The F lat Hat
HOW TRUMP'S DEI CRACKDOWN COULD AFFECT HIGHER ED
Federal
government lacks enforcement authority, but Youngkin may influence
Tuesday, Jan. 21, President of the United States Donald J. Trump signed an executive order targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs across federal government agencies, deeming them “radical and wasteful” and threatening legal consequences for non-compliance. Some experts believe such measures could soon be extended to public universities, calling into question the status of DEI offices and programs across the higher education landscape, including at the College of William and Mary.
It is currently unclear on what legal basis Trump’s executive order could halt DEI initiatives on college campuses. The administration stated that DEI programs are “illegal and immoral” and violate civil rights law — claims which higher education policy experts have contested, likening the executive order to a repression of intellectual freedom and signaling the adverse impact of DEI changes on historically underrepresented students.
In the executive order, Trump encouraged the Department of Education to identify nine universities receiving endowments greater than $1 billion and determine whether they have active DEI programs. The College’s financial report for the 2024 fiscal year, released Friday, Jan. 24, revealed an endowment with a total market value of $1.45 billion.
According to Inside Higher Ed, the nation’s largest universities with the highest endowments — namely the Ivy League — will likely be first on the administration’s radar. In 2023, the College’s endowment ranked 44th among U.S. public colleges and universities.
Faculty Assembly President and professor of economics
David H. Feldman specializes in higher education policy. He believes that Trump’s DEI crackdown within federal agencies is one element of a larger administrative battle for sustained power and relevancy.
“DEI is only the thin edge of the wedge here,” Feldman said. “It’s not just DEI, it’s anything having to do with these hotbutton issues that allow the administration, especially Trump himself, to stay in the front pages every day. I mean, it’s like we go from chaos to chaos to chaos.”
Feldman shared that Trump’s executive order to freeze federal grant money, which was blocked by a federal judge last Wednesday, would be much more likely than DEI measures to have an immediate effect on the College’s operations.
“The College’s budget here, we probably get $40 million a year from grants,” Feldman said. “I mean, this is going to cause shutdowns of research and things of that nature. Part of this is [Trump’s] belief system and part of this is keeping on the front pages and driving all other news out. And getting us to dance.”
According to Feldman, the Trump administration lacks the direct legal authority to force higher education compliance with DEI measures intended solely for federal agencies.
“I don’t know how the federal government could get involved other than jawboning, which is what I think they’re doing,” he said. “They’re just spewing out this stuff and hoping that maybe places will just say, ‘Yes, sir,’ and start doing this dismantling without any legal compulsion to do so.”
Jane Batten in July 2024, who gave $100 million to establish the Batten School of Coastal and Marine Sciences.
needs them most.” Stravitz shared a reason for his donation.
Thursday, Feb. 6, the College of William and Mary announced a $50 million donation from R. Todd Stravitz ’82, establishing the R. Todd Stravitz Scholars Program for undergraduate marine science students.
“We are deeply grateful to Dr. Stravitz and the Brunckhorst Foundations,” College President
Katherine Rowe said. “This gift removes financial barriers, allowing the brightest minds to access the learning and tools needed to address our planet’s urgent problems. These future trailblazers will craft solutions that safeguard ecosystems, economies, and the communities that depend on them around the globe.”
The donation follows that of
Stravitz’s gift comes as the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia approved the College’s undergraduate degree in coastal and marine sciences Thursday, Jan. 30. The first cohort of students will begin the program in fall 2025, taking classes at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
“This gift is about funding tomorrow’s problem-solvers,” Dean of the Batten School and Director of VIMS Derek Aday said.
“At William & Mary, we equip students with the skills to craft applied solutions to some of the biggest challenges of our time.
This investment ensures our students can lead where the world
“When I was a student, a degree like this didn’t exist, and I want to create the pathway for today’s students to experience the best of William & Mary so they are prepared for the greatest challenges of their generation,” Stravitz said. “Our best hope for solving the environmental crises we face is educating young people to care for and improve our planet. Programs like this are critical to our future, and I’m honored to support this vital mission.”
The scholarship will provide full-tuition assistance to selected students starting in fall 2025. While the number of recipients has not been determined, the College expects to increase the number annually.
College's Board
Feldman believes the College would be more easily influenced at the state level with regard to DEI, especially since Virginia is led by a Republican governor who supports Trump. However, he stressed that the College’s Board of Visitors ultimately has the final say on whether to implement higher education directives from Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin D.P.S. ’22.
“So far, at least, William and Mary has not had any gubernatorial overt interference in the Board,” Feldman said. “They’ve sort of asked us, ‘Who do you want us to appoint?’ kind of thing, from a shortlist. And of course, these are all Republicans and friends of the governor that get appointed. But so far, we’ve done a very good job of making sure that these are people who have the best interests of William and Mary before the best interests of a particular ideological set of principles.”
The Board of Visitors is set to convene for their first meeting of the calendar year this week from Wednesday, Feb. 5 to Friday, Feb. 7 at Blow Memorial Hall. Youngkin has yet to issue any DEI-related directives to Virginia university boards since the start of Trump’s term.
However, Youngkin requested in October 2024 that Virginia Commonwealth University and George Mason University alter their curriculums to make DEI courses no longer required. Both universities’ boards yielded to the governor, prompting outcry from student groups.
“I think William and Mary is one of the best places to go if you're interested in doing marine science studies as an undergraduate, especially with the VIMS in such close proximity,” Nick Goodman ’27, who aims to declare a major in marine science once it becomes available, told The Flat Hat. “And now with this grant that we receive, the opportunities are only going to increase for how students can get involved with marine science.” Goodman said he joined the ecotoxicology lab with associate professor Juliette L. Smith at VIMS and hopes to be more involved in the future.
“The reason I chose this ecotoxicology lab that I'm working in is because it sets me on the path to go into a whole load of different fields, including pharmaceuticals, toxicology, chemical oceanography,” Goodman , who is eager to be more involved, added.
“This donation will open many doors for students interested and invested in marine science in Virginia,” Sarah Herrera '25, copresident of Marine Science Society, told The Flat Hat. “This scholarship will help lower financial barriers to entering this field. Many of the most important classes are field courses which often have extra costs associated with them. Any opportunity to lower these barriers should be welcome as marine and coastal science is becoming more and more apart of our lives. The ocean’s importance is becoming more prominent with the increasing threat that climate change presents.”
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“We hope that no matter where a student is at William & Mary, they
AMP, SA choose NLE Choppa for Spring Concert
Friday, March 28, at 8 p.m., Alma Mater Productions and Student Assembly will host NLE Choppa for its annual Spring Concert in Kaplan Arena.
The 22-year-old rapper from Memphis, Tennessee first gained popularity in 2019 with his single “Shotta Flow,” which later became platinum-certified. Since then, he has built a loyal following and had multiple hits in his debut album, “Top Shotta.”
NLE Choppaʼs success only grew with the release of his second studio album in 2022, “Cottonwood 2.” His most-known single, “Slut Me Out,” topped at number 28 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and became a viral sensation across social media.
NLE Choppa is not the first star-studded musical guest to visit the College of William and Mary. Recently, AMP hosted indie band COIN and hip-hop artist Sean Kingston. The most famous performer to visit the College was 22-time Grammy Award winner and rapper Kendrick Lamar, who headlined in 2013.
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Professor
Erin Webster on importance of studying humanities, culvitating rich learning environments
Webster describes teaching journey, inspiring research, collaborative book project
Associate professor of English Erin Webster did not plan on teaching when she started her undergraduate degree. However, she has taught at the College of William and Mary since 2016 and is now director of the College’s English Honors program.
“I went to university knowing that I liked reading, I loved writing,” she said. “I wanted to be a writer, which in a way, I am. But I wanted to be a diferent kind of writer than I ended up being.”
Being a frst generation student, Webster did not know the path to being a professor or that academia was a viable career option.
“I was frst generation, and at the time, I really didn’t know where professors came from,” she said.
Webster attended Trent University, a small liberal arts college in Ontario, Canada. She recalled taking as many humanities classes as she possibly could, especially in German and English. The small seminars and classes Webster took provided her with the opportunity to develop her scholarship. Eventually, her professors suggested that she explore a career in academia and teaching.
“It was through interactions with my professors there who took an interest and said, ‘You know what? You seem to be good at this, and you seem to enjoy the analysis and the writing,” Webster said. “Have you thought about going on to graduate school or going on for a career in academics or academia?’”
At the time, Webster remained frm in her conviction that she did not want to be a teacher.
“I’ve thought about teaching, and no, I don’t want to be a teacher,” Webster said.
In the end, the enriching conversations and scholarship Webster experienced throughout her undergraduate tenure in the English department inspired her to stay in academia.
“Obviously, I did,”Webster said. “It came out of my experience as an undergraduate student and just loving my classes and in particular liking my English classes and the conversations that we had there.”
One of Webster’s favorite aspects of the College’s undergraduate program remains the lively discussions found in English classes and humanities more broadly.
“That’s what I see as a major beneft of being in a humanities class, being in an English class,” Webster said. “Particularly here at William and Mary, being in an English class, because we have the luxury, in a way, of having small seminars.”
Webster believes the opportunity to talk refectively and thoughtfully with others is an increasingly rare opportunity in today’s world. These conversations are exactly what Webster works to preserve in her role as director of the English Honors program and in her own classes.
“What I would want to preserve, it would be those forums,” she said. “Places where people can get together and talk with each other about interesting ideas.”
Webster became director of the English honors program this year, taking on the responsibility of guiding students through writing proposals, crafting funding applications and advising students’ honors theses. As director, Webster works hard to provide her students opportunities to view their research from a diferent perspective and develop their ideas.
