The Flat Hat February 6 2015

VARIETY >> PAGE 7

SPORTS >> PAGE 8

Tribe falls flat in Charleston The College lost to last place College of Charleston, 80-72, Thurday night.

Around the world and back Students choose prolonged time for studying abroad.

The Flat Hat

Vol. 104, Iss. 28 | Friday, February 6, 2015

The Twice-Weekly Student Newspaper

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Student found dead

Discovered in Ludwell Abby boyle Flat hat managing editor

Saipriya Rangavajhula was found dead at the College of William and Mary early Tuesday morning. Although the cause of her death is unknown, the police do not suspect foul play.

The cause and manner of death have not yet been confirmed.

In an email to members of the College community sent at 4:01 a.m. Tuesday, Vice President for Student Affairs Ginger Ambler ’88 Ph.D. ’06 said Rangavajhula was found in a Ludwell apartment.

According to the email, Rangavajhula was a sophomore but was not enrolled at the College this semester. She had not yet declared a major.

“According to her friends, Saipriya was ‘a deep-thinker and a deep-feeler,’” Ambler wrote in the email. ‘“She loved to laugh and bring laughter out in others.’ Her friends also remember her as being a great storyteller. More than anything, relationships were important to her — she was there for others and did all she could to help others feel good about themselves.”

Rangavajhula’s viewing was scheduled for Feb. 4 from 2:30-4:30 p.m. in Virginia Beach, Va. The College arranged for a bus to transport 30 students from campus to the funeral home.

Counselors are on call on a 24-hour basis.

The Dean of Students Office, the Counseling Center, Residence Life staff, campus ministers, and Ambler are all also available on a priority basis.

“This is a heartbreaking time for the Rangavajhula family and for all of us who are part of the extended William & Mary community,” Ambler wrote. “I know you join me in extending our deepest sympathies to Saipriya’s family and friends.”

Flat Hat News Editor Aine Cain contributed to this article.

Making a mountain out of a molehill COURTESY PHOTO / KENNETH KAMBIS

The peak is located southwest of Denver, Colo. The proposed name would replace the unofficial name of “South Elbert.” It is a 14,141-foot sub-peak of Colorado’s highest peak, Mt. Elbert.

Alumna applies to name Denver peak “Mount William and Mary” amanda williams the fLAT HAT

Colorado native Marilyn Brown, a 2007 honorary alumna of the College of William and Mary, submitted an application Jan. 7 to name a peak located southwest of Denver in honor of the College of William and Mary. This is the second attempt to do so.

If the proposal is approved, “Mount William and Mary” will replace the peak’s current unofficial name, “South Elbert.” South Elbert is a 14,141 foot sub-peak on the southern side of Colorado’s highest peak, Mt. Elbert, in Lake County, Colo.

Kinesiology professor Ken Kambis, who has done

extensive fieldwork in the area, submitted a similar request to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names in 1998, but the application was rejected due to a lack of connection between Colorado and the College.

Kambis’s argument relies primarily on the connection between two of the College’s most famous alumni — Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe — and the state. That connection was forged through the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

“William and Mary trained these illustrious alumni to think and to use critical thinking processes and learn how to be excited about exploration and public service. All of those things were part of the education that Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, George Washington and John Tyler learned at

William and Mary,” Kambis said. “Therefore, when William and Mary is well known as the alma mater of a nation because of the work that Thomas Jefferson did on the Declaration of Independence, how can you not agree that [the College] is the alma mater of Colorado because Thomas Jefferson also, along with James Monroe, conceived of and concluded the Louisiana Purchase — which makes up all of Lake County, Colorado, where Mount William and Mary is located, and most of the entire state.”

Geology professor Chuck Bailey ’89 disagrees. The geology department has also done fieldwork in Lake County, but Bailey said he does not consider that, or See MOUNTAIN page 3

student assembly

student life

Undergrad close to dissolution

HOPE hosts mental health info panel

Council introduces two bills to remove itself as Student Assembly branch Madeline bielski FLAT HAT Assoc. NEws Editor

In its meeting Tuesday, Undergraduate Council passed

the the

Constitution Restructuring Code Restructuring Act in to 1. Together, these acts Undergraduate Council as the Student Assembly. Both

Act and the a vote of 12 dissolve the a branch of the Graduate

Proposed Structure for Class Representation Under the new proposal, each class will receive:

4

senators

1

class president with same responsibilities and voting rights as senators

GRAPHIC BY AINE CAIN / THE FLAT HAT

Index News Insight News News Opinions Variety Variety Sports

Today’s Weather 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Council and the senate must pass the bills for the changes outlined within them to go into effect.

Senators introduced the Constitution Restructuring Act and the Code Restructuring Act in new business at Tuesday’s Senate meeting. The bills will go through the senate’s committee process on Sunday and they will reappear for a vote under old business in next week’s senate meeting.

Chairman of the Undergraduate Council Giorgio Caterini ’17 credited the four class presidents with spearheading the bills.

Student Assembly Chief of Staff Drew Wilke ’15 cited Class of 2015 President Joe Foster as the leader of the restructuring movement.

Under the new structure proposed in the two acts, there will be five representatives per class: four senators and one class president. The offices of class vice president, secretary and treasurer will no longer exist.

The class presidents will be given the same responsibilities and voting rights as senators, meaning they will serve on two senate committees and have voting rights in those committees and on the senate floor. However, class presidents will not be

Quentin paleo flat hat assoc. News editor

More than 50 College of William and Mary students attended a HOPE-sponsored panel on the Counseling Center. The purpose of this event — held Feb. 3 in Commonwealth Auditorium — was to both “destigmatize” students’ perceptions of the Counseling Center and encourage students in need to seek help from counselors.

The event began with hosts Marisa Paipongna ’17 and Thomas Le ’17 of HOPE asking audience members about their comfort level regarding help from the Counseling Center. Next, the two revealed statistics about the Counseling Center.

Paipongna and Le’s presentation included the number of students who go to the Counseling Center every school year. The most common reasons behind student visits are binge drinking and suicidal thoughts.

“From the 2013-2014 school year, over 1,100 students made initial appointments, and also take note that since 2008, there [has] been a steady increase in students going to the Counseling Center for a variety of purposes such as individual counseling, couples counseling and others,” Le said. “People have had various experiences and gone through various things before they go to the Counseling Center, so not everyone has gone through the same struggles or same issues.”

In the second half of the presentation, students Victor Garcia

See UNDERGRADUATE page 4

See HOPE page 3

Inside Variety

Inside Opinions

Between immunity and personal freedom

Partly cloudy, High 46, Low 27

Event seeks to to remove stigma

As measles cases spread across 14 states and non-vaccination rates are on the rise, where do we draw the line between personal beliefs and public safety? page 5

Colonial history on the small screen

After filming in Colonial Williamsburg, the College hosts AMC’s “Turn” panel in PBK Hall with stars and producers. page 6

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THE BUZZ

Over time, seeing how the campus has shifted and kind of how other organizations have come across campus, the Undergraduate Council has kind of lost an identity over time.

—Chief of Staff Drew Wilke ’15 on the Undergraduate Council dissolving

THE DIGITAL DAY

Snapchats from Students

In the latest edition of Snapchats from Students we asked students how they prefer to spend their flex dollars: Qdoba or Cosi? One student enthusiastically endorses the campus’ latest craze, Cosi, while another student prefers to flex in another way.

Be sure to join in on the Cosi — Qdoba flex debate by snapping your response to The Flat Chat. Don’t forget to check out these and past Snapchats by viewing our Facebook album.

theflatchat A THOUSAND WORDS

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CORRECTIONS

Exeter study abroad blogger Annie Curran expected to face some suprises during her time in England. However, a 62-page syllabus for her class on children’s literature was not one of them. Read about this and other adventures abroad at flathatnews.com. “ The module is a lot of work. We’re reading three children’s novels a week. While it’s not exactly Proust, the novels each range from 250 to 400 pages, so my plan has definitely failed. However, the class is stimulating, and the professor goes off on amusing tangents about the perfection that is Meryl Streep and how Benedict Cumberbatch is overrated. For the record, I only agree with the former statement. Yesterday, my professor listed every Disney animated film in chronological order. It had absolutely nothing to do with what we were discussing, but it was an impressive three-minute digression.

