The Flat Hat

Vol. 109, Iss. 2 | Tuesday, February 26, 2019

The Flat Hat The Weekly Student Newspaper

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of The College of William and Mary

WILLIAMSBURG

Triangle to close down

MPP shuts doors

Local bar closing due to owner’s poor health HEATHER BAIER FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

Feb. 20, the Triangle bar on Scotland street announced it would be permanently closing its doors Saturday, March 2 so that the staff can focus on owner Anna Krouse’s ’98, M.A. ’10 health. The bar was visited frequently by student groups at the College of William and Mary including Salsa Club and Lambda Alliance.

“A lot of it has to do with our owner’s health – our owner Anna,” General Manager Matthew Black said. “... Her health has not been great and it’s reached a point where it just makes sense to say goodbye and then concentrate on her health.”

“

Closed

For years the bar

has been a pillar of the William & Mary queer community

and I can’t believe that the Triangle is shutting its doors.

– Holden Mershon ’20 Plans to open the Triangle began in 2013, and the bar officially opened two years later in June 2015. Throughout the bar’s operation over the past four years, Black has been surprised by both the diversity of music performed on the Triangle’s stage and the unexpected demographics of Williamsburg residents that frequent the hotspot.

“We found we appealed to a different demographic then necessarily we were looking for,” Black said. “We didn’t think we would be as embraced by the College community, which was very exciting, and we also didn’t expect to See TRIANGLE page 3

GRAPHIC BY HEATHER BAIER / THE FLAT HAT

College suspends admission for accelerated Masters of Public Policy program EMMA FORD // FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR In the morning of Feb. 21, applicants to the College of William and Mary’s Accelerated Master of Public Policy program received an email informing them that the College had decided to suspend admission to the program for the 2019-2020 academic year. Admission to the regular track MPP program was suspended as well. Applications for the 2019 BA/MPP program had already been submitted prior to the Feb. 1 deadline when the email was sent.

The BA/MPP program allows for a small group of undergraduates to receive both a Bachelor of Arts and a master’s degree in public policy during a five-year frame, which allows students to recieve their graduate degree one year earlier. Students apply to the program during their junior year.

The email was sent by the director of the College’s public policy program John Gilmour, who informed applicants that the decision was made by Provost Michael Halleran and Dean of Arts and Sciences Kate Conley.

“We deeply appreciate your applying to the program,” Gilmour said in an email. “We received more applications for the BA/MPP this year than ever before, and had we been able to offer admission we would have had a robust, talented group of W&M undergrads in the MPP program.”

Gilmour explained that the decision to suspend admission to the program was because the applicant pool had been consistently smaller than expectations.

Gilmour said that the decision to suspend admission for next year did not mean that the program was disbanded and that the new Provost taking over in July could decide to open applications for a 2020 BA/MPP program.

“Several years ago, the decision was made to try to expand the MPP by adding a second track, an international development track in addition to a domestic policy track, and the hope in doing this was that we would be able

to substantially expand the class,” Gilmour said. “We were hoping to get 40 students a year, and it didn’t work. It’s plain as that.”

Gilmour went on to explain that a primary issue with the program is its struggle to successfully compete against similar programs at other colleges, making it more difficult to increase application numbers.

He also stated that one of the disadvantages is that the College is not near big cities like Washington D.C. According to Gilmour, the College is completely dedicated to assisting all students currently enrolled in the program to receive their degrees, and special arrangements will be made for all students unable to complete their degree beyond 2020.

Conley also confirmed that the final decision to suspend applications for a 2019 BA/MPP program was due to the lower See MPP page 3

CAMPUS

College community responds to recent discriminatory posters

Police, students react to antisemitic and anti-LGBTQIA+ posters found in academic buildings on campus GAVIN AQUIN FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR

Friday Feb. 22, letters were posted in academic buildings on the Sunken Garden and the Sadler Center at the College of William and Mary expressing homophobic, anti-Semitic and white-nationalist language. The identity of the individual who created the letters has not been revealed.

An illustration of a skull and crossbones was depicted on the letter, entitled a “Generation of Revenge.” The letter started by asking God to forgive men for their hedonist and sinful nature while simultaneously asking for revenge against Jewish and LGBTQIA+ communities.

Mary Grier ’22 first noticed the poster in

Index Profile News Opinions Variety Sports

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Tyler Hall while waiting for her first class of the day to start.

“It took me a couple of seconds to figure out what it was because honestly it looked a lot like any other normal flyer,” Grier said in a written statement. “...(sic) Just a bunch of text and an illustration.” Upon reading the text and the illustration it became clear to Grier that the message was not a normal academic letter.

“I didn’t quite understand what the references were at first, but the rest of the language was so aggressive that it spooked me regardless,” Grier said. “I picked up on the homophobic bits pretty fast because I’ve heard [“Sodomites”] before, and the rest of it read very similar to other white supremacist beliefs and doctrine I’ve heard about in the news [or] on tv, so it wasn’t very far to jump to get to that

conclusion.”

Grier ripped the poster down in response and took it to the William and Mary Police Department.

According to College Spokesperson Suzanne Clavet, WMPD responded to reports that the letter was posted in three places on campus: Earl Gregg Swem Library, Sadler Center and Tucker Hall. Clavet said that WMPD officers removed the letters as they violated campus policy. Personnel from Student Affairs assisted in their decision to take down the flyers.

“Campus policy requires that any poster or flyer carry the name of the sponsoring organization and the date (week) of posting,” Clavet said in a written statement. “At this point, we don’t know who is responsible for

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the flyers or the specific intent of the message on them. WMPD is aware of the flyers and at this time has found no criminal activity.”

In an official response to the poster, Vice President for Student Affairs Ginger Ambler affirmed the administration’s commitment to responding to student complaints regarding the posters.

“Late last week, members of the student affairs staff and the W&M Police Department (WMPD) responded to reports from several members of our community about concerning flyers posted on campus,” Ambler said in a written statement. “We take such reports from members of our community seriously. I am grateful to the WMPD who reached out immediately to staff in the affected buildings and met with them on site. The flyers in

question violated the university’s posting policies and they were promptly removed.

We are committed to responding right away to reports – formal or informal – regarding the safety of the W&M community.”

Rabbi Gershon Litt, director of the College’s Hillel program, denounced the letters as both hateful propaganda and a heinously incorrect usage of religion in an attempt to spread fear throughout the College community.

“Hate, judgment, and revenge are not characteristics of good, spiritual people,” Litt said in a written statement. “Likewise, organizations that cloak themselves as ‘religious’ or ‘for the good of society’ only See ANTISEMITISM page 4

Inside Variety

PIKA’s legacy leaves negative influence Olivia Koenig ’22 thinks PIKA’s problematic behavior exemplifies the worse aspects of Greek life, and thinks that William and Mary’s Greek life should strive to be better. page 5

Behind the Scenes

Our Lady of 121st Street brings diversity alongside an engaging storyline about a late nun whose past students return for her funeral, bringing up their past sins and flaws. page 7

newsinsight “

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

“

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, February 26, 2019 | Page 2

THE BUZZ

My young brothers and sisters, I encourage you, I implore you, to stand up at that crossroads moment ...

Never underestimate your voice, be heard, you can be those ripples, and together you will be that wave that will wash down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.

— Mike Curtin, the CEO of Washington D.C. nonprofit Central Kitchen, during his ten-minute TedEx talk Feb. 15 at the Sadler Center about overcoming oppression through collective action.

POLICE BEAT

Feb. 21 - Feb. 23

1

Thursday, Feb. 21 — Do not enter: David Crabtree was arrested for driving with a suspended or revoked licenses on Blk Richmond Rd.

2

Friday, Feb. 22 — Fast and the furious: Nicole Rene West was arrested on charges for reckless driving on Richmond Road.

3

Saturday, Feb. 23 — Cheesin’ the law: Fred Louis Cheesman was arrested on charges of a hit and run on Fox Hunt Trail.

4

Saturday, Feb. 23 — Family troubles: Anthony Thomas was arrested on charges of assult and battery on a family member on Merrimac Trail.

POLICE BEAT BY CHARLES COLEMAN / CHIEF STAFF WRITER

A THOUSAND WORDS

CORRECTIONS An article in the Feb. 12 issue, “Telling Her Story”, incorrectly stated that the “Narrating Herstory” exhibit ended May 18, 2019 when the exhibit will actually end May 12, 2019. Another article “Allison Olberding: Golfing as a woman in a male-dominated sport” incorrectly listed Susan Whaley as the President of the PGA of America. However, the correct name for the President of the PGA is Suzy Whaley. Another article, “Vigil honors gun victims”, attributed a quote to Jojo Di Scipio ’22. The correct spelling of her name is Jojo di Scipio. The article also stated that Students Demand Action will be holding a second March for Our Lives in Williamsburg on March 23. The group will actually be hosting a gun violence prevention rally on March 23.

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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Anee Nguyen ’19 discusses her travels throughout Europe as a student at St Andrews SARAH SMITH // FLAT HAT SENIOR STAFF WRITER

JAMIE HOLT / THE FLAT HAT

Maddie Douglas Business Manager Amelia Sandhovel Business Manager

Breezing through bucket lists For Anee Nguyen ’19, the College of William and Mary has become a home and a place she deeply loves. She’s only called the College a home for three semesters – for the rest of her college career, she’s studied at the University of St Andrews as a member of the joint degree programme. There, she traveled to 13 different countries in nine months, fulfilling a goal she strived to complete before her 21st birthday.

However, Williamsburg, Virginia has become a place she cherishes more than the various places she visited abroad, and she’ll be sad to leave when she graduates in May. “I just love William and Mary,” Nguyen said.

“I can’t even pinpoint anything because it’s so great to be surrounded by people who share similar interests and values, I love being able to walk everywhere, I love being so close to Colonial Williamsburg. … It’s so nice to have a real campus again, I love being able to sit down in Sadler or in Swem even and just take in that this is where I am, I am actually here, I haven’t been back in so long. It feels weird to be back in such a great way, coming home to something familiar.”

Nguyen initially didn’t anticipate applying to the College or the joint degree programme.

A tour of the campus and her mom’s insistence that she write an extra essay helped her solidify her decision. In the joint degree programme she is an English major, and she has a minor in education studies with a concentration in equity policy.

Nguyen dreams of becoming a teacher, an occupation that effectively integrates both her major and minor. She strives to become an English professor who publishes both academic works and children’s books. Both a middle school English teacher and a College course, Revolution and Romanticism, have influenced her along the way.

“I knew I wanted to be an English teacher because my seventh grade English class made me love English and teaching,” Nguyen said. “As I got older and since then, I’ve done a lot of teaching practice, I’ve had my own practice and worked as an assistant for K-12 [schools]. I love teaching, I love being with other people, and sharing this sense of learning and a love for English and a love for what makes you passionate. That’s the reason I want to be a professor … because I loved going in depth on one topic.”

After her freshman year, Nguyen participated in the College’s Washington Center’s D.C. Summer Institute program.

She took Assistant Vice President for Student Engagement and Leadership Drew Stelljes’s Leadership and Community Engagement Institute course, which opened her eyes to a different understanding of education.

“Professor Stelljes is just so good at teaching you how to learn more about yourself through reflection,” Nguyen said. “Talking to these people about their experiences, it wasn’t about trying to learn motivations, it was about human connection, which I had never really experienced before in an academic setting. It was helpful to understand myself and we all got really close. We were focused on learning about each other, learning how to interact with each other.”

