The Flat Hat February 9, 2016

SPORTS>> PAGE 10

PROFILES >> PAGE 2

Prewitt, Tarpey help College pick upannual a 78-62 winRush in front of a packed Kaplan Arena.

Tribe tops Delaware in the second Gold game.

Ellen Stofan ‘83 talks NASA, geology, Pi Beta Phi and biking over squirrels.

Golden age

Vol. 105, Iss. 16 | Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Roots of a STEM career

The Flat Hat The Weekly Student Newspaper

STUDENT LIFE

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PROFILE

Delta Chi wins Twitter promo

Hashtag used 56,210 times SARAH SMITH FLAT HAT ASSOC. NEWS EDITOR

Delta Chi Fraternity took over Twitter with #DKGoldRush, using their Gold Rush hashtag a total of 56,210 times to win this year’s Twitter Takeover competition.

Tribe Basketball ran the promotion that gave student organizations a chance to win VIP stage seating as well as free food and drinks for the Gold Rush basketball game on Feb. 6. To enter the competition, student organizations had to submit a hashtag by Jan. 27 and were supposed to tweet as frequently as possible using that hashtag until Feb. 4. Thousands of tweets with hashtags, like the Senior Class Gift’s #GoldRushSCG or Alpha Kappa Psi Fraternity’s #GoldRushAKPsi, took over Twitter.

The winning organization was the Delta Chi Fraternity with the hashtag #DXGoldRush, which was used 56,210 times. In second place was Alpha Kappa Psi with 46,219 tweets, and in third place, the Pi Beta Phi Sorority with the hashtag #PiPhiGOLDRUSH and 34,447 tweets. Some people even made multiple Twitter accounts to promote their organizations.

“My organization, Alpha Kappa Psi, began the competition on the first night with our hashtag,” Natalie Walter ’18 said. “We had a few very passionate team members make multiple accounts and tweet up to 1,000 or 2,000 tweets a night on their own.”

Some students like Stephanie Lauterbach ’18, however, thought it was unfair that some students made multiple Twitter accounts.

“I saw that several people made multiple accounts to win,” Lauterbach said in an email. “I definitely retweeted from those accounts, but I didn’t make a second account myself. It just seemed a little bit like cheating to me. The organizations should win because most of their members are tweeting, not because people are making multiple accounts and boosting numbers.”

Lauterbach and others tweeted for multiple organizations.

Lauterbach frequently used the hashtag for the Senior Class Gift and Gamma Phi Beta sorority with its hashtag #GPhiGoldRush.

“I first heard about the competition from my sorority at chapter meeting where we discussed our hashtag and were encouraged to participate,” Lauterbach said. “It would be a great experience to be able to enjoy the game from the stage with all of my sisters, and I’m a pretty avid tweeter, so I was excited to do my part to help us win.

However, once the first round of standings came out and it was clear that we were really behind the leaders, I decided to throw in for the See GOLD RUSH page 4

An interview with Chancellor Gates

TUCKER HIGGINS / THE FLAT HAT

According to Chancellor Robert Gates ‘65, he attended the College of William and Mary because he wanted to attend college on the East Coast, away from Kansas .

Returning to his alma mater, once again AINE CAIN FLAT HAT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Chancellor Robert Gates ’65 wanted to attend the College of William and Mary for all the wrong reasons.

“I escaped Wichita because I was a dumb teenager and I thought that I had to come back east to get a good education,” Gates said. “I would later find when I was president of Texas A&M that that was not the case. But I’d argued with my dad for two years about the fact that I wanted to come back east for school.”

He said his father Melville Gates didn’t understand why he couldn’t attend Kansas State University like his brother. Eventually, they struck a deal. Gates would receive the same amount of money as his brother and would be responsible for making up the difference.

Gates said he funded his education through scholarships from the College and a part-time job as a James City County school bus driver.

Once he arrived at the College, Gates kept busy. He worked as an assistant scoutmaster for the Boy Scout troop at the Williamsburg United Methodist Church, became active in Alpha Phi Omega,

served as a dormitory manager and joined the campus chapter of the Young Republicans. Gates said he also found time to date.