The film module has been delightful. The two professors that run the course are young and passionate about film.

We’ve watched some great films and some not-so-great films. Last week, we watched a seven-minute sequence of an empty movie theater. Riveting stuff, I know. It’s probably the only time I’ve ever questioned my major.”

Reel Talk blogger Matt Camarda reviews Clint Eastwood’s latest film: American Sniper. He reminds us of the humanity in the film while bringing to light the subjectivity of this account and addressing the controversial elements of the film. Read this review and other Reel Talk blogs at flathatnews.com.

“I guess it isn’t really fair to shoulder “American Sniper” or any movie about the Iraq War with the burdens of political awareness and cultural sensitivity when it means to tell one story about one man’s reality. The problem is that there aren’t that many big movies about the Iraq War; as a nation, we aggressively avoided confronting its human costs, and that meant very few people wanted to see it depicted on film. I doubt it would have received as much controversy if several other high-profile, morally ambiguous Iraq War films had already been made. I wonder if ‘American Sniper’ will open the door to such films. I’m skeptical.

But still, ‘American Sniper’ manages to be challenging in ways that matter. With its shocking violence and even more shocking portrayal of recovering veterans, it forces us to question whether any war is worth the destruction it wreaks on our families. Perhaps that is enough.”

CAMPUS POLICE BEAT

Feb. 1—Feb. 3

The Flat Hat wishes to correct any facts printed incorrectly.

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

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Sunday, Feb. 1 — An individual was arrested for driving without a license on Treyburn Drive.

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Monday, Feb. 2 — An individual was arrested for larceny on Capitol Landing Road.

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Tuesday, Feb. 3 — An individual was arrested for credit card fraud on Richmond Road.

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NEWS IN BRIEF Richardson runs for supervisor James City County Planning Commissioner Heath Richardson announced that he will run for county supervisor of the Stonehouse District, the Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily reports.

Current supervisor Jim Kennedy, whose term is over at the end of this year, has not yet announced whether he will run for a third consecutive term. Richardson has served on the Planning Commission for less than a year; his appointment was approved with a 5-0 vote. He has lived in James City County since 2005. Prior to that, he served in the U.S. Navy for 16 years. He is running as a Republican in the primary election, which will be held June 9.

Road funding under consideration According to the Virginia Gazette, James City County administrator Bryan Hill is proposing that the Board of Supervisors reserve $5 million a year to help fund road construction. He voiced his concerns at the Planning Commission meeting held Tuesday. Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization representative Mary Jones suggested that the county spend more funds at a local level. One project in question is the connector route between Skiffe’s Creek and Route 60.

James City County has allotted $10 million to the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization to fund congestion mitigation and new roads.

Tourism website revamped On Monday, the Williamsburg Area Destination Marketing Committee voted unanimously to finalize a contract with Miles Media to launch a new tourism website that will be geared to contemporary audiences, according to the Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily. The website, entitled Visit Williamsburg, will be online

by Oct. 1. Visit Williamsburg was originally launched in 2006 and was revamped in 2009; it includes information about dining, lodging and vacation bargains in the Historic Triangle. The Williamsburg Area Destination Marketing Committee was granted $193,100 to improve the website graphics and design.

Page 3

The Flat Hat

Board of visitors

Halleran presents admissions data to BOV Board of Visitors discusses Mason School of Business’ new online MBA program, several diversity initiatives ABBY BOYLE FLAT HAT MANAGING EDITOR

The Board of Visitors’ Committee on Academic Affairs convened Thursday at the College of William and Mary to discuss ongoing initiatives, admissions numbers, the Mason School of Business’s new online MBA program and issues relating to diversity on campus.

In his presentation, Provost Michael Halleran mentioned that this is the 11th

straight year that the College has seen an increase in the number of overall applications, with 14,950 for the Class of 2019. Compared to last year’s numbers, applications increased 9 percent among first-generation students and 6 percent among underrepresented minorities.

“Now the hard lifting begins,” Halleran said. “[Interim Associate Provost for Enrollment and Dean of Admission] Tim Wolfe [’95 M.Ed. ’01] and his staff have already brought in a great group through

ASHLEY RICHARDSON / THE FLAT HAT

Board of Visitors members attend the Committee on Academic Afffairs in Blow Memorial Hall.

the early decision program. They now get to read another 10,000 applications, give or take. We hear that now, ‘It’s all an electronic process, it’s so easy, it’s the Common App,’ but no, it’s a lot of work. We have a holistic review process.”

Vice Rector Robert E. Scott J.D. ’68 asked Wolfe about early decision numbers, which were down from last year.

Wolfe said it is difficult to pinpoint any specific factors that contributed to the slight drop.

“Something to keep in mind is that last year we had a banner year for early decision, so part of that is getting the sense of whether last year was a bit of an aberration,” Wolfe said. “That is certainly something we’re keeping an eye on, there’s no doubt about it. … All of us in admissions are reluctant or hesitant to ever point at one particular factor, but it’s definitely something we’ll be keeping a very close eye on.”

In addition to admissions, committee

members spoke about online initiatives.

The business school’s new online MBA program has been publicized since January. Its initial class of 25 students will begin in August 2015.

Following Halleran’s remarks, Faculty Assembly liaison and Associate Professor of Law Eric Chason updated the committee on four working groups within the assembly focusing on the following issues: the faculty survey, diversity at the College, gender issues and sexual harassment, and retirement issues.

Since he last spoke to the committee, Chason reported that the Faculty Assembly passed a resolution Dec. 9 regarding racial climate at the College in light of incidents following the die-in held at Earl Gregg Swem Library last semester.

Committee member Kendrick Ashton ’98 asked how the message was disseminated among faculty members and students.

“In light of recent events, I think it

would be enormously valuable if students were made aware of the faculty’s view on those matters and others,” Ashton said.

Chason responded that he thinks students are aware of the message.

Faculty representative and English professor Suzanne Raitt said the assembly communicated with several faculty members — including faculty members of color — following the resolution’s creation, and those faculty members discussed it with their students. Student Assembly President Colin Danly ’15 also sent the resolution out to the student body in a campus-wide email.

Chason mentioned that next year a non-tenure eligible faculty member will join the Faculty Assembly.

FH

Check Flathatnews. com for more coverage of the BOV.

student life

Reveley announces intent to assemble race task force Chief Diversity Officer Chon Glover to chair group, size to be determined; race advisory committee formed in SA KJ MoRAn FLAT HAT Assoc. news editor

College President Taylor Reveley announced his decision to create a Task Force on Race and Race Relations Monday in an email to the College of William and Mary community.

Reveley called it “akin to the task force now at work on sexual violence” and named Chon Glover, Chief Diversity Officer at the College, chair.

“We need to engage difficult racial issues at William & Mary, just as we grapple with those raised by sexual assault and harassment,” Reveley said in the email. “These are the very sorts of discussions a W&M education prepares us to undertake. The task force will identify issues related to race relations on campus, engage them on their merits, and encourage meaningful conversation

among people with different perspectives, so we can learn from one another and ensure we are a university where everyone is welcome and respected.”

Glover said the size of the task force has yet to be determined.

“There will be a significant student presence,” Glover said in an email. “Additionally, there will be opportunities for student involvement in the subcommittees that will be formed.”

Glover also mentioned that students interested in joining the task force should reach out to her by the end of next week in order to be considered. She will accept any emails from members of the community sharing their input.

“These are critical issues for our community to act upon,” she said. “I hope to facilitate opportunities where all voices are heard and we engage in robust conversations that will help guide our important

work. We must be proactive and committed to creating a truly welcoming and inclusive community where there is mutual respect and understanding.”

Student Assembly Secretary of Diversity Initiatives Hannah Kohn ’15 has been involved in the creation of the task force as well as an advisory committee on Student Assembly that aims to introduce a diversity conversation series over the coming weeks.