On the other side of the ocean, Nguyen spent two years studying at St Andrews where she regularly hopped onto flights to other countries, lived in castle-like residence halls and attended fashion shows. She took study breaks walking down the local beach and said she became very close with other joint degree programme students. Then, on Instagram she saw another girl who had traveled to 21 countries by her 21st birthday, inspiring her to do the same.

Prior to realizing her goal, she had already visited the United States, Canada, France, Vietnam, England and Scotland. Then, she visited Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, Wales and the Vatican before her birthday.

“I loved traveling – the physical act of traveling,” Nguyen said. “Although I am not a big plane person anymore. I am a little bit averse to them because a lot of the flights I went on were discount flights so they were bumpier. …

Everywhere I went was so beautiful and I went in different seasons so I experienced the world at different times of the year. There’s tons of history. We tried to hit all of those big landmarks and I tried to take a lot of pictures to remember where I’ve been. It’s such a wild experience that I went to all of these places and I got to go with people that I barely knew. I feel so much closer to them. To experience different things, languages,

currencies and food, the experience of traveling brings you so much closer together.”

Despite the fun of cheap round-trip flights and fashion shows attended by the likes of Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, Nguyen said that being a part of the joint degree programme forces students to adapt to two very different settings. Because of this, Nguyen serves on the board of the WaMStA Student Partnership, a social partnership for students in the programme both at the College and at St Andrews. She helps facilitate other board members who help students within specific majors and advertise events on social media.

“When I first got into the programme, I was a little sad because I knew William and Mary was going to be my home and it still is,” Nguyen said. “So leaving was incredibly hard. My best friend in my life I made here on campus, it was hard leaving her and starting all over again at St Andrews. The first semester my second year was really tough, I had never been so far away from home and it was hard getting adjusted and working into a new headspace.”

But Nguyen eventually adjusted to the change, and now uses that process to help other students manage the same transition through the Student Partnership.

“Being able to adapt to both of them is a skill that I admire in the programme in people who did it faster than I did,” Nguyen said. “It’s cool to experience different types of learning, different styles of socializing, academics.”

Now that she’s back where she feels most at home, Nguyen is working to make the most of it before graduation. She said she’s enjoying being back with her best friend, exploring everywhere from Colonial Williamsburg to the Earl Gregg Swem Library and soaking in the campus in anticipation of how it might change in future years.

“There’s tons of things at William and Mary that I didn’t experience as a freshman,” Nguyen said. “I hope that I make the most of whatever is coming. Go to more events, go out more, meet more people and make those connections. [I want to make sure] that if I ever come back as an alum that there is a lot of connections here for me. There’s so much here that is going to change and that isn’t going to change.”

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 Opinions 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 / ANEE NGUYEN

Anee Nguyen ‘19 considers Williamsburg, VA her home despite having spent her sophomore and junior years abroad at the University of St Andrews.

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Page 3

POLICE

Officer discharges firearm at traffic stop Two of the College’s law students involved in shooting incident SARAH SMITH FLAT HAT SENIOR STAFF WRITER

During a Feb. 21 traffic stop involving two Marshall-Wythe School of Law students, a York CountyPoquoson Police Department deputy accidentally discharged his firearm, according to a press release from their police department.

The bullet hit the door of the vehicle but injured no one involved in the stop.

As a result, Law School Dean Davison Douglas and the College of William and Mary’s Student Affairs staff held a discussion Feb. 22 for law students who were frightened by the incident.

In the press releases later sent out by both the York County-Poquoson and the Williamsburg police departments, a York-Poquoson deputy attempted to stop a vehicle in the vicinity of Advance Auto Parts on Merrimac Trail for not using their headlights around 6:40 p.m.

There were two occupants inside the vehicle , which came to a stop at the entrance to Parkway Apartments, just over the boundary line that divides the City of Williamsburg and York County.

As the deputy approached the vehicle, he reported that the driver’s door of the vehicle swung open and in response, he discharged his firearm.

The bullet struck the ground, ricocheted and hit the lower portion of the driver’s open door.

An investigation is underway, but police have since determined that the discharge was accidental.

However, the deputy has been placed on administrative leave pending the conclusion of the investigation.

“Anything than a less than perfect response regarding an interaction between police and citizens is something that should be reviewed,” York CountyPoquoson Sheriff J.D. Diggs said in a press statement.

Diggs also emphasized how seriously the York County-Poquoson department was handling this investigation.

“This was an unfortunate accident with no malice or ill intent towards the occupants of the vehicle,” Diggs said.

“Thankfully no one was injured in this event. We understand how an accidental discharge like this can have an impact on the community and we would like to

express our sincerest apology to anyone who has been negatively impacted by this.”

Diggs also concluded that the deputy, whose name is being withheld by the department, was not aiming his firearm at either of the car’s occupants at the time it was discharged.

In a separate press release, Williamsburg Police Department officer John Heilman said that Williamsburg officers responded to a shots-fired call in the 400 block of Merrimac Trail.

Officers were then advised that the York-Poquoson deputy had accidentally discharged his firearm after initiating a traffic stop. Because the vehicle had crossed county lines, the Williamsburg Police Department will assist with the rest of the investigation.

Around 6 p.m. Feb. 22, Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration Sam Jones sent a campus-wide message to students regarding the traffic stop.

The press releases from the involved police departments came 19 hours after the firearm was discharged.

In his email, Jones said that he was writing to inform the College campus about the incident.

“

Anything than a less than perfect response regarding an interaction between police and cititizens is something that should be reviewed. This was an unfortunate accident with no malice or ill intent towards the occupants of the vehicle.

— York County-Poquoson Sherriff J.D. Diggs

It was this email that identified the vehicle’s occupants as students at the university’s law school.

“I write to inform you about a traffic stop Thursday night involving two of our law students and deputies from a neighboring jurisdiction,” Jones said in the email. “It’s important that you receive the facts as provided to us and also know that the university is providing our students with all available support and resources during what has been a very traumatic time.”

Jones also said that William and Mary Police Department officers had assisted in a discussion for law school students and faculty who were upset after learning about the incident.

College spokesperson Brian Whitson said that at this time, he was not sure what specifically was discussed at Friday’s session.

“I don’t have specific details about the discussion but we wanted to let the students know that the William & Mary community is here for them and to ensure they are aware of the resources available to them after what was a traumatic experience,” Whitson said in an email.

Master of Public Policy applications suspended Applicant pool consistently failed to meet program admission expectations MPP from page 1

application pools in the past couple years.

“We started out with a very competitive Master of Public Policy Program,” Conley said. “We’re all very proud of that. It became increasingly difficult to recruit students as more and more programs were created. At least nine competitive programs have appeared on the market since we started our MPP program.”

Conley also said that because the College stresses in-person teaching and personal contact between students and faculty members, as well as quality interactions during class time, that it became infeasible to compete against programs offering online or night classes.

“We were basically offering the same quality of teaching at our Master Program level that we do for the undergraduate,” Conley said. “I do want to emphasize that we have a very successful undergraduate program in public policy, and I’m excited by the fact that we are going to put all of our focus and intention in public policy on our undergraduate students, who are certainly deserving of our attention.”

Conley stated that the Dean of Arts and Sciences office is responding to applicants needs on a case-by-case basis, depending on the student’s personal situation.

“I have always been proud of this program,” Conley said. “I believe that it has always been of high quality. I don’t believe that any decline in application has to do with the quality of the program. I think it has to do with the competition that entered the market after we

started our program. In a way, we’re a victim of our own success. We were so successful that other universities copied our program, and the market made it such that it was hard for us to continue to compete.”

“

I have always been proud of this program. I believe that it has always been of high quality. I don’t believe that any decline in application has to do with the quality of the program. I think it has to do with the competition that entered the market after we started our program.

— Dean of the faculty of Arts and

Sciences Kate Conley

In a written statement, Halleran reiterated that the program was not being disbanded and

that the College was only suspending admission to both the accelerated BA/MPP and regular MPP program.

He also said that closing the program would require approval from the Board of Visitors, and if such a decision were to be reached, it would not occur during this academic year.

Many students applying to the BA/MPP program expressed sadness that admission was being suspended.

Olivia Yang ’20 applied to the program earlier this month. Davis stated that although she understands why the decision to suspend admission came after the deadline, she wishes the College had decided to make the announcement prior to the deadline date.

Yang also explained that before applying, students are to begin conducting preliminary work for a summer research program that takes place alongside the program and that many applicants spend a lot of time setting up their individual research programs.

Although Yang plans to still conduct her summer research project, she explained that the suspension could affect applicants’ summer plans regarding setting up internships.

“You essentially have to figure out your summer plans in their entirety because what you do over summer is meant to kind of fast-track you into higher graduate work,” Yang said. “As a result, you have to start planning a policy-relevant summer right then and so this has massively thrown off, I’m sure, plenty of people’s summer plans.”

She also explained that in hopes to be admitted to the program, she often had to bulk

up her semesters with upwards of 16 to 17 credits and arranged her entire undergraduate career in order to apply to the BA/MPP program.

“I had this moment of, oh gosh, as I realized that the entirety of my undergraduate, academic planning should have been different.” Yang said.

“It’s hard to find out that six semesters in, you made a big mistake … I would have probably eased off on the course load, I accelerated my course load to keep up with this program and be able to accomplish it … that might have led to improved grades.”

Victoria Heller ’20 also applied to the BA/MPP program and said that she was thankful that she had not followed some of the advice given to her in order to apply to the program.

Heller was told to take a bureaucracy class for her major requirement during the MPP program, a class only offered during the College’s spring term.

However, Heller decided to take the class this semester rather than during the program.

If Heller had not taken the class, she would be unable to graduate until the spring of next year.

“Thankfully, I didn’t listen to the professor who told me to do that because she was saying I should do that from the perspective of the MPP program,” Heller said.

Heller also said that some of her friends who had applied to the program are now facing delayed graduation dates as a result of the suspension.

“I spent a lot of time on my application,” Heller said. “I know everyone else did too. So it feels like it was not well handled.”

Triangle bar closes its doors to community after owner becomes sick Well-known Scotland Street venue will close March 2 following four years of business, hosting local events TRIANGLE from page 1

be embraced by the retiree community as well,” Black said.

“Our goal was that middle bit, and it ended up being two polar opposites – something for everyone.”

Spending long evenings at Steal the Glass night, as well as LGBTQIA+ and Salsa nights, many students at the College make the Triangle a regular part of their evenings out.

Lambda Alliance member Holden Mershon ’20 said the bar has served as a safe space for queer members of the College community and that the bar’s closing is deeply saddening to him and other queer students.

“I am so saddened and heartbroken to hear that the Triangle will be closing,” Mershon said in a written statement. “For years the bar has been a pillar of the William & Mary queer community and I can’t believe that the Triangle is shutting its doors.

The Triangle has served as a friendly gathering point for the community where we were free to express ourselves and meet others without fear or judgement.”

Mershon made many of his friends at the Triangle and often used the bar as a gathering space to catchup with both old and new friends.

“I have gone to the Triangle almost every Thursday night since spring semester freshman year, and the event quickly became my weekly highlight where I bonded with friends old and new while having the time of our lives,” Mershon said.

According to Mershon, one of his favorite memories at the Triangle invovled him experiencing a clothing malfunction on the dance floor. Mershon also recalled some other fond memories he shared with friends at the Triangle.

“I’ll never forget the time when I made a giant foot-long rip in

my jeans on the dance floor, but no one decided to tell me until after we were at Wawa,” Mershon said. “Or, the time the DJs didn’t show up but me and my pals were still able to make the night our own and hung out in the Triangle by ourselves. While I hope we can find a replacement for the Triangle, I will always cherish the memories and friends I made at the bar and the Triangle will always hold a special place in my heart.”

