The Flat Hat April 9 2019

Vol. 109, Iss. 6 | Tuesday, April 9, 2019

The Flat Hat The Weekly Student Newspaper

of The College of William and Mary

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Amnesty bill fosters refugee matriculation Resolution aims to make College application process easier for refugees SOPHIA CARONNA-MORSEMAN // THE FLAT HAT

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pril 2, Student Assembly unanimously passed the “Refugees Welcome Resolution”, which was sponsored by the College of William and Mary’s chapter of Amnesty International. The resolution signals community support for future initiatives that strive to increase transparency during the admissions process for refugee and asylum applicants to the College.

“The resolution itself doesn’t try to provide any advantages for refugees over non-refugee applicants to college, [but] it tries to take away some barriers that currently exist that non-refugee applicants to William and Mary don’t have to deal with,” Sen. Patrick Salsburg ’21 said. Salsburg also serves as the co-coordinator of the College’s Amnesty International chapter and supported the resolution’s passage in SA. The resolution consists of two sections. The first section comprises of a series of facts and statistics about the status of refugees globally, while also including a welcome to all refugees on the College’s campus. The second section details five action items written by members of the College’s Amnesty International chapter alongside several SA sponsors.

Salsburg worked alongside Amnesty International Co-Coordinator Sam Berkrot ’19, Treasurer and Refugee Committee Co-Chair Tara Clark ’20 and

Amnesty International member Yasmin Abusaif ’19 during the resolution crafting process, which started in December 2018. The resolution was sponsored by SA President Kelsey Vita ’20, former Class of 2019 President Sikander Zakriya ’19, Senator Kyle Vasquez ’21 and outgoing Sen. Helen Tariku ’21.

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The resolution itself doesn’t try to provide any advantages for refugees over nonrefugee applicants to college, [but] it tries to take away some barriers...

Sen. Patrick Salsburg ’21

At the end of the fall 2018 semester, several Amnesty International representatives attended the organization’s regional conference, which inspired them to set goals in order to make the College a more

inclusive environment for refugee students. At the conference, they obtained a resolution created by other members of Amnesty International and brought it back to members of SA for counsel.

“Initially, the resolution was just a statement saying that it’s beneficial to both refugees and asylees and William and Mary’s campus that we’re more diverse, inclusive and accessible, so we wanted to go a step further and to actually take the steps to make that a reality instead of just a goal,” Clark said.

“And that’s how we got our action items at the end of this resolution.”

Representatives from the Amnesty International chapter met with staff members in the Office of Undergraduate Admission, the Office of University Advancement, the Financial Aid Office, the Registrar, the Reves Center and the President’s Office over the course of the spring 2019 semester to identify ways to make the College’s resources more accessible to refugee applicants.

“This resolution is specifically geared to refugees that have already been resettled in Virginia and in the U.S. … We are hoping to widen that [someday] … to refugees all around the world,” Clark said.

Clark, Berkrot and Salsburg explained why the six See REFUGEES page 4

STUDENT LIFE

Housing contract cancellation fees quadruple for 2019-20 year Students react to major, unexpected changes made to on-campus housing contracts by Residence Life AVERILL MEININGER FLAT HAT CHIEF STAFF WRITER

When Brendon Carnell ’20 posted about a recent increase in Housing Contract cancellation fees in the “Swampy Memes for Twampy Teens” Facebook page, it greatly stimulated student reactions to housing changes. The news, which surprised some students, came shortly after the College of William and Mary’s Residence Life Office announced the temporary closing of One Tribe Place and the repurposing of Lemon Hall from an upperclassmen dorm to a freshman dorm for the incoming class of 2023. In this announcement, ResLife also established a new two year on-campus residency requirement for first year students starting in the next academic year.

Carnell’s post materialized in a time where ResLife has faced scrutiny from many students,

Index Profile News Opinions Variety

Sports

and it highlighted a stark difference between contract cancellation fees for the fall 2018 and fall 2019 semesters. According to housing information posted online, if a contract had been cancelled between May 1 and May 31 for the fall 2018 semester, students would have forfeited their $200 deposit and paid a $250 cancellation fee. Meanwhile, if a student now wishes to leave a housing contract between May 1 and May 31 for the upcoming fall 2019 semester, students will be obligated to pay a $2,000 cancellation fee. In short, the total fees have increased by 344.44 percent.

Director of Residence Life Maggie Evans responded to student concerns regarding increases in the housing contract’s cancellation fees alongside Director of Business Operations Chris Durden and Associate Director for Assignments Harriet Kandell.

“The cancellation fee increased for the first time in 2018, and for next year it was increased again, for two reasons: the elimination of the housing deposit, and the fact that more students were using the contract as a back-up plan rather than a commitment and canceling well into the summer months which made budget projections challenging,” Evans said in an email.

Evans also mentioned that having a housing cancellation fee is abnormal and that most universities do not to provide a way for students to abandon their housing commitment once they have signed a contract. Instead, most colleges require students to fulfill their contractual obligations with little leeway for revoking them later.

“A cancellation policy is actually a somewhat uncommon practice in university housing,” Evans said. “Many institutions do not allow

Inside Opinions

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See HOUSING page 4

Inside Variety

Showing gratitude for housing options

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students to cancel; once signed, students are obligated to the full term of the contract.”

Many students expressed their concerns on Carnell’s post in ‘Swampy Memes,’ and indicated their frustration with the fee increases. Some commentators hypothesized that ResLife may be understaffed, and others reminded their peers to always fully read a contract before agreeing to it.

In addition to complaints over the increased cancellation fee, students also expressed their discontent with the dearth of communication and accessible information on ResLife’s website.

“Even when I googled ‘William and Mary housing contract’ the 2018-2019 contract is what came up, not next year’s, so I had to dig a little bit further to find that, and just the language

Alyssa Slovin ’22 believes that given the recent on-campus housing crisis, students should be grateful and complain less when it comes to housing assignments and residence hall options. page 6

Celebrating pride

The College of William and Mary’s LGBTQ+ community celebrates pride with indoor festival, plant sale and musical performances by students followed by a Drag Ball Pretty Boi Drag. page 7

newsinsight “

News Editor Heather Baier News Editor Leslie Davis News Editor Emma Ford

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The Flat Hat

| Tuesday, April 9, 2019 | Page 2

THE BUZZ

There is a fear that if you ask an average American Muslim if they follow Sharia, and they say yes, it somehow means that they are not going to adhere to the law of the land.

— Professor Asifa Quraishi-Landes, professor of constitutional and Islamic law at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, during a talk entitled “What Sharia Means for American Muslims and American Rule of Law”.

NEWS IN BRIEF

April 5 - April 8 Student Assembly Inaugurations April 8, 2019 — The 327th session of the College of William and Mary’s Student Assembly officially began with the inauguration of student representatives for the upcoming 2019-20 academic year. This inauguration concluded the SA elections process and the previous 326th session.

SA President Kelsey Vita ’20 and Vice President Ellie Thomas ’20 were sworn into their new positions and will lead SA for the next year.

“Our generation can and will do better for our world, and that starts here at William and Mary,” Vita said.

Campus Safety April 5, 2019 — In the morning, William and Mary Police received a report of an on-campus sexual assault of a student.

The College considered it important to notify the community, despite the absence of an ongoing threat. The alert addressed to the campus community also included a list of resources offered by the College and encouraged people to reach out for guidance and support. Some of the highlighted resources included the Haven, the Counseling Center, the Dean of Students Office, the Student Health Center, WMPD, the Title IX Coordinator, Residence Life staff and the College’s sexual assault website.

“Any report of a sexual assault is concerning,” College spokesperson Suzanne Clavet said in a written statement. “The safety of our community and the well-being of its members are our top priority. We are supporting the student with all of our available resources. While there are few details at this point, and we have no indication of an ongoing threat to campus, we felt it important to notify the community of this report. We encourage anyone who may have additional information about this incident to please contact William & Mary Police at 757-221-4596. And certainly for our community, we remind anyone who may need them that there are resources and support available.”

NEWS BEAT BY KARINA VIZZONI / FLAT HAT NEWS ASSOC. EDITOR

THIS WEEK IN FLAT HAT HISTORY In April 7, 2000 — News: The Feminist Student Organization sponsored their “Take Back the Night” with the goal of making the night safe from sexual assaults. This event represented the final stage of the organization’s annual Sexual Assault Awareness Week.

In April 8. 2005 — News: The College of William and Mary’s Model United Nations team returned from the Harvard-sponsored WorldMUN Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland, having won the Outstanding Delegation Award for the second year in a row.

In April 8, 2008 — News: The Career Center announced plans to relocate from Blow Memorial Hall to a new privately funded building between University Center and Zable Stadium. Due to student complaints that the Career Center was inaccessible, Director Mary Schilling regarded the new facility as a useful improvement for students because of its central location on campus.

In April 9, 2010 — News: The College’s Student Assembly passed the Medical Amnesty Into Cards Bill by unanimous consent, permitting cards containing information about the College’s medical amnesty policies and safe drinking practices to be distributed to students.

HISTORY BEAT BY GAVIN AQUIN / FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR

CORRECTIONS The Flat Hat wishes to correct any fact printed incorrectly. Corrections may be submitted in 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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Basque-ing in history

Assistant Professor of Hispanic Studies describes COLL 300 trip to Spain EMMA FORD // FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR During spring break, associate professor of Hispanic studies Carla Buck took a group of eight students to Euskadi, a Basque region in northern Spain. In the trip, Buck wanted to showcase Spain’s diversity, especially beyond the well-known flamenco dancers and bull fights that are commonly associated with Southern Spain.

The trip was part of the College of William and Mary’s COLL 300 program and was associated with Buck’s senior seminar course in the Hispanic studies department.

The senior seminar explores the culture of Euskadi, and delves into the Basque County’s unique history.

According to Buck, the Euskera language is one of the oldest known languages with no distinct relative. Expanding across both French and Spanish territories, the Basque Country shares a longstanding rich cultural history and possesses deeprooted traditions.

“If people go meet other people and experience the culture, then how can you make war with somebody like that?” Buck said. “That’s very simplistic, but I do think there’s something to that. Opening your eyes — all the clichés — you do really begin to see life in a different way. I love to adopt things from places that I travel. You see ways of doing things, ways of being with people. It just changes the outlook.”

Buck’s interest in Hispanic studies started with her grandmother, who took Buck and her other grandchildren from Missouri to Southern Mexico each summer growing up. From a young age, Buck was immediately enthralled by Spanish language and culture.