That goal originated from her experience as a graduate student when one of her professors encouraged her to view
literary analysis from a whole new perspective.
“As part of that class, we were given a task of researching something from that time period that wasn’t in English literature specifcally,” Webster said. “What I ended up researching was perspective.”
Webster’s research from that class and newly-learned approach to research formed the basis of her book, “The Curious Eye: Optics and Imaginative Literature in Seventeenth Century England,” published in 2020.
“The Curious Eye” traverses the feld of English literature studies from multiple perspectives, incorporating research and scholarship on imperialism, optics, theology, baroque architecture and poetry. Webster said this interaction between subjects came naturally.
“Taking that class, I started to see how what I had thought of as sort of distinct subjects were actually very intertwined,” she said.
Former English professor at the College, Paula Blank, conducted interdisciplinary research that combined literary analysis and mathematics, before passing away in 2016. Her work deeply inspired Webster’s own scholarship, serving as a reference for Webster’s dissertation, which was also rooted in an interdisciplinary approach.
“When I was doing my research and my dissertation, I had actually read books and articles by Paula Blank,” Webster said. “I thought her work was brilliant.”
Webster helped to complete Blank’s unpublished book on the misunderstandings between Shakespeare’s Early Modern English and Modern American English — afectionately called “Shakesplish.” Webster collaborated with professor of English Emerita Elizabeth Barnes and associate professor of English Erin Minear to fully render Blank’s scholarly vision.
“The premise of Paula’s book was that actually we should celebrate some of those misunderstandings because they create new meanings,” Webster said. “And so it was very empowering for readers and also for students. And she does talk a lot about her experience in the classroom.”
Webster also touched on the personal aspect of working on Blank’s book.
“Helping to complete the book, I felt like I was getting some kind of introduction in my own frst semester teaching here from, you know, a colleague who had taught here before,” she said. “For me, coming here in my frst semester was actually really enjoyable but also really helpful because it was such a kind of teaching focused book, and in some ways, I think a William and Mary focused book.”
Webster emphasized that the quality of students is her favorite part of teaching at the College.
“I can say honestly that the students are just terrifc,” Webster said. “You know, I have taught at three diferent institutions. They all have their good and bad points. But here, teaching is a sincere pleasure.”
Despite not wanting to be a professor originally, Webster shared that teaching at the College is a true joy, which she largely attributes to her students’ commitment.
“The students are curious and bright but engaged, and they’re there in class having done the readings and wanting to talk. They have ideas, and they’re excited about that, and they’re passionate. And that’s really wonderful. And it is actually quite, quite rare,” Webster said.
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Webster did not originally plan on becoming a teacher, but her positive undergraduate experience studying English convinced her otherwise.
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College to implement LGBTQ+ housing next year with new Lavender House
Student Assembly, professor Watkins spearhead new learning living community for fall 2025 in Maple Hall
Beginning the fall semester of 2025, the College of William and Mary will offer special interest LGBTQ+ housing. The housing will be called the “Lavender House” and will be one of six living-learning communities at the College, including existing language houses.
The community will be located in Maple Hall, a building within the new West Woods 1 complex, starting fall 2025. Student Assembly members, along with teaching professor of History Jay Watkins III, worked to implement this new inclusive space and living community.
The Lavender House will be the College’s first LGBTQ+ housing and will consist of co-curricular, co-residential opportunities for students living in the hall, according to the College’s housing website. Unlike the other livinglearning communities, Lavender House will not have a credit-bearing class associated with it. Instead, more informal events will be hosted by Watkins, who will serve as the house’s faculty advisor.
Watkins, who conducts thematic research in the areas of LGBTQ+, Southern Culture, Theatre and Popular Culture at the College, discusses his role in the planned community.
“We decided to have it much more casual, not a class with assigned readings, but just kind of over the course of the year getting together some lectures, some kind of outside speakers, talking about some readings, film nights, that sort of thing,” Watkins said. “So the casual kind of informational things give us a lot more space than kind of strict for credit classes.”
According to Watkins, changes to the curriculum in the future are up to the students involved to decide what works best for them.
“If the kind of students that live in it for the first year of it think the four-credit class would be better, then we will add
that,” Watkins said. “Ultimately, it’s driven by the people who live there and what they want and need. I’m just showing up to help with the sort of logistical processes.”
SA Sen. Matt Swenson ’26 and Class of 2026 President Zoe Wang ’25 M.P.P. ’26, who spearheaded the Lavender House initiative, commented on their outlook of its future.
“We are very hopeful that the Lavender House will create a lasting impact on the William & Mary community!” they wrote in an email to The Flat Hat. “The Lavender House has the potential not only to create an inclusive, welcoming mini-community, but also to nourish important, rich conversations about queerness, especially at a time in our country when queer and trans people are vulnerable to disrespect and marginalization.”
Watkins similarly felt encouraged by Swenson’s and Wang’s efforts.
“I think there is a space for it, and I think there is value in being able to live with an informal community within living spaces with similar shared interests,” Watkins said. “I think that the living-learning community model and the social interest housing model are really good. The other houses have been continuing for a while, so I think there will always be a need for it. Will it grow? I don’t know. I certainly don’t foresee any institutional blockages.”
Wang commented on her motivation to pursue this project.
“When Matt and I first ran for Student Assembly our freshman year, a student talked to us about housing issues that transgender students were facing. After we got elected, we made sure to address their concerns and met with Residence Life to discuss ways to support LGBTQ+ students and bolster access to comfortable living situations. From those conversations, we determined two feasible action items: hold roommate search events, and create a special interest housing community,” Wang wrote.
The two members of Student Assembly Senate mentioned that the Lavender House initiative has been in the works for a while.
“As freshmen elected to Student Assembly two and a half years ago, we began this project with Harriet Kandell, Director of Residence Life, and this year, we were fortunate to have Carsten, Student Assembly’s undersecretary for LGBTQ+ affairs, join us as we got it through the finish line,” Swenson said. “There were some hurdles along the way, but we’re excited that it’s finally coming together.”
Watkins explained that since the house is run by the College, he sees a longstanding future. It will not face the common problem of student leadership turnover.
“I think having the kind of permanency of a living-learning community that’s tied to housing might actually help some of the transience that affects every student group,” Watkins said. “Groups go through periods of folks stepping in, and folks not, and then folks graduating, and that sort of thing. It is a known kind of phenomenon.”
Watkins congratulated the SA members who implemented this initiative, mentioning that they are the real driving force behind its success.
“They’ve been very intentional about kind of creating this as a very inclusive space and have been very intentional in how they’re designing it and how they are reaching out and advertising in the application and all of that, Watkins said. “So they’ve done a phenomenal job and I kind of feel like I’ve just stepped at the last minute. So really all of the credit goes to them in designing this really intentional space. And so I think for that it will continue because it is so well designed from the beginning.”
Swenson and Wang offered a final comment on the Lavender House and their efforts.
“We hope that no matter where a student is at William & Mary, they experience a safe, inclusive, and supportive culture,” they said. “This project opens the door for students to experience that culture in a new, more deliberate, and intimate way.”
Friday, Jan. 24, College of William and Mary
President Katherine Rowe shared the College’s 2024 financial report. She highlighted the $100 million donation from Jane Batten HON ’17, L.H.D. ’19 which helped establish the Batten School of Coastal and Marine Sciences.
“We are stewarding our beautiful campus for the next century as well: with the most significant transformation to our built environment since the 1920s,” Rowe wrote in an email to the College community. “The ongoing renovations will modernize learning and living communities for our students.”
Rowe attached a link to the report in the email, where the budget is divided into more specific categories and uses.
“At $621.3 million, operating revenues for the university and its affiliated foundations increased by $34.0 million — or 5.8% — over the prior year,” College Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Michael J. Todd shared on the website. “The
largest dollar increase was in private funds, 22.6% ($107 million raised in FY24), as William & Mary continues to benefit from the generosity of donors, which strengthens the university’s financial foundation.”
Todd elaborated on the College’s increased state funding, largely used to support grants and research aligned with Vision 2026.
“State funds increased 5.9% for the Commonwealth of Virginia’s share of salary and benefit increases, continued investment in affordable access funding along with base support for financial aid,” Todd wrote “Grants and contracts in research, 15.1%, reflected our commitment to the goal in Vision 2026 of expanding William & Mary’s reach.”
The website also has specific details regarding investments made by the 1693 Partners Fund.
“The portfolio’s investments in Global Public Equities returned a positive 15.6% for the fiscal year, compared to the MSCI All Country World Index, its benchmark, which produced a positive 19.9%,” Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of the 1693
Management Company Brian Hiestand wrote.
“As of June 30, 2024, Global Public Equities represented 50.0% of the aggregate portfolio. In terms of geography, the best performing sub-asset class was Developed International Equities. The portfolio’s U.S.-focused public equity investments, with a weighting of 27.6%, returned a positive 19.2%, trailing the 23.1% return for the Russell 3000 Index.”
The webpage also has a section about Robert M. Gates Hall, which is currently under renovation. The renaming of Brown Hall to Gates Hall and the College’s finances became topics of conversation among the student body last year, with the Student Assembly proposing a referendum calling for the 1693 Management Fund to divest from companies backing Israel The referendum passed with 56.9% of the vote.
“This referendum calls for The College of William & Mary to submit an audit of their endowment to determine the extent to which it is implicated in companies that uphold The State of Israel’s system of apartheid and continued infliction of violence against Palestinians, and to immediately divest from such funds, as well as end institutional ties to such corporations,” the referendum said.
Rowe later said the College would not boycott Israel.