In addition to its LGBTQIA, Karaoke and swing nights, the Triangle is also known for hosting regular salsa nights every month.

Salsa Club social chair Sheila Hill ’20 said the salsa nights have been a great way for members to get to know each other and meet fellow salsa lovers within the Williamsburg community.

“It was really good for introducing new people to salsa because even if you didn’t come to club you could always go to Salsa Night,” Hill said. “It was also really good for club members to get a chance to interact with the outside community that liked salsa.”

Hill said she and other Salsa Club members will miss the regular opportunity to dance at a bar within walking distance of the College.

“I’m very sad obviously because salsa night is very new; salsa club itself is pretty new, so we were always in support of any sort of local salsa events especially ones we can participate in,” Hill said.

“It was super student friendly and within walking distance, and that’s the first time we’ve had something within walking distance.”

After serving a wide variety of community members around Williamsburg and hosting a myriad of theme nights, one of Black’s favorite past Triangle events was an eight-year-old’s birthday party.

Although Black found the request unusual at first, he was excited with how the event turned out.

“We had a mother reach out about us about hosting her eight-

year-old’s birthday party, which we weren’t sure what to do with it but they enjoyed that we had a stage and the girls wanted to have it at Triangle,” Black said. “So we did a build your own slider bar, they had a choreographer come in and teach them a dance and then the girls danced on the stage, and their parents clapped, and everyone had a fun that was a genuinely sweet moment.”

The Triangle will continue to give back to the community in its final weeks of operation by donating some of its proceeds to a local charity.

“We’re hoping to work with a charity of the last two weeks,” Black said. “Selling off some of our craft beer that we have from Virginia.”

JAMIE HOLT / THE FLAT HAT

The Triangle bar and music venue announced its closure due to its owner’s health.

Page 4

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, February 26, 2019

POLICE

Former professor arrested for seventh time David Dessler scheduled to appear in Feb. 26 county court hearing SARAH SMITH FLAT HAT SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Former College of William and Mary government professor David Dessler was arrested for the seventh time Feb. 18 and is currently being held at the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail on charges of community-based program violation, which could include violating a prohbation agreement.

His hearing for those charges, as well as for two older charges, is scheduled for Feb. 26 at the Williamsburg-James City County Courthouse.

College spokesperson Suzanne Clavet declined to comment on Dessler’s most recent arrest.

This is the second time Dessler has been arrested since settling his lawsuit against the College in April 2018. He was arrested Aug. 16, 2018 on a charge of “failure to be of good behavior” in emails he sent to the College Aug. 13-15. These emails were framed as a violation of his probation agreement in which he agreed to be a good citizen, meet with his probation officer and maintain recommendations from a mental health care provider.

After spending two weeks in jail, the judge determined that no crime had been committed. This arrest will be wiped from his record May 29, 2019.

Following his release, Dessler agreed to see a probation officer once a month until May 29, 2019, when the deferred case will finally be heard.

This probation agreement led to his Feb. 18, 2019 arrest, for which Colonial Community Corrections issued a capias warrant, a warrant ensuring his appearence in court, describing Dessler’s violation of a community-based program. It remains unclear what emails — or other actions — prompted this arrest.

Background In October 2015, Dessler was placed on administrative leave after sending students in his government courses a series of cryptic emails. These emails detailed his experiences with mental illness as well as his plans for a student mental health initiative that he planned to launch. Both courses — Introduction to International Politics and Theories of the International System — were later assigned to other professors. Between February 2016 and January 2017, he was arrested on four charges of harassment by computer and one charge of failure to appear in court after allegedly sending emails that were “vulgar and obscene” to College officials. After spending 77 days in jail, four out of five of the charges were dropped.

After the charges were dropped, Dessler intended to rejoin the College’s faculty. He was, however, placed on “inactive” status Aug. 9, 2016. He then resigned after a 32-year tenure June 18, 2017. Approximately six months later, he filed a lawsuit against the College alleging that the school had violated his First Amendment right to free speech, declined to grant due process protections associated with termination and failed to provide reasonable accommodation for a disclosed mental disability.

April 23, 2018 — before the first scheduled court date for the lawsuit — Dessler reached a settlement with the College. The suit was dismissed with prejudice, meaning that he is barred from bringing his case against the College to the court again. The settlement states that Dessler releases the university and the Commonwealth of Virginia from all liabilities, claims, actions, demands, damages and costs of “every nature.” The College does also not admit any wrongdoing in the settlement.

“This matter has been a (sic) long, complex and draining,” Clavet said in

a press statement at the time. “The university has acted appropriately and compassionately from the beginning with Dr. Dessler. … Taking this matter to trial would have entailed significant emotional costs for our employees as well as financial costs for the university. It was time for closure.”

Contact with the College Dessler’s right to communicate with College officials has long been debated. Prior to the settlement of his case, Dessler was banned from campus and from communicating with individuals at the College except for those connected to his case, including former Chief Human Resources Officer John Poma and former University Counsel Deb Love. Again, the language of the settlement includes no reference to Dessler’s rights to contact College officials.

In November 2018, Clavet notified The Flat Hat that Dessler had violated the settlement agreement and had “disrupted university operations” through emails he sent to members of the campus community. At the time, Dessler was alerted through the College’s legal counsel that emails he sent to university-managed email accounts would be blocked.

One of Dessler’s initial charges, harassment by computer, was deferred to May 2019, meaning that a judge will not make a determination on that charge until May of this year. At the time he was released from jail in 2017, he was placed under probation with Colonial Community Corrections. In August 2018, he was arrested for violating a community-based program — meaning the probation agreement he had signed with Colonial Community Corrections.

Dessler’s Feb. 26, 2019 hearing will take place at 9:31 a.m. at the Williamsburg-James City General District Courthouse.

STUDENT LIFE

Counseling Center brings pet therapy initiative to campus

New therapy program offers dog ‘office hours’ for College students AVERILL MEININGER FLAT HAT CHIEF STAFF WRITER

The week of Feb. 18, the McLeod Tyler Wellness Center introduced a new initiative, pet therapy, starring a trained therapy dog named Stella. Stella and her owner and handler Dr. Mark Sullivan will meet up to three students at a time during Stella’s “office hours” Wednesdays and Fridays in the Counseling Center.

Stella has been a favorite canine visitor during past finals seasons, appearing as a guest on the first floor of the Earl Gregg Swem Library alongside other dogs as a way to take a break from studying.

Sullivan said that he believes pet therapy can have an important impact on students.

“I remember what it was like to be a student, even though it was the Dark Ages, and if they had this when I was going through school, I definitely would have taken advantage of it,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan became Stella’s owner after his elderly neighbor moved into an assisted living home. After years of treating animals as a veterinarian, Sullivan was immediately confident that Stella’s temperament was like nothing he had seen before and that she would make an excellent therapeutic resource.

“I think she was born to do this,” Sullivan said.

After realizing Stella’s talents, Sullivan initiated the process of registering her as a therapy dog with Pet Partners, an accredited therapy animal program.

Sullivan noted the lengthy training that he and Stella had to go through before they were eligible to

participate in pet therapy sessions.

“We had to go through basic obedience and get a ‘good citizenship certificate,’ and then you have to pass a test of some fairly hard things, like how she responds to medical situations,” Sullivan said. “So, how she reacts to wheelchairs or maybe a bed pan crashing to the floor, how she does with other dogs or when people are yelling. Mainly she just has to have the temperament that is easy going.”

When Stella isn’t spending time with students at the College of William and Mary, she also visits the Williamsburg Regional Public Library and interacts with young readers there as a welcome surprise.

According to Sullivan, he and Stella are both enthusiastic about their new pet therapy appointments in the Counseling Center.

After hearing many students express a wish for an animal connection, Sullivan approached an old client from his veterinary clinic who also works at the Counseling Center. He asked if there was another way besides library visits that Stella could support students.

“I went to the Counseling Center and saw a client of mine, I was surprised to see her there, and I asked if this was something anyone would be interested in,” Sullivan said.

Soon after, Stella was welcomed onto the staff.

Students at the College have expressed excitement over the new program. Haein Jo ’19 was eager to schedule an appointment with Stella when she learned about the new initiative. She said that pet

Antisemitic posters hung around College Police search for author of discriminatory postings ANTISEMITISM from page 1

want to bring others down due to their own lack of purpose. Lovers and pursuers of peace are people who accept others and empower others, but the authors of this hate speech pursue division and hatred.”

Litt went on to say that the letter does not accurately reflect the viewpoints of spiritual people.

“The authors of this do not represent the American dream, they are not people of spirituality, and dare they even mention G-d in the same breath of their spewed repulsive words, they certainly are not ‘G-dly’ people,” Litt said. “These words of hate and intolerance have no place on our campus.

We, as a community, should fight this propaganda with weapons of acceptance, love, and unity. Hillel strongly condemns this hate speech and everything it represents. May our community come together under the umbrella of unity against hate.”

Jewish students became alarmed after reading the letters. Naomi Gale ’22 expressed fear about knowing that there was an individual or individuals on campus with such violent views.

“I was quite scared knowing that there could be someone here that wants me dead because of my religion,” Gale said in a written statement. “Of course, I’m aware of growing anti-Semitism on college campuses but it still really shocked me to hear about this happening at William and Mary. While I still feel safer here than a lot of my Jewish friends at other college campuses, the posters were a reality check at the same time.”

Anna Platt ’22 noticed the letters while attending class in Tucker Hall.

“I saw a police officer in Tucker looking for the posters, and a professor spoke to me and said he wouldn’t leave campus that night until they were all down and WMPD had started a

full-on investigation,” Platt said.

Many members of the College’s political organizations came out together in support of the marginalized communities targeted by the unknown perpetrator.

“We at the College Republicans of the College of William & Mary would like to denounce the hateful message which has been promulgated by this poster,” College Republicans President Tom Callahan ’21 said in a written statement. “We firmly condemn hatred of any group regardless of class, sexual orientation, religion, race, political ideology or gender. We hope that the William & Mary community will come together in denouncing this vile rhetoric and promote a community of healthy respect.”

The Young Democratic Socialists also condemned the letter and referred to it as fascist. They also called for the WMPD to respond to the threats.

“The Young Democratic Socialists of America at William & Mary are deeply alarmed by the fascist posters which have been distributed throughout campus, calling for violence against Jewish and LGBTQ+ people,” Faisal Alami ’20 said in a written statement. “The administration and the WMPD must respond to these threats against marginalized groups by taking swift action. Their ongoing silence is troubling; far-right extremists are far and away the biggest threat to public safety in the United States. If the administration and the WMPD do not respond immediately, they may be endangering the lives of our marginalized students. The YDSA will continue to stand in defense and solidarity with marginalized groups against the threats of the far-right. We will not be intimidated by the fascists who produced and distributed those hateful flyers.”

WMPD and the administration are currently investigating the identity of the individual or individuals who posted the letter.

therapy would complement the Wellness Center’s other offerings designed to bolster student health.

“I heard about the pet therapy from Student Happenings ... and I’m also part of a meditation workshop that they have in the Wellness Center, so I was so very excited,” Jo said.

In addition to expressing her eagerness to meet Stella, Jo explained how meaningful and restorative animal connection can be for people.

“I’ve done a lot of human, de-human therapy before, but I feel like the best thing that I could get from this pet therapy is being able to hold on to something and just the physical comfort that you get from being

around a pet who’s not going to judge you,” Jo said.

Jessica Cahn ’22 said that this therapy would be a comfort to her while missing her own pet.

“I always miss my dog back home so much, so I think that it’s such a great alternative to be able to make an appointment just to spend time petting a dog,” Cahn said. “I’m actually so excited to try this out.”