If his strong work ethic went on to serve him as the twentysecond Secretary of Defense, Gates also had tastes in college that are less apparent in his older self.

Reminded about his tenure as Business Manager of the William and Mary Review, a literary and arts magazine, Gates said he did not remember how he first got involved in the magazine, as he does not consider himself a particularly literary person. He recalled reading an old article of his years later.

“I read it and I got to the end of it and thought, ‘What were you trying to say? I have no idea what you’re talking about,’” Gates said.

“I’m sure it was considered highly intellectual and thoughtful at the time. Let’s just say I think my writing style has improved since I wrote for the Review.”

Like many students at the College, Gates encountered his fair share of academic stress.

The first snag came freshman year, when a D in a calculus class See GATES page 4

CAMPUS EVENTS

College celebrates 323rd Charter Day Stofan discusses College’s influence, current NASA research EMILY MARTELL FLAT HAT ASSOC. NEWS EDITOR

At the annual Charter Day ceremony on Friday, Feb. 5, students, faculty,

administration and alumni gathered in William and Mary Hall to celebrate the 323rd anniversary of the signing of the College’s Royal Charter.

College President Taylor Reveley

GABBIE PACHON / THE FLAT HAT

Speakers at the ceremony included Ellen Stofan ‘83, Bob Gates ‘65 and College President Taylor Reveley.

Today’s Weather

Index Profile News Opinions Variety

Sports

reminded those in attendance of the tradition of the Charter Day ceremony.

“King William and [Queen] Mary granted a Royal Charter to the College in a drafty London palace on February the 8th, 1693,” Reveley said. “As is our annual habit, we now revisit the College’s seminal document.”

After eight students read excerpts from the charter, Emily Nye ’16, a marketing and English double major, reflected on the importance of the document and her time at the College. Nye is The Flat Hat’s Chief Features Writer.

“For William and Mary, ‘once upon a time’ began 323 years ago, with a king and a queen with a vision for excellence,” Nye said. “With their signing of one simple piece of paper, they set into motion the events that were the one institution through 323 years of incredible stories.”

Reveley recognized four alumni for receiving the Alumni Medallion, the highest award the Alumni Association gives to graduates. The College awarded See CHARTER DAY page 4

Partly cloudy, High 48, Low 30

On Friday, Feb. 5 the College of William and Mary’s Board of Visitors approved a resolution to extend College President Taylor Reveley’s contract through June 2018.

The Board reached this decision through a unanimous vote.

Rector Todd Stottlemyer announced this news through an email sent to the College community on Friday afternoon.

“Taylor’s leadership in so many areas has been crucial to the university’s sustained excellence,” Stottlemyer said in an email.

“We’re excited about the future, and the Board looks forward to our continued partnership and success.”

Stottlemyer’s announcement came as the College prepared for its annual Charter Day Celebration taking place this past weekend.

The ceremony celebrates the

FH

school’s 323rd birthday.

Reveley was named president of the College in September 2008. His previous contract was set to expire in 2017. Now, he will be staying with the College for another year.

The university also released a press announcement revealing the Board’s decision to extend his contract.

“I look forward to continuing to work with the university community — students, faculty, staff, board members, alumni and friends — to make our university a place of increasingly powerful teaching, research and learning as well as place of abiding association and meaning for our alumni and friends,” Reveley said in the release.

— Flat Hat Associate News Editor Eleanor Lamb

For more coverage of the February Board of Visitors meetings, turn to page 3 or go to flathatnews.com.

Inside Variety

Inside Opinions

Lamenting the loss of Marketplace’s Qdoba

2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10

BOV EXTENDS PRESIDENT REVELEY’S CONTRACT

Qdoba’s absence from Marketplace has not gone unnoticed. Read Opinions Editor Julia Stumbaugh’s take on the switch to Wholly Habaneros. page 5

Swem turns 50

Earl Gregg Swem Library celebrates half a century of operation. page 7

newsinsight “ Now it’s easier than ever to stay upto-date on all on-campus news.