“We believe that we must continue finding ways to communicate with and understand each other better — and not just friends we spend time with every day,” Kohn said in an email. “I hope that we can step out of our comfort zones and start having the tougher conversations with those we may not know, too, listening deeply, sharing our experiences, and allowing ourselves to be impacted by the experiences of others in a way that facilitates a little more compassion and empathy in our daily lives and

in our community. We hope that one day all students here will genuinely feel that William & Mary is the family we claim to be. We are listening. Let’s talk — let’s make things better, together.”

Kohn also said that I Am W&M Initiative Facebook page can act the as a resource for students interested in serving on the committee or attending events.

“We encourage students to express their feelings, experiences, and concerns to us in the coming months, so that Student Assembly can best amplify and advocate for those voices as we serve on the task force. ... The goal of the task force is to build a more accepting, understanding, and safe campus community where everyone feels valued for who they are, but we cannot do this unless we hear from our peers regarding specific issues on campus and practical methods of addressing these problems,” she said.

Virginia

Student, professor advocate for industrial hemp production State-wide group supports industrial manufacturing of hemp, a variety of cannabis, despite laws banning substance casey Lardner the FLAT HAT

Kinesiology major and Tidewater Regional Coordinator for the Virginia Industrial Hemp Coalition Emmanuel Ajibola ’15 is working to bring a student chapter of the organization to campus.

The group supports legislation allowing the industrial production of hemp — a variety of cannabis — in Virginia.

“We’re the only nation that’s not on board with growing it,” Ajibola said. “It’s completely sustainable. The products you get from it are biodegradable. I think that ties into a lot of stuff we’re doing on campus with sustainability. I think this is an avenue that everyone on campus should be looking at, should potentially get involved with.”

Virginia House Bill 1277 is the “Virginia Industrial Hemp Farming Act”, which recently passed in the Virginia General Assembly. Senate Bill 955 is its sister piece of legislation and will soon be introduced to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources.

“House Bill 1277 calls for the Commissioner of Agriculture to establish a program of licensure to allow persons to grow industrial hemp in the Commonwealth under applicable federal laws, as well as to promote research into the development of industrial hemp, and commercial markets for Virginia grown industrial hemp and hemp products,” the VIHC website states.

The HB 1277 bill was passed in the House Feb. 4 after being voted on for the third time, with 98 “Yea” votes.

Executive Director of the VIHC Jason Amatucci said that the biggest impact House Bill 1277 carries is economic.

“This is a jobs bill and the more we drag our feet, the more we water this bill down stripping all the legal protections for our farmers and our industry,” Amatucci said in an email.

Ajibola said that education is a crucial step in facilitating pro-hemp legislation.

“I don’t think anyone knows the true value of hemp in general, or that it has so many applications,” Ajibola said.

Hemp was historically one of Virginia’s oldest cash crops. However, it is currently illegal to grow. This is because drug laws in Virginia do not distinguish between high THC and low THC varieties of cannabis.

Hemp’s high THC cousin is marijuana, which is nearly 20 percent THC, while

hemp is 0.3 percent THC. As a result, hemp has zero psychoactive effects.

Ajibola is working with chemistry professor Gary Rice to demonstrate the versatility of hemp as an alternative fuel source. Rice will be providing Ajibola with the physical resources and chemicals necessary to produce a batch of hemp biodiesel for demonstration purposes.

The duo hopes to begin working in early February.

“It’s actually a relatively simple process for which you can find recipes online to do even in your own kitchen,” Rice said. “I wouldn’t advise [this] given the chemical hazards.”

Ajibola, Rice and Amatucci said they attribute the stagnation of legalizing industrial hemp production to conservative Virginia politics punishing

the plant for its relation to marijuana.

Rice echoed some of the evidence the VIHC provides for that claim.

“Growing hemp is extremely ecofriendly, requiring minimal cultivation, fertilizers, or herbicides compared to most biofuel alternatives,” Rice said in an email.

“The broad range of uses — including even as a plant protein source in diets — is amazing.”

The VIHC cites Canada’s example of how hemp could bring new agricultural and research jobs to Virginia. In Canada, industrial hemp production is a $1 billion dollar industry. It has been shown to remediate soil, clean air, and yield four times more paper pulp per acre than trees.

Ajibola is hosting an interest meeting on campus for the Virginia Industrial Hemp Coalition Feb. 11.

Counseling panel convenes Controversy over naming mountain after school HOPE from page 1

’17 and Joanna Hernandez ’16 talked about their experiences with the Counseling Center and implored students in need to seek help from the counselors.

“I care so much about being able to acknowledge that we are a community that is hurting and that is okay. And that there are people that look very happy and might be doing Zumba or doing any number of things and that is awesome,” Hernandez said. “Those people are also probably hurting to some extent. And how many times have we told our friends to go to the Counseling Center? It’s a great place. If you’re really struggling, go. But we have been unable to do that and make that step for our own selves. And that is really where the change happens. Are you really able to seek the help you need?”

The event ended with a questionand-answer session with staff and doctoral interns from the Counseling Center and Dean’s Office. The initial questions concerned rumors that the Counseling Center can force students

to leave campus and prevent them from reenrolling. Other questions centered on the staff’s ability to deal with the large number of students who come for help throughout the school year.

“At many times students say, ‘Don’t tell them if you have suicidal thoughts because they send you home,”’ Associate Director Carina SudarskyGleiser said. “So if 30 percent of the students we see we are sending home or never coming back, your classes would be empty, the Rec Center would have a lot of machines you wouldn’t need to wait for, we [wouldn’t] have any problems scheduling people for as many appointments as they want.

The truth is that when we recommend that someone goes to the hospital, it is because the likelihood that they would harm themselves or harm others is so high that if they don’t go home or to the hospital, they will no longer be with us.”

The Counseling Center can be found on the second floor of Blow Memorial Hall and is available for free to any student in need of emotional or mental support.

MOUNTAIN from page 1

the Louisiana Purchase, to be enough of a connection to warrant a Mount William and Mary. He said that most of the states formed by the purchase, including Colorado, already honor Jefferson in some way.

“When all of those mountains were named, William and Mary had no presence in Colorado or the west,” Bailey said. “In the whole Louisiana Purchase there are a dozen states or something like that, like nine of those states have counties named for Jefferson. … There are no William and Marys, and I think there is a reason for that. Why? William and Mary was not there during the naming process because we were pretty much out of business after the Civil War.” The geographic feature in question is also just a sub-peak of another Colorado mountain.

According to Kambis, the actual designation of a feature in its name — as mount, peak, summit, etc. — does not rely on its significance or proximity to other points of prominence for the USBGN. That said, whether it is called a mount or not, Bailey said he believes the College can do better than a sub-peak.

“Admittedly, it’s above 14,000 feet and there’s a lovely view of the Upper Arkansas River Valley, but it’s not a distinct high point,” Bailey said. “It doesn’t have much prominence and that seems to run counter to the whole argument. If we want our own mountain because we want some distinctive place, what we’re doing is putting it on something that, geographically, is a sub-peak.”

Boulder, Colo. native Josh Armitage ’16 said he supports

naming a Colorado mountain for the College, just not this particular geographic feature.

“I’m not really all for this deal because it is not a separate mountain, and well, that kind of sucks,” Armitage said. “It’s in the Collegiate Peaks — there’s all these other mountains, Mt. Harvard, Mt. Yale — but this is not a separate mountain, it’s just part of Mt. Elbert. … It would be nice if we got our own mountain.”

The USBGN ultimately considers input from locals when making its decision. Some voiced their opposition in 1998.

Kambis, who is helping Brown with the process of getting the peak named after the College, said he thinks the application has a better chance of success this time because a Colorado native submitted it.

“I was also humorously accused of being a carpetbagger elitist … [for] trying to get a Colorado mountain named after a university in Virginia because I was not a resident of Colorado,” Kambis said.

An Associated Press article published in the Denver Post has already generated negative comments from readers.

Erik Berg ’16, a student from Denver, said he thinks the concept could be good for the College’s westward reach. College President Taylor Reveley sent a letter Jan. 20 to Colorado alumni with the same idea in mind.