Sullivan said he hopes students will utilize this time to relax and take care of themselves.

“There’s just something about petting a dog … and she loves it too, this is her favorite thing to do,” Sullivan said.

opinions

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

The Flat Hat

STAFF COLUMN

Diffusion of misinformation about essential oils potentially dangerous symptoms? Who knew that peppermint oil on the bottoms of the feet regulates fever? Certainly science didn’t know, because none of these FLAT HAT ONLINE EDITOR claims are substantiated. Even on doTerra’s website, the properties of their oils come with a heavy asterisk saying that none of the claims Recently, the College of William and Mary’s McLeod Tyler Wellness they make are supported by the FDA. During the class, the presenter Center offered a class on essential oils. If you haven’t heard of them promoted one of doTerra’s proprietary oil blends, called “OnGuard.” before, essential oils are concentrated aromatic compounds from plants, DoTerra’s description of this blend, heaving with dotted with asterisks, which are often used as a form of aromatherapy. I went into the class with touts it as “immune-boosting” and “cleansing.” They say to take it in pill an open mind, but I have some major concerns that I just can’t shake. form for an immune boost. I say, maybe consider taking actual medicine Simply put, the claims surrounding essential oils are out of control. instead. This is not to disparage the people who attended the essential Research supports the use of essential oils in managing anxiety, oils workshop. There are legitimate uses for essential oils, and and if the claims stopped there, it would be perfectly fine.

I hope that everyone who attended the workshop with However, the claims regarding essential oils’ potential me has found these oils to be helpful in one way do not stop there nor anywhere in the ballpark. In or another. However, I am deeply uncomfortable fact, if you believed what some people said online with this oily gray area: the area in which claims about essential oils, you’d think they were a panacea. are not quite true, not quite untrue and profoundly Naturopaths attribute all sorts of properties to essential misleading. Maybe some people will stick to the oils, everything from preventing the flu to treating aromatic properties of these oils or use them in chronic illnesses such as cystic fibrosis. They say conjunction with modern medicine. Unfortunately, that a few drops of peppermint oil can bring down it is inevitable that someone will take these a fever, that frankincense oil can reduce cancerous claims to the extreme, using essential oils to inflammation or that orange oil can prevent replace legitimate medicine. When we allow arthritis. None of these statements are even remotely pseudoscience to flourish and faulty claims to true. remain unchecked, we are partially responsible for Unfortunately, these claims reared their ugly these harmful consequences. heads in the class at the Wellness Center.

Frankly, the Wellness Center can do better.

The presentation largely focused on Through this class, they are promoting oils made by doTerra, a multithe lie that a $45 bottle of oil can make level marketing company that all of your illnesses disappear. They produces essential oils and are encouraging students to buy oil blends. Leaving their oils from a predatory multipredatory business model level marketing company, one aside, doTerra often makes that faced legal trouble in the outrageous claims about past. They are furthering the their overpriced oils. dangerous idea that you can In 2014, the Food and replace modern medicine Drug Administration with plant oils and face no issued doTerra a further consequences. formal reprimand, This needs to stop. So, citing overblown claims the next time you put oils about the efficacy of their in your diffuser, pause and products. They now sell think. Are you doing it over 150 products, only because you like the smell, a few of which were on or because you expect health display during the class. benefits, most of which are not Although the presentation at all supported by the scientific started off with the aromatic community? In essence, whenever LI properties of essential oils, we you use essential oils, take them with N MC CLA quickly transitioned to their topical a grain of salt.

IN /T HE FLA and internal uses. Or that a mix of oils Email Claire Hogan at T HAT taken in a veggie capsule can prevent flu cahogan@email.wm.edu.

Claire Hogan

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GUEST COLUMN

College theater provides personalization opportunities Harper Tang

FLAT HAT GUEST WRITER

Musicals are a big cultural story in the United States. They fit music, choreography, acting and societal trends neatly into one volume. Complicated and often inflammatory, Broadway musicals were born in New York City, the most fractious city in the world, and have been brought to every corner of this country and the world via a vast narrative of communications and the media.

The Broadway musical is certainly a predominant art form, but it is not the only one. Each production of a musical is an art form itself, and if it can evoke a strong emotion out of its audience, any production can be called a Broadway-level show. Here at the College of William and Mary, the official theater program as well as the student-run theatre community Sinfonicron Light Opera Company bring these sing-able moments to the College and perform them to local audiences. Musicals here have something unique.

Not only do we still have a very youthful perspective of the world, which can help us understand the plight of characters especially if they are younger, but also, by removing shows from their initial context, we shape the production, its design and its concept in our own way, building a stronger attachment to the College’s community.

That is how the production process is meant to be.

The set design of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” for example, which could have been the typical yellow and black type of tone, was made very specifically patriotic and fun. “We went a very direction with our costume design because we had these audience spellers that were turned into characters. But also, this was a production initially made in 2006.

At that time, climate was different. So, as modern listeners to this, our show needs to keep abreast of the times,” Cassandra

Wiltse ’22, who played Abigail Grossman audience speller, said. “For example, Schwartzy’s character is very much embodied the LGBT youths. She had a very fashion forward design in our version.”

One thing Wiltse and many other audiences noticed in “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” was that when actors switched characters, there was not an efficient way of distinguishing them from their original character. For example, when Leaf Coneybear became one of Schwartzy’s fathers, many could not quickly realize the actor was already playing someone else. In some other productions, dual roles like Leaf Coneybear are given a distinctive prop that is just for performing that specific character.

Tricks such as having a useful prop could have helped the setting.

Here at the College of William and Mary, the official theater program as well as the student-run theatre community Sinfonicron Light Opera Company bring these singable moments to the College and perform them to local audiences.

One of the greatest things about the College’s musical productions is that they have a diversity in the types of shows they produces and involve different students who are from different walks of life.

Sumie Yotsukura ’22, who is planning to declare a theater major and is an actress at Sinfonicron Light Opera Company, disclosed the name of an upcoming production “Yellow Face,” which will be performed during 2020-21 season. The play was originally written by David Henry Huang, the most prominent Asian American playwright, and it was written shortly after the casting controversy of “Madama Butterfly” due to the casting of a white actor in an Asian role.

“I really want to do this because it’s really important to have more stories on stage of Asian Americans,” Yotsukura said. “The progression of Asian American representation on stage has been a lot slower going. There haven’t been just as many in the mainstream, and we should see more these repertoires performed in theaters across the country, not just the occasional ones that happen in big cities like New York or [Washington] D.C. But I’m happy to see that changes starting to come.”

Since last year, the Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall has been unavailable for use in productions due to its construction.

As a result, productions are now taking place at the Kimball Theater located in Colonial Williamsburg. Working with the Kimball Theater gives actors more opportunities to see fellow Williamsburg people, and it requires a lot of ingenuity to work with the smaller space that they are given. However, actors and students like Wiltse still anticipate PBK’s comeback.

“When PBK is ready, we are going to be ushering a new age,” Wiltse said. “It’s out with the olden, in with the new but still keeping that traditional life. The College of William and Mary is all about tradition.”

Email Harper Tang at ytang06@email.wm.edu.

| February 26, 2019 | Page 5

STAFF COLUMN

Pika’s behavior exposes flaws within Greek Life community Olivia Koenig

FLAT HAT SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

Brotherhood, sisterhood, acceptance, community and belonging. These flashy words, often vocalized by conventionally attractive and well-dressed students, aim to convince teenagers and young adults to join a Greek organization, a membership to last a lifetime. However, participating in Fraternity and Sorority Life at The College of William and Mary has granted me lifelong friendships and a friendly, accepting community hundreds of miles from home.

Although I was unsure of the benefits of joining Fraternity and Sorority Life before my freshman year, having heard many of the highly publicized stories of chapters across the nation guilty of hazing and sexual misconduct, I have deeply enjoyed my time as a member of an organization that promotes scholarship, women’s empowerment and love for the community. Unfortunately, not every member of our campus has the same experience when they choose to join Fraternity and Sorority Life. Especially in the past few years, individual chapters have tarnished the reputation of the College’s Fraternity and Sorority Life due to irresponsibility and an ignorance of the ramifications of their members’ actions.

Intimidation and any verbal or physical action that causes an individual to feel out of place or unwelcomed in an organization should never be tolerated. My hope is that other Fraternity and Sorority Life chapters on campus will take this as a learning opportunity to remind every member of every chapter of the original values of such a community: inclusion, mutual respect, community and philanthropic engagement.

The Gamma chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity at the College has proven itself to be yet another cliched representation of entitlement and ignorance with the recent loss of its charter due to ‘violations of international standards’. As the second oldest chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha (PIKA) in the nation, the harsh punishment imposed on the Gamma chapter shows that age, in the case of Fraternity and Sorority Life, is seldom an accurate predictor of maturity. Although Pi Kappa Alpha officials were vague in describing what caused such a drastic decision, the rare occurrence of a chapter’s charter being revoked shows that the significance of this decision cannot be understated. While there are individual members of the now disbanded chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha at the College, this punishment came as a result of the group’s culture. In any organization, the actions of few can and will have ramifications for the entire group. This is why the importance of education on issues like sexual assault, respect for all members and responsibility should continue to be emphasized by Interfraternity Council at the College and at universities elsewhere.

Moving forward, the College’s administration owes transparency to all students, but especially to members of Fraternity and Sorority Life. The safety, well-being and contentment of the student body should never come at the expense of one organization. All organizations, especially sororities and fraternities, must be held to a higher standard.

Intimidation and any verbal or physical action that causes an individual to feel out of place or unwelcomed in an organization should never be tolerated. My hope is that other Fraternity and Sorority Life chapters on campus will take this as a learning opportunity to remind every member of every chapter of the original values of such a community: inclusion, mutual respect, community and philanthropic engagement.

Email Olivia Koenig at ojkoenig@email.wm.edu.

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Page 6

STAFF COLUMN

STAFF COLUMN

Ever-expanding primary field danger to Democrats

That’s the tea: Swemromas offers calm, enjoyable space for students

Ethan Brown

Lauren Cohen

FLAT HAT OPINIONS ASSOC. EDITOR

FLAT HAT MANAGING EDITOR

Imagine walking into your place of employment one Tuesday morning and telling your boss that you intend to quit in exactly 342 days. After providing an exceedingly advanced version of a two-week notice, the professional fallout would be severe. What employer, in their right mind, would willingly continue shelling out paycheck after paycheck to someone who’s already meticulously planning for something just shy of a year away?

The Iowa caucus is currently scheduled to take place Feb. 3, 2020. As college students, this date seems incredibly distant, provided that we’ll have completed two more semesters of coursework before 2020 even materializes on the horizon. I can hardly focus on the three midterms I have this week, much less conceptualize the coursework that awaits me in autumn.

Remember the time that an overwhelmingly large field resulted in the nomination of the most bombastic, obnoxious contender available, and how a sizable candidate pool led to victory for the person who merely performed best at exploiting his party’s fragmentation and emitting cringeworthy media sound bites?

Clearly, contenders for the 2020 Democratic nomination are not beholden to this mindset. Eight major candidates have announced their campaigns in the past several months, with an additional two potential contestants pursuing exploratory committees. Presuming these two individuals (U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Mayor of South Bend, Indiana Pete Buttigieg) officially declare their candidacies within the next few weeks, there is a very real possibility that the Democratic primary field will be in the double digits months before the first vote is ever cast. As a novice political observer, take my opinions with a grain of salt, but I predict the seemingly exponential growth of the Democratic Party’s nominating crop will lead to disaster in 2020.