In some ways, my fondest memory, when feeling stressed or something, I would just walk down Duke of Gloucester Street to the Capitol and back. This was very leveling and it would calm me down. — Chancellor Bob Gates on life as a student at the College

Roots of a STEM career Alumna talks NASA, geology, Pi Phi and biking over squirrels

Page 2 Spotlight

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GABBIE PACHON / THE FLAT HAT

CORRECTIONS A story published Feb. 2 about a $120.5 million grant Virginia won with contributions by VIMS incorrectly referred to the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development as the Department of Health and Human Development.

The Flat Hat wishes to correct any facts printed incorrectly.

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

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When she was four, she saw her first rocket launch. As a teen, she heard Carl Sagan wax poetic about Martian rocks. For Ellen Stofan ’83, the path to becoming Chief Scientist of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was a long time coming.

“I was this kid who always picked up rocks, and I wanted to be a planetary geologist from the time I was fourteen. It was very weird,” Stofan said.

Stofan grew up in Ohio, where her father, a NASA engineer, worked for the Glenn Research Center. When Stofan was a junior in high school, her family moved to northern Virginia. There, Stofan’s father worked at NASA Headquarters, where she works now.

“I always thought I would go to university in Ohio, because everyone I knew went to university in Ohio. When we moved to Virginia, I thought, ‘Oh, well maybe I’ll go look at that William and Mary place,’” Stofan said.

Originally, Stofan was looking at women’s colleges and wasn’t a fan of the College of William and Mary on the gray winter day she initially visited. It was a later spring tour that convinced Stofan to apply early decision.

“It was sunny and there were boys all over the place, and I thought ok, this is for me!” Stofan said. “It’s ridiculous to say that I was swayed by a sunny day in Williamsburg, but I really was.”

After moving into Yates Hall her freshman year, Stofan immersed herself in

the geology department, finding guidance from her professors and fellow students. As chief scientist at NASA, Stofan spends a lot of time speaking to students and women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields about their opportunities while in school and at the outset of their careers. Stofan said she made the transition smoothly from the science-supportive atmosphere of her home to the geology department at the College.

“The department here at William and Mary was very tight knit, amazingly supportive; we had fun, and I felt like I got an excellent grounding in geology, which is what I really wanted,” Stofan said. “Before I went off to study other planets I wanted to understand this one, and I felt like that’s what I got.”

Between geology field trips, Stofan rushed Pi Beta Phi her sophomore year and spent her free time biking out to Carter’s Grove Plantation and going to basketball games.

“I met my husband here, so he and I started dating my junior year, and that was great,” Stofan said. “He was in Theta Delta Chi, which I don’t think exists anymore.”

While at the College, Stofan tested her boundaries by going on geology trips to Utah and Colorado, as well as working for

NASA and the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum over the summers, to make sure the career she chose when she was 14 was right for her. But Stofan said it is the College’s on-campus traditions that still stand out for her.

“I did jump over the [Governor’s Palace] wall,” Stofan said. “I jumped over the wall more than once. [And] the squirrels, they used to drive me crazy when I was here. I was convinced they were after me because twice I ran over a squirrel’s leg on my bike.”

Before becoming NASA’s Chief Scientist in 2013, Stofan received her master’s and Ph.D. in planetary geology from Brown University. Most recently, she worked on a project proposal to send a boat to Titan, a moon of Saturn’s that has seas essentially composed of liquid gasoline. The proposal was ultimately not funded three years ago and cannot fly again until the mid-2030s.

Three months later, she was asked to interview for the Chief Scientist position.

“I had this idea where you start in a career, and you’re going to get one great job after another until you are at the absolute height of your career and then you retire,” Stofan said. “And it’s not like that. You have great highs, and then that project ends and you’re like, what am I going to do next? … It ebbs and flows.”

“

I had this idea where you start in a career, and you’re going to get one great job after another until you are at the absolute height of your career and then you retire. And it’s not like that. You have great highs, and then that project ends and you’re like, what am I going to do next? It ebbs and flows.

— Ellen Stofan ‘83

GABBIE PACHON / THE FLAT HAT

Ellen Stofan ‘83 was in Pi Phi and studied geology at the College. Now she serves as Chief Scientist of NASA.