She originally planned to become a medical doctor and aimed to work in small towns in Mexico, but she jokingly said that she changed her mind after taking her first chemistry class. She soon fell in love with her Hispanic study classes instead.

Originally, Buck was not interested in teaching since both of her parents were teachers, but she later decided that she wanted to become a professor and has been teaching at the College since 1986.

After attending graduate school in Spain, Buck was infatuated with the Basque territory. She was especially excited to bring students on a trip to Euskadi so they could experience the same beauty that she

fell in love with herself during her stint in graduate school.

“I personally just fell in love with this country,” Buck said. “This green, mountainous sort of paradise that looks like Ireland, and everyone is super friendly. I’ve always enjoyed being there myself. And one of the greatest things about teaching here and being able to take students on trips is seeing something that you love through someone else’s eyes for the first time. It’s so rewarding.”

During the trip, students spent the whole day with famous Basque author Bernardo Axtaga exploring a small Basque town. Axtaga is known for his work “Obabakoak,” which is a collection of short stories that discuss growing up in a small Basque village. Buck said that Axtaga is roughly analogous in the Basque Country to successful American authors like Stephen King.

Buck recalled how shocked she was when she learned that Axtaga would be speaking to students and showing them around an Eukskadi village. She did not even think to have her students read his work prior to the trip, believing there was no possibility that she and the students would get to spend a day with Axtaga.

Axtaga spent the day immersing students in Basque culture, and Buck recalled how both she and the students were enthralled to witness the cultural importance of family in the Euskadi culture. Axtaga referred to each house by its official family name and greeted nearly everyone he passed in the street; in fact, Axtaga spent so long showing the students around the area that they almost missed the bus back to their hotel.

“The students laughed that we had our planes, trains and automobile trip,” Buck said. “You had to take two buses, maybe a train, a couple of cabs to get there. We thought we were going to miss the bus, which is the only bus out of that town that day. [Axtaga] would have spent so much more time with us. It was so amazing. I’ve never met anyone so humble and generous.”

Buck said she feels that it is important for students to have hands-on experiences through travel. In her class, Buck has discussed the political ramifications of the

separatist Euskadi Ta Askatasuna group, which advocates for the Basque Country’s independence from Spain.

On the trip, students would often see plaques placed throughout the territory with phrases that translate to “bring the prisoners home.” Since Spain identifies the ETA as a terrorist organization, the Spanish federal government is capable of putting members of the group in prisons throughout Spain, despite the nation’s legal protections for prisoners who are not designated as terrorists.

She also recalled how when they were traveling through a small Basque town, the students asked a local what it was like to be a Basque native during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, which outlawed and suppressed Basque culture.

According to Buck, students from the College were surprised when the Basque native indicated the dictatorship failed to prevent Basque individuals from expressing their culture.

“That was something that was super interesting for us to hear because, you know the mainstream history is that you just hear about all the repression and you don’t realize that people were able to resist and keep the culture going, especially in these little towns,” Buck said.

One of Buck’s favorite memories through her trips to Euskadi was when she started a conversation with an old woman feeding cats, and how the woman proceeded to name each of the cats and describe their respective personalities to Buck.

“Those really human moments just kind of stick in your mind and just thinking that this woman probably has never been out of this area before,” Buck said. “I don’t know. Every time I go, I just have some kind of person-to-person experience and I think that’s what we also want the students to have when traveling. … We’re all so similar but people do organize their lives in different ways and do different things. You know, we can learn from each other.”

Buck urged all students consider to travelling abroad and discovering new cultures.

“I just think that traveling abroad and putting yourself in that situation and speaking to people involved makes all the difference,” Buck said.

Kevin Richeson Operations Coordinator Adam An Webmaster Katherine Yenzer Blogs Editor Kayla Payne Graphics Editor Naomi Gruber Online Editor Claire Hogan Online Editor Jae Chung Copy Chief Zoe Connell Copy Chief Jamie Holt Photos Editor Rebecca Klinger Photos Editor Charles Coleman Chief Staff Writer Averill Meininger Chief Staff Writer Alyssa Grzesiak Chief Features Writer Alyssa Slovin Opinions Assoc. Editor Caroline Wall Opinions Assoc. Editor Nathan Seidel Sports Assoc. Editor Griffin Dunn Business Assoc. Editor Margaret Lashley Design Assoc. Editor Katherine Stone Design Assoc. Editor Christian Borio Copy Editor Copy Editor

COURTESY PHOTOS / CARLA BUCK

Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies brought eight students from her senior seminar to the Basque Country in Spain, home to one of the oldest known cultures in the world.

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The Flat Hat

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

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*The Competition fund is allocated after all rollover for the Student Activities Reserve Fund is allocated, which at the time of print has not occurred. Therefore, the 20182019 allocation of the Competition Fund was used for this graphic. **The Student Activities Reserve Fund has yet to be allocated its total rollover for the 2019-2020 academic year.

Breaking down Student Assembly financial procedures Campus organizations justify funding proposals during meticulous budgetary process EMMA FORD FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

Every spring, the College of William and Mary’s Student Assembly creates its budget for the next academic year. At its April 2 meeting, SA passed the Financial Regulatory Act, which reduces Media Council’s reserve funding from $75,000 to $55,000 for the 2020-2021 academic year after Media Council’s current contract ends.

At the meeting, members of both Media Council and multicultural groups spoke to senators about their concerns.

These organizations supported a $55,000 cap, as long as the potential $20,000 generated from the cap’s reduction be redirected towards multicultural organizations. Some groups were dismayed by the large amount of funding directed towards organizations on the Media Council.

“I fail to see what about the Media Council member organizations place them in a class above most other student organizations,” President of the Filipino American Student Association and SA Review Board member Charlie Balaan ‘19 said. “This group of organizations is afforded its own special avenue of applying for funding, through SA, via the contract negotiation process. My understanding is that it receives a substantial portion of SA’s annual budget. In addition, they receive special dispensation to retain reserve accounts. This suggests that member organizations of media council are in a class of their own, while organizations such as my own occupy a special class. We have to apply annually for funding.”

Media Council members informed the Senate that they were in favor of the $55,000 ceiling cap in their reserves. They also requested SA not lower the cap any further as some senators had been rumored to be considering an amendment that would lower the reserves to $40,000 instead. As multicultural groups expressed their fears about their lack of funding compared to publications on campus, representatives from Media Council organizations also began asking that any amount of funding above the cap go towards multicultural organizations.

“It is my understanding that this reduction in Media Council funds is meant to further supplement SA reserve funds with the intention of being used elsewhere on campus to serve the greater William and Mary community,” ROCKET Magazine Managing Editor Emmel El-Filky said.

“However, Media Council funds organizations comprised of students who are just as much a part of the William and Mary community. ... We understand that our budget to publish is not being threatened, but as publications and media entities, we do more than produce cool content and post online. We bring people together in ways that are unique to us as media organizations.”

However, the $20,000 difference between the proposed and passed budget will not necessarily go towards these organizations. For funding to be allocated, Media Council must go over their $55,000 ceiling reserve cap.

The additional funding can only be moved into the SA Student Activities Reserve Fund. Money from the SA Reserve Fund can only be accessed through legislation passed by senators, rather than from an organizationsubmitted request form.

After public comment ended April 2, senators debated whether SA finances would allow for the $20,000 to be distributed to multicultural organizations. However, no clear conclusion was reached over what the funds will be spent on in the future and what groups the funding will end up going towards.

The Budget Process Every year, students contribute $98 to the Student Activities Fee, which finances SA’s budget. For the 2019-2020 academic year, about 7,600 students contributed to the Student Activities Fee, resulting in a budget of $744,800.

Then, the SA Executive Appropriations Committee — now chaired

by Secretary of Finance Ryan Semsel ’19 and comprised of five to seven non-SA members — builds the initial budget. The initial budget must be balanced before the EAC is eligible to send the budget to the president for approval. The president then edits the budget, and in doing so has the authority to add additional funding to a group, take away funding as they deem unnecessary or alter the budget of one group for another group at their discretion.

For example, outgoing SA President Brendan Boylan ’19 edited the funding of the Filipino American Student Association when the initial budget allocated $0 for their welcome dinner. Boylan allocated $400 to FASA for their welcome dinner.

“I added $450 at a rate of $3 per head,” Boylan said in a written statement to the EAC. “Welcome dinner is crucial to recruiting students to FASA and building community around Filipinx and Filipinx-American identity.”

Boylan can also take away funding, which he requested the EAC do with regards to the Student Environmental Action Coalition’s proposed allocation of funds towards a community values training and for a genderbased violence workshop, which Boylan felt was not in line with the group’s mission.

“[The group] requested $1,500 for a community values training,” Boylan said in a written statement to the EAC. “EAC gave them $750, I reduced it to $0. It seems to be a large price per head ($25 each) given expected turnout even with cutting it in half. Similar to gender-based violence workshop, seems not in line with the specific mission of SEAC and not generally worth it.”

The Senate Committee on Finance receives the edited budget from the president and subsequently holds an appeal process so organizations can request funding for items that did not obtain sufficient funding in the initial budget. Appeals can be requested through contacting Sen. Jessica Seidenberg ’19 and Semsel. After considering those appeals, the EAC returns to the drafting stage and edits the budget.

Some organizations find the appeal process to be difficult to navigate and feel that SA cuts funding from aspects of their group that are critical to the function of their organization.

For example, Griffin Bhangra, a cultural dance group on campus, had over 94 percent of its initial budget request denied by EAC. Most of the funding requested by Griffin Bhangra was for extra expenses associated with its dance competition, like hotel fees.

The group filed an appeal explaining that their organization provides an opportunity for students to participate through the medium of dance, while also acting as a cultural organization. The appeal cited some of the different events that Griffin Bhangra has participated in, including Day For Admitted Students, 1693 Scholar Events and South Asian Student Association cultural showcases.

Griffin Bhangra’s finance chair Suhita Roy ’20 explained that in the past few years, students at the College have been trying to break into the Bhangra circuit. Roy stressed how important SA funding was towards Griffin Bhangra remaining competitive and competing in future events, especially at such a pivotal moment for their team’s entry onto the Bhangra circuit. The team will also be funding its first ever Bhangra showcase April 23 and aim to have the event grow in coming years.