Naysayers will counter by arguing that a plethora of candidates will bring diversity, dialogue and much-needed introspection into the nominating process. To these optimists, I recommend looking back three years ago to the 2016 Republican primaries. Remember the time that an overwhelmingly large field resulted in the nomination of the most bombastic, obnoxious contender available and how a sizable candidate pool led to victory for the person who merely performed best at exploiting his party’s fragmentation and emitting cringeworthy media sound bites? I sure do, and I’m not remotely interested in the Democratic Party falling down that rabbit hole four years later.

Yes, there are some candidates that I’m thoroughly excited to see running this early on and that have garnered attention from students at the College of William and Mary. California Senator Kamala Harris, despite her murky past on criminal justice, is an outspoken advocate for progressive causes ranging from LGBTQ rights to education. Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota is a beacon of hope in the Midwest, a region that abandoned the party in the last presidential election. And even though I don’t intend on voting for him, I’m even a little excited for ‘Mayor Pete’ and the youthful enthusiasm he espouses.

But I look at Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and see two has-beens who would have been much, much stronger candidates in 2016. After Sanders lost 2016’s primary and Warren refused to enter the contest entirely, I don’t see their candidacies as constructive in the slightest. Sanders’ candidacy especially frustrates me; he doesn’t even characterize himself as a Democrat, yet somehow feels entitled to barrel his way into yet another Democratic primary at the expense of those actually committed to the party’s future.

Perhaps I’ll look back in January 2021 during the inauguration of our first democratic socialist president and eat my words. But right now, the ever-growing primary field makes it difficult to picture anything besides a second term for President Donald Trump. We should all approach that outcome with trepidation and strive to prevent it at all costs, even if it means settling for a candidate we aren’t infatuated with.

Email Ethan Brown at ewbrown@email.wm.edu.

alluring — you can rarely stroll in without seeing a friendly face.

If you’re a regular like me, it can even be the face of one of the fearless baristas. Since so many students at the College rely on a Swemromas drink or snack to get them through busy school days and long weekend study sessions, you’re bound to see someone you know. If not, you’re still sure to be met with a kind greeting or meaningful smile from at least one of the welcoming students at this school, especially those who are overjoyed to finally have their iced vanilla latte.

However, like many things that come with going to a small liberal arts college, this can be a blessing and a curse. Sometimes seeing an old freshman hallmate or your lab partner from last semester in the line for coffee can make your day. Other times, you may just want to blend in with the surroundings and pretend you (and your three midterms) don’t exist. Whether you’re as chatty as I am or would rather lay low, a visit to Swemromas will spice up your day whether you like it or not.

Something I love about Swemromas is that the baristas always have a bopping playlist playing as the

As an avid tea drinker, I spend copious amounts of time and dining dollars in Swemromas, the coffee shop located within our very own Earl Gregg Swem Library. This year especially, when my tea addiction truly blossomed, I started to find myself in Swemromas on a daily basis. This caused my realization that Swemromas is hands down the most interesting place on this campus for a variety of reasons.

Sitting in Swemromas for even just 10 minutes can tell you a lot about the juicy lives of students here at the College of William and Mary — and boy, are they juicy! Now, I’m not saying that you should eavesdrop on other people’s conversations on purpose, as I think we all know that’s not polite. However, with tables just so close together, it’s almost impossible not to hear a snippet here and there. On days where I have a long, boring reading to get through before class, it’s hard not to let my brain wander away with the constant hustle and bustle that is Swemromas.

Home to countless first dates, rant sessions, job interviews, breakups, group projects, study breaks and more, Swemromas is the hottest social scene on campus. Whether you’re catching up with a friend over coffee or meeting up with someone GRAPHIC BY DAVID SOLINSKY AND from Tinder, Swemromas is the place soundtrack HEADSHOTS BY KAYLA PAYNE / THE FLAT HAT to do it. Long story short, I am not the to your studying. Just only one spilling the tea (literally and figuratively) in our beloved the other day, they had the ladies of the eighties inspiring me local coffee shop. to finish studying for an exam. During finals last semester, they One instance comes to mind when a friend and I were loyally played Ariana Grande’s entire “Sweetener” album. It’s diligently trying to write our respective papers, but could hardly almost like they knew it was my favorite. So next time you stop focus with the first date happening at a table six inches away from by for a quick caffeine pick-me-up, I suggest you pop out those ours. Exchanging texts on our laptops, we gushed about how cute AirPods and let those coffee-grinding DJs work their magic. the couple would be, and how we hoped it would work out. Don’t Swemromas is just such a versatile place, with the potential for you just love love? Months later, I am happy to report that we still so many beginnings and endings. So even if you’re just popping in see this couple around campus. for a coffee — or in my case a steaming cup of Kyoto Cherry Rose Next time you’re stressing and happen to find yourself in green tea with honey — let yourself get caught up in the buzz for Swemromas, take a look around for a reminder that there’s a lot a minute or two, you won’t regret it. more to life than that midterm you’re cramming for.

Email Lauren Cohen at This leads me to another reason why Swemromas is so lhcohen01@email.wm.edu.

ASK A TWAMP

Q: Who were all those middle schoolers on campus this weekend? What is WMIDMUN? A: You may have been wondering why all those middle schoolers were here this weekend, and the answer is simple: Model United Nations. Model United Nations is a committee-based simulation where participants visit and assume roles in their respective committees. The College of William and Mary’s Middle School Model United Nations Conference, more commonly known as WMIDMUN, was hosted this past weekend Feb. 22-24 from Friday to Sunday.

Every year, the middle schoolers participate in three different categories of committees. First, there are general assemblies.

These are the largest committees, usually having over a hundred delegates, and they simulate some of the more realistic United Nations Committees.

Examples include the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development and the Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Committee. These are largely based around formal debate and positions in these committees are generally country-based (member nations of the UN). Second, there are the Regional Assemblies and Specialized Agencies. These are usually smaller committees, 20 to 50 delegates, and are more geared to specific organizations that are not all necessarily associated with the United Nations. Some examples of these include the International Labor Organization and the United Nations Women committee. The positions in these committees are largely country-based. Lastly, we have the crisis committees. These are generally much more random as far as topics go, and have anywhere from 12 to 20 delegates in committee. Topics could be fictional or real, and could simulate the past, present, or future. Examples of committees we had at WMIDMUN were the Mount Olympus Council, where delegates played as Greek gods, the Siege of Yorktown, where delegates played as persons at the Battle of Yorktown and the Soviet Security Council of 1979, where delegates played as members of a Soviet Council.

WMIDMUN specifically is an educational conference run

by the International Relations Club at the College. We do not give out awards to emphasize the educational aspect of the conference. WMIDMUN draws in nearly 1,000 middle schoolers from all along the East Coast. This year, we had roughly 850 middle school delegates come to WMIDMUN, accompanied by nearly 90 sponsors and chaperones.

We were lucky enough to have 120 amazing students at the College staffing the conference, ensuring that the middle schoolers were safe and looked after. Their roles ranged anywhere from media staff taking photos to moderators facilitating debate in each committee. Of these 120 staffers, we had 30 directors.

These directors did the research for committees, wrote the background guides and took on major responsibilities the weekend of the conference from ensuring dismissal goes smoothly to monitoring committees. Lastly, we have the secretariat, a team of 10 members of IRC that are responsible for organizing the conference. From creating the committees, organizing logistics with local hotels and bus companies to running staff training, these 10 individuals are responsible for ensuring that the conference runs smoothly and that delegates have a safe and fun weekend!

The conference happens in buildings all across campus, academic and non-academic buildings alike. Thanks to the incredible people at facilities at the College, we were able to create a clean and safe environment for the delegates to learn. It goes without saying that without them, this conference would not happen. The list of people to thank could go on, but either way we are grateful for everyone who helps out with the conference, and for the campus community for being so welcoming to our little guests!

Andrew Caietti served as the Under Secretary-General for Crisis Committes at this year’s WMIDMUN conference. Email Andrew at usg-cc@wmidmun.org.

If you have a question you’d like to see answered, please email it to fhopinions@gmail.com.

The College of William and Mary’s Middle School Model United Nations Conference, more commonly known as WMIDMUN, was hosted this past weekend from Friday to Sunday. Every year, the middle schoolers participate in three different categories of committees.

variety

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

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, February 26, 2019 | Page 7

Our Lady of 121st Street

William and Mary Theatre Department mixes tragedy with comedy SAM SUSLAVICH // THE FLAT HAT

realism that ‘Our Lady’ depicts.

“In life, comedy and drama are not so different,” Michael Alvarez ’20, who plays Balthazar, said. “It’s feeding off of drama into comedy and comedy into drama.”

Because of this portrayal of real life, the sudden tonal shifts are clear, but never jarring. ‘Our Lady’ truly succeeds in expressing that life is not monotone. The good goes hand-in-hand with the bad, and laughter goes hand-in-hand with tragedy.

This same sentiment is also held by director Aguas.

“People who lead difficult lives can’t look at their lives as difficult,” Aguas said. “In the United States, for people of color in marginalized communities and low-income neighborhoods, this is life. You have to make the most of it, and that’s what these characters do.”

Aguas’s personal experiences allowed him a particular insight into this idea of tone in the lives of underprivileged.

“As somebody who grew up in a developing country under dictatorship and military rule in the Philippines, under colonialism, under colonization by Japan and the United States, Filipinos, for instance, we don’t go around crying every day, woe is us, this is the life we lead,” Aguas said.

All of these factors allowed for a play rooted in a somewhat absurd scenario to feel completely grounded in reality.

Diversity is an extremely important part of “Our Lady of 121st Street.” With a more diverse cast than most other productions by the College this season, ‘Our Lady’ has succeeded in furthering the cause of increasing diversity in the College’s theatre productions, featuring characters who represent a vast spectrum of ages, races, sexual orientations and socioeconomic backgrounds.

“This is a story that needs to be told,” Alvarez said. “Especially here in Williamsburg, where we don’t get a lot of opportunities to tell stories about these types of people.”

Reporting contributed by Grace Olsen. Editor’s Note: The Flat Hat would like to clarify that Anthony Madalone ’21 is an Opinions Associate Editor for the paper. His involvement with “Our Lady of 121st Street” is not on behalf of the paper’s interests.

AM LI CE IL W AN / DD OS AN OT RE PH EAT H SY T TE RY UR MA CO D AN

Last Thursday, the College of William and Mary theatre department opened a new production of Stephen Adly Guigis’s “Our Lady of 121st Street,” a play that blends comedy and tragedy to tell a poignant story about family, loss and community. The play follows the events leading up to the funeral of Sister Rose, a Harlem nun whose corpse has been stolen. As a group of Sister Rose’s former students return to their old neighborhood, their interactions after years of separation are simultaneously hilarious and tragic.

Naturally, the subject matter of the play allows for the expression of several complex themes; however, none stood out more noticeably than the idea of finding your family.

Modern theatre, film and literature have beaten the concept of the “family that you choose” into our collective minds, but ‘Our Lady’ manages to give the concept a certain novelty and nuance.

“In this story, it is an alcoholic, abused, fractured, broken woman who even in her imperfection was a mother,” director and professor of theatre Francis Tanglao Aguas said.

“It’s about the importance of family and the importance of mothers.”

Sister Rose wants to unite an incredibly disparate group of people into one family, albeit a relatively dysfunctional one. Unlike most stories that follow similar themes, “Our Lady of 121st Street” avoids the saccharine tropes of them entirely, instead focusing on the reality of the way these found families behave. The family that Sister Rose built has crises like any other, and the play finds beauty in the imperfections of that family.