POLICE BEAT

Feb. 5-8 1

Friday, Feb. 5 — Missing property was found on Francis Street.

2

Sunday, Feb. 7— An individual was arrested for larceny from a building on Capitol Landing Road.

3

Monday, Feb. 8— An individual was arrested for being drunk in public on Mount Vernon Avenue.

4

Monday, Feb. 8 — An individual was arrested for unlawfully possessing an alcoholic beverage on Jamestown Road.

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, February 9, 2015

Page 3

BOARD OF VISITORS FEB 3-5 COMMITTEE ON ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Halleran: AP plan solves “non-problem” Bill would require Virginia colleges to give credit for standard minimum AP score EMILY CHAUMONT FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

The Board of Visitors Committee on Academic Affairs discussed potential legislation regarding credit given for Advanced Placement scores, admissions procedures and faculty matters during its meeting Thursday Feb. 4.

Provost Michael Halleran opened the meeting by recognizing two faculty members who received the Outstanding Faculty Awards by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Biology professor John Swaddle and anthropology professor Jennifer Kahn were among the 13 professors who received the award for 2016. A total of 40 professors from the College of William and Mary have received this award from SCHEV. “No other institution — public, private or indifferent — has won as many of these awards as we have,” Halleran said.

Other faculty matters discussed included the board’s extension of benefits such as disability and

maternity leave to non-tenure eligible faculty and the expansion of the faculty handbook to become more compliant with Title IX. Faculty Liaison Committee Chair Liz Barnes said the proposed amendments to the faculty handbook will likely take effect in March, once they are passed by the Faculty Assembly.

Halleran said that the changes will not only make the handbook compliant with Title IX, but will also improve policy overall.

“I think we will have not only a Title IX compliant policy, but a better policy,” Halleran said. “The existing practice, even putting Title IX aside, is a clunky process.”

Barnes also mentioned that the board was also looking into making faculty and students more aware of the mental health services available on campus.

“We felt that we didn’t really know; we faculty aren’t aware of all of the different resources and maybe the students aren’t either,” Barnes said.

Much of the committee’s meeting focused on legislation being considered in various states that would require state institutions to follow a set

standard for giving credit based on AP or International Baccalaureate test scores. According to Halleran, this type of legislation originated in Florida, and some forms require students who get a score of three or above on AP exams to receive college credit wherever they go to school. Halleran said that this legislation is being actively advocated for by the College Board and would require the College to lower its standards.

“Our legislature is not nearly as Draconian or illinformed, but they want us to make our requirements easier,” Halleran said. “I think it’s a case of legislators solving a non-problem.”

The bill currently in Virginia’s General Assembly is proposing to set a standard minimum AP exam score for which Virginia public colleges must give credit. The discussion of giving academic credit for AP and IB exam scores prompted the Board to discuss admissions policies. In addition to the requirement for a rigorous course load that comes with the College’s high standards for giving AP credit, the Board discussed the holistic requirements for being admitted. Halleran said that an important aspect

of admissions at the College is the fact that every application receives careful consideration.

“No matter how marginal or how weak the application, at least two individuals read the whole darn thing,” Halleran said.

Barnes brought up a concern from the faculty that faculty members whose children apply to and are rejected from the College suffer from major morale issues. Associate Provost for Enrollment and Dean of Admission Tim Wolfe said that in addition to the concrete admission requirements, the College also takes into account the love of learning a student demonstrates, as well as any connections they may have to the College.

“We take connections to William and Mary very seriously, whether folks have the knowledge of or the connections to William and Mary, we make sure those individuals’ applications get an extra read,” Wolfe said.

The committee moved into a closed session for the remainder of their meeting in order to discuss personnel matters.

COMMITTEE ON ADMINISTRATION, BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS

Construction projects taken up in Board meeting Jones introduces possibility of a fine and performing arts facility on campus ELEANOR LAMB FLAT HAT ASSOC. NEWS EDITOR

The College of William and Mary’s Board of Visitors Committee on Administration, Buildings, and Grounds met Thursday, Feb. 4 to discuss the progress of present and future building projects on the main College campus, as well as at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.