“As William & Mary’s Vision statement reads, people come here ‘wanting to understand and change the world – and together we do,’” Rowe wrote. “At a learning institution, we do this by holding open spaces for respectful disagreement: recognizing that we may not share the same experiences and perceptions, and committing to grow in understanding. Collective blame is antithetical to these goals. For those reasons, William & Mary will not pursue a boycott of Israel as proposed in the student referendum.”
The College announced the renaming of Brown Hall to Gates Hall in March 2024, following a $30 million donation from an anonymous donor to renovate the hall. The renaming was met with both support and
criticism from the community.
“I am thankful for the opportunity to recognize Chancellor Gates,” the donor, who served on the board of the William and Mary Foundation, said. Given the divisions in our nation and world, we need leaders of his caliber, patriotism and integrity — now more than ever.”
The financial report details the College’s goals for the hall.
“Brown Hall, currently a vacant residence hall, will transform into Robert M. Gates Hall and will serve as a hub for research and teaching that spans disciplines, addressing global challenges such as economic development and inequality, geopolitical conflict, national security and conservation,” the report states. “Gates Hall will be home to the Global Research Institute, the Institute for Integrative Conservation and the Whole of Governmwent Center of Excellence.”
The full report is available on the College’s website, including archived reports from every year since 2019.
COURTESY PHOTO / VMDO ARCHITECTS
The West Woods dining hall is part of the Collegeʼs plan to increase infrastructure on campus. This plan also includes the creation of three new dorms: Maple Hall, Oak Hall and PIne Hall. The Lavender House is part of this new initiative and will be placed in Maple Hall.
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College President Katherine Rowe regularly meets with members of the Collegeʼs Board of Visitors to discuss college matters.
COURTESY IMAGE / GLAVÉ AND HOLMES ARCHITECTURE A proposed rendering of Gates Hall, which will house the GRI.
The Tribe’s 2024 listening wrapped: students' top artists revealed
Data collected on studentsʼ top music, listening habits, Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny tying for top artists
Every year, Spotify releases “Wrapped,” producing a set of engaging infographics informing users about their listening activity in the past year. The app reports users’ top artists and songs, along with other metrics. Other streaming services such as Apple Music and YouTube Music release similar end-of-year recaps. The Flat Hat asked 221 students at the College of William and Mary to share their results. Here’s a look at what students at the College listened to in 2024.
POLITICS
This year, our respondents’ listening range of artists was wider than in 2023. Last year, our survey placed Taylor Swift with a significant lead, with 56 respondents reporting her as their top artist. In 2024, out of respondents’ 144 different top artists, Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny tied for the most listeners at 3 each.
Sydney Sacha ’26 was among the respondents that listed Taylor Swift as their top artist.
“I’ve been listening to Taylor Swift for a while and I think I’m going to keep listening to her in the coming years,” Sacha said.
Out of the streaming services that report listeners’ top albums, Taylor Swift’s “Tortured Poets Department” was the most common top album in the survey results. Beyonce’s “Cowboy Carter,” Chappell Roan’s “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” and Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” were tied for the second most common top album at the College.
Last year, students collectively listened to 8.5 million minutes of music, while this year, respondents reported a total of 9.5 million minutes. The class of 2026 reported the highest average minutes listened at 50,145. The class of 2025 reported the least listening in 2024, with just 41,876 minutes of listening, on average.
This year, Spotify did not report top genre data to its listeners. As a result, the only respondents that could provide that information were users of Apple Music and other streaming platforms. From this group, pop emerged as the
most popular genre among those surveyed. This genre was followed by rock, alternative, hip hop and country as other popular genres.
In 2024, our respondents clocked in 9.5 million minutes, listening to 221 different artists in many different genres. For many students listening to music is a way to unwind, to focus or to simply enjoy themselves. Most respondents primarily listened to music while commuting. The least amount of students used music for studying.
The data featured in this story was collected by The Flat Hat Data Section in a survey conducted online during the period of December 4, 2024 to December 19, 2024. Participation in this survey was voluntary, and responses were anonymous unless respondents opted to self-identify. The survey was distributed via Flat Hat social media, the William and Mary Student Happenings Newsletter and by word of mouth. Members of The Flat Hat staff were permitted to take the survey provided that they were not involved in the writing or editing process of this article. In total, 221 respondents completed the survey, representing 3.05% of William and Mary’s total undergraduate student body.
DEI programs in higher education institutions most affected by state leaders
West Virginia University abolishes diversity office after governorʼs executive order, more red states may follow
A student who regularly spends time at the Center for Student Diversity, and wishes to remain anonymous, shared his deep appreciation for having such a space on-campus and sadness should the Center’s status ever change due to a federal or state policy directive.
“I’ve been going to the Center for Student Diversity for the past couple years, and this is one of the best places that made me feel like I’m home, being around people that I love,” he said. “If something were to happen to it, I would definitely feel at a loss because I wouldn’t know what that next place is that we could actually go to meet up.”
He also stressed the CSD’s usefulness for getting research funding and other resources and hopes that other students can also benefit from the CSD in future years.
“This is a place of comfort, a place for fellowship, a place to learn and a place to help me when I’m going through my events, when I need help funding, when I
need help doing community service,” he said. “The CSD has provided many things for me since I’ve been here, and it’s something I’ll very much cherish even when I graduate years from now. So, the CSD is a very helpful thing, and I hope it stays around for many, many, many decades to come.”
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion currently works in service of the College’s diversity statement, last issued in February 2022 and approved by the Board of Visitors. The office continues to prioritize the notion of “inclusive excellence” as a guiding framework.
“We affirm the vital role of the university in recognizing and fostering equity, inclusion and belonging related to social identities and positions that have been excluded or marginalized in our community,” the diversity statement reads.
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion declined to comment on the federal DEI changes until more information becomes
available on how Virginia universities could be directly affected.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2023 decision to end raceconscious affirmative action in college admissions, many institutions have pursued alternative avenues to continue building diverse campus communities. One recourse has been expanding the essay section of college applications to learn more about students’ cultural backgrounds.
In response to the ruling, the College revised the essay section of its undergraduate application to include two short-answer prompts instead of one long-answer prompt. It also offered six total prompts for applicants to choose between.
“Our hope is this new format, and multiple options, will provide all applicants with better opportunities to share about their interests, experiences, talents, and communities,” Director of Media Relations Suzanne Clavet said in August 2023
The Class of 2028 was the first admissions year for which the new legal standard applied. The incoming class represented a 4% decrease in the percentage of students of color in comparison to the Class of 2027, moving from 36% to 32% after the ruling. Feldman underscored that universities most affected by federal DEI changes will likely be those in states with Republican governors keen on politicizing the issue. West Virginia University decided to close its DEI office last Friday, after West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrissey’s Jan. 14 executive order called to “eliminate the woke virus in our schools.”
“There’s a big red-blue cleavage here,” Feldman said. “The people who are most having to jump up and down about this, once again, are state universities in red states whose governors are using this issue as a wedge issue. Which is not true in every state, not even every red state. But in some, governors are making political hay about this DEI term.”
College's new undergraduate Marine Science major to mark first in state history
Last November, Rowe announced that the College would be entering the “Year of the Environment,” following a similar declaration a year prior for the “Year of the Arts.”
The College made the designation to showcase its commitment to safeguarding the health and resilience of the environment.
“The yearlong observance will focus on advancing sustainability efforts on campus and furthering William & Mary’s environmental impact around the world,” the College’s website reads.
The College announced last week that Aday would serve as this year’s Charter Day speaker, kicking off the Year of the Environment celebrations.
“It’s urgent and appropriate,” Aday told The Flat Hat in an
email. “Safeguarding the planet is one of the most pressing issues of our time, and William & Mary continues to evaluate how its long-term actions — and its research and educational missions — can play an important role in meaningful change. To advance these efforts, William & Mary will officially kick off its Year of the Environment initiative at Charter Day on February 7.”
Aday also touched on the highly influential gift Batten provided.
“The transformational $100 million gift last summer from philanthropist Jane Batten has positioned W&M’s Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences and VIMS as the premier destination for developing solutions to climate threats — building on the university’s strong scientific reputation and incredible expertise in coastal resilience,” Aday added.
This action to create an undergraduate marine science major marks the first in Virginia. VIMS was established in 1940 and became fully integrated into the College in 1979, offering B.S., M.A., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees.
STAFF COLUMN
Farewell from outgoing Editor-in-Chief
Anna Arnsberger
FLAT HAT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The first article I ever wrote for The Flat Hat was about a student-led mutual aid network that provided housing for community members over breaks. The piece was relatively small, barely scratching the surface of the deep-rooted issues of housing and financial accessibility at the College of William and Mary. Still, I remember writing that article inspired by the work of the student organizers, grateful to have such a support network in my community and eager to promote this resource to a wider audience.
I don’t really have a “Why EiC moment,” as my predecessor and friend Molly Parks ’24 put it. But as I sit in my cold attic, forcing myself to be introspective (and introspective fast, so I can get this to the opinions editors at a reasonable time), I remember that first article. I remember the many stories I’ve written since, about issues such as labor organizing, undocumented students and poor housing conditions. I remember all the impactful pieces I’ve had the pleasure of editing, covering pay inequities, community leaders and student protests.
These articles are the reasons why I spent the past year slogging through hundreds of hours of editing, unfathomably late nights in the Sadler Center and degrading waves of YikYak attacks. They’re the underrepresented stories that don’t get published on W&M News, that may not bring the school money or prestige, yet impact the lives of community members every day. They’re pieces that, as a writer, push me out of my comfort zone and introduce me to incredible people, as an editor, force consideration of whose voices are being uplifted in the media and, as a reader, encourage a more critical and sensitive awareness of our school community. I often reflect on what my obligations are as the leader of The Flat Hat, a 114-year old paper that has, at times, been on the right side of history and, at others, harmed members of the College and the City of Williamsburg. The Flat Hat’s job as a newspaper, of course, is to inform readers about all relevant local news — big, small, institutional and otherwise. But its job as a student newspaper is to be a voice for students.