The ideas of family do not end with the performance, though. The culture of the cast was clearly one of support and friendship. During preparation for the show, no member of the cast or crew left rehearsal alone. The goal of making the cast into a family clearly succeeded.

“We’re basically a family at this point,” Jessica Ellison ’20, who plays Inez, said.

One of the uniting factors of the cast was their respect of the leadership of Aguas, also a professor of Asian Pacific Islander American studies at the College.

“I’ve really been able to grow as an actor and a person under [Aguas],” Francis Edemobi ’19 said.

Audiences reacted extremely positively to the show. With hearty laughs during comedic moments and sincere sobs during tragic ones, they were extraordinarily engaged with the play.

“It was perfect,” audience member Sam Mukhtari ’19 said.

“Extremely positive reactions” was the theme of the night. Gil Osofsky ’20, who saw the show on its opening night, expressed how much he liked it.

“It was a fantastic performance by everyone,” Osofsky said. “A great blend of humor and grief and lot of realism in the dialogue. It was very impressive.”

The blending of comedy and tragedy is one of ‘Our Lady’s’ greatest strengths. The audience’s laughter never felt out of place despite its juxtaposition with heavy drama.

While somewhat uncommon, the “tragicomedy” genre perfectly suits the variety of

Work Of Heart Class of 2019 artists draw on personal experiences, create unique show GRACE OLSEN // FLAT HAT STAFF WRITER

For the next four weeks, the artwork of 13 seniors from the College of William and Mary will line the walls and floors of the Williamsburg Contemporary Art Center, a quaint yet alluring gallery off Richmond Road. The exhibition hosted a reception Thursday, Feb. 21, where attendees of the gallery had the opportunity to mingle with the artists.

Painters, potters and artists of other various crafts exhibited their works alongside personal narratives. The narratives revealed the significance of the subtle traces of self-expression left by the artists in their work, beckoning the observers to better understand the materialization behind the work.

“I began creating images of objects in response to my experience with chronic illness,” photographer Ellie Grace EN LS ’19 writes in her O CE RA narrative.

G / OS “The audience is OT H P asked to reconsider SY TE R each object as a vessel U CO for personality, rather than an object with a predestined purpose.”

In her photographs, Grace counteracts the subliminal activity of inanimate household items with bright colors, lacing azures and vibrant yellows effortlessly through her comical photos of

lizards atop telephones and glittery bacon slices.

Grace has taken particular interest in fellow artist Keeilah Moseley’s ’19 work. Alongside Grace’s photographs stand Moseley’s produced monoprints accompanied by her other painted pieces.

“It has a raw feeling to it,” Grace said, regarding Moseley’s monoprint. “It provokes a lot of emotion. Maybe it’s because it’s a close-up portrait or maybe the texture of the strokes. Whatever it is, it’s a really powerful piece.”

Community member Lazuli Cristol also found Moseley’s pieces evocative, inspiring and sincerely emotional. Lazuli Cristol was in attendance with others to visit her sister, Indigo Cristol ’19, and view her exhibit.

“I went to support my sister, well-knowing that art means a lot to her,” Lazuli Cristol said. “To me, art is a form of self-expression that everyone can, and should experience.”

Upon a series of stands throughout the studio, Indigo Cristol showcased one of her many aptitudes: ceramics. Indigo Cristol tends to work color into her pottery, oftentimes in surprising places.

“I really like juxtaposing organic forms and geometric shapes and lines,” Indigo Cristol said in reference to the natural elements of her work. “I like to put unexpected things in my work; occasionally I will paint the bottom of a piece so you get some extra joy when you pick it up!”

Indigo Cristol’s close friend and fellow artist Matt Parciak ’19 takes material-use to a different level. Parciak is a relief printmaker, meaning that he will cut or etch into a surface and leave behind his print, permanently scarring the wood, metal or other material he dedicated to the project.

“Relief printmaking remains my material of choice because of its graphic nature, the emphasis on the process, and the presence of material in the final image,” Parciak wrote in his personal memo.

Parciak, who is from a small town in New Jersey, has been

surrounded by rolling hills, enormous trees and scenic views for the vast majority of his life. Thus, he has gravitated towards the landscape as his preferred subject.

“The landscape inspires me as a subject because the natural forms are both unexpected, yet familiarly organic,” Parciak wrote. “It provides me with the freedom to jump from realism to abstraction.”

Parciak, along with the other senior artists at the gallery, collectively agree that the program has inevitably brought the group remarkably close. Under the guidance of professor Mike Jabbur, the artist’s talents have flourished, preparing them for prosperous art careers following graduation. In an email, Jubbar wrote that he hoped his students gained a greater understanding of the work behind exhibitions through the Senior Capstone Show.

“They will gain an understanding of how the hard work of preparing an exhibition is sometimes paired with the thrill and satisfaction of seeing their work hanging in a gallery,” Jabbur wrote.

From now until graduation, the artists will put the finishing touches on major projects, works that will go into another art show at the end of the year.

“The [Senior Capstone] exhibition is an opportunity for graduating studio art majors to have a show at a professional gallery off campus before their large end-of-year exhibition in the Andrews Gallery,” Jabbur wrote.

The experience gained through the installation of their pieces into the gallery of the Williamsburg Contemporary Art Center has been considered invaluable, by the professors and students alike.

The Senior Capstone Show will be open to the public, free of cost, through March 15.

“Undoubtfully, this is one of the most influential art installations for all young people in Williamsburg right now,” Lazuli Cristol said. “Even if you are not an artist, you should take the time to come out and appreciate the work done by these students.”

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Page 8

FORKING AROUND: The Flat Hat Reviews WILL ALLEN // FLAT HAT SENIOR STAFF WRITER A new restaurant in Williamsburg that is not a pancake house is always a big event. In December, Yamachan joined the family of new Williamsburg restaurants such as Mellow Mushroom and Chick-fil-A that had arrived in town this school year. Yamachan offers Japanese ramen and bubble tea drinks in a casual dine-in atmosphere.

Located far down Richmond Road near the outlets, even past the Yankee Candle, getting to Yamachan can be somewhat of a journey for students without a car or other means of transportation. However, Yamachan’s modern and spacious interior works great for sit-down meals with friends over a bowl of ramen, making it worth the drive.

Personally, I am no expert on ramen, but I was excited to try ramen loaded with toppings like eggs, chicken, chives and bean shoots. The customer can select between a miso base, tonkotsu base or shoyu base from the menu for the broth of their soup. I personally chose the miso base with chicken as my protein.

When I ordered my ramen, I was not expecting anything exceptional.

The ramen performed about to my expectations, being a pretty solid and tasty meal that was enjoyable but didn’t blow me away. The food came out relatively quickly, within about 10 minutes, which was another plus.

I personally think the best offering that Yamachan has is its large selection of bubble teas on its menu. Yamachan is one of the only places where one can buy bubble tea in Williamsburg.

With many different kinds of teas with different combinations of bobas, customers can enjoy a great deal of choice when choosing the bubble tea that looks the best to them. A large bubble tea went for about five dollars with a smaller tea being around three dollars, and I was pleased with the quality and quantity of the tea for the price range.

With just the ramen, my meal came to about $10, and $15 with the bubble tea. All in all, I think Yamachan is a great choice for anyone that has a car and wants to enjoy a unique sit-down meal. Yamachan is a great addition to the growing number of new restaurants in Williamsburg.

Y

AMACHAN

SEAN WILLNER // FLAT HAT SENIOR STAFF WRITER

PHOTOS COURTESY

LNER / SEAN WIL

Walking into Yamachan, I was greeted by a brightly lit, casual ambiance. The design of the restaurant is modern, very different from the other Japanese restaurant in town, the currently closed Oishii. It is approximately a 10 minute drive from campus down Richmond Road.

I ordered a house milk bubble tea and ramen with a tonkotsu base and pork chasu, all for a total of $15. After waiting for 10 to 15 minutes, I was expecting a scrumptious dinner. The result I got was good, but slightly below my expectations.

First, the ramen: the pork was tender enough that it fell apart as I ate it, and the tonkotsu base complemented it well, adding salty and savory flavors to the meal. Unfortunately, the ramen noodles themselves were disappointing, with many of them clumping together into one noodle brick. I still enjoyed the meal, but it would have been better if the noodles had been properly prepared.

Second, the tea: I had never had bubble tea before, and I liked it. The tea itself just tastes like a normal black tea, but there are chewy boba beans at the bottom of the cup. The tea is served with a large straw, allowing the boba beans to go up the straw with the tea when you drink it.

Given Yamachan’s casual atmosphere, the ramen they served was slightly below the level I expected it to be. For approximately $15, I could also have gotten a meal at Sal’s or Blue Talon, among others. Yamachan gets credit for its unique food offerings. However, if you just want a good meal for $15 to $20 dollars, there are higher-quality, more convenient options to choose from near campus.

RAMEN NOODLE BOWL: $9.50 - $10.95

BUBBLE TEA: $3.95 - $4.65 MATTIE MONROE // FLAT HAT SENIOR STAFF WRITER Yamachan has potential as a ramen hotspot if it can resolve issues with its ramen noodles. In all three of our dishes, the noodles suffered from clumping. I found a well-sized clump in my soup, where undercooked noodles were joined together and could not be separated with any kind of utensil. Since I came for ramen and ramen only, finding noodles in a wad was disappointing.

That issue aside, the stray noodles I did find had a nice bite to them and were buttery. I ordered the shoyu broth with pork chasu. All ramen broths I have had at other restaurants were rather salty, but this one was fairly light on the salt, which I suppose isn’t a bad thing. I do think the flavor though of the actual broth was underwhelming, and this was perhaps revealed by its color, which was a little on the watery, light brown side instead of a deep, rich tone you might find in better soy-based broths.

The pork in my bowl was tender, flavorful and meshed well with the broth.

All bowls come with an egg, and you can add extra, if you want. My egg was completely hard-boiled rather than soft-boiled, so I didn’t get that jelly-like, yolky texture I had seen other diners get here in the past.

The vegetable components of the dish — edamame, corn and bean sprouts — were a little underwhelming. While the bright-green edamame were the best addition, I did not realize I had bean sprouts in my ramen until after I removed the ramen clump. These bean sprouts were sad looking — not bright white, not crispy and rather limp, and after eating a few I avoided eating more (which is a shame because I love them).

Yamachan is new and its staff is likely still working out some kinks, so I’ll probably visit it again and give it another chance after some time has passed.

sportsinside

The Flat Hat

| Tuesday, February 26, 2019 | Page 9

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Tribe sends seniors off with home victory College narrowly defeats last place UNCW days after impressive win over Charleston

AVERY LACKNER FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR William and Mary (12-16, 8-8 CAA) celebrated senior night as the Tribe pulled out a messy win over North Carolina-Wilmington (9-21, 5-12 CAA) at home Feb. 23.

The Tribe came out strong in the first half, taking an early lead with a crisp three from redshirt senior forward Paul Rowley, but despite the College outshooting the Seahawks 60 percent to 50 percent during the first 10 minutes of the game, the score remained close, as turnovers plagued both sides.

Both teams reckoned with sloppy offenses in the first half, and the Seahawks took a narrow 21-17 lead with eight minutes remaining in the half, until a layup from redshirt junior guard Matt Milon made it 21-19. The College’s ongoing struggle with free throws continued, as junior center Nathan Knight missed a free throw attempt that would have tied the game.

“We had a lot of things not go well tonight,” head coach Tony Shaver said. “Offensive execution has to improve. Some of the turnovers are a little bit mind-boggling, but in the end … what this team has learned to do is really defend.”