“William and Mary definitely doesn’t have the presence out west that it does out east, so I think anything to kind of aggrandize that is good,” Berg said. “I mean, William and Mary has been here for a long time so picking something that has longevity to it, I think that’s a pretty cool idea.”

Page 4

The Flat Hat

Friday, February 6, 2015

student assembly

Senate fails to confirm election commission nominee Convenes in closed session over Caravello nomination, after unanimously approving Gayle MADELINE BIELSKI flat hat ASSOC. NEWS EDITOR

During their weekly Tuesday meeting, Student Assembly senators failed to confirm the nomination of Secretary of Public Affairs Scott Caravello ’15 to the election commission. They also introduced five bills in new business.

Two nominees to the Election Commission were brought before the senate for confirmation: Kathleen Gayle ’15 and Scott Caravello ’15.

Gayle’s nomination was approved by unanimous consent. Caravello’s nomination was discussed at length during a closed session.

Before entering closed session, Caravello shared his qualifications for the position, including three years of experience with the Student Assembly and familiarity with campaign processes. He also explained that as a senior, he has no vested interest in the outcome of the campaign.

“If you look through the Code, [there is] the part where it says that the Commission will have no public interest or private gain from this, and so as a graduating senior I certainly meet those conditions,” Caravello said. “And in addition, like I said, [after] three years in SA I love this organization, and I can’t think of a better way to send it off than to make sure that the next round of leaders are elected fairly and properly.”

Senators Yohance Whitaker ’16 and Chase Jordan ’15 both said they believed Caravello would add insight to the election commission. Student Assembly Chief of Staff Drew Wilke ’15 also vouched for Caravello, highlighting the nominee’s unique perspective.

“Scott’s really a natural pick for this role. … His experience in SA will really bring a lot to being the fifth member on the commission,” Wilke said. “In particular, he actually has a lot of experience being involved in campaigns on campus, and having

that experience gives him a great perspective. I don’t think anyone else on the Commission right now has that perspective of actually being on a campaign.”

Wilke also addressed the fact that Caravello already holds another position within the SA, as he is secretary of public affairs. Wilke explained that past cabinet members, including previous secretaries of public affairs, have served on the commission.

Sen. James Walker ’15 asked Caravello if time would be an issue for him, as he already holds another position. Caravello explained that the docket for the public affairs department is becoming lighter, as there are no spring city council elections, and Road to Richmond took place Jan. 27.

Senators then moved into closed session to discuss Caravello’s nomination.

When senators reconvened for the open session vote on Caravello’s nomination, three senators abstained, six senators voted aye, and eight senators voted nay. Thus, Caravello was not confirmed.

Later in the meeting, SA President Colin Danly ’15 expressed disappointment that the senate did not confirm Caravello. Danly also raised the concern that Caravello was not given the opportunity to address senators’ concerns, as most of the senator discussion on his nomination occurred in closed session.

“I’m not going to lie, I was a little disappointed with what happened tonight,” Danly said. “Not because of what the vote was, but because of how it went down. I wish we were in a spot where we could have an open discussion. I think Scott — and I can’t speak for him — but he felt like he didn’t have a chance to really address … some things that weren’t going to be addressed, some of which might be personal to him, and might involve personal relationships with

members of this senate … I respect your vote and that you guys can vote yes or no on a candidate, but I was also disappointed that you didn’t give him the opportunity, or any of us, to really speak on his behalf either.”

Under new business, Sen. Nadia Ilunga ’15 introduced the Support the Tribe Act, which reallocates $5,000 from the subsidized STI testing funds in the SA 2014-15 budget to the Tribe Rides Program. Tribe Rides is a program that provides transportation to students who require access to offcampus mental health facilities. The Tribe Rides Program requires more funding to be sustained through the spring semester.

As of Dec. 8, the subsidized STI testing budget rested at $17,646. The budget began at $20,000. Vice President of the Student Assembly Kendall

Council discusses dissolution bills in closed session allowed to chair committees or the senate. The bills also call for the formation of social class leadership — composed of the four senators and class president — which will meet weekly. In these meetings, class representatives can discuss class events and initiatives.

Wilke said each social class will still maintain its own budget and will likely receive the same amount of funds to work with under the proposed structure.

The merging of the Undergraduate Council into the other branches of the Student Assembly has been a work in progress for several years. In February 2013, the SA Code Revisions Committee and the Undergraduate Council met to discuss a proposal to incorporate the council into the senate in an effort to make the SA more effective.

One month later, the Code Revisions Committee proposed legislation that required class presidents to attend and participate in one or two senate committees and merged the council’s vice president of advocacy and vice president of social affairs positions, shrinking the size of the council. One year later, in February 2014, the senate and the council voted to merge the vice president positions.

The Undergraduate Council’s inefficiencies were also the Wilke topic of discussion in the first Code Revisions Committee meeting of last semester in November.

Some senators expressed the thought that the Council had lost its purpose.

Wilke explained that other organizations on campus now fill many of the roles the Undergraduate Council once performed.

“Over time, seeing how the campus has shifted and kind of how other organizations have come across campus, the Undergraduate Council has kind of lost an identity over time,” Wilke said.

For example, part of the Undergraduate Council’s purpose is to plan events; however, the SA’s executive branch and AMP fulfill that purpose.

The Undergraduate Council also is meant to fundraise, a role that Development Ambassadors have taken on.

Wilke expressed hope that with this restructuring process — because there will be fewer positions in the Student Assembly —elections will become more competitive. In years past, races for positions within the Undergraduate Council among upperclassmen have not been very competitive. Wilke explained that the SA has lost talented representatives who

racial climate on campus,” Jordan said. “This bill will be drafted by all senators that are interested, and it will be assigned to all committees.

We are looking to draft the language for this bill with the assistance of trained individuals in the executive department, but also some members from the center for student diversity.”

Finally, the Code Restructuring Act and the Constitution Restructuring Act were introduced to the senate after the Undergraduate Council passed both bills at their respective Tuesday night meetings.

FH

For more coverage of the Student Assembly, check flathatnews.com.

AARON BUNCHER / THE FLAT HAT

Student Assembly senators failed to confirm the nomination of Secretary of Public Affairs Scott Caravello ’15 to the election commission.

Wilke says Council has lost identity UNDERGRADUATE from page 1

Lorenzen ’15 was clear in pointing out that STI testing will continue to be subsidized, and Tribe Rides will continue to be a resource available to students.

Sen. Seth Opoku-Yeboah ’16 introduced the Gender-Neutral Code Act, which makes the SA’s code a gender-neutral document in its writing.

A similar act was passed during the senate’s last session to make the SA’s constitution gender neutral.

Jordan introduced the One Tribe Resolution, which charges senators with crafting a resolution in response to the recent racial climate on campus.

The senators will work on the language of the resolution during all of the senate’s Sunday committee meetings.

“The goal of this bill is to draft up a resolution that is both impactful and meaningful in response to the recent

felt unfulfilled within the Undergraduate Council and did not to seek subsequent terms.

“Because really you do have a lot of talented people in Undergraduate Council, people who really care and want to make a difference and they just get frustrated,” Wilke said. “It’s something we’ve been seeing the last couple of years.”

Caterini and Wilke both expressed their belief that these restructuring acts were successfully passed by the Undergraduate Council because the move to restructure came from within the Undergraduate Council and was a collaborative effort.

“It’s really important that [the Undergraduate Council members] feel like this is a change they want to do and its not being imposed on them; it’s something that they have to be comfortable with,” Wilke said. “I think this year we’ve kind of seen that come to fruition.”

The Council spent most of their Tuesday night meeting in closed session, having what Caterini described as an open discussion about the bills. “[The open discussion of the bills], it’s really a testament to the strength of the bill itself,” Caterini said. “Because I think if there were big problems, it would have been slashed and burned and restarted and instead it stayed as solid as it was when it was first presented — showing how people were really excited and people got together and came up with the right idea.”

Although the Undergraduate Council will no longer exist if the Senate and Graduate Council pass these bills, Wilke explained that the Student Assembly will still maintain the perspective of class representation that the Undergraduate Council ensures.