It may sound silly or obvious, but our role on campus is to first and foremost amplify the diverse voices, stories and concerns of students, particularly those with less institutional access or platforms. I came into my tenure as EiC with that focus in mind, and I’m proud of how this year’s staff truly pushed for student-forward journalism. I’m particularly proud of the intentional conversations we’ve had and shifts we’ve made to better cover marginalized students and communities on campus. There is still so much progress to be made to promote diversity, equity and inclusion at a predominately white paper in a predominately white institution, but I hope that in the years to come, The Flat Hat staff continues to make concerted efforts to faith -
fully represent all members of our community.
Being a student newspaper also means The Flat Hat is produced by students. Duh. But I want to take a moment to highlight that fact. For those of you who’ve never tried — publishing a high-quality, entirely student-run newspaper at a school with no advisor and no journalism program is hard. We make mistakes. The work can be rewarding but is also thankless, unbelievably tedious and occasionally met with hate. It is only because of an amazing group of editors who are constantly dedicated to working, learning and growing together that The Flat Hat can produce at the level that we do. Editors who, on top of full class schedules, jobs and other extracurriculars, spend far too many hours each week working on The Flat Hat. I cannot fully express my gratitude for each of these students who play a vital role in promoting journalism on campus.
Now that my time as EiC has officially come to a close, I will be eagerly following how the paper continues to grow under Ethan Qin ’26. Ethan has already shown himself to be an incredibly supportive and thoughtful leader as managing editor this past year. He is filled with great ideas and is constantly trying to make The Flat Hat the best paper it can be. Ethan will be a protective, steadfast and innovative 115th Editor-in-Chief of The Flat Hat.
Supporting Ethan is a dream team of an exec. First ever chief of staff Peerawut Ruangsawasdi’s ’26 near-encyclopedic knowledge of the College and wealth of experience will be invaluable as he helps guide the paper. Digital media editor Alexandra Nakamitsu ’26 has already done so much to grow our videos department and I know she will similarly push the rest of her sections to thrive. Managing editor Mona Garimella ’27 is thoughtful, empathetic and dedicated. Executive editor Megan Rudacille ’27 is an extremely talented writer and genuine person. Both Mona and Megan have proven themselves as section editors and will bring new energy to the exec team. Finally, operations coordinator Maddie Mohamadi’s ’27 hard work, reliability and commitment to journalism will make for a top-tier intern program.
Sam Belmar ’27, Lila Reidy ’27, Molly Martin ’27 and Madigan Webb ’28 will form a stacked team of news editors. Sam and Lila both stepped into new roles last summer and quickly exceeded expectations. Their initiative will be met by Molly and Madigan who have bravely taken on important pieces as associate editors and interns. I can’t wait to read the articles that this year’s news associates, led by chief staff writer Susannah Poteet ’28, produce. Two newcomers to The Flat Hat, Charles Vaughan ’26 and Ben McLoughlin ’28, will be leading the sports section. Charles is coming in as a seasoned sports writer and Ben has already shown his talents as an promising intern. Veteran editor and awesome human being Max Grill ’26 will keep churning out sports articles as chief sports writer.
Abhayprad Jha’s ’26 love for graphs has not slowed down as he enters his third year in the data section alongside new data editor Skyler Cole ’28. The two of them have already published a number
of detailed, thought provoking articles, and I’m excited to see what’s to come.
I’m also excited to announce Abby 2 , the soon-to-be dynamic duo in charge of the variety section. Both Abigail Furcy ’27 and Abby Borgeson ’28 are new to section editing, but I can already tell that their enthusiasm and awesome name connection will take their section far.
Across the desk from the variety section will be opinions editors Mollie Shifflet ’26 and Nora Yoon ’27, backed up by the unmatched takes and vibes of chief opinions writer Avi Joshi ’26. Mollie is a hardened veteran who has seen it all, while Nora is the first new opinions editor in the past two years. Together, they bring the perfect mix of experience and energy to the opinions section.
Artistic mastermind Taiga Lewis ’26 will be videos editor alongside Liam McMahon ’27. Both Taiga and Liam are incredibly talented videographers who are helping The Flat Hat make a splash into the world of digital journalism.
There’s nobody I’d rather have running our social media than friends and co-editors Karis Koutsourelakis ’26 and Audrey Gunnlaugsonn ’26. Karis and Audrey deserve an award for the number of last-minute posting requests they’ve responded to over the past two years, and we are so grateful for them.
We have a few brand new editors filling out the rest of our digital media sections. Photos editors Kylie Totten ’28 and Kimberly McCann ’28, podcast editors Hans Sirotniak ’28 and Eric Sohn ’27, and graphics editors Michael Gabriel ’28 and Hannah Yang ’28 have proven to be dedicated and creative interns. They will no doubt bring new ideas and talents to each of their respective sections.
Leading The Flat Hat Magazine will be Editors-in-Chief Portia Dai ’28 and Grace Rivera ’28. Portia and Grace have both been integral to the production of past issues of the magazine and I know that The Flat Hat’s creative wing will be in good hands under them.
Last but absolutely not least, I want to shout out some of the more behind-the-scenes members of the paper. Alisha Khodabocus ’26 and Maddie Cassidy ’26 were two of The Flat Hat’s first ever fact checkers and are two of our most reliable, friendly editors. Taking the welldeserved position of copy chief, I am confident that Alisha will be a positive leader of the copy section. And I can’t wait to see how Maddie helps The Flat Hat grow in her selfdesigned role as continuous education officer. Ombudsman Anna Saal ’27 helped me deal with a lot of s— this year. I’m sure she’ll help Ethan deal with a lot of s— next year too. Anna is great.
Another great and easy-to-love member of The Flat Hat is business manager Daniel Choi ’26, who graciously stepped into this job in the middle of last semester and has already gone above and beyond. Finally, I am eager to see how the website expands with the assistance of brand-new webmaster Sam Harrington ’27, who is diving headfirst into his work.
If you’ve made it this far into reading, please give yourself a high five, drink some water and hang in there while I express one last, huge thank you to the editors who are entering their Flat Hat retirement era this semester. Thank you to my outgoing exec members, Emma Henry ’25, Sarah Devendorf ’25, Agavni Mehrabi ’25 and Ryan Goodman ’25. Emma is a news and operations extraordinaire whose name you should take note of now because she is going to do big things in the journalism world. Sarah is an integral member of The Flat Hat who has expanded the intern program and left a lasting impact as a pioneer in the role of ombudsman. Agavni’s amazing spirit and excitement for everything that she does helped the Executive sections shine for the past two years. And as The Photos Guy, I’m grateful for how Ryan has always carried a positive energy and willingness to help in everything he does.
Thank you to two more of our photos MVPs, Juliana Gomien ’25 and Sedra Olabi ’25. Juliana’s organization made her a muchneeded leader of the section who is leaving far too soon. Sedra is an underrated member of The Flat Hat, always stepping up to the plate for last minute requests and producing beautiful photographs.
Thank you to section editors Miles Mortimer ’25, Catherine Storke ’25, Lisa Coleman ’25 and Laura Holt ’25. Miles’s good nature and meme game would make him the most loved person in the office if it weren’t for his speedy InDesign skills that breed a little bit of jealousy in his fellow editors. Along with doing all sorts of random projects for me, Catherine helped shape a graphics section that consistently produces beautiful designs for our variety and opinions pages. Lisa similarly revived our data section, allowing us to publish countless fascinating data-forward pieces that contextualize news in a whole different way. And Laura allowed us to maintain our still-young podcast programming, editing audio from both Williamsburg and abroad.
Thank you to Flat Hat troopers Crystal Wang ’25, Matthew Berthoud ’25 and Adam Jutt ’25. Crystal is best known as an occasional opinions writer who likes to stir the pot and speak her mind, but I think she should be better known as a longtime leader of the copy section who knows a lot about the style guide and even more about dealing with people. Matthew doesn’t show his face around The Flat Hat very much, but has been one of our most important members, dedicating hours and hours of his time to making sure our website does not crash and die. And Adam is our esteemed resident of the knowledge apple.
Finally, thank you to my fans who made it to the bottom of this article. Y’all are real ones. Now I’m going to take the long, soul-healing nap that I’ve been yearning for all year. Anna Arnsberger ’25 is the outgoing 114th Editor-in-Chief of The Flat Hat. Bye
PHOTO BY RYAN GOODMAN / THE FLAT HAT
Responding to Amanda Batten
Katelyn
Yen THE FLAT HAT
Your right to contraceptives could be at risk. Amanda Batten (R), Williamsburg’s regional delegate, voted against HB1716, which “establishes a right to obtain contraceptives and engage in contraception.” Batten believes that people should not have a protected right to contraception, including “oral contraceptives, long-acting reversible contraceptives such as intrauterine devices and hormonal contraceptive implants, emergency contraceptives, internal and external condoms, injectables, vaginal barrier methods, transdermal patches and vaginal rings.” Whether these devices are used for pregnancy prevention, STI prevention or other reproductive health care needs,
contraception is essential to many people’s lives and welfare. Although the bill has passed, it is still at risk, and our delegate is involved in rejecting it.
I am a 19-year-old student majoring in government and gender, sexuality, and women’s studies, and I work with Vox: Planned Parenthood Generation Action as their DEI chair. I’m deeply passionate about reproductive justice, both academically and personally. I have been on various birth controls since I was 15, and I recognize that my experience is not unique. Plenty of my peers use birth control to regulate their periods and navigate the painful symptoms that come along with it. However, I want to emphasize that the use of contraception to prevent pregnancy is reason enough. Contraception should be accessible to all people, without question or justification necessary.