“Moreover, 3 years ago, coming into W&M, I remember being disappointed at the lack of competitive south Asian dance teams,” Roy said in a written statement. “I remember thinking that my dance career was basically over simply because of the school I had chosen and the cultural dance form I practiced not being well-known on campus. However, given the huge advancements we have made in just a couple of years, I am sure incoming students next year will not feel the same way, and I am proud that our team has made that much progress. Almost everyone I speak to on campus has heard of Griffin Bhangra, including faculty members, and we have also made a name for ourselves in the collegiate circus. But again, in order to keep up this reputation and appeal to incoming students and even current students who previously may not have known about us, we need the appropriate funds. Simply put, more funds means we can support more dancers on the team, so I hope we will be supported in our endeavors to grow our team.”

Following a successful appeal, the Senate Finance Committee adjusted funding for Griffin Bhangra’s competitions.

After the appeal process, the committee submits the budget to the Senate, which subsequently recommends any additional edits. The Senate then debates and ideally passes the budget. Following its approval on the senate floor, it is then returned to the SA president, who decides to sign the budget or veto it. Boylan did not veto the budget for the 2019-2020 academic year.

Vice President of Student Affairs Ginger Ambler then passes the budget off to the Board of Visitors to receive their approval of the budget, which completes the process.

SA excluded the spending of the Spring Concert from the budget this year, as they allocated around $115,000 compared to the typical $50,000 the spend on concert funds.

For the 2018-2019 budget, SA provided AMP with $25,000 for the collaborative Concert Fund, which goes towards the Spring Concert. In the fall, SA allocated its normal $50,000 towards the concert but added an addition $35,000 under the information that the additional funding could go towards a big-name, female singer. However, negotiations for this singer fell through. SA was then asked to allocate additional funding to the concert with the total equaling $115,000.

SA Finance Funds In addition to the budget, SA has funds that it uses to spend on different categories of events, as well as the SA Reserve Fund.

The money in SA reserves goes towards the bills that the Senate votes on throughout the academic year. During the 2018-2019 academic year, the Senate spent about $175,000 on various bills, spending the most — approximately $35,000 — on speaker fees. The remaining amount in SA reserves is about $60,000 with additional rollover, pending the completion of bills and the allocation of any unused funds.

Any additional money that exceeds the $55,000 ceiling cap on the

Student Media Reserve Fund will be placed into SA Reserve Fund. However, there is no guarantee that any funding will be placed into SA Reserve Fund, because any rollover funding depends on Media Council’s spending and allocation of money throughout a year. This contract will start in 2020-2021.

“Our Activities and Events Fund — which is $40,000 in our budget every year — we can add more money into that from our reserves, and that fund is open to all organizations,” outgoing Class President of 2019 Sikander Zakriya ’19 said. “I think Kelsey is right, like I think that misinformation about this $20,000 going specifically to multicultural organizations is a bit disingenuous. I don’t think any of the sponsors of the bill have been saying that at all.”

SA allocates a large portion of spending to its Activities and Events Fund, totaling $40,000. Requests for the Activities and Events Fund are decided by the SA Finance Committee, and any requests above $2,000 are voted on by the entire Senate.

According to Zakriya during the debate over the Financial Regulatory Act, SA has only run out of Activities and Events funding once before. The money from Media Council will remain in the SA Reserve Fund unless funding for activities and events is completely depleted.

Based on SA financial procedures, there is no guarantee that the additional money will be used in the fund to pay for multicultural organizations, and there is no guarantee that bills which use the SA Reserve Fund will benefit multicultural groups on campus. Furthermore, there is also no guarantee that any money will be transferred to the SA Reserve Fund, as this requires Media Council to go over its $55,000 ceiling.

Senators also cannot promise to “dog ear” funds to multicultural groups.

The SA Reserve Fund can only be spent on bills passed through legislation on the floor. This process often requires multicultural organizations, or other groups on campus, to reach out to a senator and have them agree to sponsor a resolution guaranteeing funding. Based on this procedure, the possibility for extra funding will only go to groups who can work with senators to sponsor bills.

If the additional money ends up in the Activities and Events Fund, this fund requires groups to make a request for funding. The money will only go to groups that make the request and get approved by the SA Finance Committee. Thus, the maximum $20,000 generated from Media Council cuts will not go solely to multicultural organizations.

SA President Kelsey Vita ‘20 reminded the Senate that allocating the $20,000 generated from cuts to the Media Council’s reserves cannot be directly allocated to multicultural groups on campus.

“So there is this narrative going around, that the additional Media Council cuts will go specifically to multicultural organizations, and unfortunately that’s not what would happen,” Vita said. “So let’s say hypothetically we lower Media Council’s ceiling to 55k, that would just mean that anything that goes above would go back into SA reserves, which is not necessarily going to be given to multicultural organizations.”

In addition to its Reserve Fund and Activities and Events Fund, SA allocates money to its Competition, Service and Conference Funds.

Organizations like Debate Society and the various dance groups on campus often request money for their competitions from these funds which totals 10 percent of all rollover funding at the end of the year. For the current year, this fund allocated $14,259.37 to competitions.

The National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers exemplifies the importance of possessing SA funding as a new organization on campus. President of NOBCChE Naa-Kwarley Quartey ’20 explained how the organization strives to grow with access to SA funding.

“Our club can grow with substantial funding by allowing students to travel to events such as the national NOBCChE conference to assist team with their own professional advancement and reassure us that we have enough funding to start our own events,” Quartey said in a written statement. “ … We are a unique club on campus because we believe in the advancement of students from low income and minority communities in STEM and substantial funding can help us demonstrate more of this cause.”

Service organizations can also request money through the SA Service Fund, which allows for the funding of service events that reach the whole Williamsburg community and not just the College community. SA allocates about $10,000 for this fund.

Any group that wishes to attend a conference can request funding through the SA Conference Fund. SA allocates $30,000 for these groups.

After passing the Financial Regulatory Act at the end of the meeting, Sen. Anthony Joseph ’21 informed the Senate that they needed to think about the impact of SA funding and improve how SA allocates its money.

“People are pissed outside, people are really mad,” Joseph said. “Not just Media Council and the people that we heard from tonight, but UndocuTribe, members from multicultural organizations. People are pissed, and I understand them. I understand them so much. We need to find a way to put our money where our mouth is.”

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The Flat Hat

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

CAMPUS

Lawyer leads talk on the meaning of Sharia Professor Asifa Quraishi-Landes dispels misinformation on religious law GAVIN AQUIN FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR

April 4, students at the College of William and Mary attended a talk entitled “What Sharia Means for American Muslims and American Rule of Law.” The talk was given by professor Asifa Quraishi-Landes, a professor of constitutional and Islamic law at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

As a highly accomplished lawyer — and a Muslim woman — Quraishi-Landes’ identity has led her to devote her career to the issues of jurisprudence and the American legal system. She especially focuses on comparative law and strives to determine how to most meaningfully affect change in the constitutional legal systems of the modern Muslim world.

Vice Provost for International Affairs and Reves Center Director Steve Hansen introduced Quraishi-Landes and commented on her impressive academic resume before she commenced her lecture. “… Quraishi-Landes is a 2009 Carnegie Scholar and a 2012 Guggenheim Fellow; those are not easy to get, by the way,” Hansen said.

“Her current book manuscript is entitled ‘Islamic Reconstitutionalism,’ in which she proposes a new model of Islamic constitutionalism for today’s Muslim majority countries.”

Quraishi-Landes said that misinformation about Sharia law — religious law informed by Islamic tradition — perpetuates fear when discussing the topic in American contexts.

“How often do you think Islamic law is going to be a U.S. issue?”

Quraishi-Landes said. “The topic of Sharia has come up politically quite a lot lately. It shows up right around election time and in some places, there’s many states that have passed so-called ‘anti-Sharia’ legislation. There is a lot of misinformation about Muslims along with the fear that Muslim elected officials are somehow going to infiltrate some foreign law into our system and that they don’t respect the American rule of law.”

As these sentiments have become increasingly prominent, Quraishi-Landes has sought to educate people on what Sharia actually means. In the dichotomy of the Islamic legal system, the law of the land, or “siyasa,” is different from the norms that define people’s values and rituals, or “fiqh.”

“That distinction is part of the problem in understanding really what Muslims are talking about when they talk about Sharia, because this categorization of Islamic law as law is both over and underinclusive when talking about Sharia,” Quraishi-Landes said.

In Arabic, fiqh means “understanding,” and it serves as an interpretation of the law by Islamic scholars. Due to the multivocal nature of interpretation, there can be countless fiqh understandings

which are treated as equally valid. This allows Muslims flexibility in choosing whichever interpretation they desire following.

“When people talk about Islamic law, in the context of ‘Oh, Islamic law says this,’ what people are really probably talking about is fiqh,” Quraishi-Landes said.

As a constitutional scholar, Quraishi-Landes sees Islamic law in Muslim-majority countries as suffering from a lack of creativity in constitutional design.

“In modern Muslim-majority states, they haven’t done a lot of creative constitutional thinking,” Quraishi-Landes said. “They started with the centralized law that was forced onto them by the West and they don’t think much outside of that box when they think about how to bring Sharia back.”

It is due to this consolidation of civil and religious laws that Quraishi-Landes sees the modern implementation of Sharia into the legal systems of the Muslim world as fundamentally flawed.

“Muslim political movements — Professor Asifa … look at the fiqh books and Quraishi-Landes they decide that legislatures and parliaments should legislate fiqh,” Quraishi-Landes said. “Sometimes it’s little bits and pieces of different interpreters. The law of the land becomes a weird combination of Western European law mixed with a few pieces of fiqh which is now being enforced by the state on everybody. To me, that is the closest thing to theocracy that the Muslim world has ever seen.”

Oludamini Ogunnaike, a professor of religious studies at the College, explained his perspectives on the proposals set forth by Quraishi-Landes in terms of his understanding of Islamic law.

“It seems that the actual construction of the nation state, in particular the modern surveillance state, is incompatible with the diversity of fiqh, and it doesn’t accommodate different ways of life or organizing communities, and yet it seems that for Muslim majority countries the solution would be to go back to siyasa-fiqh,” Ogunnaike said.

Quraishi-Landes said that in a post-9/11 world, Sharia law has come under scrutiny within the United States as Islamic laws are

“

Take any public crisis now, you’ll see Muslims coming forward with a way to help solve it.

viewed by some as a threat to democracy and the American way of life. However, Quraishi-Landes argued that such sentiments could not be further from the truth.