“We don’t want to lose the idea of class representatives. … We want to make sure with the language that we are writing for this change, when we show this change during information sessions for elections, that everyone’s still responsible for being a class advocate and they are still a representative of their class,” Wilke said. “Because that kind of mindset that Undergraduate Council has is something that we don’t want to lose in the Student Assembly.”

The overall goal in restructuring the SA is to make it a more effective body when it comes to serving students, according to Wilke. Caterini also said he hopes that these changes will benefit the College for years to come.

“I think the result that came out tonight was extremely effective and we will see in five, 10 years down the line this is the way that we will be able to give back to the school more properly,” Caterini said.

opinions

Opinions Editor Isabel Larroca Assoc. Opinions Editor Annie Sadler fhopinions@gmail.com // @theflathat

The Flat Hat | Friday,

EDITORIAL CARTOON

STAFF EDITORIAL

Bowing out

GRAPHIC BY MACKENZIE NEAL / THE FLAT HAT

Raising school standards environments which bolster creativity and tolerance.

Charters also boost minority students’ educational performance, so it is likely that increased charter enrollment will lead to increasingly diverse college enrollment. With more diverse primary schools, the nation’s undergraduate populations may become more diverse, creative and tolerant in their own right.

Yet we as a nation are failing to consistently provide this opportunity, even as our public schools falter. According to the Program for International Student Assessment, a program which measures the academic proficiency of 15-year-old FLAT HAT OPINIONS COLUMNIST students worldwide every three years, the United States Since the State of the Union, the conversation regarding continues to fall in international rankings. educational policy has mostly centered on President Obama’s This status quo is simply not good enough. But opposition community college plan. But what isn’t receiving nearly to charter schools lingers, harbored by teachers’ unions enough attention is a bipartisan reform movement in K-12 which view the non-unionized schools as threats. Yet education regarding charter schools. something has to change. This union-dominated system A charter (or voucher) school is a publically-funded school results in policies that make bad teachers impossible to fire. that is privately operated and almost always non-unionized. It costs the U.S. more per student than any other nation — Students are typically admitted on a lottery basis. While $15,771 annually — even as its international rankings sink. charters are by no means a magic panacea Charter schools have even been shown to the myriad problems plaguing the public to improve the achievements of local public school system, they generally experience schools. And when charter schools fail to greater overall success in educating their meet academic standards, they close, while students. According to a 2013 study conducted poorly-performing public schools continue by the Center for Research of Academic to trap students.

Education is Outcomes at Stanford University, students in Thankfully, congressmen on both charter schools showed higher learning gains sides of the aisle support charter schools. the essential than public school students in both reading On May 9, the House of Representatives ingredient and math. Charter schools also have higher passed a bill known as the “Success and to providing minority populations than public schools.

Opportunity Through Quality Charter As college students, we understand the Schools Act.” Heralded as an incredible opportunities importance of attending a high-quality primary statement of bipartisan support of charter to students school — we need a solid educational basis in school education, the bill passed with order to pursue our professional aspirations who come from an overwhelming margin of 360-45. and a college degree. Many students actively the bill, which promotes disadvantaged Unfortunately, participate in campaigns seeking to help charter school growth and reform, communities. disadvantaged communities. They often died without a vote in the Harry-Reidfocus their efforts on closing the educational controlled Senate. This year, however, it gap faced by minorities as a way to effectively combat other has a chance. disadvantages facing these populations. Problems such as Awareness is the first step to change. As students, we the wage gap are directly related to education — individuals should support an innovation that has resulted in higher who receive quality education generally receive higher pay scores, increased underprivileged and minority student — while others may be more subtly linked to educational performance, and perhaps most importantly, increased disparities. Education is the essential ingredient to providing competition and pressure on public schools to improve their opportunities to students who come from disadvantaged model. Students deserve the educational opportunities to communities. succeed, and to move on to get the kind of college education Furthermore, the improvements charter schools bring we enjoy here. to the K-12 education system will carry over into higher Email Sumner Higginbotham at sshigginbotham@email. education. These schools hold the edge of diversity, creating wm.edu.

Sumner Higginbotham

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February 6, 2015 | Page 5

In a stunning display of self-awareness, the Undergraduate Council voted to dissolve itself during the Student Assembly’s last session.

Given the Undergraduate Council’s often extraneous and convoluted role in the SA, we applaud this mindful decision. If the Senate and the Graduate Council also vote to dissolve the Undergraduate Council, it will bring about a more responsive student government.

The Undergraduate Council’s checkered history presents a highlight reel of organizational snafus, such as last semester’s miscommunicated Homecoming parade. The council is practically invisible; most students do not know their undergraduate representatives and class presidents. As a result, many positions have been left uncontested or unfilled.

Call us Federalists, but the SA can use the Undergraduate Council’s dissolution to streamline and strengthen its decentralized body.

With an influx of senators — former members of the Undergraduate Council — the SA can better plan and organize student events, improving accountability and student involvement. The SA’s sessions will be more productive, as each position will have clearly delineated and more concentrated responsibilities.

With SA elections approaching, it is imperative that student voters and candidates understand the structural changes taking place.

That means the Senate and Graduate Council need to vote as soon as possible to relieve the Undergraduate Council of its misguided existence, and provide ample time for student candidates to prepare.

In addition to distributing mass emails preceding the election, the SA should create infographics explaining the SA’s new structure. The SA also needs to provide updated position descriptions and possibly eliminate the presidential power to create positions on a whim, which has caused confusion in the past. Students should understand what positions they can vote and run for, as well as the work that the SA does for them.

The Flat Hat editorial board has long argued that the Undergraduate Council is redundant and unnecessary. Last year, we praised the SA for combining the council’s vice president of advocacy and vice president of social affairs into a single position. While it took years, we are pleased that the Undergraduate Council finally took this significant step toward fixing one of its most chronic problems: itself.

We only hope that the Senate and Graduate Councils follow suit.

The staff editorial represents the opinion of The Flat Hat. The editorial board, which is elected by The Flat Hat’s section editors and executive staff, consists of Abby Boyle, Matt Camarda, Zachary Frank, Meredith Ramey and Ellen Wexler. The Flat Hat welcomes submissions to the Opinions section. Limit letters to 250 words and columns to 650 words. Letters, columns, graphics and cartoons reflect the view of the author only. Email submissions to fhopinions@gmail.com.

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COMMENTS @THEFLATHAT

Why is it uncomfortable for educators to accept that women and men might be drawn into different fields without some ‘bias’ effect? Is anyone concerned about the number of men in early childhood, elementary and secondary education? Must be bias or lack of mentors, right?

— “Warren Joblin ’60” on “Gendering Degrees: STEM majors among most gender imbalanced at the college”

Exempting for religious beliefs, encouraging outbreaks

Isabel Larroca

FLAT HAT OPINIONS EDITOR

In 2000, measles was declared eliminated from the United States. In early 2015, however, what began as a small outbreak at Disneyland has grown to 102 confirmed cases across 14 states. In Arizona, over 1,000 people are currently being monitored for potential infection. The cause of this resurgence is concerning: a growing trend amongst parents who cite religious and personal objections to exempt their children from vaccination.

According to a study published in Pediatrics,

some Californian counties have seen nonvaccination rates reach as high as 23 percent.

The danger of “opting out” is elemental: A child unvaccinated by choice can spread the disease to those who have no such choice. Put simply, it’s a “choice” with potentially devastating ramifications.

Near-universal vaccination is most critical in public schools, particularly at the elementary level. Although students who have been vaccinated remain fairly safe from infection, infants and those with comprised immune systems remain at risk. Furthermore, the disease can remain active and contagious for up to two hours, either in the air or on infected surfaces, making it much easier to spread from child to child. Parents who choose not to vaccinate put both their own children and others at risk not only for measles, but for complications such as pneumonia, deafness and encephalitis.

Protection of religious freedom and the right to raise your child are important values, but basic safety must also be considered. We, along with parents against vaccination, must take into

account that such a choice affects far more people than most personal parenting decisions.