The Tribe failed to penetrate the Seahawks defense, mostly due to a complete lack of offensive drives. It opted instead for outside shots and three-point attempts, which dropped in occasionally, but not often enough to earn and maintain a lead.

“I think that driving is important,” Shaver said. “I don’t mind threes … but we’re taking some bad threes right now, very quick threes.”

However, the College quickened the pace in the final minutes of the half, beginning with a feed from freshman guard Chase Audige to sophomore guard Luke Loewe which allowed the Tribe to take the lead for only the second time all game. An Audige drive straight through a clogged lane resulted in his only points of the half — putting the score at 26-22 and continuing what became an 11-0 scoring run for the College.

With three minutes to go before the half, the score had been tied six times, with both teams maintaining their longest lead for only four minutes. However, the Tribe broke this streak by staying ahead until

the buzzer. Heading into the locker room, the College had outscored the Seahawks 22-10 in the paint in addition to earning twice as many points as the Seahawks from fast breaks.

The Tribe’s juniors carried the team to the halfway point, with Knight, Pierce, and Milon combining for 28 of the College’s 37 points.

They continued to do so going into the second half, during which the Tribe held its lead despite failing to capitalize on Seahawks turnovers and wasting offensive opportunities with additional careless turnovers of its own.

Foul trouble forced Knight to take a seat with 14 minutes left to play, and Rowley and freshman guard LJ Owens checked in, looking to improve the bench’s contributions, which until then had been limited.

Rowley grabbed a heavily contested offensive rebound off a missed three-pointer from Pierce, and drove in for a layup, bringing the score to 46-37, and ending an 8-0 scoring drought. “[Rowley] really … brought a lot of energy for the team,” Milon said.

“That’s just who he’s been all year. He’s a vocal leader, [an energetic] guy, and he did a great job today when Nate got in foul trouble.”

Milon drained a three and a turnaround jumper within a single minute to put the College up 52-40, but the momentum was halted when Knight earned his fourth personal foul and headed to the bench, once again puttinwg in Rowley.

Despite big assists from Owens and Audige to feed Pierce and Milon, the three-pointers were falling for the Seahawks, and they crept back into the game.

“They got hot at the end … pretty quickly,” Milon said. “Thankfully, we had a lead and a cushion, so when they got hot it wasn’t like they exploded or took the lead. … We really got lucky there.”

Kaplan Arena came alive when Knight fouled out on a contested rebound, and the resulting technical foul on Shaver allowed the Seahawks to shoot free throws that cut the lead to 62-61 with three minutes remaining.

With a minute left on the clock, the Tribe managed two huge defensive stops and Pierce followed up a layup with a long threepointer to widen the lead once again, but a Seahawks layup put them right back in it at 67-63.

“I just know that I can always bring energy,” Pierce said. “I can do

JAMIE HOLT / THE FLAT HAT

Redshirt senior center Paul Rowley grabbed key boards on the post for the Tribe.

COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS

Redshirt junior guard Matt Milon was an important defensive presence in the paint.

that whether my shots are falling or not. I can get others involved on the offensive end whether my shots are falling or not … today I was rewarded a little bit at the end by having a couple shots drop.”

The College stayed cool in the final seconds, and the upperclassmen stepped up without Knight’s direction.

Milon calmly drained two free throws, Loewe capitalized on a defensive rebound to dunk, and the College had the game in the bag with a final score of 71-63.

Next week, the Tribe will embark on its final road trip of the regular season, confronting first Towson and then James Madison Feb. 28 and Mar. 2 respectively.

WOMEN’S LACROSSE

Win streak extended on road against ODU Tribe dominates ODU, winning 17-10; Rall saves three, Martire scores game-high four goals KEVIN RICHESON FLAT HAT OPERATIONS COORDINATOR William and Mary traveled to Norfolk to take on Old Dominion in the Tribe’s first road matchup of the 2019 season. The College looked to continue its momentum from a 10-6 victory over George Mason at home last Saturday on the strength of four goals by sophomore attacker Sophie Kopec.

Meanwhile, the Monarchs entered Wednesday’s game winless on the season after three consecutive losses having lost their home-opener last Saturday to American, 11-7. Wednesday, the College (2-0) used an offensive onslaught in the first half to beat the Monarchs (0-4) for the second straight season, 17-10.

Neither team registered a shot in the first four minutes of action, but the College earned a free position shot with 25:49 to play in the opening half.

Freshman midfielder Grace Ahonen took the shot for the Tribe and converted to give it an early 1-0 advantage. The Monarchs struck back nearly three minutes later, before the College edged back in front, 2-1.

But with just over 20 minutes to play in the half,

attacker Glory Johnson registered her seventh goal of the season for the Monarchs to knot the score at two apiece.

Nevertheless, the College responded with four consecutive goals to take a commanding 6-2 lead

COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS

Freshman midfielder Isabella Martire scored four goals.

with just over 10 minutes remaining before the half.

Kopec recorded one of the goals, but theTribe benefited from a balanced offensive attack in the first half, with seven different players scoring the College’s first seven goals of the game. Junior goalkeeper Elsa Rall was also key to the Tribe’s scoring run by registering three saves in the first 20 minutes of action, while allowing just two goals.

The Monarchs finally got back on track with 9:43 remaining in the opening period when Johnson scored her second goal of the evening to trim the deficit to three. Despite Johnson’s efforts, the Tribe’s offense was overpowering in the first 30 minutes, propelling it to a 10-3 halftime advantage. Freshman midfielder Belle Martire scored three of the last four goals of the half for the College, giving her a firsthalf hat trick. Rall finished the half with five saves, while conceding just three goals. The Tribe scored the first two goals of the second half to give the College a 10-1 scoring run since the Monarchs had evened the score at two early in the first half. The Monarchs looked to fight back, tallying two-straight goals for the first time in the game, making the score 12-5 with more than 20 minutes to go in the game.

Senior attacker Maddie Torgerson helped to

right the ship for the Tribe, scoring the next goal to reestablish an eight-goal lead with the help of an assist by sophomore midfielder Anne Milwicz.

The Monarchs showed some resiliency and recorded the next two goals, as well, to claw back within six, 13-7.

Johnson capped off her hat trick in the second half and midfielder Sophia Richie tallied three goals in the second half as part of the Monarchs’ comeback attempt.

However, the College was never really threatened after taking a nine-goal lead early in the second half, and the Tribe was able to cruise to its secondstraight victory, 17-10.

The Monarchs were led by Johnson’s three goals, while the College benefited from hat tricks

by Milwicz and junior midfielder Meredith Hughes, along with four goals courtesy of Martire.

In total, nine players scored for the Tribe. It returns home next week looking to stay unbeaten in non-conference play.

The College will take on its third-consecutive instate opponent when Virginia visits Williamsburg on Tuesday for their annual rivalry matchup against the Tribe.

College suffers low-energy loss to No. 1 JMU Tribe outscored, outrebounded, outrun in 78-65 loss; Boggs, Reynolds score 16 points apiece NATHAN SEIDEL FLAT HAT SPORTS ASSOC. EDITOR

William and Mary (12-13, 5-9 CAA) dropped below .500 on the year Sunday, falling 78-65 to Colonial Athletic Association-leading James Madison (224, 14-1 CAA) despite senior guard Bianca Boggs putting up 16 points, seven assists, and six rebounds.

The Dukes forced the issue early, creating two Tribe turnovers and scoring ten quick points while making four of six shots. A Boggs three from the top of the key brought the Tribe back within three, 10-7, with six minutes left in the first quarter.

The Tribe stayed close over the next minutes, but two Duke threes opened a 17-9 lead. A triple by redshirt sophomore guard Harper Birdsong brought the College back within five, and it controlled much of the tempo for the remainder of the period, but cold shooting from beyond the arc kept the James Madison advantage at five, 19-14.

Two threes from sophomore guard Nyla Pollard kept the Tribe within two over the first minutes of the second quarter and the College amped up its defensive pressure, forcing nine-straight Duke misses dating back to the first quarter until a guard Lexie Barrier layup put JMU up by five once again. Two buckets by junior forward Victoria Reynolds then brought the Tribe within one, but the Dukes caught fire, burying two threes to go up by seven, 31-24, with 4:10 left in the quarter. Two more layups and a three extended the Duke advantage to 14 until a Boggs jumper snapped the 13-0 run. A sophomore forward Bailey Eichner triple from the corner cut the deficit to 11 with under a minute left and two Duke free throws made it 44-31 at halftime.

James Madison capitalized on 52 percent shooting in the first half, going 8-of-16 from three, and scored 15 points off seven Tribe turnovers. The differencemaker was the shooting from deep, with the Tribe only converting five of its 12

attempts. Reynolds paced the Tribe with eight in the first half and Boggs added seven with five assists. Guard Jackie Benitez led the Dukes with 15 points and guard Kamiah Smalls made seven with five dimes of her own. James Madison also made eight-of-ten free throws, compared to only two-of-four for the College.

Another Smalls triple extended the Duke lead to 47-31 to begin the second half, but sophomore guard Nyla Pollard’s third triple of the game countered it at the other end. Trading baskets kept the Duke advantage within 15 for most of the third, and a layup from Eichner off Boggs’ sixth assist of the day pulled the College within 52-39 with under five minutes left in the third. Four free throws and two layups extended the Duke lead to 21 and two Misha Jones free throws snapped the Duke 8-0 run to make it 60-41 with less than three minutes in the quarter. A Birdsong three and two Boggs free throws then brought the College back within 14 to end the third 62-48.

“It does give us confidence in ourselves knowing we can play with the number one team in the conference,” Boggs said.

“We have to go into the game believing in our abilities.”

Two quick Duke buckets extended their lead back to 18 to begin the final period. Trading baskets for much of the quarter kept the Tribe within 19 after two Birdsong free throws made it 73-54 with 4:32 remaining. A Reynolds layup, a Birdsong three, and two Reynolds free throws made it a 12-point game with 2:17 to go, but another triple by Smalls snapped the 11-0 Tribe run.

The Dukes closed it out 78-65. The College did outscore the Dukes by one in the fourth quarter, but the mountain was too high to fully climb.

“I thought we gave a great effort, we just weren’t consistent throughout the whole game,” Swanson said. “We had good runs of two or three minutes ... I thought Bianca played a heck of a game, she gave great efforts on both sides of the floor. We’ve got

to be more consistent; we’ve got to play with confidence. We’ve got to do a better job on both ends of stringing together offensive and defensive possessions.”

Achieving more consistent play is largely the result of playing with a strong mental state, according to Swanson.

“I think a lot of it is confidence too,” said Swanson. “We work extremely hard, we practice hard, and I think we play really hard. When times get tough during a game, we’ve got to find that fight through, we have to be able to make adjustments in game.”

Swanson spoke highly of his team’s fight and ability to rebound from losses.

“We just have to string things together, and we’re capable of doing that,” Swanson said. “We’re trying to figure out ways to get our team more consistent. This team’s got a lot of resiliency, and they’ll respond, and hopefully we can put together effort for a longer time.”

The Tribe takes on the Drexel Dragons March 1 in Philadelphia.

sports

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

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, February 26, 2019 | Page 10

SWIMMING

Tribe men glide into championship

Men and women break many personal bests, women take second place

COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS

With an impressive performance from seniors such as Peterson and Oceguera, the College was able to put on an outstanding performance at the Colonial Athletic Association Swim Championships. The Tribe looks to sweep the ECAC in March.

GAVIN AQUIN FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR William and Mary traveled to compete in the Colonial Athletic Association Championship from Feb. 20-23. The men came out of the championship on top with 925.5 total points while the women earned second place with 657 points.