“There is a fear that if you ask an average American Muslim if they follow Sharia, and they say yes, it somehow means that they are not going to adhere to the law of the land,” Quraishi-Landes said. “Sharia itself had to deal with the question of Muslims living in non-Muslim societies. There are rules for Muslims on how to live when you’re in a society like that … and the rule is to follow the law of the land that you live in.”

Quraishi-Landes then gave examples of how Muslims should act in accordance to Sharia in whichever country they live in. She explained that Muslims should submit to the laws of their land as long as the laws do not command them to act contrarily to basic beliefs of Islam.

“For example, a Muslim may not commit hostile acts against the host state and may not commit acts of treachery, deceit, fraud, betrayal or usurpation,” Quraishi-Landes said. “A violation of this could be prosecuted in a Muslim territory if one did commit a violation against their Christian host.”

Quraishi-Landes explained that the idea of Sharia law is misconstrued and misunderstood by individuals who do not follow Sharia law, and who inaccurately believe that followers of Sharia prioritize their faith over any other societal structure. However, Quraishi-Landes argued that this is an incomplete perspective; according to her viewpoints, Sharia law is often set up to work handin-hand with one’s host state, and that democracy and Sharia law can work together rather than act as opposing forces.

“The job of the state is to serve the public good, so in my mind, if a state is a democracy, then I, as a Muslim, recognize that my job is to make the state serve the public good as best I can,” Quraishi-Landes said. “When I go to the voting booth, my Muslim responsibility is to vote for what’s in the American public good, according to the siyasa structure.”

As a closing sentiment, Quraishi-Landes showcased meaningful work being done by Muslims in America. Rather than having Sharia codified in American lawbooks, Muslims are working toward the public good by serving their communities as best they can, from Michigan to Quraishi-Landes’ home of California.

“Take any public crisis now, you’ll see Muslims coming forward with a way to help solve it,” Quraishi-Landes said. “The Muslim communities in Flint organized bottled water drives and are working to de-leadify various things. The collective action case is being led by a Muslim woman lawyer. These are the kinds of things Muslims are doing every day [and] it’s not in the news, but it’s how Muslim Americans behave in reality.”

SA passes resolution to welcome refugees to the College Amnesty International chapter works with administration to revise admissions processes REFUGEES from page 1

actionable items in the resolution are especially relevant to refugee and asylum applicants.

First, Berkrot explained the importance of expanding the Registrar’s “domicile status” reclassification form, which would allow greater flexibility for refugee families as they strive to determine the feasibility of financing a college education.

“In order to obtain in-state tuition, you need to have domiciled status,” Berkrot said. “It’s not citizenship; it’s a step below citizenship. It’s saying ‘I’m in Virginia and I intend to be in Virginia for a year.’ I believe … with the process now, you can achieve domiciled status if your attendance at William and Mary would be a year after entering the U.S., just a year after the first day of class … that being accepted into William and Mary, you get domiciled status from that.”

This policy was true before the resolution was passed, but it was unclear through the College’s admissions information online.

There is currently no refugee-specific information related to in-state tuition applications on the College’s admissions website.

“What we’re asking for with this resolution is giving more routes for refugees to explain their specific circumstances, explaining to them how domiciled status works and how they can achieve it, and giving them opportunities and ways to speak directly to people who can help them through [the

applications process],” Berkrot said.

The third action item involves granting fee waivers to all refugee and asylee applicants, which was proposed directly by individuals in the Admissions Office. “[The Admissions Office showed that] they really are willing to work with us on this issue,” Clark said.

“They’re lenient usually with granting fee waivers … but we really want to make clear that if you are a refugee student, you get a fee waiver,” Berkrot said.

“This is something that we’re explicitly stating; there are no barriers for you. We think that’s important because, otherwise, [the college application process] seems daunting.”

The direct outreach process identified in the resolution’s fourth action item incorporates mailing application advertisements and informational materials to potential refugee and asylum applicants that contain content specifically tailored to their unique application experiences.

According to Clark, this method is modeled from George Mason University’s current form of direct outreach. This outreach program is crafted partially based on GMU’s proximity to Northern Virginia, a region with denser refugee settlement than Williamsburg.

The fifth action item recommends that the SA and the Office of University Advancement work collaboratively to grant scholarships to refugees and asylem applicants.

Suzie Armstrong ’93, senior director of development for scholarships and special projects, proposed creating a Tribefunding campaign as a

potential way to offer these scholarships.

Tribefunding is a specific crowdfunding initiative unique to the College that takes applications for projects that support on-campus activism. Clark indicated that there may be potential to establish a long-term scholarship in partnership with the College after the Tribefunding campaign brings awareness to this cause.

“

We really want to make clear that if you are a refugee student, you get a free waiver.

— Sam Berkrot ‘19

Finally, members worked alongside the Reves Center to discuss the final action item, which calls for including multilingual options on the College’s website. Berkrot advocated for a tool that allows users to toggle between translations of the admissions webpage for languages that are determined to be most needed, potentially including English, Spanish and Arabic.

Berkrot also created a digital mockup of a refugeecentric information page under the admissions website containing relevant application information that mimicked the College’s formatting and font use.

This mockup was presented to SA before senators cast a unanimous vote in favor of the resolution.

Salsburg emphasized that the college application process is complex by nature. Having multilingual sources of information can help a prospective student’s family in supporting the applicant, especially considering some of these family members may not be fluent in English.

“We went through the due process, we went through SA,” Berkrot said. “Now it’s [the administration’s] turn, and we will help them with [implementation] and continue to work with them.”

The next steps for the resolution following SA’s approval include a presentation to the Board of Visitors, which will be spearheaded by Vita.

The members emphasized Vita’s involvement and expressed their gratitude for her steadfast support from the beginning of the resolution’s initial drafting.

“We wanted to get this on paper, we wanted to get this through SA,” Berkrot said. “The next step is, ideally, the President’s Office to sign off on [the resolution], and then using this as something that we can hold ourselves accountable to and grow from. There’s a lot more work to be done ... This is the beginning of something that can be really impactful. We just need to keep the momentum going.”

Students highlight concerns, poor communication during housing selection Amidst housing changes, ResLife raises contract cancellation fees for students by 300 percent HOUSING from page 1

of it was weird to me,” Carnell said.

“The fact that it had increased that drastically and it didn’t seem like that was really something that was explicitly communicated, that the fee was going up that significantly to cancel.”

In response to these concerns, ResLife representatives explained what steps they were taking to communicate changes and cited that students could have attended various information sessions that ResLife hosts each year before the process of drafting the housing contract begins.

“We hold two housing open information sessions at which we tell students that reading the contract in full is an important part of the process, due in part to the fact that changes

are made each year,” Evans said in a written statement. “Additionally, this message is reiterated on the Residence Life website, and there are reminders as one progresses through the housing portal informing students that it is their responsibility to read the contract terms and conditions prior to signing.”

Evans also said that the College possesses sufficient housing for students on campus and explained that the inventory of beds on campus have increased by 771 in the last seven years.

Furthermore, Evans said that oncampus housing space has grown at a faster rate than student enrollment.

ResLife also indicated that more students have sought off-campus housing in the past few years, which has increased the availability of on-

campus accommodation.

“In the past five years zoning in the city of Williamsburg changed, allowing four unrelated people to rent the same premises,” Evans said in her email. “Previously it had been three. At the same time, W&M moved to a mandatory meal plan. These two situations appeared to have an impact upon higher numbers upperclass students choosing to live off campus. Since 2015 we have seen a decline in occupancy due to the issues listed above and the continued increase in room inventory.”

Carnell wondered if the increase in the cancellation fee was due to difficulty from ResLife in filling dorms.

“They’re making sophomore year living [on campus] mandatory to foster growth beyond freshman year, but that just seems like a forced way

of saying what’s actually happening is there’s a lot of vacancy in dorms,” Carnell said.

Abby McKenna ’20, an orientation aide director, said that a substantial gap exists between students’ understanding of recent housing changes and the information presented by ResLife.

“I know a problem that we’ve run into, and I think a lot of areas on campus have is trying to figure out the best way to communicate with students, either via email or social media or some other post,” McKenna said “It’s something that we as a staff really struggle with, and I’ve heard other administrative offices struggle with. I think there’s always room for improvement.”

Carnell also said that while ResLife is not actively attempting to

hide information from students, their communication strategies need to be improved moving forward.

“I don’t necessarily take this as an intentional thing on ResLife’s part but, even so, the lack of transparency and communication is pretty poor,” Carnell said.

While Evans did not mention what they thought of their office’s communication with the College, she and her colleagues concluded their email with a message that they hoped every student would hear.

“We firmly believe that living on campus for at least two years is fundamental to the W&M experience, and will continue to work hard to make W&M Residence Life the preferred housing choice for our students,” Evans said in a written statement.

opinions GUEST COLUMN

Proposed changes to the Clean Water Act pose danger, necessitate immediate student action Hope Duke

FLAT HAT GUEST WRITER

The Clean Water Act has been the gold standard for water quality and pollution standards for our nation’s waters since 1972. These protections apply to navigable waters, which include lakes, rivers, oceans, streams, tributaries and wetlands. Of the streams and tributaries, there are three types: perennial, which flow year-round; intermittent, which flow seasonally and ephemeral, which flow in response to large precipitation events. Additionally, there are two types of wetlands: adjacent, which sit next to main waterways, and non-adjacent, which are instead isolated inland. Current changes being proposed to the CWA would change the definition of navigable waters to exclude ephemeral and intermittent streams as well as non-adjacent wetlands.

This proposed rule would be devastating for endangered and threatened aquatic species.

Removing them from CWA protection would damage the larger watershed, as downstream ecosystems are negatively affected by upstream pollution. Sediment pollution is one of the biggest dangers to fish and, by extension, our tourism economy and recreation. High levels of suspended sediment loads can affect a fish’s ability to hunt for prey and navigate waters, making them susceptible to predators. Over 60 percent of streams in the United States would no

longer qualify for protections under the CWA, which would threaten sensitive aquatic ecosystems.