The College follows Virginia state policy in this matter: Full-time students at four-year public institutions are required to have both doses of the MMR vaccine. Though this “requirement” does not extend to those who obtain religious exemptions, it does set a standard for everyone else. It’s certainly a step above the 20 states that allow for “philosophical exemption,” or the 22 states that do not require college students to have the MMR vaccine at all.

Basic vaccine requirements such as Virginia’s are a good start — combined with refusal to grant philosophical exemptions, they narrow down who isn’t vaccinated to purely those with either medical or religious exemptions.

Another step would be to make the process of obtaining a religious exemption more rigorous than it currently is; parents who wish to exempt their child should have to renew this exemption annually with the counsel of a physician. Finally, should an outbreak occur, unvaccinated children should be barred from schools nationwide.

No one can force a parent to vaccinate their child, but, for lack of a better phrase, we are all in this together, and the consequences for those who voluntarily choose not to vaccinate are a great deal less dire than for those who are put at risk by that choice.

Email Isabel Larroca at imlarroca@email. wm.edu.

GRAPHIC BY BRIAN KAO / THE FLAT HAT

variety

Variety Editor Tucker Higgins Variety Editor Devon Ivie flathat.variety@gmail.com // @theflathat

The Flat Hat

| Friday, February 6, 2015 | Page 6

The revolution has been televised

CHRIS MORRISON THE FLAT HAT

L

ights, camera, revolution!

After filming on location in Colonial Williamsburg and inside the Sir Christopher Wren Building at the start of the fall semester, the show runners and actors of AMC’s “Turn: Washington’s Spies” returned Tuesday to discuss the program with faculty of the College.

The public “Television, History and Revolution” panel filled Phi Beta Kappa Hall to the balcony with fans of the program as the participants discussed a variety of topics related to American history, theater and film.

The television program’s speakers included executive producers Craig Silverstein (“Nikita”) and Barry Josephson (“Bones”), author and historian Alexander Rose, lead actor Jamie Bell and several of his co-stars.

The College faculty participants included associate professor of American studies and English Arthur Knight, history professor and Director of the Omohundro Institute for Early American History Karin Wulf, professor of history and editor of the William & Mary Quarterly Joshua Piker and professor of history and executive director of the College’s historic campus Susan Kern.

History professor and Department Chair Cindy Hahamovitch moderated the panel by asking submitted questions as well as questions that came about through the discussion.

The discussion began by focusing on Rose’s conception of the story behind his adapted book: “Washington’s Spies: The Story of America’s First Spy Ring.”

“I often think the point of making that movie is not to be historically accurate and not to answer those questions,” Josephson said. “The great thing is if it’s provoking and you learn about the conflict of that period through that story.”

The panel also discussed the differences between the original book and the adapted film narrative, specifically the inclusion of father-son conflicts and love interests in the story. “[You’ve] got to have that fundamental clash. That’s what drama is,” Rose said. “Same with the love interest; [you’ve] got to have a love interest.”

Bell also added to the discussion by describing the character development of the show’s protagonist Abraham Woodhull and the experiences of working on location in Williamsburg.

“It’s an evolution,” Bell said. “As the season progresses, we see [Abraham Woodhull] become more formal, wearing suits — his loyalist suits — and in this season we are doing now he is changing even more.

His outside changes as his inside changes.”

Bell also added that filming on location at these historic sites while wearing historically accurate costumes showed the discomfort people of the time period experienced.

“Now our feet are freezing because we don’t have these nice plush shoes; it’s just like solid leather sole, and we are standing in mud all of the time. They did not have nice irrigated streets,” Bell said. “So every time you see us in a scene outside, our feet are freezing.”

CHRIS MORRISON / THE FLAT HAT

After exploring historical sites in and around the Richmond area to film, the show runners set their sights on Colonial Williamsburg as a place to shoot scenes for the second season.

“When we wanted to do early Philadelphia, Colonial Williamsburg was the perfect place to shoot,” Josephson said. “And when we scouted, we realized how really magnificent the College of William and Mary was.

Obviously we all knew about the university, but we didn’t know just how historic some of the buildings really were and how well kept they were.”

The sequence at the Wren Building, which served as King George III’s throne room, was premiered at the event and allowed the producers to discuss how they made the transformation.

“We were looking for a room that sort of matched the moment to convey royalty,” Josephson said. “We could have potentially made it an all-CG room; we felt it’s a hard thing to ask actors to work in a space that’s just empty and green walls.”

Josephson’s advice for aspiring college students seeking a career in the film industry is to get their hands dirty by watching great films and by making student films.

“I always recommend that people try and make their student films,” Josephson said. “Whether they’re film majors or not, if they have an interest in telling story, of translating a book or a script or short story to a film, make one even if it’s a ten-minute short because I think then you really learn the language. You know the things that you admired and you get to learn a little bit about technique.”

“

And we did get shot down, we got shot down at the network we were both at.”

— Executive producer Craig Silverstien

“It was basically just an accident, a happy accident,” Rose said. “I was reading a biography of Kim Philby, who some of you may know as a fairly well-known British traitor, and at the same time I think I was reading a biography on Benedict Arnold, and I sort of put two and two together.”

According to the panel, it was a challenge to get “Turn” accepted by any network.

“It was late 2008. I just came off doing a bunch of cop shows and thought, ‘Oh my God, [Rose’s story] is awesome, this is completely different,’ so I was willing to take the risk and just get shot down,” Silverstein said. “And we did get shot down. We got shot down at the network we were both at, which is Fox, and then AMC was just like, ‘Yeah, we will try it.’”

A recurring discussion topic was about the line between historical accuracy and film narrative privileges. According to Josephson, such films as “Lawrence of Arabia” and “Patton” are not supposed to be historically accurate.

ASHLEY RICHARDSON / THE FLAT HAT

Following filming on campus and in Colonial Williamsburg, the show runners and actors of AMC’s “Turn: Washington’s Spies” returned Tuesday to discuss the program with faculty of the College.

The Flat Hat

Friday, February 6, 2015

Bangkok We’ll always have Paris Geneva Amman Cape Town

Page 7

45 percent of students take a semester or a summer abroad. Some students need more.

EMILY CHAUMONT // FLAT HAT ASSOC. VARIETY EDITOR

A

“

ccording to the Reves Center, 45 percent of undergraduate students at the College of William and Mary study abroad. This is a higher percentage of students than at any other public university in the United States. However, while most students who participate in study abroad programs will only spend a few weeks of the summer or one semester in another country, some students choose to spend multiple semesters away from the College.

In order to study Russian and Chinese, Rachel Faith ’15 has spent time in Russia, China and Kyrgyzstan.

“Learning a language is much easier and progresses much faster when you are immersed in a native-speaking environment, even if you are only there for a brief period of time,” Faith said in an email. “Spending more time abroad leads to greater linguistic improvement … I wanted to maximize the effect my time abroad could have on my studies.”

Immersing oneself in a foreign language also results in a deep cultural immersion. Students who study abroad see this as a rewarding consequence of studying abroad.

“Language gains aside, feeling like you’re going home when you’re actually heading to a foreign country is one of the most amazing sensations ever,” said Faith in an email. “It’s amazing to think that I was able to make a place for myself in these countries.”

Because cultural immersion and adapting to a new country can be difficult at first, many students are grateful for the fact that most classes taken during study abroad programs are “pass/fail” and less academically rigorous than classes at the College.

However, some students go abroad specifically to do research.

“I was able to use my time abroad to do research [combining] two things I love: fitness and Spanish,” Rory Siegel ’15, a kinesiology and Hispanic studies double major, said.

Siegel spent the summers of 2012 and 2014, as well as the spring semester of 2014, in Spain. When he was required to do a research project on a topic in Spanish culture his first summer in Spain, he chose to examine the differences between Spanish and American health habits.

On another of his trips to Spain, Siegel participated in an interdisciplinary

You become more comfortable meeting new people because you always have to keep putting yourself out there.

— Elena Rosenbaum ‘15

research project about the physiological benefits of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage.

“When I was abroad, I was able to do research projects and also learn about everyday life and culture in Spain. I got to do a volunteering class where I taught kids with disabilities how to swim,” Siegel said. “I wasn’t just focused on fun or just focused on academics. I got to do both and have experiences I couldn’t have at home.”