Committee Chair Ann Green Baise, after calling the meeting to order and approving the minutes from the last meeting, opened by commending the decoration team responsible for their work on College President Taylor Reveley’s house over the holidays.

VIMS Dean and Director John Wells then delivered a report on the institution’s capital projects. The projects include a research vessel, a consolidated science research facility, a faculty management building and an oyster research hatchery.

The research vessel is a 93-foot boat scheduled to be completed in 2017.

The consolidated scientific research center, a 32,000 square-foot building, will house five VIMS programs. The new facility management building will provide space for the management team to work and will also house the mail delivery service. The oyster hatchery will involve tearing down the current hatchery building, which was constructed in 1975. The new hatchery will contain facilities that the current building is lacking, as well as an access point to seawater for the researchers’ use.

“There’s no heating, there’s no AC. It’s a touch building,” Wells said on the current facility.

Wells also stated that VIMS received full funding from the Governor’s Budget Submission. The institution received $13.76 million to replace mechanical systems and repair the exteriors of certain buildings. Portions of this money will be used to eradicate mold and fix mechanical problems that Chesapeake Bay Hall, built in 1997, has experienced.

“[Chesapeake Bay Hall] has had problems from the days the doors opened,” Wells said.

Baise commended Wells for meeting the allotted budget granted by the governor. All the money granted to them will be used in maintaining facilities.

“To see something go through speaks well to your team,” Baise said.

After Wells delivered his report, Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration Sam Jones gave a presentation on the demolitions of Millington Hall and the Lodges, as well as approval for capital projects being financed outside the general fund.

Jones’ update on campus construction plans began with discussing the Integrated Science Center III, which is an addition to the two already-existing science centers.

The outside of the new building is finished, he said, leaving all remaining work to go toward the interior of the building. He also said that, in addition to the new facility, the greenhouse

formerly on top of Millington Hall is being moved to the roof of the ISC I, in preparation for the demolition of Millington Hall.

“The Greenhouse is well on its way,” Jones said.

Jones then spoke about the progress being made with Tyler Hall, which has been completely gutted and furnished with a new staircase. It will house the government, economics and public policy departments. The attic is also being renovated to make room for faculty offices. He also stated that the construction on the west side of Zable Stadium has progressed on schedule.

Jones also delivered updates on One Tribe Place and the new Integrative Wellness Center.

The Integrative Wellness Center will contain the student health center, counseling center and yoga rooms. He stated that the building will rely heavily on the use of glass to allow light into the building and offer views of the woods. The center will take the place of the Lodges located behind the Sadler

Center. The Daily Grind will remain in the same place.

Jones discussed the projects affiliated with the For the Bold Campaign. He mentioned a new basketball practice facility, a new aquatics center, and an addition to the Muscarelle Museum of Art as possibilities. He also detailed the Governor’s Budget Recommendations, which include an ISC IV to take Millington Hall’s spot. However, Jones stated that before addressing certain portions of the governor’s recommendation, he would like to build a new fine and performing arts facility. He stated that, since the College focuses on the liberal arts and many resources have recently been spent on the construction of new science buildings, a performing arts center is important.

“This is a much higher priority project than the ones the governor has set in,” Jones said.

Baise moved to approve Jones’s stated resolutions, which were seconded and approved unanimously.

COMMITTEE ON STRATEGIC INITIATIVES AND NEW VENTURES

BOV addresses Virginia legislature, College’s social media Bradford highlights Road to Richmond event, state confirmation of new BOV members AMANDA WILLIAMS FLAT HAT CHIEF STAFF WRITER

The College of William and Mary’s Board of Visitors Strategic Initiatives and New Ventures Committee primarily discussed social media and legislation in the Virginia General Assembly during its meeting Feb. 4.

After an introduction by Committee Chair Thomas Frantz ’70, J.D. ’73, M.L.T. ’81, Associate Vice President for Government Relations Frances Bradford began the first of two presentations for the meeting. Bradford informed the Board that the College, which has nine alumni serving in the General Assembly, holds fewer representatives there than either the University of Virginia or Virginia Tech.