These navigable waters are also found within the boundaries of national parks. The National Park Service oversees thousands of miles of waterways and coasts throughout the country — from trout streams in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to wetlands in the Everglades National Park. The quality of the water inside parks is linked to the quality of water outside of park boundaries. Not only are wetlands carbon sinks, but they retain toxins to prevent adverse effects to ecosystem health. Any pollution in these ephemeral and intermittent streams can flow into larger bodies of water, posing the same threats to downstream ecosystems. Removing waters from the protections provided by the CWA would negatively impact water quality in parks across the country, hinder the ability of park ecosystems to be resilient in the face of more regular severe storm events, diminish flood control and eliminate vital habitats for wildlife.

Please join us and make your voice heard during the public comment period, which is open until April 15. The Student Environmental Action Coalition will be tabling on the Sadler Terrace on Tuesday, April 9 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Wednesday, April 10 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. to talk about these proposed changes and support submitting comment letters.

Email Hope Duke at hjduke@email.wm.edu.

The Clean Water Act has been the gold standard for water quality and pollution standards for our nation’s waters since 1972.

Housing struggles across campus CAITLYN MCLAINE // FLAT HAT GRAPHIC ARTIST

Opinions Editor Anna Boustany Opinions Editor Chloe Folmar fhopinions@gmail.com

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, April 9, 2019 | Page 5

STAFF COLUMN

Politicians inspire hate groups, cause harm to communities Gavin Aquin

FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR

Following recent events, I have been forced to confront the implications of the normalized hatred of minorities around the United States and throughout the world. In a society where everything that a politician says can be easily found online, it is imperative that we hold them to a higher standard — now more so than ever before. When President Donald Trump campaigned in the 2016 election, he claimed that American Muslims cheered terrorists on as the World Trade Center buildings fell Sept. 11, 2001. He also claimed during his campaign that Mexicans who come into America are rapists. Likewise, on the other side of the political spectrum, U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar has made anti-Semitic comments when attempting to criticize Israel. She simultaneously denounced any criticism of her actions as Islamophobic.

While it is completely valid to criticize Israel or majorityMuslim countries when their politics touch the lives of others in negative ways, conflating the actions of foreign entities with the actions — or lack thereof — of minority religious and ethnic groups in the United States is problematic and dangerous.

It cannot be ignored that the shooting of two masjids — typically known as mosques in English — in Christchurch, New Zealand was inspired by previous similar attacks against minority churches and synagogues, like the attacks on the Tree of Life synagogue and the Mother Emmanuel Church attack in Charleston, South Carolina. Nor can it go unnoticed that these attacks are the direct result of increasing political normalization of hatred against minority groups.

Whether politicians are trying to build a wall to stop Latin American immigration, or attempting to stop people from Muslim-majority countries from even entering the United States, or pushing the classic anti-Semitic trope that Jewish people control the world through financial means, they damage the fabric of the society that they swear to uphold. Instead of fostering a world in which different groups of people can and should live together without having to deal with wanton violence.

When politicians push forward these ideals, it makes it all too easy for fringe parts of society to enact their hatred.

The results are usually deadly and devastating.

When politicians push forward these ideals, it makes it all too easy for fringe parts of society to enact their hatred. The results are usually deadly and devastating. In the case of the Christchurch shooting, the attack was clearly premeditated, as the shooter posted his manifesto online for the whole world to see before he took any action.

This is a privilege that many people I know did not have when a gunman took to the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas and shot repeatedly into a crowd of concert-goers with very little advanced warning. For those of us who have been affected by this type of tragedy in life, whenever something like New Zealand happens, it’s very easy for us to project raw emotion.

Why couldn’t the appropriate authorities take action quickly enough to stop this attack on the Al-Noor Masjid?

Surely, someone could have taken notice of a 70-page manifesto posted to social media long before the shootings were livestreamed and prevented this massacre.

Upon hearing my argument, the issues of censorship and personal freedoms may raise a red flag for many people.

Though I am not well versed on the laws of New Zealand, I know that in the United States, threats against others are thankfully not protected by the First Amendment, and an appropriate agency could have taken action.

It is unfortunate that the people of New Zealand must now live in fear of the further threat of violence, and that their sense of safety and security will be forever shattered.

Considering these recent events, students at the College of William and Mary should likewise ponder the implications of safety and security in the community, especially for minority students. Recently elected Student Assembly President Kelsey Vita and Vice President Ellie Thomas have recognized the pressing issues of campus security and are working with the College to minimize the possible impact a mass shooter could have, as well as implementing an educational program to teach students what to do in such an event.

As unfortunate as these measures are, they are clearly the only way to move forward.

Email Gavin Aquin at gaaquin@email.wm.edu.

Email Caitlyn McClaine at cemcclaine@email.wm.edu.

The Flat Hat

STAFF EDITORIAL

The Flat Hat urges Student Assembly to reexamine budget At the Tuesday, April 2 meeting of the College of William and Mary’s Student Assembly, over 60 members of the campus community delivered passionate remarks regarding the reduction of the Student Media Reserve Fund cap for the 2020-21 academic year.

Several representatives from Media Council organizations — including staff members from The Flat Hat — argued for a $55,000 funding threshold, a compromise reached between Media Council and SA representatives and a reduction from the current $75,000 threshold.

Meanwhile, members of multicultural organizations and underrepresented groups on campus urged senators to allocate an additional $20,000 to fund their own historically underfunded organizations.

Reserve funding is what Media Council uses for expenses beyond those necessary for normal operations like printing.

This fund is helpful in the case of emergencies, exemplified in the recent flooding and repair of WCWM’s office, but even beyond the necessity for emergency expenses, the reserve helps media organizations with other endeavors to enrich campus life and improve the skills of their members.

Whether it is sending students to professional conferences or bolstering efforts to host activities like WCWMFest and ROCKET’s ASTRAL fashion show, any activity put on by media organizations not directly related to printing, broadcasting or video production originates from Media Council’s reserve fund.

It is important to note that, contrary to the rumors circulated around SA, money from Media Council’s reserve fund cannot simply be given to multicultural organizations.

Instead, the money will go into the Student Activities Reserve Fund, which can only be accessed by bills passed by senators. Senators brought up potentially moving the money into the Activities and Events Fund.

However, that can only happen if the $40,000 typically allocated to the Activities and Events Fund runs out. This is a rare occurrence — according to the memory of both outgoing Class of 2019 President Sikander Zakriya ’19 and Associate Director of Student Leadership Development Trici Fredrick, this has only happened once.

Additionally, there is no guarantee that $20,000 will be generated by cutting the Media Council Reserve Fund. The $20,000 figure that has been floated is not the true dollar amount that will be returned to SA; rather, it is just the difference between the two caps on the Media Council’s reserve fund.

The actual amount of money that will go into the SA Reserve Fund from the cut depends completely on the Media Council operating budget. The claim that Student Assembly can now allocate $20,000 more whether to underrepresented groups or otherwise, is both incorrect and irresponsible.

SA’s lack of communication with campus publications and multicultural organizations prior to the April 2 meeting reflects poorly on the Senate’s ability to effectively serve the student body.

SA’s lack of communication with campus publications and multicultural organizations prior to the April 2 meeting reflects poorly on the Senate’s ability to effectively serve the student body. It is unfortunate that SA’s relationship with students and student media has been tarnished by insufficient transparency and a fundamental neglect of the various organizations and agendas present on campus.

In the aftermath of this debacle, we at The Flat Hat were deeply saddened by the divisiveness instigated between campus groups due to the misinformation spread concerning the ability of SA to fund multicultural and media organizations.

The Flat Hat fully supports the multicultural organizations and diverse groups that appeared at public comment last Tuesday, and a majority of our staff members were shocked and disheartened to learn how great the disparity in funding is between media organizations and these groups. Having learned of this inequality, we urge SA to examine their budget further and find a way to provide these groups with more enthusiastic financial support.

Furthermore, we urge them to do so transparently, and inform all of the parties involved in the new budget creation ahead of the bill creation and voting process. The best way to design a fair, equitable budget is by bringing all parties to the table.

We eagerly await to see how the 327th crop of SA representatives will inspire productive dialogue and prevent miscommunication from disrupting the affairs of multicultural organizations and media publications alike.

The staff editorial represents the opinion of The Flat Hat. The editorial board consists of Gavin Aquin, Ethan Brown, Brendan Doyle, Nia Kitchin and Maggie More.

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Page 6

STAFF COLUMN

Students fail to see benefits of College housing system, neglect appreciating its positive features

Alyssa Slovin

FLAT HAT OPINIONS ASSOC. EDITOR

In the wake of “The Great Housing Crisis of 2019,” panic and complaints spread throughout campus about the poor fate of returning students who planned to live on campus next year. With Lemon Hall’s fall to the custody of the incoming freshmen in place of Jefferson Hall as well as One Tribe Place’s closing, the panic is definitely understandable.

However, returning students have definitely overexaggerated the problems concerning housing, which shows more about their own negativity than the school’s lack of accommodations.

I will admit that not all dorms are created equal.

However, the dorms offered to upperclassmen have their own positives that students refuse to acknowledge.

DuPont Hall may have the reputation of being dingy, but it is close to Earl Gregg Swem Library, and many of the rooms have suite bathrooms.

Richmond Hall is admittedly extremely far from everything on campus, but the rooms are newly renovated with double beds, and its proximity to Food Lion is a plus.

Upperclassmen hate the idea of living in Jefferson the most, despite that the only real difference between Jefferson and other upperclassmen dorms like Barrett Hall is that the hallways are less aesthetically pleasing.

Jefferson is extremely conveniently located, as it is close to Colonial Williamsburg, the Sir Christopher Wren Building and Marketplace, as well as the academic buildings on

the Sunken Garden. It is also still fairly close to the Sadler Center, the Integrated Science Center and Swem.

Of course, these options are not as nice as Landrum Hall or Hardy Hall, but that does not mean that the College of William and Mary does not care about students’ needs. The changes to housing are necessary. One Tribe Place needs to be closed for important renovations, apparently for mold, asbestos and structural issues. All of these problems are urgent, and if the College was to ignore them, students would complain about their lack of concern for student wellbeing. Similarly, Lemon is now to house freshmen in order to increase accessibility. Students also criticize the College for not listening to students’ needs through Student Accessibility Services as well as the Counseling Center, but now that the College has responded to the needs of incoming freshmen, the school supposedly does not care about any of the students. Students criticize the College for the supposedly poor conditions that upperclassmen must endure, but this is a ridiculous overreaction.

Dorm life may not be perfect, but at the end of the day, it is never advertised as perfect. I have heard students complain about the money that they pay to come to school here, as if that money does not go towards classes, professors and other opportunities long before it goes toward housing.