Nicole Fitchett ’15 has studied in both Spain and Norway. She has had a lifelong interest in linguistics and foreign language, so she had always planned to study abroad in college.

“It was right for me and what I wanted,” she said. “I would definitely say don’t be afraid to study abroad, but you have to remember that life does go on without you, and the longer you spend outside of William and Mary, the harder it is to integrate back in.”

Many schools overseas are situated directly in their cities and not on a campus, as most American universities are. Usually, universities abroad are not in “college towns,” but in cities where average citizens live and work alongside students going to class.

“Since we have these campuses in America, you kind of spend four years in a bubble, spending time primarily with fellow students your own age. In Spain and Norway, you lived in the city with people of all ages and all backgrounds,” Fitchett said. “You had a life and you did things, and you also went to class, which helps prepare you for the real world when you’re not going to live at your job.”

Studying abroad is not the same as the quintessential American four-year college experience, but it does provide a kind of preparation that is not available to students remaining at a domestic institution for all four years.

“You face more ‘real life’ things when you’re abroad. Especially for my research projects, I had to talk to all different kinds of people, some who spoke English, many who spoke Spanish, but even some who spoke French or Italian, which I don’t speak,” Siegel said. “I had professors there in case I needed somebody to lean back on, but I really had to make my own path.”

Elena Rosenblum ’15 spent a semester in Bangkok and participated in summer programs in Brussels, Prague and Exeter. She is confident that studying abroad extensively has improved her confidence in new situations and made her more independent.

“You become more comfortable meeting new people because you always have to keep putting yourself out there. [Studying abroad] gave me so much more confidence in what I could do,” Rosenblum said.

Studying abroad provides students with access to very different cultures, ideas and viewpoints than they are used to interacting with.

Jonathon Hsu ’15 has studied in China, South Africa and the United Kingdom in order to try new things and take classes he would not otherwise be able to take.

“I don’t have any regrets,” Hsu said. “I learned a lot about myself and my own identity. A person’s identity is somewhat crafted by the environment they live in, but there is a through-line that stays the same no matter where you go. Spending a long time abroad is a really good way to discover this through-line and learn about who you are.”

ONLINE

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

The best kind of sex? Not worrying about babies.

Condoms are weird plastic bags for your penis, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use them

Mallory Walker

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS COLUMNIST

I am a firm believer that sex can be extremely fun and exciting. I am also a big fan of consensual sex, and to be honest, nothing makes me more excited than sex that is both safe and consensual.

I know that as college students we’ve probably all had the “safe sex talk” from a parent, health teacher, etc, but that’s not going to stop me from switching into mom-mode and sitting you down to have a little chat about the importance of being sexually safe.

I’m not your mother or your doctor, so why should I be lecturing you, dear reader, about the risks of unprotected sex? I truly think that safe sex should be everyone’s priority. As someone who has bought pregnancy tests for her friends, I’ve seen that unprotected sex can lead to a lot of stress, even if it doesn’t lead to pregnancy.

Keeping yourself sexually healthy by practicing

safe sex is just as important as any other kind of health.

I think we can all agree that at this point, the phrase “no glove, no love” has been a bit overused. However, this isn’t to say that the meaning behind the phrase isn’t incredibly important. Although not every person having unprotected sex will get pregnant and die (“Mean Girls,” anyone?), there are a lot of unsavory consequences to “hitting it raw.” Practicing safe sex ensures that both you and your partner are doing your best to steer clear of any sexually

“

Ludacris on Charter Day. In addition to condoms, any form of birth control will help to prevent your output of babies. Although babies are incredibly cute, you can easily get your fill of adorableness by walking around Colonial Williamsburg during peak tourist season. And while I am not a mathematician, I’m pretty sure that a pack of condoms costs considerably less than the total number of diapers a child uses during their infancy.

You might be reading this and thinking to

There are a lot of unsavory consequences to ‘hitting it raw.’

transmitted diseases or infections. As college students, I know we don’t want to have to worry about having herpes or chlamydia on top of all the other extremely important things we have on our plates, like getting floor tickets to see

”

yourself, “But Mom — I mean Mallory — where will I acquire a form a birth control to practice safe sex?” If this statement describes you, I encourage you to open your eyes and see with utmost clarity the ways our campus makes it

incredibly easy to practice safe sex. For example, do you need a condom? You can pick up condoms from the FISH Bowl in the Campus Center, members of HOPE, or VOX when they table at the Sadler Center. Pro tip: The wonderful ladies and gents of VOX have incredibly fun polka-dotted and colored condoms for the times you want to get sexy with a little added style. Even if you’re not a fan of the free condoms offered around campus, Wawa is only a hop, skip and a jump away. And this, my friend, is only the beginning; there are so many other wondrous forms of birth control out there. I may not be a doctor, but I know that with the help of one, finding forms of birth control can be incredibly easy.

Before I bring my safe sex lecture to its conclusion, I would like to add in one last classic mom anecdote. I once had a friend tell me that providing condoms was not her responsibility; she felt that since condoms are made to fit the male genitalia, they were the ones who had to buy or provide the condoms. The moral of this story? Safe sex is everyone’s responsibility. If you’re looking to get lucky, carry some condoms with you. Sex is so much more fun without the looming fear of contracting gonorrhea afterwards.

Mallory Walker is a Behind Closed Doors columnist who has never gotten an STD from the good ol’ bath tub, porn, hand combo.

sports

Sports Editor Mick Sloan Sports Editor Chris Weber flathatsports@gmail.com @FlatHatSports

The Flat Hat | Friday, February 6, 2015 | Page 8

MEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Tribe adds six to squad

Three from out of state CHRIS WEBER FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR

COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS

College stumbles

Junior guard Terry Tarpey goes for a steal against College of Charleston. The College fell to Charleston 80-72 in Charleston, S.C. and lost sole possession of first place in the CAA.

Tribe offense not up to par in loss to Charleston

MICK SLOAN FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR Standing alone atop the conference standings and in the midst of an 8-2 run in its Colonial Athletics Association schedule, William and Mary entered a road matchup against last-place College of Charleston with a full head of steam.

The Cougars, however, threw a wet blanket on the Tribe’s recent streak, rallying from a 10-point first-half deficit to hand the College an 80-72 defeat Thursday in Charleston, S.C. The Cougars (7-17, 2-9 CAA) have struggled all season, and appeared to be Thornton no match for the Tribe (148, 8-3 CAA) going into the game. The College hammered Charleston 75-45 at Kaplan Arena Jan. 3. But Thursday, Charleston shook off a slow start and inhibited the Tribe’s offense enough to secure the upset and strip the College of its first place position in the CAA. The game started favorably for the College, as the Tribe jumped to a 16-6 lead six minutes into the contest, sparked by six quick points

from senior guard Marcus Thornton. Charleston responded, however, by strongly defending its home court, storming back from the early deficit and taking a 35-32 halftime lead. After hitting eight of its first 11 shots, the College missed 12 of its next 16 and bricked four free throws as its double-digit lead evaporated. Charleston held the Tribe scoreless in the final three minutes of the first half to seal its halftime lead.

The College continued to struggle after intermission, failing to hit a field goal in the first seven minutes of the second half as Charleston built a 53-43 lead. Senior forward Tom Schalk’s layup put the Tribe on the board, but the College’s offense continued to struggle. The Tribe generated a typical amount of open shots but simply failed to knock them down. Junior guard Terry Tarpey scored on consecutive possessions to pull the Tribe within eight, but Charleston’s Canyon Barry hit a three-pointer to stretch the Cougars’ lead to 58-47 with 10 minutes left in the game. Barry, whose father is National Basketball Association Hall of Famer Rick Barry, scored 19 points to lead Charleston.

Over the next several minutes, the College whittled at Charleston’s lead and Thornton closed the gap to 65-59 with two free throws.