In light of the recent election, reproductive rights are at risk. A lot of people feel helpless to create positive change. I want to stress the importance of our local elected officials. The right to contraception is a necessity being challenged, and as students at the College of William and Mary, we have the opportunity to make a change through our votes. Local elections receive significantly less attention than national elections, which only makes your vote more important.
We need to ensure that our legislators vote for our rights. Coming up in the fall is the governor’s race. This last year, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed progressive legislation which passed through both the House and the Senate. Having a Democratic governor and local delegate would allow for a more progressive policy which protects contraception, trans rights, queer rights and abortion access. You have a voice in this; remember to use the power that you have and to hold legislators accountable.
KatelynYen(she/her)‘27isaGovernmentandGender, Sexuality,andWomen’sStudiesmajorfromCharlottesville, VA. She is on the executive boards for Vox: Planned Parenthood Generation Action and the Taiwanese American StudentAssociation.Outside of school, she enjoys fiber arts and spending time with her dog. Contact her at kmyen@wm.edu.
On the inauguration: we’re all in this together
Hours before the 2025 presidential inauguration was moved inside, I made the impulsive decision to buy train and bus tickets to and from Washington, D.C. Donald Trump is now our 47th President. Here, I will detail what I saw there.
After arriving in Williamsburg the night before, I asked three of my friends if they had any questions about the inauguration I could answer by being there. One, who was enthusiastic about Trump’s win, said he wanted to know if Trump would address his status as a controversial public figure in his inaugural address. Another friend of mine, who was unhappy and worried about Trump’s win, said she had no more questions to ask — they had all been answered. The last friend I asked was indifferent to the election, saying she felt disillusioned with politics, and wanted to know if there would be political violence. I sought to spend some time in D.C. to answer these questions, however simple the retort might be. The answers to both my friends’ questions were an emphatic no.
It is apparent to me that inauguration day is a day of tradition, however close to or far from it the country has come. The election happened months ago; January 20 is just the constitutionally-designated day our government recognizes the already-altered concentration of political power. The changes we’ve seen in the execution of the inauguration are emblematic of the changes we’ve seen in politics over the past ten years. The break — and subsequent reattachment — to tradition we’ve seen from tea time to morning church sessions is similar to the change in the tradition of how the public feels about their elected officials. In 2020, the American people voted for a return to tradition, the days of old: when presidents were career politicians, and they spent their entire lives in politics. Across the world in 2024, people voted against incumbents: shifting away from the political establishment and grasping towards right-wing populist leaders. In the United States, 2024 was the third cycle in a row where the incumbent candidate lost. Kind of like how inaugural committees have decided yes, no and then yes again on having tea with the outgoing administration. Is this a causal relationship? No. Is it interesting? Yes. I’m thinking of these similarities in a ‘does art imitate life or does life imitate art?’ sort of way, which is captivating nonetheless.
This next part contradicts my analysis of the specific people I interacted with in D.C., because taking in the atmosphere as a whole, it felt like a strange place to be.
I didn’t think there would be such an ominous feeling in the air due to my feelings about the inauguration, but there very much was. Because of the plans to move the inauguration inside, the supporters who traveled cross-country to witness the swearing-in had nowhere to go. After stepping off the train, I followed a number of red-hat masses who were trying to find a way to get into the Capital One Arena for about an hour and a half.
The process of getting there, the process of
THE FLAT HAT
exiting and the process of determining who had the right to enter the 20,000-seat stadium out of the 240,000 ticketed spectators was all unclear. This should have been, and was, expected due to the last-minute changes to the day’s schedule, but it was still my experience nonetheless.
Traveling to D.C. clarified something for me: I don’t believe the country is as divided as I thought it might be. That’s why this article isn’t a partisan piece about who I did or didn’t vote for, or who you should or shouldn’t have voted for. Instead, I wanted to write about the value in finding commonality with people you don’t necessarily agree with.
From when I got off the train to when I left the city on an Arlington FlixBus, I counted fourteen people who shouted, “Go Pack Go!” after seeing my Green Bay Packers beanie. Yes, it’s true that us Packers fans travel well and show out for the most underrated team in the NFL — but if something as irrelevant as a sports team can start a conversation, I know it doesn’t take much more thought to find a common interest with someone you don’t know.
There were people selling Trump-Vance merch on every corner of every city block in D.C. when I was there. They didn’t watch or listen to the inauguration ceremony. I have a newfound respect for the t-shirt salesmen now — they aren’t evil or radical — they’re entrepreneurs, ready to capitalize on wealthy Trump supporters’ most passionate emotions for monetary gain. A true ‘don’t hate the player, hate the game’ scenario.
From my experience in D.C. to my experience canvassing in Williamsburg, to my experience growing up in ever-controversial Palm Beach County, Florida, I’m finally starting to learn that most people in America want the same thing. The average American wants the economy to do well so they can make money
GUEST COLUMN
Dealing with lawless landlords
Sam Roach
THE FLAT HAT
Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, and this is not official legal advice. I am just an undergrad who has an interest in landlord-tenant law.
Dec. 3, 2024, The Flat Hat published an article detailing some of the startling conditions that students at the College of William and Mary face when navigating off-campus housing accommodations. My goal in this article is to detail the legal steps tenants can take to force their landlords to obey the law and the terms of their lease. One way of doing this is filing what is known as a tenant’s assertion. While I will outline how to file one here, it is worth checking out the Virginia Residential Landlord-Tenant Act (specifically § 55.1-1244) as well as resources on the VALegalAid.org website for more information.
I am going to tell you what I would do if I were dealing with a bad situation with my landlord. To file a tenant’s assertion, I would need to be current on rent, and I’d need to give written notice to my landlord of the problem about which I was filing the assertion. After filing the assertion, I’d continue paying my rent into escrow. Paying rent into escrow means I’d be paying my rent to the court instead of to my landlord. In court, the judge decides which party will get how much of the escrowed rent.
After giving my landlord written notice of the problem, they would have a reasonable amount of time to fix the problem (usually 21 days unless there are emergency conditions). Notice can be a written maintenance request, an email, a text, etc. If my landlord did not fix my problem in a reasonable time frame, I would fill out the Tenant’s Assertion and Complaint Form (just Google “Form DC-429” and it’ll pop up). Then, I’d take that form to the Williamsburg-James City County Courthouse.
When filling out the form, I’d make sure to write the name of the entity that owns the property that I am leasing. If I was not sure who owns the property, I would find the property at gis.williamsburg.gov, which provides that information. If the property were owned by an LLC or corporation, I would also need to find the registered agent, so I would look up the name of that registered agent via the entity search on cis.scc.virginia.gov. The registered agent is the person to whom I would send the tenant’s assertion. If the property were owned by an individual, I would write the name and address of that individual.
for a good living. They want personal autonomy to be able to speak, move and act freely. They want their family to be safe and healthy. That’s about it. But the way our system is outlined, politics are the topics that invoke people’s deepest emotions. 24-hour news networks and social media sites capitalize on making you feel something and in order to get the most views covering the news, fear sells better than happiness.
That said, I don’t feel less apathetic than before I left for D.C. Maybe that’s part of why I made this trip subconsciously: I don’t think it’s rare to feel disassociated from showing a passion for politics. Politicians’ job is to promise you the world, and it’s easy to attach yourself to an idea or selling point if they succeed. I’ve witnessed this at home as my county and the greater state of Florida have gone through a large cultural and political shift in my lifetime. I’ve witnessed this at school in the small microcosm of asking three of my friends who coincidentally also came back from winter break early. And I’ve seen this now in D.C. on inauguration day — making small talk with people there who believed in different things for different reasons made evident how similar everyone really is. We’re not divided and bifurcated like our sources of information lead you to believe. If there’s any takeaway to these complex and contradictory feelings, I’d say it’s this: don’t feel doomed. When people feel alienated and can’t find commonality with the other side, we’re divided. Keep talking, discussing and deliberating, especially with people you don’t know or agree with, because that’s the only thing that keeps democracy together.
CameronSwartz‘28ispursuinga GovernmentandEconomicsmajor.He isamemberoftheClubGolfteamand JeffersonPre-LawSociety.Contacthim atcmswartz@wm.edu.
Problems that can be cause for a tenant’s assertion are those that constitute “a material noncompliance by the landlord with the rental agreement or with provisions of law or that, if not promptly corrected, will constitute a fire hazard or serious threat to the life, health, or safety of occupants of the premises” (Va. Code 55.1-1244). For some examples of what falls under this broad umbrella, I will refer to the previous Flat Hat article about housing in Williamsburg. In that article, interviewed students mentioned that their apartments had black mold, broken ACs, rats, fleas, broken heating, non-functional toilets, dangerous floorboards, doors that don’t lock or seal and broken appliances. These are all examples of things that I would file a tenant’s assertion for if my landlord were not fixing them. Of course, there are other things for which a tenant’s assertion can be filed.
As an added bonus to my tenant’s assertion, I would call the local housing inspector (757-220- 6136) to come write a report about my landlord’s non-compliance with health and safety regulations. I would submit inspection results with my tenant’s assertion form, and I would also bring pictures of the problem addressed in the assertion. Since the courthouse might not allow me to bring my phone, I would print physical copies of the pictures and notices given to my landlord. Since I am a student and have little to no income, I might also fill out a fee waiver form since the fee to file a tenant’s assertion is $58. To do so, I would ask the clerk for a “Petition for Proceeding in Civil Case without Payment of Fees or Costs.” If I needed to call the inspector, I would subpoena them, which requires another form that you can get when you take your tenant’s assertion to the courthouse.
