

Craft said in the panel that politicians and leaders who oppose abortion have realized that it is hard to make abortion illegal, but that they believe regulation is a better strategy.

“They’re smart, and they know that a right without access is no right at all,” Craft said. “Making abortion inaccessible, in their minds, is as effective as rendering it entirely illegal.”

Both the film and the panel suggested that outlawing abortion or decreasing access to legal abortions would not get rid of abortions. It would, they argued, only get rid of safe abortions.

“Prior to Roe v. Wade, prior to the decriminalization of abortion, the morbidity and mortality rates for abortion, let’s say they were up here,” Craft said. “After abortion was decriminalized they just catapulted downward.”

The VOX members who organized the event found the movie to be informative.

“I thought it was really well done and really powerful,” Ferster said. “It’s sort of amazing how

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

Farewell, marriage norms

Putting off your Mrs. degree for a college experience

Mallory Walker BEHIND CLOSED DOORS COLUMNIST

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m feeling pretty devastated that the first day of spring has come and gone and I don’t have a single engagement ring to show for it. Well, maybe not devastated, but the topic of marriage has no doubt been a hot topic in my life as of late. I have two sorority sisters getting married soon after graduation and a family friend who just got engaged Leap Year-style.

Not to mention, I may or may not have stayed up until 2 a.m. Saturday night watching the marriage episode of Chelsea Handler’s new series Chelsea Does with tears in my eyes. What I’m trying to say is, that despite my being aggressively single, I consider myself an expert on the topic of all things related to tying the knot.

While the College of William and Mary might not be a school where Mrs. degrees are all that common, I still think there’s a lot of pressure to shack up. With traditions like walking across the Crim Dell Bridge and the College’s weirdly high rate of students who marry other students, it’s no wonder that being ring-less on this campus can make you feel a little bit like Katherine Heigl’s character in 27 Dresses. But, it doesn’t have to be that way.

As students, we’re all goal oriented. We have career goals and aspirations that we work tirelessly to complete. And it’s hard not to find ourselves applying that same mentality to our personal lives, pressuring ourselves to meet our “better half” and walk down the aisle before we turn 25.

But think about it; Chelsea Handler is 41, unmarried and the gal has hosted her own late night show, starred in her own Netflix documentary series and has written five books. The Wright Brothers, Leonardo da Vinci and our fave Sex and the City star, Kristin Davis, all have enjoyed

single lives and still manage to have a lot to show for. So while our society still might put incredible pressure on us to get hitched, it really isn’t necessary to living a satisfying and accomplished life.

Speaking of societal pressures to get married, let’s chat about how dating, weddings and all things matrimonial have turned into a huge industry. Not only do you have sites like Match.com and eHarmony, there are matchmaking services — and not just of the Millionaire Matchmaking varieties — and reality show after reality show that all convince us that not only is marriage great, but that it’s also the key to happiness. Don’t let Say Yes to the Dress sway you into believing you’ll only be happy if you marry your high school sweetheart in a Pnina Tornai gown, because it’s just not true.

Don’t get me wrong, I definitely see myself getting married someday. If the thought of monogamy makes my heart flutter and my face turn red, I can only imagine how I’ll react once I settle into a lifelong commitment. And I watch shows like The Bachelor (yes, I was team JoJo) and Say Yes to the Dress like it’s my job, but I no longer believe that I’m destined to marry in the traditional sense. It’s fine to pretend that the fairytale romance is out there, but there’s no way I fit into that story anymore. I know my selfworth will lie beyond my ability to please my partner in the kitchen and bedroom. And by the looks of my saving accounts, I won’t be wearing Vera Wang down the aisle either.

The four years we spend at the College are extremely special because we exist in a limbo between childhood and adulthood. We’re learning how to be ourselves in an environment where mistakes can happen. While you might stumble into your soulmate one day, the goal of college shouldn’t be to find someone who’ll put a ring on it. So, next time your roommate tells you she met “the one,” don’t feel like you need to put yourself out there and start dating. Put yourself out there to have fun. Anyway, studies show people should be getting married between the ages of 28 and 32, not 18 and 21. You’ve got plenty of time to figure things out.

Mallory Walker is a Behind Closed Doors columnist who would like you to save the date, but isn’t quite sure which date anymore.

relevant it is right now because the Supreme Court is debating this case that could effectively overturn Roe v. Wade or reinforce it. So it’s sort of like a scary and exciting time for reproductive justice, and this movie I think really manages to go over the issue in a really relevant and dynamic way.”

Medley was impressed by the resilience of the clinic workers, doctors and patients. As president of VOX, she has spent a lot of time advocating for abortion rights. Recently, she spoke about what Planned Parenthood meant to her at Governor Terry McAuliffe’s bill veto meeting that would prevent the Department of Health from funding abortions in Virginia. “Trapped” inspired Medley to keep up the fight.

“It’s one of those movies that makes you really angry,” Medley said. “It makes you kind of want to do things right now to make it better.”

COURTESY PHOTO / TRILOGY FILMS

“Trapped” Premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January.

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Variety Editor Sam Dreith Variety Editor Sarah Ruiz flathat.variety@gmail.com // @theflathat

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, April 12, 2016 | Page 10

A festival of color

Holi brings color to the Sunken Garden HAYLEY SNOWDEN THE FLAT HAT

The entire world exploded with color — joyful chaos. In mere seconds, what was an immaculate canvas of hundreds of white shirts became a grand work of art splattered with a powdered rainbow. It’s Holi once again at the College of William and Mary.

The traditional festival, which has been put on at the College by the Hindu, Sikh and Jain Students Association for the past several years, takes its name from a goddess, Holika, in the Hindu scriptures. On the eve of the Holi celebration, bonfires erected around the world pay tribute to the story of the demonic goddess’s fiery demise, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil.

As explained by HSJA Discussion and Research Chair Mohini Jodhpurkar ’19, the Holi celebration today stands for inclusivity.

“The whole holiday is about being inclusive, because when you put color on everyone, then you don’t see any differences between each other,” Jodhpurkar said. “It’s all about coming together and seeing that no matter what outward differences we have, we all share an identity as human beings.”

2016 marks the second year that HSJA President Pallavi Rudraraju ’17 celebrated Holi at William and Mary, but the

“

first that she managed the festivities.

“Our main goal of Holi is to break down barriers and distinctions,” Rudraraju said. “At William and Mary, we try to say that we’re one family, but I’d say we’re more a collection of groups that oftentimes just don’t understand each other. In these 15 minutes of fun, HSJA wants people to drop their worries and enjoy the company of hundreds of people they don’t even know.”

As nearly 200 students rushed through the Sunken Garden, they quickly learned that screeching their battle cry came at a high cost: a mouth full of whatever color happened to be thrown their way. Hindi and Punjabi music blared as participants waged an amiable war against friend and stranger alike.

Despite its inherent cultural significance, Holi can be celebrated on many levels, according to Sraavya Poonuganti ’19.

“My favorite part about Holi is that it’s socially acceptable to throw stuff at random strangers,” Poonuganti said.

As the colorful explosions died down and order was restored to the Sunken Garden, the students of William and Mary were left with two things to ponder: a new sense of community with their neighbor, and a question — Why does purple seem to be the only color they keep blowing from their noses?

The whole holiday is about being inclusive, because when you put color on everyone, then you don’t see any differences between each other.

— Mohini Jodhpurkar ’19

ALL PHOTOS BY RACHEL SILVERMAN / THE FLAT HAT