Starting out the tournament, the Tribe shattered expectations in the 200 medley relay, for which they were seeded third. Junior Collin Demers achieved a school-record split of 22.20, breaking the 22.29 record previously set by Will Manion ’16 in 2015. Sophomore Devin McNulty boosted the Tribe’s lead a full second on the breaststroke leg. On the fly leg, junior Jack Doherty contested with Towson’s All-American Jack Saunderson, before junior Ian Thompson brought the College to victory with a 19.57 on the freestyle leg, stopping the clock at 1:26.71 — shattering the Tribe’s previous school record of 1:27.43 set in 2014.

The women likewise set out to impress with their performance in the 200 medley. Starting for the College, freshman Anna Kenna swam a freshman record 25.65 on the lead-off 50 back split, breaking the rookie record set by Sophie Rittenhouse ’17 in 2014. Handing off to freshman Ellie Henry, she was able to finish her breaststroke split of 28.12 before handing off to senior Katie Sell. Sell finished the fly leg with 24.34 — the fastest split in the field. Senior Annie Miller finished the free stretch with a 22.39 split, bringing the Tribe to second place with 1:40.50, just 0.07 away from improving their record.

Finishing in second again, the team of sophomore Megan Bull, sophomore Tara Tiernan, senior Morgan Smith and senior Maria Oceguera finished the 800 free relay in 7:15.45. Bull handed off to Tiernan at 1:46.89, shattering the previous record set by Katie Radloff ’10 at the 2009 CAA Championships. Tiernan split at 1:50.12, keeping the Tribe in the lead before handing off to Smith.

Smith went 1:49.74 and Oceguera finished with a 1:49.

For the men’s 800 free, junior Ben Skopic was able to make his split in 1:37.90 in what was the eighth-fastest performance in school history. Following Skopic was junior Colin Wright, who demolished his split in 1:36.55, the second-fastest leg in the race. Senior Carter Kale

maintained the lead with 1:49 followed by senior Eric Grimes with 1:36.98. The four combined for a 6:31.47, helping to win their ninth championship in a row.

In the 500 free, all five men that the Tribe put forward were able to advance to the day one A Finals, with sophomore Christoper Pfuhl finishing 4:27.28, improving him to the sixth all-time among Tribe athletes.

Junior Chris Balbo and Kale tied for third having touched the wall simultaneously in 4:27.71. For Balbo, this was a lifetime-best.

Advancing all six entrants into the finals, the women excelled in the 500 free. Bull was seeded second overall after having swum 4:48.25, the second-fastest time in school history. Smith swam 4:55:37, taking fifth and followed closely by Oceguera’s 4:55.48 and Tiernan’s 4:55.52.

Entering day one’s finals, Kale was able to make a run for the 500 free, but ultimately ended with second place with 4:25.55, giving Kale his second-straight silver in the event. Right behind Kale was Balbo, taking third with his lifetime-best 4:26.39, earning him his first all-conference performance in the event. In the 200 individual medley, Skopic was able to improve on his own time and break his own record with 1:46.20 — with this, he earned all-conference honors and was a National Collegiate Athletic Association provisional qualifier. In the 50 free, Wright became the fastest man in conference history, touching the wall in 19.57 seconds and winning his thirdstraight championship.

Bull was able to take the 500 free for the women, finishing with a 4:44.62, improving over time in the qualifiers. As an NCAA provisional qualifier, it was the first back-to-back championship for the Tribe since Jaimie Miller ’17 swept to 50 and 100 free in 2016 and 2017.

Continuing their trend of excellence, the men succeeded in sweeping Friday morning and moving to the top of the leaderboard with 492 points. In the 400 individual medley, Balbo, the 2017 champion of the event, finished in first again with a 3:54.35, followed closely by Kale and Skopic with 3:54.51 and 3:57.41.

The 100 fly was likewise exciting in that Doherty was able to break the school record with 46.78, followed by Thompson with 48.27.

For the women, junior Julia Bland swam a lifetime best 4:22 in the 400 individual medley, qualifying for the finals and ranking her sixth all-time among athletes.

Smith and freshman Gabby Zhang followed closely behind with 4:25.37 and 4:27.15 respectively.

In the 100 breast, McNulty and senior Brooks Peterson were able to surpass their lifetime bests to finish with 54.71 and 55.12 respectively to earn second and third places. Finally, in the 100 back, the Tribe was able to seal in the first two places thanks to the efforts of Demers and Kealy who were able to finish in 48.13 and 48.83 to become third and fifth all-time at the College.

In the 200 free, Bull was able to advance to the championship finals for the 200 free, finishing second with 1:48.39 with the seventh-fastest time in school history.

Continuing on Friday night, the men were able to make yet another 1-2-3 sweep when they took the 400 individual medley. Skopic became the champion when he finished with a 3:49.71 in what was the third-fastest race in school history. Balbo and Kale swam 3:54.51 and 3:57.41 for the second and third places. In the 100 fly, Doherty took second with 46.99 — the second fastest time in school history — earning him all-conference honors.

Bland led the way for the women in the 400 individual medley, finishing with a lifetime-best 4:20.43 for second overall — improving her to fourth all-time among athletes.

In the 200 free, the Tribe was able to sweep the podium with Wright, Pfuhl and Grimes taking the event with 1:36.10, 1:37.38 and 1:37.92, respectively. For Wright, this was his fourth gold medal and an NCAA provisional qualifier. McNulty tied for second overall in the 100 breast, swimming just 0.01 seconds behind the champion and ranking him second all-time at the College. Demers won his first individual championship becoming the first Tribe athlete to take the 100 back since 2014. He completed the event with a 48.04.

Bull was able to finish second overall in the 200 free with a 1:48.15, earning her third all-conference award of the week. In their final event, the Tribe finished third overall in the 400 medley relay. Kenna led off with 55.79 seconds, before handing off to junior Laura Freeman who split 1:03.18 on the breaststroke leg. Oceguera swam

the fly leg in 54.50 before Bull brought the team back home with a 50.27 split in the 100 free. Having been the fifth-fastest race ever at the College, this quartet earned all-CAA honors in the 400 medley relay for the first time since 2017.

Saturday was likewise a successful day for the men, as Kealy swam his season-fast 1:45.42 to take the top spot in the 200 back, leading a Tribe sweep for the top three places. Junior Lee Bradley and senior Joey Rento earned 1:46.98 and 1:48.39 respectively. Having excelled in the 50 free, Wright replicated his success in the 100 free, taking it with 42.95 and earning the CAA league record, previously held by Old Dominion’s Sidni Hoxha.

Freshman Sonora Baker, who had successful in her backstroke events, earned third with her lifetime-best of 1:59.42 — lifting her to fourth all-time among Tribe athletes. Oceguera likewise looked to take the CAA title in the 200 fly after finishing in 2:01.67.

In the 1,650 free, the College was able to take the top two places — Kale, followed closely by Balbo, finished the event in 15:22.91 and 16:26.43, respectively. Wright was able to shine similarly in the 100 free, earning a 42.63.

As one of the top-25 in the country in the 100 free, Wright is likely to get invited to the NCAAs, and should he be invited he’d be the first to make the national meet since Shawn McLane ’86 qualified in 1985 and 1986.

For the women, Bull earned second in the 1,650 free with a lifetime-best of 16:45.55, ranking third in school history in the mile swim. Tiernan took second in the 200 back, having swum a lifetime best of 1:59.53, earning conference honors.

In the 200 fly, Oceguera successfully seized the title with a time of 2:00.18, winning an individual CAA gold medal for the first time, ending her career on a high note.

Having been fifth at the 100-yard mark, she closed in on her opponents and earned first by a second and a half.

Likewise, having seen great improvements, Peterson finished his senior career with a gold in the 200 breast.

At first turn, he was last but in the last 50 yards, he kept improving until he was able to take the race for the College with a 1:59.70.

The men and women will next compete at the Eastern College Athletic Conference in Annapolis, Maryland from March 1-3.

BASEBALL

Tribe makes comeback after inital loss to Sacred Heart Despite loss on Friday, rainout on Saturday, Tribe holds off Pioneers during Sunday game JULIA STUMBAUGH FLAT HAT SENIOR STAFF WRITER Last year, William and Mary hit 27 home runs through a 54-game season, putting up a rate of 0.5 per game. This season, the team has four through just five games. That’s in large part due to senior catcher Hunter Smith. After leading the College with nine homers last season, he put up two more in back-to-back at-bats Sunday to help propel the Tribe (4-1) past Sacred Heart (2-3), 12-3.

“I’m just looking for a good pitch to hit, just trying to stay in the zone, use all fields,” Smith said. “[There’s] lots of pitch selection. Make sure you swing at the right pitches.”

With the decisive victory, the College evens out the weekend at 1-1 following a tough loss Friday.

SUNDAY, FEB. 24 The team got on the board first this time around, scoring twice in the bottom of the first as freshman outfielder Jack Cone scored on a wild pitch and Smith sent Thomas home on an RBI ground out.

As starting pitcher senior Bodie Sheehan held the Pioneers off the board completely for the first four innings, the Tribe continued to build on its lead.

Senior infielder Zach Pearson hit a triple to score junior outfielder Brandon Raquet in the second inning, before Smith hammered his first home run of the day down the right field line in the third to make the score 4-0.

The Pioneers got one back in the fifth inning, forcing a home run off Sheehan to cut the home team’s lead to 4-1. In the bottom of the frame, the Tribe erased any hope of a comeback with a forceful four-run inning.

Smith forced a pitching change with a 2-RBI homer, but the College kept on scoring; freshman outfielder Hunter Hart and Raquet both got on base with a single and a double, respectively, befLore Pearson sent them both home on an RBI double to help the Tribe surge ahead to an 8-1 lead.

Sacred Heart’s defense continued to unravel as the game wore on, giving up four more runs in an endless seventh inning that started out with leadoff single from Smith for his third hit of the game. A walk, a wild pitch and then three consecutive hits from Pearson, freshman infielder Phil Conti and sophomore infielder David Hogarth increased the Tribe lead to 12-1.

Although the Pioneers got on the board again with two runs in the top of the eighth, they couldn’t put a dent in the home team’s commanding lead.

The padding on the score allowed the Tribe to get some players at bat who hadn’t seen much time at the plate yet this season, including batters like senior infielder Jason Waldman, who came in as a pinch-hitter in the eighth for his second at-bat of the season.

“We didn’t make wholesale substitutions, because we wanted to make sure we stayed good on defense and gave our pitchers all the support they needed,” Murphy said. “But we got a few guys in there we wanted to get at-bats for. We wanted to get Waldman at bat. He’s a guy we’ll need, and he hasn’t hit much yet.”

The Tribe claimed the 12-3 victory to even out the weekend at 1-1 and improve its overall record to 4-1. Sheehan claimed the win on the mound, allowing just one run on five hits, four walks and a single strikeout.

“Bodie had a good start,” Murphy said. “I thought he really battled. I didn’t think he was his sharpest, but that’s kind of what he does, he battles.

He made some big pitches on runners in scoring position.”

Smith finished out the day with three hits, four RBIs and a walk in four at-bats.

“It’s always good to put your team up on top, especially when you’re struggling to score runs.,” Smith said. “So, it was good to get some runs on the board and string some good team at-bats together.”

With a rainy five-game homestand behind them, the Tribe will head to the road for their first weekday game of the season Tuesday in Charlottesville as it faces off against the rival Cavaliers.

“It’s a really good opponent,” Murphy said. “Virginia’s a really good team. … When you’re playing them, the big thing is that you’ve got to play well yourself, because they always magnify your mistakes. But I’m excited about it, I’m excited to get on the road, excited to play those guys. I think it comes at a good time for us.”