Students attend college for the education and overall experience, not because their room is comparable to a five-star hotel. On a similar note, students like to complain about housing here as if other schools have perfect housing plans, and the College is the only place where students are left wishing for better room options. Some schools cannot guarantee housing for more than one or two years, and others cannot guarantee air conditioning to upperclassmen, which are two positives to housing here at the College. Students here are promised housing for at least three years, and all upperclassmen dorms have air conditioning. I do agree that housing selection can seem unfair and stressful at times, but students should take a step back and look at the big picture before complaining relentlessly for weeks about how much the College h a t e s its students.

Email Alyssa Slovin at amslovin@ email.wm.edu.

Students criticize the College for the supposedly poor conditions that upperclassmen must endure, but this is a ridiculous overreaction.

GRAPHIC BY ANGELA VASISHTA AND HEADSHOTS BY KAYLA PAYNE / THE FLAT HAT

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: ATHENIAN OSTRACISM SHOULD BE APPLIED TO CAMPUS MEME GROUPS

Although in today’s democratic society we have adopted a lot from the ancient Athenians, there is one custom that seems to have been forgotten: ostracism.

Ostracism was a process by which the citizens of Athens could nominate any individual to be exiled for a period of 10 years.

The people of Athens could ostracize one person each year, and they could do so for any reason. No specific law had to be broken; they just had to feel that the individual nominated was a threat to the community.

In today’s rough political climate, ostracism could be a powerful check against individuals who are not

technically breaking any rules, but still constitute a threat to society. Any individual who abuses their platform would have to fear this ultimate scrutiny.

Once instituted, a policy of ostracism would give the average person more power, reduce the reach of certain individuals, and increase the overall quality of memes posted in the group.

Wait, you thought I was talking about American democracy? Hell no, that would be extremely dumb.

I am suggesting we adopt a policy of ostracism on the Facebook group Swampy Memes for Twampy Teens.

It is well known that certain individuals have a habit of spamming repetitive

and unfunny memes that technically don’t break any rules. Arbitrary bans from the admins would probably constitute an overreach of authority, but if instituted in the form of a democratic process, these bans would be perfectly acceptable.

All the admins need to do is hold a poll at the end of each semester, with the most voted user being banned for the following semester. Users will make an effort to post good memes, rather than spamming the page in an effort to get noticed.

So, are you with me?

Let’s bring back ostracism!

Sincerely, Lucas Otal ljotal@email.wm.edu

variety

Variety Editor Zoe Beardsley Variety Editor Adithi Ramakrishnan flathat.variety@gmail.com

The Flat Hat

| Tuesday, April 9, 2019 | Page 7

pride

Rainbow Coalition and Lambda Alliance co-host 2019 Pride, Drag Ball GAVIN AQUIN // FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR

GAVIN AQUIN / THE FLAT HAT

W

as the rain enough to stifle the spirit of Pride? When it came to celebrating diversity and growing better together, nothing was going to stop the LGBTQ+ community of the College of William and Mary from celebrating Pride April 5 in Trinkle Hall.

For the first time in the history of the College, the Pride festival was co-hosted by the Rainbow Coalition and the Lambda Alliance, with this year’s theme being “Let’s Grow Better Together." The festival featured neon-green T-shirts with plant designs, which emphasized the themes of inclusivity and personal growth.

“We were thinking about Pride themes, and this year we were trying to stay away from the word ‘queer’ which we’ve used in the past, because there’s certain people in the community that don’t like that, and we’d like to be as inclusive as we can be,” Lambda Alliance Co-President Anna Bi Ledwin ’21 said. “So, we thought, what gay things can we theme something around? Throwing around ideas for LGBT acronyms, we thought ‘Let’s Grow Better Together.’ I think ultimately, the inclusive theme was accomplished.”

Walking into Trinkle, students were immediately greeted by a variety of booths set up by student organizations–from the Wesley Foundation to UndocuTribe–which aim to foster inclusivity in the community.

Also in attendance were musical performers, such as the band Ruth, to showcase the talent of the College’s LGBTQ+ community.

“We tried [to] grab groups that we knew [had] LGBT members within the group,” Ledwin said. “Because it is Pride, we wanted to make it not just LGBT-inclusive but LGBT-integrated, so we wanted performers who could relate to the label.”

For the various students in attendance, celebrating Pride has different connotations, especially for those who are a part of other marginalized communities.

“It’s really cool, especially since Lambda reaches out to different organizations and a lot of them are making some type of political statement,” Aida Campos ’20 said. “I think it’s important that we show solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community on campus. I came to my ‘gaywakening’ pretty late, but I definitely have to say that on campus it does feel like there’s a limited amount of [gay people of color] and that the white gay space dominates.”

Even though the LGBTQ+ community on campus is active according to Yessica Bonilla '20, there is still some work to be done in terms of including minority students into LGBTQ+ initiatives.

“In terms of Latinx people, there is very little visibility of Latinx queer people,” Bonilla said. “There’s not enough discussion being had about it. [There are] not enough events oriented for them.”

Minority and cultural groups already suffer visibility issues on

campus, and Campos said this creates an issue for people who identify as LGBTQ+ and also as a person of color. These individuals may feel as if they have to choose to prioritize one identity over the other.

“Even within our own community, we don’t have discussions, celebrations or spotlights for the LGBTQ+ Latinx identifying people,” Campos said. “But even on the broader, campus [level], I feel like we are doubly invisible.”

Representatives of the UndocuTribe organization, Campos and Bonilla, think that when organizations try to serve too many communities with events, they really cannot serve many people at all.

“It’s an issue of trying to serve a large community, you blanket entire communities into one monolith,” Bonilla said.

For Sarah Grace Frary ’20, president of the Wesley Foundation, Pride is a reminder that self-love and feeling loved is an important life essential.

“In the context of being a president of a spiritual organization, for me pride is the ability to be yourself and love yourself fully,” Frary said. “If you’re part of a community that stifles your pride, then it’s a problem. The Wesley Foundation is devoted to allowing people to love themselves fully while loving them back.”

Frary recalled an experience with the United Methodist Church that affected her perception of the relationship between her gender identity and her faith.

“The United Methodist Church since the '70s has been struggling whether to ordain clergy who are queer; the decision they came to in February was a firm no,” Frary said. “It was a reminder to me that I’m still not welcome in my own spiritual sanctuary — I’m still not a part of it.

That’s why the Wesley Foundation is important to me. I can be myself and the gender that I want to be without it mattering to the people around me in the same way that it doesn’t matter to the God that I believe in.”

Associate Director for the Center for Student Diversity and advisor to Rainbow Coalition Roxie Patton assisted students in organizing the Drag Ball event that took place the evening of April 5.

“We had several meetings throughout the year just to start thinking about logistics and we are also helping to navigate the Drag Ball, so as a team we figured out who to bring for the show, which is why we got Pretty Boi Drag,” Patton said. “[The Center for Student Diversity has] a small part in a larger role, and it’s really the students who make Pride the event that it is.”

Though Pretty Boi Drag headlined the Drag Ball, students were also graced with performances by their peers. The opening act to the Drag Ball was performed by Prince Peach, who lip-synched to “DDD” by Exid, a K-Pop song with strong rhythms and a meaningful story. They worked the stage and received a surplus of applause from the crowd.

Harper Bazaar followed Prince Peach, opting to express themselves with a melody of songs from the hit television program “Crazy

Ex-Girlfriend.” Songs such as “Feelin’ Kinda Naughty” and “Put Yourself First” characterised this colorful and energetic performance.

Bitch Nixon utilised the whole room in their performance, working the stage and the stairs alike. With a powerful performance of Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music,” no one will be forgetting Bitch Nixon anytime soon.

However, no one lit the stage up more than Dakota Moon. One might mistake this vibrant performer for a professional. Working a unique medley of “Applause” by Lady Gaga, “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” and a clip of former Governor of Florida Jeb Bush’s “Please Clap” speech, Moon knew exactly what they needed to do to make a memorable performance.

After Moon, the kings, Pretty Boi Drag — a Washington, D.C. based drag king troupe comprised of people of color — entered center stage to the tune of One Direction’s “Drag Me Down.”

“I hope to inspire another generation of drag kings, queens and everything in between,” Pretty Rik E said. “Rule number one is have f---ing fun. If you love a song, sing it. If you want to dance, dance. Can we do that?”

In the most sensual performance of the night, Molasses took to the stage to “Sex on Fire” by Kings of Leon. With suave dancing and body movements, Molasses fired the whole crowd up.

Shaking the crowd’s expectations after such a fiery performance, Larry Styles performed Vanesa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles,” entering the crowd with their fake piano before ultimately returning to the stage to destroy the piano.

Not to be left out of the action, Pretty Rik E and Phoenix King, two of D.C.’s most renowned drag performers, lip-synched to “Time of Our Lives” by Pitbull and Ne-Yo. As an intermission, Larry Styles hosted a parody of the “lip-synch for your lives” segment from “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” After student performances of Britney Spears’ “Toxic” and Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance,” neither of the two finalists had to “sashay away," as RuPaul would say.

Coming back for a second wind, Molasses took the stage to “Feel it Still” by Portugal, the Man, running into the audience with an LGBTQ+ pride flag. Needless to say, the crowd exploded at the sight with emotions running high.

In the final performance of the night, Phoenix King synched to Queen’s “I Want to Break Free” as Bob Belcher from the program “Bob’s Burgers.” Still in character, they came out with an easel containing a fast food menu, while handing out McDonald’s Big Macs.

Eventually, the sun set on Pride at the College. This year’s wide range of tabling clubs, performances and special guests resulted in a successful event for the Lambda Alliance and Rainbow Coalition. It remains to be seen what lies just over the rainbow for 2020 Pride.

REBECCA KLINGER / THE FLAT HAT

JAMIE HOLT / THE FLAT HAT

Page 8

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Out of this world ASTRAL highlights intersectionality, east and west coast designs

COURTESY PHOTOS / FINLEY STEWART AND ELLIE GRACE

GRACE OLSEN // FLAT HAT STAFF WRITER

B

eneath the fabric of 21st century fashion lies the stigma of blemished consciences, body shaming and dissimilarity — criticisms targeted by the College of William and Mary’s premier fashion show, ASTRAL. For the third year in a row, ASTRAL showcased the work of professional designers alongside performances by up-and-coming rappers and hip-hop artists from around the country. Together, ROCKET Magazine and the Students of Hip-Hop Legacy worked tirelessly to perfect and curate ASTRAL — a show featuring the nonconformity of fashion and music.