But each time the Tribe appeared to make a run at the lead, the Cougars answered with a score of their own. Charleston’s defense excelled in the second half, limiting the Tribe to just one three-pointer and holding the College to 39 percent shooting after halftime. The game effectively ended with two minutes remaining, when Charleston answered Thornton’s missed triple with a three-pointer that stretched the lead to 71-61.

Charleston hit eight free throws in the final minute to seal the 80-72 win.

Sophomore forward Prewitt Omar Prewitt led the College with 22 points on six of 11 shooting, while Thornton chipped in 15 points and three assists. Tarpey finished with 12 points and eight rebounds, but no other Tribe player scored in double-figures. The College mustered just 22 points in the paint to the Cougars’ 28.

The College is currently tied for first in the CAA with UNC-Wilmington and Northeastern, but the Tribe will look to recover from the loss when it faces UNC-Wilmington Saturday. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. in Wilmington, N.C.

With the impending departure of six graduating seniors, head coach John Daly moved quickly to find new pieces. Six student-athletes committed to join William and Mary Wednesday.

“We have some pretty big shoes to fill, having graduated our leading scorer for the past two seasons in Emory Camper, as well as key players such as Emily Fredrikson, Aly Shaughnessy, Anna Madden, Taylor Dyson and Christina Popps,” Daly told Tribe Athletics. “All six graduating seniors have left an imprint on the women’s soccer program here, and I am very confident that this incoming class will do the same. They will join a team, which is showing tremendous dedication this spring. All are anxious to put the Tribe back in the top sphere, where it belongs.”

Half of the recruits hail from Virginia: keeper Sara Vigen (Herndon, Va.), midfielder/forward Marie Shine (McLean, Va.) and midfielder/back Claire Robbins (Herndon, Va.).

Out-of-state recruits include midfielder/back Mackenzie Kober (Hunington, N.Y.), back Arundel Miguelez (Boston, Mass.) and forward Sarah Segan (Fogelsville, Pa.).

Vigen, from South Lakes High School, looks to challenge the Tribe’s four current goalkeepers, although junior Caroline Casey’s experience and strong past performance sets her up as the frontrunner entering the 2015 season.

Shine, who graduated from McLean High School, transferred from Northern Virginia Community College this semester and will train with the team this spring. Shine won a state championship in 2010 and earned a first place national league finish with club team BRYC Elite.

Robbins plays at Oakton High School and has enjoyed success on both the prep and club levels, including wining the National League U18 tournament with BRYC’s Elite W Team.

Haling from Saint Anthony’s High School in New York, Kober reached the state title game in both 2012 and 2014. Kober also advanced to the national level of the Olympic Developmental Program.

Daly saw Miguelez and Segan play against each other in the Jefferson Cup. Acton-Boxborough Regional’s Miguelez enters the College as an experienced athlete, having lettered in three sports.

A known scorer, Miguelez looks to add some offensive pressure from the back line. Segan, from Northwestern Lehigh, is also a three-sport athlete and reached ODP’s regional pool.

The Tribe looks to improve from last season’s 126-1 campaign and 4-0 loss in the Colonial Athletic Association Championship at Northeastern.

FOOTBALL

Tribe acquires 13 new players on National Signing Day College’s 2015 recruiting class includes student athletes from seven US states, Canada CHRIS WEBER FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR It took just four hours and 15 minutes Wednesday morning.

Moments after 7 a.m., the fax machine began whirring and didn’t quit until incoming freshman Nick Wimmer filed his National Letter of Intent at 11:25 a.m.

All told, William and Mary added 13 students to its roster as part of National Signing Day. “This is a group of young men we identified early in the process and were able to focus our efforts on creating solid relationships,” head coach Jimmye Laycock told Tribe Athletics.

“The staff did an outstanding job of not only identifying outstanding and talented young men, but also addressing diverse areas of need. We are looking forward to working with these men, and I expect them to be competitive from day one.”

Wimmer joins a diverse group that hails from seven states and Canada.

Three defensive backs, two tailbacks, two defensive Wimmer linemen, two offensive linemen, a quarterback, wide out, tight end and linebacker all committed to the Tribe.

Two signees — 6’4” inches wide out Chris Conlan and 6’3” defensive back Miles Hayes — each bring professional familial ties to the College. Conlan, who is from Quaker Valley High School in Leetsdale, Pa. and is the school’s all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches, follows in his father’s footsteps. Shane Conlan, the eighth overall pick in the 1987 draft, played for the National Football Association’s Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams from 19871995 after winning two national titles at Penn State University in 1982 and 1986. Conlan played in three Super Bowls (1990-1992) and earned the 1987 Associated Press NFL Rookie of the Year award.

Hayes, from Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, lettered each year and won the state title in 2013. Hayes’s father, Jay Hayes, played at the University of Idaho and in the United States Football League.

Hayes’s brother, Jesse Hayes, plays at the University of Wisconsin and his uncle, Jon Hayes, was a second-round pick in 1985 and played 12 seasons in the NFL, including Super Bowl XXX. Jon Hayes also won the 2000 national championship as an assistant coach for Bob Stoops’s Oklahoma Sooners.

Hayes’s father and uncle both currently work for the Cincinnati Bengals as the defensive line coach

and tight end coach, respectively.

In-state recruits include Nate Atkins (Roanoke, Va.), Brehon Britt (Chesapeake, Va.) and Corey Parker (Haymarket, Va.).

Atkins, a 6’1” linebacker from Hidden Valley High School, averaged 9.3 tackles per game over a three-year career. Fans will recognize Britt as the brother of Brandon Britt ’14, a career 1,000-point scorer for Tony Shaver’s basketball program.

Britt amassed 7.5 yards per carry over three years at Atlantic Shores High School. Parker, a Conlon 5’10” defensive back from Battlefield High School, enters with some familiarity with the Colonial Athletic Association as his brother, Christian Parker, played for the University of Richmond.

William and Mary landed two recruits from New Jersey and two from North Carolina. Tyler Klaus, a 6’4” tight end from Haddonfield Memorial High School, hauled in 44 catches for 624 yards over three years.

Bill Murray, a 6’4” defensive lineman from Delbarton School, looks to add size and strength to the Tribe’s front four. Murray tallied 52 tackles and 22 tackles for a loss over the pastwo seasons.

North Carolinian Albert Funderburke, Jr., a 6’0” tailback from Sun Valley High School, became the first player in Union County history with more than 2,000 yards in three consecutive seasons. Wimmer, the last signee, stands 6’2” and hails from North Davidson.

Maryland added two recruits: 6’2” defensive back Grant Waxter from Linganore High School and 6’3” quarterback Brandon Battle from North Point High School. Linganore found the ball often over three seasons, logging 10 interceptions alongside six fumble recoveries and five forced fumbles. Battle set school records for passing yards and touchdowns en route to averaging 237.7 passing yards per game over his career.

Graydon Campbell, a 6’3” offensive lineman from Episcopal High School in Ontario, Canada, is the only international player to sign.

Campbell should offer the College some strength up front — he placed second in an Ontario weightlifting competition three years ago.

Joe Suarez hails from South Dade Senior High School in Miami, Fla. A 6’2” defensive end, Suarez finished his prep career with more than 38 sacks and 170 tackles.

The Tribe resumes preparations for the upcoming season with the April 11 Green and Gold Spring Game.

TRIBE IN THE COMMUNITY Student-athletes continued William and Mary’s reputation for service at the start of the semester.

Leading the charge, the men’s gymnastics team donated over 2,700 pounds of food to the nonprofit FISH, Inc. The agency provides food and clothing to Williamsburg, James City and York County residents. The total eclipsed all other donations from the gymnastic program in previous years.

Members of the baseball and football teams volunteered at the Housing Partnerships on Palace Drive, organizing a warehouse. Track and field athletes volunteered to beautify the Jamestown Settlement grounds, while other student-athletes visited local schools to talk with students or work in gardens. .

The volunteer push comes on the heels of the Jan. 24 Gold Rush Game and Shoeless Showdown, where organizers collected more than 400 pairs of shoes for donation.

Volunteerism is nothing new to students and student-athletes alike.

The College logs more than 245,000 hours per year, according to the Office of Community Engagement.

— Flat Hat Sports Editor Chris Weber