Bradford discussed highlights from the 20th annual “Road to Richmond” event, which brings students to Richmond to lobby on behalf of the College, including the high attendance by both students and legislatures. Bradford, moving on to the governor’s proposed two-year budget, also said that the new budget included a salary increase for the second year in a row, in addition to an increase in financial aid for Virginia students.

Bradford, addressing a phenomenon that occurs every year, said there is a bill being pushed through that would limit the number of out-of-state students the College could take. The College maintains a ratio of 65 percent in-state and 35 percent out-of-state ratio. A bill that would increase that 35 percent of instate students to 45 percent already died on the floor — a “noble” death, according to College President Taylor Reveley.

The legislature also confirmed four of the Governor’s nominations to the College’s Board of Visitors: James Hixon J.D. ’79, M.L.T. ’80 and Karen Shultz ’75 for the first time, and the reappointments of Frantz and College Rector Todd Stottlemyer ’85.

Bradford also discussed the Commonwealth Center on Recurrent Flooding Resiliency, a joint initiative between the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and Old Dominion University to address sea level rise.

“I’m excited to say that William and Mary and ODU have come together to create the Commonwealth Center on Recurrent Flooding Resiliency,” Bradford said. “The governor actually included nearly $500,000 in both VIMS’ budget and ODU’s budget to support this.”

According to Vice President for Strategic Initiatives Henry Broaddus, the presentations focused on how to highlight different aspects of the College. “[What] the two presentations and discussions we have for you today have in common is about this aspirational reality and leading with that in a way that doesn’t mislead, but promotes William and Mary’s best features,” Broaddus said. “We thought it would be great to give the Board an update on how that’s being done on social media.”

The College’s Web Developer and Social Media Coordinator Tiffany Beker took over from there with a comprehensive social media report. She discussed the Social Media Users Group, which works to streamline content posted to social media across campus including multiple Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

She reported a few recent milestones for the College’s official social media accounts, including eclipsing 53,000 page likes on Facebook and reaching more than 20,000 followers on Twitter and more than 10,000 on Instagram.

One account she highlighted was “Life at WM,” a College-run Instagram account that seeks out a different student host each week to share their daily life with the account’s more than 2,400 followers.

“It’s an amazing way to get an inside look at what’s going on at William and Mary from the

students’ perspective,” Tiffany said. “It’s not from the administration’s perspective, we’re not telling them what to post, but they know all of the amazing things that are going on at William and Mary and will post those for us.”

According to Beker, the College’s most popular post on Facebook was for April Fool’s Day last year when they posted a William and Mary News

story about paving over the Sunken Garden, which prompted a number of phone calls to their office.

She also said that 4 percent of traffic to the College’s website comes from social media — second only to Google.

After Beker’s presentation, Frantz opened the floor to questions and any other topics for discussion before adjourning early.

Page 4

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

POLICE

WMPD hosts first active shooter session

Community training emphasizes survivor mentality during violent situations AMANDA WILLIAMS FLAT HAT CHIEF STAFF WRITER

What is the right thing to do in an active shooter situation? The College of William and Mary Police Department is trying to answer that question with a series of active shooter training sessions for faculty, staff and students. The open sessions began in early February. The College’s sessions come alongside hundreds of similar events taking place across the country — not just at colleges and universities, but also in workplaces and other communities.

“We know that these kinds of situations can occur not just at schools, but they can occur at shopping malls, we’ve seen movie theaters — these are incidents that are happening across the country,” William and Mary police department chief Deborah Cheesebro said. “What we’re going to go over will apply no matter where you are.”

WMPD Patrol Lieutenant Israel Palencia presented for most of the first student session, held Feb. 3, which started with a trigger warning about the violent topics to be discussed as well as for gunshots heard in a simulation video. Palencia began with the definition of an active shooter.

“An active shooter event is not two roommates who get in a fight,” Palencia said. “It’s not domestic violence, not a party where a person brandishes a gun — these are crimes, but not an active shooter.”