The Va. Code quoted above gives one the ability to file a tenant’s assertion when their landlord is breaking the law or the conditions of their lease. Read your lease! Maybe a lack of AC does not qualify as a serious threat to safety under the law, but if my lease guarantees AC, I’d assert away! This process might sound arduous, but you will be glad you did it once you have rent money back in your pocket and safe, healthy living conditions.
SamRoach(he/him/his)isaseniorphilosophymajor. Heistheco-presidentoftheW&M’snationallyranked EthicsBowlTeamandanexecutiveofthephilosophyclub. Inthefall,hewillbeginhis1LyearatWashingtonandLee LawSchoolwherehehopestopreparetobecomeapublic interestattorney.Contacthimatmsroach@wm.edu.
GUEST COLUMN
GRAPHIC BY MOLLIE SHIFLETT / THE FLAT HAT
Cameron Swartz
COURTESY IMAGE / NARA & DIVIDS PUBLIC DOMAIN ARCHIVE
GRAPHIC BY CATHERINE STORKE / THE FLAT HAT
variety
Sinfonicron sets sail
Student-run Sinfonicron Light Opera Company puts on comedy titl ed “The Pirates of Penzance”
SKYLAR HARTGERINK // FLAT HAT VARIETY ASSOC.
Jan. 23-26, the Glenn Close Theatre in Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall came alive with the sounds of laughter and music during a rendition of Gilbert and Sullivan’s comedic opera, “The Pirates of Penzance.” Presented by the Sinfonicron Light Opera Company at the College of William and Mary, this entirely student-run production showcased the diverse talents of its students.
The opera follows the adventures of Frederick, played by Kyle Sharma ’26, a young man celebrating his 21st birthday and the end of his accidental apprenticeship to a band of pirates. When Frederick falls in love with Mabel, played by Abby Long ’26, he vows to leave his pirate life behind. However, there is a catch — he was born Feb. 29 on a leap year, so he has technically had only five birthdays, extending his apprenticeship for decades more. The story follows his dilemma and ends with an unexpected plot twist. The opera is filled with catchy songs, memorable characters and hilarious dialogue that keeps the audience laughing at every turn.
Long shared her personal connection to the role, as well as the reason why she was so passionate about portraying her character.
“This is my dad’s favorite musical, and he used to show it to us all the time when we were kids,” Long said. “I watched Mabel and I was like, that’s the reason that I want to do musical theater, I want to be that girl.”
Long emphasized her efforts to bring more depth to her character, highlighting the tone she wanted her character to undertake.
“There’s a lot of comedy written into the show specifically for the male characters, which is really cool because Gilbert and Sullivan is silly, but the female characters can fall a little bit flat,” Long said. “One thing that was really important to me was to make Mabel comedic and fun and charismatic, and that’s something that I felt like I achieved, and that was really cool.”
According to Long, the production did not come without its challenges.
“I’m not trained to sing like this, like even a little bit. I have a lower vocal register, so walking into this was crazy,” Long said. “We have this lovely vocal director, Rebecca Altman [’25], and she sat down with all of us and gave us procedural vocal lessons about how to move your body and how to stand and how to breathe and shake your mouth and all of these silly things, and it was really, really hard.”
Judging by the reactions of many members of the audience, all the hard work appeared to have paid off.
“A lot of what they’re doing is really hard, like the high notes and operatic parts, and so the technique is really impressive,” audience member Caroline Gyure ’27 said.
Director Topher Zane ’25 was also excited to share his experience with the show. While this was his first time directing for Sinfonicron, he has directed other productions at the College many times, primarily for Shakespeare in the Dark. With only a month to prepare, this was different from his other experiences, but he said he enjoyed the opportunity to learn.
“I think everything was a challenge with this. This was not easy, but that was part of what made it so much fun,” Zane said. “This is the first musical that I’ve directed, and so there was so much new to navigate with that. This is also the largest scale production that I’ve directed, so there was a lot of just figuring out how to do that and that was so exciting and so fun and so rewarding.”
Many involved in the production also highlighted the closeness of the Sinfonicron community. Clare Yee ’27, who was part of the Pirate Ensemble, loved her first
Sinfonicron experience.
“Everybody here is incredibly nice and so talented and it was such an amazing experience,” Yee said. “It’s just such a special community, and everybody here really loves each other.”
This closeness also extends to the audience. Audience member Zoe Zmuda ’26 came to almost every show to support Long, her best friend and roommate of three years. A lot of other students came to support their friends as well.
“The turnout here is incredible, and I would say probably half, if not more, of the people here are students,” Zmuda said. “Over a hundred students come back, whether it’s people in the pit or people on stage or doing lights or whatever, but so many students come out to support their friends, which is so cool that they will come out on a Saturday night to see them. We talk about campus community all the time, and I think that this is definitely a clear show of that.”
Sinfonicron, according to cast members and audience members alike, works to bring together students from all backgrounds and disciplines across the College.
“It’s a really welcoming community, and I think we have all sorts and types, and it’s a weird conglomeration of people,” Long said. “I was talking to my friend the other day, and we were like, ‘on paper we shouldn’t be friends, but we have this wonderful thing in common, and I think that art is something that ultimately just fosters community and connection.’”
Audience member Courtney Shockley ’25 expanded on this, commenting on how multi-faceted students at the College are.
“I think it’s a good way to appreciate different aspects of what students are passionate about,” Shockley said. “There’s a girl that I recognize from one of my business classes, so I’m like, ‘oh, it’s cool that she’s also doing this and I can see what other things she’s interested in.’”
Many cast members noted how attending such performances can also allow one to explore one’s own passions.
“It’s a really great way to show off and explore the arts to people that might not normally be interested in them because you are interested in coming and seeing your friend,” Gyure said. “There’s more students involved because it’s entirely student run, and so I think it really showcases just how diverse in interests the campus of William and Mary is.”
COASTAL CLUB WAVES TO WILLIAMSBURG
AMP
hosts Cincinnati band in Sadler for fans, spreads optimism with indie beats SOFIA HURLBERT // THE FLAT HAT
Friday, Jan. 31, the indie pop band Coastal Club performed in Lodge 1 of the Sadler Center for an event called Fridays@5. The event was put on by event-planning committee AMP Live and was free for all students to attend.
Coastal Club hails from Cincinnati and consists of Alexandre Hirlinger (vocals/guitar), David McGuire (drums) and Avery Benter (vocals/guitar).
Cassie Palmer ’27, who has been a fan of Coastal Club since 2020, had the idea to bring the band to the College of William and Mary, and was able to organize the event through AMP.
“I got the opportunity to see them in concert over the summer,” Palmer said. “I got to meet the band and exchange social information with them, because I had talked to them about being part of AMP, and the possibility of possibly getting them to do a concert with us.”
Palmer was able to get in touch with the band’s booking agent and begin planning the event with AMP. The process involved finding a space and time as well as AMP coordinators.
“There’s a lot of moving parts, and I can’t claim that I’m the only one that does it,” Palmer said.
When Coastal Club agreed to come and play for the College, they originally didn’t know that it was a fan who had decided to book the event.
“Our booking agent just told us, there’s this college that wants to have you guys out in Williamsburg, Virginia. We’re like, yeah, let’s go for it, sounds great,” Hirlinger said. “And then it wasn’t until I saw Cassie’s post about the show that I was like, this is for Cassie. Awesome.”
During the performance, concert goers sat with friends at decorated tables in Lodge 1 while the band performed their songs. They played a mix of upbeat, intense songs while also sprinkling in more emotional, slow pieces.
Audience members could be seen singing along and dancing to the music.
“I think the coolest single moment is when you see somebody in the crowd who is singing along, singing the words alongside of us. It’s like, my gosh, you knew the song ahead of time. The song connected with you enough,” Hirlinger said. “It resonated with you enough that you learned all the words and can now sing it along and scream it along and have that kind of connection.”
Benter loves performing for a different reason.
“There’s just something about getting into a room full of new people every time that, the only consistent thing is that we’re doing it together,” Benter said. “There’s just moments on stage where we just lock in together, and there’s just something special that happens. At the end of the day, if no one ever came to a show again, we had all these shows that we got to play together, and that was always enough.”
During the final songs of the night, Coastal Club encouraged audience participation by having everyone get on their feet and dance.
During the final song, Hirlinger rushed into the crowd, jumping up and down while audience members cheered and danced along.
“I think there’s something really special about a group of people that’s all on the same wavelength,” McGuire said. “Being able to help create that environment for it to happen, I think is one of probably the most special things in life.”
Lydia Blizzard ’28, a member of AMP, was another long-time fan who attended the event.
“I also don’t go to a lot of live music events, so, this is a really great opportunity that was free and I could just go see one of my favorite bands,” Blizzard said.
After the performance, the members of the band chatted with fans and signed merch that was available for purchase. Students lined up to take pictures with the band members.
“Coastal Club is a smaller band, and they have some really awesome chill indie music,” Palmer said. “So, I hope we have more people on campus listen to them because they’re up and coming, and if you like COIN, if you like Hippo Campus, if you like Flipturn, you’re going to really enjoy them, and they’re really down to earth.”
You can fnd Coastal Club on all social media platforms under the username of @wearecoastalclub to keep up with them as they release new music and tour in new locations.
“A lot of what we draw inspiration from is that sort of unbridled joy and optimism, enthusiasm for life. There’s been moments where we hit that heavy, and then moments where we go and dive deep into some heavier topics, some stuff that is a little bit weightier.
But I think overall as a band, I want people to leave Coastal Club shows feeling just a little bit lighter,” Hirlinger said.
