VARIETY >> PAGE 5
SPORTS >> PAGE 7
The Global Film Festival kicks off with a double feature screening.
Flat Hat Sports Editor Jack Powers takes stock of the football program’s season.
Reborn but not rewarded
Michael Cera visits Williamsburg
ACADEMICS
One skipped class could cost up to
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The Twice-Weekly Student Newspaper
of The College of William and Mary
$110.36
Calculating the cost of classes at the College Each day, students at the College of William and Mary are faced with a choice: head to class or forego attending for an extra 50 minutes of sleep or an extra hour in Earl Gregg Swem Library. But those extra minutes in Swem or bed could cost up to $110 per skipped class. According to the Bursar’s Office’s data on undergraduate and graduate tuition rates, the cost of each credit hour is $325 for in-state undergraduates and $1,030 for outof-state undergraduates. For a typical three-credit class at the College, these costs mean that in-state students pay $975 for each course, while out-of-state students pay $3,090. In a 14-week semester, twice-a-week classes will meet 28 times, meaning the cost of each
STUDENT LIFE
Counseling Center sees about 1,500 each year BY KATHERINE CHIGLINSKY FLAT HAT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
See COUNSELING page 2
ABBY BOYLE / THE FLAT HAT
various tactics in the courses she teaches to encourage students to come to class. Lockwood’s main strategy, she said, is learning as many names as possible in each class, even in the 100-person course she is teaching this semester. Lockwood said she will also occasionally have unannounced participation activities, in which students will run through a quantitative problem, do a demo, or participate in a discussion. The activities are then graded based on effort. Like Lockwood, associate psychology professor Constance Pilkington does not opt to take attendance in her classes. Pilkington has taught introductory classes with up to 300 students, as well as upper-level courses, which she said tend to have between 16 and 45 students. On any given
Addressing mental health
See COST page 2
— Chrissy Sherman ’14 on the decision to skip class
class is about $34.82 for in-state students and $110.36 for out-ofstate students. Classes that meet three times a week will convene a total of 42 times, with each class costing approximately $23.21 for instate students and $73.57 for out-ofstate students. Faculty Director of Academic Advising and associate professor of geology Rowan Lockwood said that although she sees a correlation between high class attendance and exam scores, she views the decision to go to class as a student’s personal choice. “By the time a person gets to college, it’s really up to them,” Lockwood said. “I know that in the classes I teach, it’s really hard to skip class and do well on the exams, but I think that’s an individual’s choice.” Lockwood said that she does not take attendance, but employs
CAMPUS
day teaching either type of class, Pilkington said she thinks about 75 percent of her students are in attendance. “Of course I could take attendance and award points for that,” Pilkington said in an email. “But I am neither a high school teacher [nor] a parent. It’s the student’s job to attend class.” While Lockwood and Pilkington do not take attendance in their classes, University Registrar Sara Marchello said many faculty members do take roll regularly. However, they do not report the information to any central database, meaning the College does not have any data on how common skipping class may be. However, Lockwood said she does not think the College has
It’s a cost-benefit analysis in terms of what you can get done during that time.
BY ABBY BOYLE FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR
Flathatnews.com | Follow us:
Nearly 1,500 students filter into the Counseling Center at the College of William and Mary every year, according to Director Warrenetta Mann. The center, tucked in the hallways of Blow Memorial Hall, addresses primary concerns about the mental and emotional health of the more than 6,000 undergraduates at the College. Conversation about the treatment of mental health concerns has increased following the death of former student Austin “Gus” Deeds. His father, state Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath, vowed to investigate the mental health system in Virginia after the incident that led to Gus’ death. Mann emphasized the difficulty with retrospective looks at the incident with Deeds, as the media only gets a glimpse into the intricacy of the issue due to confidentiality concerns. “First of all, this family, my heart goes out to them,” Mann said. “This is the saddest situation. From all appearances, this was a father doing his best to take care of his son. That is all we know for sure.” Mann agreed that leaders should address how we handle mental health concerns, supporting Creigh Deeds’ intention. “If we can come up with a good formula in Virginia and kind of take that to a national stage, I think that would be a Mann really good outcome for him and, I think, in honoring the memory of his son,” Mann said. Trained counselors work to address the needs of the nearly 1,500 students who visit the Counseling Center each year. But the Counseling Center can only help students once they or others recognize the need for help, Mann said. “My experience since I’ve been here, is that like any other over-achieving people, students at William and Mary are very hesitant to get other people involved,” Mann said. “I think students are just used to taking care of each other ... but I think sometimes it just delays students getting the help they need early on.” Mann noted that friends and peers are the biggest referral source for the center. Of the students who seek help at the Counseling Center, counselors suggest that about 40 students per year take a break from school, while another 20 students generally decide on their own to take a break from the College, Mann said. She explained that the school generally does not force
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Vol. 103, Iss. 25 | Tuesday, December 3, 2013
The Flat Hat
CONSTRUCTION
CollegeCambio Campus construction finetunes frat houses relaunches site College makes changes to address problems in newly finished buildings
Network aims to connect campus
BY BAILEY KIRKPATRICK FLAT HAT ASSOC. NEWS EDITOR
BY ELEANOR LAMB FLAT HAT ASSOC. NEWS EDITOR
The College of William and Mary expedited the completion of the new fraternity houses in order for students to move in for fall 2013. Due to the limited amount of available resources, completion of the fraternity community building was delayed to complete the residences on time. Unfortunately some residents have noticed problems with the daily function and construction of some of the buildings’ features. For example, within a few weeks of completion, there were reports of flooding in bathrooms due to malfunctioning shower drains. Campus construction follows the list of Standards for Accessible Design devised by the Department of Justice’s Americans with Disabilities Act. These standards guide building planning in order to make buildings accessible to all students, including those
During fall 2011, Joe Laresca ’15 and Matt Sniff ’15 launched CollegeCambio, an online marketplace designed by the then Yates-dwelling freshman hallmates exclusively for students at the College of William and Mary. Requiring an email.wm.edu address to join, the 2011 version of the site looked to expand to the original mission of Facebooklike status. Now, with its most recent re-launch, Laresca and Sniff increased the services provided by CollegeCambio beyond the original marketplace. “This year, it’s a full-fledged social network,” Laresca said. “[The site is] at a good place and close to being where we want it.” Originally, CollegeCambio served as an online marketplace where students could buy and sell used textbooks or dorm essentials as well as find and offer rides and other services students at the College may find necessary. However, the team wanted the See COLLEGECAMBIO page 3
Index News Insight News Opinions Variety Variety Sports
Today’s Weather 2 3 4 5 6 7
ABBY BOYLE / THE FLAT HAT
Construction was completed on the fraternity houses at the beginning of the 2013-2014 academic year.
with disabilities. To follow this code, the new fraternity house showers must drain outward into a drain placed length-wise at the outer edge
Inside OPINIONS
See CONSTRUCTION page 3
Inside VARIETY
Reform GERs
Compulsory survey courses have their place, but they shouldn’t extend past freshman year. page 4 Sunny High 59, Low 43
of each shower. The water from the shower curtain should drip directly into the drain,
Definitely not a drag
La Cage Aux Folles is a dynamic, moving production by William and Mary Theatre. page 6