The Department of Homeland Security defines an active shooter as an event in which an individual is actively killing or trying to kill people in an enclosed and populated area. Palencia said the training also applies to a situation involving any other type of weapon, such as a knife.

He delved into statistics related to these shooting events — that they have occurred every day but Saturday, and that between 2000 and 2013, 12 of the 160 events were at some form of college or university. One theme that Palencia repeated is that if a person hears something worrying, they should say something.

“The community itself sees a lot,” Palencia said.

“It’s hard for me to say ‘this is the blanket active shooter plan.’ It depends on where you are.”

Palencia emphasized the importance of the survivor mentality: the idea that no matter what happens, a person will do what is necessary to survive, whether that means running, hiding or fighting.

He presented the three options in order of best option first: Run. If possible, people should get out of the area and call 911 immediately. If exit is not an option, hiding is the next best choice, and if you can’t hide, prepare to fight.

He discussed hard versus soft targets. He said shooters don’t tend to blast through walls or try hard to get through locked or blocked doors; they

look for the easy target, the open door. One of the first actions of hiding should be barricading the door to wherever you are.

In addition to discussing what students should do if faced with this situation, he told the crowd what to expect of police officers. He said that their first job is to take down the shooter and that they won’t stop to help any wounded or to help anyone escape.

The first student session featured the shorter of two versions of training.

Five community members sat in on the hourlong training.

WMPD Chief Deborah Cheesebro said that she expects the next student trainings to be more heavily attended; there are at least four more planned with two next Monday, Feb. 15. James Irby ’19 was one of the students who attended the first open session.

“I saw this in Student Happenings and figured that I would much rather be safe than sorry taking an hour out of my day now to study up on what to do rather than having to potentially pay for that later,” Irby said.

Individual departments across campus can also request training specific to their locations.

Departments that have received training since Jan. 12 include Earl Gregg Swem Library, Mason School of Business and Residence Life.

According to Palencia, the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services has an initiative in place for officers in police departments across the state to become ALERRT trained to create a uniform response if faced with an active shooter event. Nearly all officers within WMPD are ALERRT trained; WMPD Sergeant James Baez-An is an advanced ALERRT instructor and runs trainings out of the College’s Dillard Complex.

Cheesebro said the department is looking into integrated training opportunities with the Williamsburg and James City County police departments, so that if faced with this kind of event on campus, the departments will be able to respond in a coordinated and efficient manner.

“It is, and will continue to be, a coordinated, preplanned response with all agencies being trained the same way and all knowing the procedure for William and Mary,” Cheesebro said. “What we’re trying to do is to continue to do things for the safety of this community, and so this is where we are now. We’ll continue and we will stay where we need to stay in terms of training and education, and if the standard changes, we’ll change with it.”

While the open sessions are optional, some of the training has been integrated into orientation for new students on campus beginning with the most recent spring 2016 entrants.

Gates discusses College’s rigorous academics

Chancellor provides advice to current College students about post-grad life GATES from page 1

upset his plans to pursue pre-med.

He shifted to studying history halfway through sophomore year. Later on, Gates received an “F-” on a midterm in professor Ludwell Johnson’s American history class.

“I had misread the question and it was one of these one question essay tests,” Gates said. “The interesting thing is I ended up with an A for the semester.”

Despite the intense academic environment, Gates said that his experience on campus was generally relaxed but lacking some of the traditions current College students experience.

“We didn’t have anything in those days like the Iron Man or Triathlon. Stuff like that,” Gates said. “It was a pretty staid college.”

Gates said his refined sense of the absurd has gotten him through many difficult situations, throughout his time on campus and his career as a government official. He encouraged students to maintain a sense of humor about life.

“There’s always something you can find to smile about and laugh about,” Gates said. “It can be a situation, it can be the actions of someone, it can be something somebody says. But if you’re in the right frame of mind, you can always get a laugh or a smile. Even under the toughest of circumstances.”

Saying that he believed most College students to be ambitious and competitive, Gates advised students to keep their post-grad options open.