GO FIGURE (SKATING)
Student Assembly sponsors free ice skating, provides refreshments for students
After drawing approximately 650 students last year, Student Assemblysponsored ice skating evenings in Colonial Williamsburg made their return, Saturdays, Jan. 25 and Feb. 1, for another winter. The event offers students at the College of William and Mary free admission, skates, hot cocoa and apple cider, providing an opportunity for the College community to have fun without spending money.
Class of 2027 president Nico Giro-Martin
’27 wrote the bill bringing back this preCOVID-19 annual tradition last year when he noticed that his peers missed the event.
“People really enjoyed it,” Giro-Martin said. “Not every student wants to be paying for everything. You know, William and Mary students are infamous for their love for free.”
When the event returned for its second consecutive winter this year, Giro-Martin decided to schedule three Saturday evenings, instead of last year’s two, to increase student turnout while making sure to use Senate funding efficiently.
“Offering just a couple of nights allows everyone to come,” Giro-Martin said.
“Because once you start having more nights, less people will come. So it ends up being less bang for your buck, especially when we’re trying to consider cost within the Senate.”
The event has already been a success, drawing a record 392 people Jan. 25.
“That’s already an increase that we’re seeing,” Giro-Martin said. “We’re probably expecting about 300 here. I’ll be expecting a little bit of a decrease as we go, with the novelty kind of wearing off. We’re still seeing the same excitement from last year, which has been really nice.”
Drawing in undergraduate students, graduate students, beginners and experts alike, the event provides a fun evening
activity for all. Cecilia Miller
attended the
I was so surprised that something I
do
with members of the
his friends to the rink. Yazdan-Panah held his friends’ hands, teaching them how to skate.
“They weren’t able to skate beforehand, and now they’re able to do it,” Yazdan-Panah said. “They can kind of go backwards and do some crossovers, so I think they’re pretty thankful of what I’m doing. They’re hopeful to learn more.”
Giro-Martin explained skating can be a risky or potentially dangerous activity, given the sharp blades of the skates and the slippery nature of the ice. He remarked that SA encountered its first injury at the rink Jan. 25 when a student injured their wrist, but that they have since recovered. Nevertheless, Giro-Martin emphasized that promoting safety in future iterations of the event is a priority.
Yazdan-Panah and his friends said they fell numerous times throughout the night. Although falling down is a scary experience, Yazdan-Panah recognizes that it is a crucial part of becoming a better skater.
“They fell a couple of times, but that’s a part of it,” Yazdan-Panah said. “I fall all the time, so you kind of have to fall to be able to try new things. But it’s good. It’s fun.”
For those at the College who feel wary of the ice, the event also offers complimentary hot cocoa and apple cider to students. Miller enjoyed a cup of the apple cider before getting onto the rink.
“The cider tasted like a melted version of the popsicles that are all wrapped in a plastic tube that they give you at the doctor’s, but that’s a good thing,” Miller said. “It’s delicious, I drank the whole thing before I came here.”
Courtney was excited to treat herself to a warm beverage after her skate around the rink.
“That can be a reward for surviving tonight,” Courtney said.
SA is holding the event one more time this winter, Feb. 8, 7-10 pm. Be sure to stop by with your Tribe Card for a night of skating, snacks and socializing.
ELLA GREENE AND EDEN LEAVEY // THE FLAT HAT
’27
event
College’s Salsa Club Feb. 1, including her friend
Isabelle Courtney ’28.
“It’s fun,” Miller said. “It’s a little bit scary, though. It’s really slippery. I don’t know why
don’t
is a challenge.” Ibrahim Yazdan-Panah ’27, who grew up
skating and playing ice hockey, was excited to take
KYLIE TOTTEN / THE FLAT HAT
sports
Saturday, Jan. 23, William and Mary men’s basketball (14-9, 8-2 CAA) defeated Monmouth (7-16, 5-5 CAA) 78-73 in Kaplan Arena during the Tribe’s annual Gold Rush game. Although the Hawks kept the contest competitive until the final whistle, strong performances from senior forward Noah Collier and freshman guard Isaiah Mbeng ultimately powered the Tribe to victory.
The programs had met twice previously, with the respective home team winning both matchups. In the most recent chapter of the series, Monmouth scored its first win over William and Mary, defeating the Tribe 68-64 on Feb. 8, 2024. Four Hawks recorded 10 or more points in that game, and they displayed a similarly balanced offense on Saturday, as four Monmouth players again broke the
double-digit scoring threshold.
Despite its opponents’ wealth of offensive options, the Tribe began the first half with a strong stretch of play. A fast break layup from Collier opened the scoring for the Green and Gold. Graduate forward Malachi Ndur further extended the Tribe’s advantage with a layup and a made free throw. Within the game’s first three minutes, William and Mary had jumped out to a 9-3 lead.
The Hawks soon began to make up ground, their comeback sparked by a free throw made by sophomore forward Cornelius Robinson III. The visitors continued the run until a fast break 3-pointer by sophomore guard Abdi Bashir Jr. gave them the lead in the seventh minute of play. Monmouth controlled the game for the remainder of the period, entering halftime with a 38-33 advantage over the Tribe.
Monmouth dramatically outshot William and Mary in the first half, most notably from beyond the arc, as the Hawks made 37.5% of their 3-pointer attempts compared to the Tribe’s 10.5%. Monmouth also dominated in fast break points, scoring 16 to the Tribe’s eight.
Monmouth maintained its lead for the first 10 minutes of the second half. Robinson III was a consistent performer for the Hawks and finished the night with a game high of 20 points. Nevertheless, the Tribe slowly chipped away at its opponents. With nine minutes left in the game, the Tribe was able to tie the score 55-55 courtesy of a tip-in by senior guard Gabe Dorsey. William and Mary continued to push down the stretch to finish the game victorious, scoring 11 of its 12 2-point attempts in the second half.
Mbeng scored the Tribe’s final basket, bringing his statline to 10 points, five assists and four steals on the night. Collier paced the Tribe with 15 points, Dorsey scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds and senior guard Matteus Case racked up 11 points and five assists.
Mbeng was named Coastal Athletic Association’s Rookie of the Week following this performance, marking the second time he received the honor this season. The freshman now averages 6.4 points per game and leads the Tribe with 74 total assists.
“[I feel] really good about the team so far,” Mbeng said. “Everyone has been working really hard in practice, and it’s great to see that it’s translated into some wins for us.”
Mbeng further noted that the Tribe has a “chance to make history,” a fact of which he reminds himself during every practice.
As of right now, William and Mary is tied for first place in the conference. Its only loss has been to UNC Wilmington, who the Tribe will face again at home on Feb. 20.
The Tribe faced Campbell (12-11, 7-3 CAA) on the road at Gilbert Craig Gore Arena in Buies Creek, N.C., on Jan. 30. Campbell won against the Tribe, scoring 96 total points over the Tribe’s 55.
Monday, Feb. 3, William and Mary defeated CAA foe Charleston (17-6, 7-3 CAA) 90-75 at Kaplan Arena in Williamsburg, Va.
Fans packed Kaplan with an electric energy, showing out for the highlyanticipated conference contest between the No. 3 Cougars and the No. 4 Tribe.
Charleston entered the matchup confidently on a two-game win streak. Just 26 seconds into the contest, Cougars senior forward and CAA Preseason Player of the Year Ante Brzovic started the scoring with a jumper.
Undeterred by the Cougars’ red-hot start, Collier responded with a dunk roughly 20 seconds later.
With 14 minutes, 28 seconds remaining in the half, Collier managed to cut Charleston’s
Despite efforts from the away team, William and Mary responded to a fourpoint Cougars scoring run with threes from Boothby and Pulliam.
“
Everyone has been working really hard in practice, and it’s great to see that it’s translated into some wins for us.
”
- Freshman guard Isaiah Mbeng
Collier from continuing his streak.
The Green and Gold narrowed the Cougars’ lead to 32-29 with just over five minutes until halftime, courtesy of a jumper from senior forward Noah Collier. Much to the crowd’s delight, Tribe senior forward Caleb Dorsey evened the score at 32-32 with a three at the 4:26 mark.
Gabe Dorsey pulled the Tribe ahead by three points with a shot from outside the paint. Although the Cougars managed to equalize the score once more, the Green and Gold finished out the half with a narrow 4139 lead.
At the end of first, Collier led in scoring for the Tribe with 10 points, followed by Pulliam with a close nine. On the opponent’s side, graduate guard Derrin Boyd and Brzovic topped the scoreboard with 12 and 11 points, respectively. The Green and Gold recorded a 46.9% field goal percentage, compared to the Cougars’ 43.8%.
The Tribe fired on all cylinders in the second half, starting the scoring with two converted free throws by Pulliam. Determined to regain Charleston’s lead, sophomore forward Lazar Djokovic responded with a dunk, followed by a Boyd layup.
With 15:25 left in the game, Boyd managed to tie up the score with a three-point jumper.
Graduate forward Keller Boothby looked to keep the Tribe on top with a layup, putting the home team ahead at 50-48. Following a jump shot from Mbeng, the Cougars called a timeout at the 14:15 mark.
Thanks to a three-point jumper from Mbeng with 11:59 remaining, the Green and Gold extended its lead to nine points.
Displeased with the Tribe’s 10-point advantage, Charleston called another timeout with 8:12 to spare. However, the Cougars failed to shake William and Mary’s lead.
The final five minutes saw explosive action from the Green and Gold.
With just under four minutes left, Gabe Dorsey scored a three-pointer and put the Tribe ahead at 82-72, courtesy of a Case assist. Less than a minute later, layups from Dorsey and Mbeng extended the Tribe’s lead to 14 points.
The Green and Gold capped off the exhilarating matchup with a layup from Ndur, finishing at 90-75.