The night of April 6, bright lights illuminated ASTRAL’s showcase of diversity. Down the makeshift catwalk in ISC paraded models of different shapes and ethnicities.

“There are a lot of different body types, heights, races in the show,” model and vogue dancer Kyoko Minamino ’22 said. “Everyone is beautiful; it’s so interesting to see the diversity the show offers. We are here, breaking through the traditional ‘this is what beauty is’ and the standard of it all.”

According to models and crew alike, morale bore more importance in ASTRAL’s model casting call than a tiny waistline or a perfect set of teeth. “[ROCKET Magazine] casted the models with a group of people who they thought would fill the confidence piece rather than the traditional look,” model Sallimata Santo ’22 said. “These are people who are ready and excited to do this, not just people who fit a certain mold.”

A contrast of east and west ensued as the designs of Seattle-based Boyhood Society marched alongside the melodic beats of the Historic Triangle’s rappers, Huey Shy and Yuvi. According to several attendees, the pairing of east coast hip-hop and west coast grunge was idyllic, inspiring and all the more astonishing.

Designers Audrey Leonard, Jayla Barbour, Maya Cross and Jonathans Twelveboat collaborated with ASTRAL staff to ensure their visions were translated seamlessly. While some designers offered inspiration for possible hair and makeup looks, others left it entirely up to the ASTRAL beauty crew.

ROCKET Magazine beauty editor Claire Powell ’19 has been a part of ASTRAL since the show’s debut in 2017. For Powell, her final ASTRAL show marks a bittersweet ending to her position as a part of the ROCKET Magazine team. As Powell reminisced on previous shows, “Features” and “Frolic,” she noted that not all that glitters is gold, and oftentimes that effortless look is, in fact, not effortless.

“You would think it would have become more streamlined over the years, but we have learned that there is only so much preparation you can do,” Powell said. “Each look takes upwards of thirty or forty minutes.”

Model Robert Rust ’19 commented on his experience when he initially became a part of the team the year prior — his own involvement highlights how some of the fashion show’s earleir setbacks did not affect the overall experience. “[Last year,] I was pulled in the Wednesday before the show; some people will drop out [at the last minute], and they will have to change which models are in which groups,” Rust said. “It was really interesting clothes, pretty interesting stuff, and overall a really fun experience.”

Apart from the occasional clothing mishap, the ROCKET Magazine group has perfected the art of production, according to many of the ASTRAL models.

“I normally shy away from bright colors and bright lipsticks,” Santo said. “But I trusted that they knew what they were doing; it seems like they always know what they are doing. The [ASTRAL production team] is giving us confidence to push limits and test new boundaries.”

Once again, the models returned full circle to discuss ASTRAL’s emphasis on body positivity and inclusion. ASTRAL, the brainchild of ROCKET Magazine and SoHHL, sought out models who embodied diversity and exhumed confidence and they worked to emphasize the poise of those models.

For some of those models, dipping their toes in the world of modeling for the first time was frightening, but the ASTRAL production crew tugged them into an uplifting community swarming with positivity.

“I think just looking around the room, we have a really big variety of people,” model Calvin Colbe ’20 said. “The crew did a really good job of not just having one kind of person, and that goes beyond just the work done by the ASTRAL team selecting models as well. The selecting of designers also plays part.

A lot of designers will talk about body positivity, but until you actually implement it and have runway looks that are inclusive to all it won’t really show. The designers chosen by the ASTRAL team embody the philosophy of body positivity.”

Pairing morale and design, east and west and the arts of music and fashion proved successful once again at ASTRAL. S TO LIV /O Y SE ES NN HE IA

surreal soundscapes

COURTESY PHO

Tyondai Braxton performs electronic concert as artist-in-residence OLIVIA HENNESSEY // THE FLAT HAT Monday, April 1, experimental musician Tyondai Braxton gave a live performance in Commonwealth Auditorium. Braxton is this year’s Class of 1939 Maurine Stuart Dulin Artist-in-Residence for the music department.

Braxton was a founding member of experimental rock group, Battles, which he left in 2010 after touring-plans conflicted with Braxton’s commitments as a solo artist. While Braxton was with Battles, the band gained critical acclaim for their 2007 album, “Mirrored.” Braxton is a graduate of the Hartt School of performing arts within the University of Hartford in Connecticut, where he studied composition.

Braxton visited the College of William and Mary last semester and held a synthesizer workshop for music students as part of the modular synthesis contemporary music theory course.

The artist-in-residence fund rotates among the departments of music, English, art and art history, theater, speech, and dance. This year the music department is splitting the fund between Braxton and Ysaye Barnwell, a prolific African-American composer and former member of acclaimed a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock. Braxton was invited to the College of William and Mary and to the artist-in-residency position by music professor and musician, David Dominique. Dominique was already familiar with Braxton’s work and thought that he would be the perfect guest for the College’s music students.

“I wanted to bring someone who is a master of modular synthesizers, because at the college we’ve acquired several recently,” Dominique said. “And I’m teaching modular synthesis in a few classes - one in the music department and another new Coll 100 I’m working on. And so as a part of that initiative, I wanted to bring someone who’s a really interesting composer but uses modular synthesis as a primary tool.”

After a short introduction by Dominique, Braxton wordlessly entered the stage to a lone table of gears and began.

A low hum filled the auditorium, growing louder and wavering

until it morphed into warbling whistles and thumping bass.

Soon, the music was accompanied by surreal, electronic visuals projected on the massive screen on stage, engulfing Braxton behind the synthesizer.

For the next 45 minutes, Braxton took the audience on a journey through a surreal, electronic soundscape.

Audience members attended the performance for a variety of reasons and came away with a multitude of conclusions.

“I appreciate that a lot of time and effort went into it, but I guess I don’t understand it, and my ears hurt a little,” Christopher Lee ’21 said.

“The best way I could put it is that the last music thing I listened to was the Mitski concert in here, and I feel like this was a bit of the complete opposite,” Cody Hammock ’20 said.

Both Hammock and Lee had been brought to the performance by their friend Finn Mayhew ’21.

“This is the first electronic concert I’ve been to,” Mayhew said. “Ty Braxton spoke at our composition class last semester, which is why I’m here, because I just thought that he was really cool, and I liked the music he shared in that class … I had a lot of fun. I normally don’t like very loud concerts, but I loved this, I don’t know why.”

Several music students in attendance commented on the importance of Braxton’s work not only for themselves but for the College community.

“I think that this kind of music definitely tends to broaden your horizons,” Allison Greenday ’19 said. “With the Western music canon we’re always kind of attuned to ‘this is music, and nothing else outside of that,’ whereas with a concert like this, you’re kind of forced to reconsider how you think of music and what you think of as musical because you hear something that sounds really cool, that you’re not used to thinking of as music.”

“It’s really great to have a place to showcase these more techoriented music-type things because we are the only school on the East Coast that’s not a music school that offers anything like

this,” Shana Merker ’19 said. “As a musician myself who was kind of swamped by the classical, western structure of things and the classical western hierarchies, being able to let loose and really immerse yourself in the sound like Ty does is something you really can’t find very often.”

These sentiments were echoed by Dominique.

“We’re here in Williamsburg, and there aren’t necessarily a ton of opportunities to see avant garde music or adventurous music so I think it’s really good for the students to get exposure to a world class artist that’s been living in Brooklyn for many years,” Dominique said.

Afterwards, several audience members stayed behind for a chance to speak to Braxton, who welcomed people to come on stage and get a closer look at his synthesizer board.

Braxton explained that the visuals playing during the show were created in collaboration with his wife, Grace Villamil, a visual artist.

He took a moment to express how the visuals interacted with his live performance of the music.

“It’s kind of rubbery, there’s no real set cue for where I am, it’s adrift,” Braxton said. “I’m paying attention every now and then to where it is, so I’m not syncing up hard to a hard down beat or a hard marker or something, but I kind of know in and around where things are, so what that gives you is the opportunity to have things seemingly be in sync, seemingly be symbiotic but also have the lack of relationship that’s kind of going back and forth so it seems organic.”

Braxton hoped that the both audience enjoyed and found meaning in his performance.

“It’s the kind of show that’s just kind of an experience; it’s less about a particular song or something like that; its kind of an overall journey,” Braxton said. “There’s a lot of attention paid to the sound design as well as the composition, so there’s a lot of ear candy throughout, and just the joy of traversing through a landscape like that is fun.”

sportsinside BASEBALL

The Flat Hat

| Tuesday, April 9 2019 | Page 9

COMMENTARY

Changes to NBA draft help college players Further adjustments needed

Delaware sweeps Tribe

JAMIE HOLT / THE FLAT HAT While the first two games of the series were relatively low-scoring, the Tribe’s final outing saw more signigicant offensive action, with a final score of 9-8.

College bested by single run in low-scoring away games JULIA STUMBAUGH SENIOR STAFF WRITER After triumphing in a threegame sweep of North CarolinaWilmington in a Colonial Athletic Association matchup last weekend, William and Mary (20-10, 4-5 CAA) fell at Delaware (11-19, 5-4 CAA) in three onerun losses in a row the weekend of April 7.

The Tribe looked like it would have a chance to jump out to an early lead in Friday’s game, when a throwing error and two walks loaded the bases for the visiting team. However, the College only had one out left to work with and was forced into a ground out before getting anyone home.

After a first inning riddled with fielding errors for both teams, the game settled down into a low-scoring pitcher’s duel. Junior pitcher Wade Strain started on the mound for the

Tribe, allowing just three hits through the first scoreless five innings. Meanwhile, Blue Hens starting pitcher Joey Silan threw five no-run innings of his own, keeping the score at 0-0 heading into the sixth frame.

In the sixth, a pair of singles to start out the inning got Strain pulled for sophomore pitcher Randy Prosperi. Prosperi walked his first batter to load the bases; finally, the Blue Hens were the first on the board with an RBI single to make it 1-0 in the bottom of the sixth.

Prosperi held the Blue Hens off the board for the final two frames, allowing just one more hit and striking out two batters, but the Tribe was unable to get a runner home in its last three chances, striking out five times in the last three innings to concede a 1-0 defeat to the Blue Hens.

Senior outfielder Owen Socher led the Tribe with two hits, while

senior infielder Zach Pearson and junior first baseman Matthew Trehub also connected for base hits. Strain picked up the loss, bringing his record to 2-3.