William and Mary looks to continue its strong CAA play Thursday, Feb. 6 against Drexel (12-11, 4-6 CAA) at Daskalakis Athletic Center in Philadelphia.
the Tribeʼs
Vaissaud and sophomore Parker Debnam, won a tiebreaker to clinch the doubles sweep and give the Tribe the initial point of the contest. The Tribe then dominated the singles portion of the day, winning five out of six matches. Four of the victories came in straight sets. Senior and two-
time defending CAA player of the year Hedda Gurholt won matches in both singles and doubles on the No. 1 court. Senior Ine Stange and sophomore Francesca Davis also won both of their matches. The Tribe remains historically undefeated against the Spartans, having won every contest of their annual matchup dating back to 2021.
The Tribe continued its strong start to the season Sunday, Feb. 2, defeating West Virginia (2-4, 0-0 Big 12) 5-2 at the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center.
William and Mary grabbed the doubles point again, beginning the day by taking all three matchups. The Tribe allowed West Virginia to win only six games in total across the three doubles matches. In the singles portion, Gurholt and Davis, on the No. 1 and 5 courts respectively, won their matches in straight sets, powering the Tribe to an impressive win over the Big 12 opponent.
The victory was significant as it
marked the Tribe’s first win against a power conference opponent since 2020 and its first win against a Big 12 opponent since 2017. As the defending CAA champs feature multiple returning all-conference players, the Green and Gold expect this red-hot start to continue. Tribe women’s tennis will see action next Wednesday, Feb. 5 against Longwood (1-2, 0-0 Big South) at the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center in Williamsburg, Va.
17-8 lead with a jump shot followed by a three-pointer. However, injury prevented
JONAH PETERS / THE FLAT HAT Senior Noah Collier slams it home over a Hawks defender.
JONAH PETERS / THE FLAT HAT
The Tribe was fueled by a raucous, season-high crowd sporting matching golden shirts in the win on Saturday.
JONAH PETERS/ THE FLAT HAT
Junior guard Kyle Pulliam elevates for the two-handed slam, finishing the game with 8 points and 3 rebounds.
KIMBERLY McCANN / THE FLAT HAT Saturdayʼs win marked
ninth straight at home.
sports
Back-to-back wins lift Tribe to third in conference standings
Senior guard Bella Nascimento scores 65 points over three-game stretch
Sunday, Jan. 26, William and Mary women’s basketball (8-10, 5-2 CAA) finished off a golden weekend with a 58-47 win over Towson (4-14, 2-5 CAA) at Kaplan Arena in Williamsburg, Va.
The Tribe defeated the Towson Tigers in the Gold Rush game to extend its win streak to four. William and Mary most recently defeated North Carolina Wilmington (16-5, 6-2 CAA) with a 78-55 win. The Tribe carried the momentum of its success streak and began Sunday’s matchup against Towson with a dominant first quarter.
“Being able to win four in a row is not really surprising to me because we have been attacking since Christmas break and preparing ourselves for this moment,” head coach Erin Dickerson Davis said. “In this league, you have to show up every single day. You can’t just come in and assume you are going to win.”
Although Towson took the first basket, William and Mary responded with two quick three-pointers by junior forward Kayla Rolph and sophomore guard Cassidy Geddes within the first two minutes. William and Mary extended its lead with a layup and jumper by sophomore center Jana Sallman, one free throw and field goal by freshman forward Natalie Fox and a layup by Rolph.
Towson was forced to call a timeout after senior guard Bella Nascimento contributed to William and Mary’s 18-4 lead with another three-pointer, extending the Green and Gold’s streak of perfect shooting from beyond the arc.
The Tribe continued to set the tone with aggressive defense and impressive shooting. Utilizing mid-range jumpers and three-pointers, William and Mary shot 57.1% from the field and 50% from three compared to Towson’s 22.2% from the field and 0-4 from three.
After Towson’s timeout, William and Mary faced some challenges with untimely turnovers and foul calls, allowing Towson five points. The Tribe however held on to its lead, finishing the quarter leading 20-9.
Big plays in the second quarter by Nascimento ignited the Golden crowd and helped the Tribe continue to outscore the Tigers. Nascimento demanded the ball and controlled the floor, resulting in a stand-out 24-point performance.
The senior guard also reached a monumental accomplishment of 1,000 career points off a fast-break lay-up in the second quarter.
“When I hit my thousand, I could hear it from the crowd,” Nascimento said. “I felt it and then I feel like that boosted us in the game and that really helped us amp up our own energy and go right back at them.”
When I hit my thousand, I could hear it from the crowd. I felt it and then I feel like that boosted us in the game and that really helped us amp up our own energy and go right back at them.
- Senior guard Bella Nascimento
William and Mary set the groundwork in the first quarter and successfully kept its lead during the second half. Despite Towson outscoring the Tribe in the last two quarters, William and Mary’s significant lead from the beginning of the game kept them out of the Tigers’ reach, ending the game with a Tribe win of 58-47.
Friday, Jan. 31, William and Mary (9-10, 6-2 CAA) defeated conference foe Elon (11-8, 5-3 CAA) 64-59 at the Schar Center in Elon, N.C. The victory extended the Tribe’s winning streak to five, the program’s longest under the tenure of head coach Erin Dickerson Davis, which dates back to 2022.
The Green and Gold was powered by the efforts of guard duo Geddes and Nascimento, who combined for 43 points, 12 rebounds, nine steals and four assists on the night. Geddes tied a career high in rebounds with seven, while Nascimento scored double-digit points for the eighth consecutive game.
Geddes was wholly satisfied with the Tribe backcourt’s defensive and rebounding performances.
“All week all we heard was how we lost on the boards and how the guards were the ones not rebounding last time we played [Elon],” Geddes said, referencing a Jan. 5 game in which the Phoenix defeated the Tribe in overtime. “So we knew that it was on us to turn up the defense [and] to pick up on the rebounds. So we just took the challenge head on.”
Elon took an early lead courtesy of an 8-0 run, but a William and Mary offensive onslaught quickly turned the tables. Thanks to seven consecutive points from Geddes, the Tribe shot back into control, taking a 2315 advantage with 5:39 left in the first half. Nascimento scored eight points during the frame, graduate student forward Rebekah Frisby-Smith pulled down three rebounds and senior forward Aniha-Lee Cauley recorded four points and four assists.
Nevertheless, the Phoenix continued to fight back. The visitors surged ahead at the end of the half, taking a 33-29 lead into the locker room on the back of hot three-point shooting. A subsequent Tribe run evened the score at 37, and the teams traded leads for the next several minutes.
The third quarter was defined by its competitiveness. It briefly seemed as though Elon was pulling away as the Phoenix took a 48-40 advantage, but a scoring spurt by Sallman kept the Tribe within striking distance.
William and Mary finally buried its opponents in the final period, turning in an 18-8 run catalyzed by eight forced turnovers. It marked the fourth consecutive Tribe victory that was decided by a lopsided scoring stretch.
“We had a big self-reflection talk after [losing to Stony Brook on Jan. 10] and we learned that we have a lot more in the tank than we thought,” Geddes said. “So we never get discouraged in games. We know we’re going to be fine because we can pull it together and find our way out of any hole now.”
Sunday, Feb. 2, William and Mary fell at the hands of Campbell (12-9, 5-4 CAA) 9271 at Kaplan Arena in Williamsburg, Va. The result marked the end of the Tribe’s fivegame winning streak and was the Tribe’s first defeat since the aforementioned Jan. 10 loss to Stony Brook.
Although Nascimento again scored doubledigit points, finishing the night with 23 while racking up a career-high seven assists, Geddes was held to just four points while committing three turnovers, and Sallman scored four points in just nine minutes of playing time.
Junior forward Kayla Rolph was the only Tribe player other than Nascimento to find an offensive groove, posting a statline of 16 points on 7-12 shooting.
The Green and Gold kept the game competitive for the first period, entering the halftime break trailing 42-38. However, red-hot Campbell shooting would ultimately prove too much for the home team to overcome. The Camels were ineffective from beyond the arc, making just four of their 16 3-point attempts, but they connected on 56.5% of their 2-point attempts and 90.3% of their free throw attempts.
“It made it difficult for us defensively and offensively,” Dickerson Davis said of Campbell’s shooting proficiency. “At some point when you are scoring and then you’re defending well and they’re still hitting shots or they’re getting fouled, it’s kind of demoralizing at some point.”
The Tribe had won each of its previous four games on the back of a dominant scoring run, but it wasn’t able to conjure up a similar stretch on Sunday.
“What I told them at some point during the fourth quarter, I was like, right now we look like quitters and that’s not who we are,” Dickerson Davis said. “It took them to kind of realize that to then try to go on our run again, but I think we just ran out of gas at some point.”
Dickerson Davis also chalked some of the team’s struggles up to exhaustion upon returning from Elon.
“We were extraordinarily fatigued after the Elon game. I think it took a lot out of us,” Dickerson Davis said. “And then on top of that to travel back here, we got back at 2:00 in the morning and then we had to practice at 10:00. So, you know, it’s just the way the league is, so you can’t really sit here and be mad about this for too long.”
The Tribe will attempt to start a new winning streak Feb. 9, when it hits the road to take on the Hampton Pirates (515, 1-8 CAA) at the Hampton University Convocation Center. Despite the loss to Campbell, William and Mary remains tied for third in the CAA standings.
PETERS AND KIMBERLY McCANN / THE FLAT HAT
After beating Towson and Elon and losing to Campbell, William and Mary is locked in a three-way tie for third place
in the Coastal Athletic Association standings. The Tribe will look to get back in the win column Feb. 9 against Hampton.
JOLENA GOLDKUHLE AND CHARLES VAUGHAN THE FLAT HAT