Saturday’s matchup was another low-scoring affair through the first half of the contest. Tribe starting pitcher senior Bodie Sheehan kept the Blue Hens off the board for the first six innings, holding them to just a single hit and zero runs through six frames. Meanwhile, the Blue Hens starting pitcher Chris Ludman kept the College from scoring in turn.

In the seventh frame, after six scoreless innings, Sheehan’s time on the mound ended in a sudden flurry of hits. The Blue Hens put up three straight singles to score the first run of the game.

Sheehan forced the fourth batter into a ground out, but before he could get out of the jam, the Blue Hens hit a two-RBI double

to make the score 3-0. The Tribe got one run back in the top of the eighth. Two hit-by-pitches got freshman outfielder Jack Cone and Socher on base before Zach Pearson scored Cone on an RBI single to cut the Blue Hens lead to 3-1. Relief pitcher redshirt junior Chris Farrell then forced the Blue Hens through three swinging strikeouts to set the College up for a comeback attempt in the top of the ninth.

The Tribe opened the ninth frame with a lead-off double from sophomore infielder Matt McDermott, followed by a sophomore infielder David Hogarth single and a hit-by-pitch to load the bases. Cone scored McDermott on a sacrifice fly to cut the Blue Hens’ lead to 3-2 with just one out on the board.

The Tribe couldn’t get that final runner home, leaving three men stranded on the bases as they ended the game in a popup and were forced to concede its second loss of the weekend, by a final score of 3-2.

After two low-scoring contests Friday and Saturday, Sunday’s game stood out as a 17-run affair. The Blue Hens opened up scoring in the bottom of the first with two singles and a double to score two runs; it took the College until the third inning to answer back when freshman outfielder Matt Thomas ran home to cut the Delaware lead to 3-1.

The Tribe surged out to its first lead of the series with a three-run top of the fourth, but the Blue Hens immediately answered back with five in the bottom of the frame to reclaim their lead, 7-4. The Blue Hens then tacked on two more in the sixth to bring their advantage out to 9-4.

Once again, the College had to fight for a last-minute comeback. The Tribe cut the Blue Hens’ advantage to 9-6 with two runs in a drawnout eighth inning, where senior infielder Colin Lipke scored McDermott and then McDermott scored on a fielder’s choice.

Down three runs with three outs left in the ninth, Trehub and McDermott put up a double and a single, respectively, to score two runs and cut the Delaware advantage to just a single run. Unfortunately for the Tribe, the day would end in a swinging strikeout, as for the third time in as many days the College fell short by a single run in the 9-8 loss.

Six separate Tribe batters recorded hits on Sunday, with Lipke leading the team with three in three at-bats.

After going 0-3 over the weekend, the College dropped from second place in the conference to sixth with an overall record of 4-5.

The team will resume conference play April 12 with a three-game home series against CAA rival James Madison.

KEVIN RICHESON

FLAT HAT OPERATIONS COORDINATOR Friday, March 29, junior forward Nathan Knight of The College of William and Mary’s men’s basketball team announced that he was declaring for the National Basketball Association draft. Knight still has one season of eligibility remaining as a National Collegiate Athletic Association player, but NCAA athletes can declare for the NBA draft after at least one season in college.

Several years ago, Knight would have been less likely to make this decision, but a 2016 adaptation in NCAA rules for the NBA draft allows underclassmen to declare for the draft and withdraw by a certain deadline if they decide that they want to return to college. Previously this deadline was in April, but now it is much later in May. This gives Knight a chance to gauge his likelihood of getting drafted in 2019, while not automatically forfeiting his college eligibility. Hofstra guard Justin Wright-Foreman also declared for the draft following his junior season in 2018, but ultimately decided to return to school, where he led the Pride to a CAA regular season championship and was named conference player of the year for the second-straight season.

This year, the NBA draft combine is from May 14 to May 19 in Chicago. At the combine, players who have declared for the draft complete various exercises and drills in an effort to showcase their talent and raise their draft stock. Furthermore, potential draftees can work out for specific teams in the weeks leading up to the draft. At these workouts, teams have the opportunity to talk with players they are interested in selecting and also put them through a workout to get a further look at their skillset.

Since Knight and other players with NCAA eligibility have the option to return to school under current NCAA rules, they can participate in this process relatively risk-free.

If they perform well at the combine and at individual workouts, and believe that they will get drafted and would not improve their draft stock much by returning to school, they can decide to stay in the draft. If not, they have the option to pull out of the draft and return to school.

In Knight’s case, he has the potential to impress scouts and get drafted late in the second round of the NBA draft. In the draft, there are a total of 60 picks, with two rounds of 30 picks.

It is highly likely that Knight will end up returning to school.

His draft stock could benefit from another college season and make it more likely that he is drafted earlier in 2020. However, if Knight can get drafted this year, he should take the opportunity to jumpstart his professional career. Due to the recent firing of head coach Tony Shaver and subsequent transfers by the entire starting lineup, Knight might choose to transfer to another school even if he does return to college.

While I believe pushing back the withdrawal date is a good rule change that is more beneficial for young athletes, the NCAA could be doing a lot more to support college athletes. In recent years, there have been intensified debates over paying college athletes. The NCAA should pay athletes, especially if they mandate that they have to spend a certain amount of time in college athletics.

While the NCAA has remained staunchly opposed to this, there are still ways that they could change their rules and regulations in order to set athletes up for success in college and in their futures. For example, they could ease up on rules and regulations that are usually detrimental to its athletes, who contribute to the NCAA’s billion-dollar revenue each year.

Instead, the NCAA limits athletes’ options, and proves that they care much more about their revenue, rather than what is best for young athletes.

Many college athletes who have the potential to play professionally have to delay that decision due to NCAA regulations. In 2006, the NBA made rule changes that required athletes to be 19 before entering the draft, preventing high school superstars from declaring for the draft without going through the college recruitment process.

By going along with these restrictions, the NCAA is also exploiting athletes by limiting their decisions. If an athlete has the ability to go straight to the NBA like LeBron James did in 2003, they should be able to do this. This ensures that they get a contract and sets them and their family up with financial stability for generations to come. Forcing athletes to play in college gives them the opportunity to sustain a career-ending injury or have their draft stock plummet, thus changing the course of their career.

While the current rules for entering the draft early are far from perfect, recent rule changes have been encouraging and allow athletes like Knight to make the most of their NBA potential and explore all of their options. Eventually, the “one and done” rule should be abolished, and high schoolers should be eligible to enter the draft immediately.

For the time being though, I am glad that athletes are being granted more autonomy. I wish Knight and other early entrants into the NBA draft the best and hope that this process becomes less complicated and restrictive in the future for athletes looking to make it in the NBA and other professional sports leagues.

Email Kevin Richeson at kmricheson@email.wm.edu.

sports

Sports Editor Gavin Aquin Sports Editor Avery Lackner flathatsports@gmail.com @FlatHatSports

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, April 9, 2019 | Page10

LACROSSE

Dragons defeat Tribe, 15-13 JAMIE HOLT / THE FLAT HAT

Despite the strong ability of the freshmen to potentially carry the team to victory, the College’s defense faltered. Head Coach Hillary Fratzke attributed the Tribe’s defeat to that of a lack of focus and the need to practice ground balls.

Stellar performances by freshmen midfielders, ultimately lost due to holes in defense GAVIN AQUIN FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR After two previous losses to Coastal Carolina and Hofstra, William and Mary added another defeat to its record when it fell to Drexel by a narrow 15-13 margin at home April 7.

Sunday’s game got off to a quick start, as both the College and the Dragons scored three goals in the first six minutes. The Dragons were the first to strike, as midfielder Claire Jarema took the first goal. This set the tone for the game, as the Dragons would continually scored while the College played catch-up.

Seventeen minutes into the first half, the Dragons pulled ahead when attacker Grace Osterdale scored her second goal of the season to bring the score up to 6-5.

Freshman midfielder Lauren Russel was instrumental to the College’s offensive efforts, scoring her third goal in the first half with five minutes left, bringing the tally to 7-6 in the Dragon’s favor.

“The freshmen consistently step up and that’s what’s exciting but at the same time, we need everybody to be stepping up,” head coach Hillary Fratzke said. “Those are people who don’t necessarily have as much on field experience but they’re playing like it, but why can’t we all just choose to be that tenacious in every single second? We’re capable of it and it’s something we need to work through as a team.”

Starting the second half, the tally was 8-6 with the Dragons in the lead, but they were not content to sit around. Within two minutes, the Dragons extended their lead by two goals thanks to attackers Colleen Grady and Jarema, bringing the score to 10-6.

Subsequent goals by Tribe senior midfielder Olivia Harpel and freshman midfielder Grace Ahonen brought the score to 10-8 and put the College within striking distance of the lead.

“I do think that focus errors lost us the game and that’s really disappointing because if you change your focus errors that’s something that you can control,” Fratzke said.

In the 12th minute, the Tribe was finally able to catch up to the Dragons’ momentum, with a free position made by freshman midfielder Belle Martire. However, two minutes later, Dragons midfielder Caroline Cummings put Drexel ahead, bringing the score to 11-10. With 13 minutes left in the game, Russel scored her 22nd goal of the season, once again equalizing the score.

Just a few seconds later, Russel scored yet again to give the College a 12-11 lead. It seemed as if the Tribe could power forward to take the game, but a free-position shot from Jamie Schneidereith ultimately allowed the Dragons to take back their lead in the final five minutes.

The nail in the coffin for the Tribe was the Dragons’ final goal scored by attacker Courtney Dietzel, which brought the final tally to 15-13.

“If could go back, I would just do ground balls for the entire practice on Friday and today,” Fratzke said. “It was 50-50 for ground balls and it came down to focus. It’s not like we didn’t know how to do ground balls, we just weren’t focused. Frankly, I think that ground balls just cost us the game.”

The Tribe will compete against Delaware April 12 at Martin Family Stadium, where it hopes to take a win after a three-game losing streak.

BY THE NUMBERS WILLIAM AND MARY TRIBE LACROSSE

GOALS SCORED

BY FRESHMEN

9 OF 13

SHOTS ON GOAL

1H: 12 2H: 11

TURNOVERS

1H: 6 2H: 3

GROUND BALLS

1H: 9 2H: 7 COURTESY PHOTO/TRIBE ATHLETICS