“If you’re successful at William and Mary, you’re going to be okay,” Gates said. “There will be jobs and you will have opportunities. Don’t be afraid now and then to take the night off and have fun …

That second semester of your senior year you might be offered some opportunity to travel abroad that’s totally contrary to your plans, and it might be a life changing experience, so you’ve got to be open to new experiences and don’t be so driven on the path that you’ve designed for yourself that you’re afraid to take a few excursions.”

When Gates would get overwhelmed

at the College, he said he would leave his Bryan Complex dorm and take a quiet walk through Colonial Williamsburg.

“In some ways, my fondest memory, when feeling stressed or something I would just walk down Duke of Gloucester

Street to the Capitol and back,” Gates said.

“This was very leveling and it would calm me down.”

TUCKER HIGGINS / THE FLAT HAT

Gates recommends that College students never lose their senses of humor, even as they move onto more serious careers after their time at the College.

Frat wins “tweet off ” amid complaints of automation GOLD RUSH from page 1

Senior Class Gift hashtag too.”

The Gold Rush Twitter competition began last year. In the past, the organizers of the senior class gift used to reserve the stage seats. Now, however, different organizations will be able to reserve the stage seats for later games, including the senior class.

Other organizations with registered hashtags were the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority, the Alpha Chi Omega Sorority, the Delta Phi Fraternity, TribeThon, the Taiwanese American Student Association and ESSENCE Women of Color.

Some, like Pi Beta Phi member Emily Hynes ’19, were upset when the results were announced, because the winning organization has been rumored to have used an automated account to tweet their hashtag.

“I am a little upset about the results of the competition because my sisters and I worked very hard, came up with original material, and tweeted and retweeted all of our own tweets while the winners of the competition used a third party app to tweet the last almost 50,000 of their tweets for them,” Hynes said. “However, my sisters and I still went to the game together and reserved a section of seats for

ourselves and had a good time cheering on our team together.”

It is not clear that Delta Chi or any other student organizations used automated accounts. There are some Twitter accounts, like @lostnfoundchair which sent 626 tweets from one day for Delta Chi, but there is no evidence the account was automated.

Members of Delta Chi could not be reached for comment since Sunday.

Gamma Phi Beta member Heidi Crockett ’16 thought that while using an automated account might be unfair, the competition succeeded in bringing awareness to the Gold Rush basketball

game.

“I think it’s amazing how many people the game draws in just in general and I think the competition plays a major role in that,” Crockett said in an email.

“I do think it’s unfair if people chose the automated account route, some people put their blood, sweat, tears, and wit into tweets while others just had an automated system sending tweets. That doesn’t seem fair at all. I have a bit of fear of missing out about not being on the platform to watch the game, but that being said the awareness that the competition brings about the game and Tribe basketball in general is phenomenal.”

Annual Charter Day ceremony honors alumni, students, faculty CHARTER DAY from page 1

four alumni, Ann Harvey Yonkers ‘63, Walter Stout ‘64, Jane Thompson Kaplan ‘56 and Glenne Hines Harding ‘65, this honor for their professional accomplishments, commitment to the

College and dedication to the community.

Chancellor and former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates ’65 followed Reveley’s speech and spoke about the continuing importance of the Charter.

“Charter Day is a momentous occasion, one where we pause to

GABBIE PACHON / THE FLAT HAT

The annual Charter Day ceremony honored multiple alumni, students and faculty members.

celebrate yet another year in the College’s long life,” Gates said. “It’s a reminder of a time when leaders, two reigning monarchs and their subjects in a distant colony, united behind a certain place of universal study and the belief that higher education would do great good in the ‘New World.’ A unified belief still guides this university today, that a William and Mary education, one grounded in the liberal arts, will do great good in a constantly changing world.”

Gates continued by expressing the importance of supporting scholarships.

“My brother and I were the first in the history of our family to attend college,” Gates said. “And it was scholarships that made it possible for me, a kid from Kansas, to come here. Scholarships put a William and Mary education in reach for generations of bold students yet to come.”

Continuing the tradition started in 1756 when the College granted Benjamin Franklin an honorary degree, the College awarded one alumna and one former faculty member with honorary degrees

during the Charter Day ceremony. The College awarded NASA Chief Scientist Ellen Stofan ’83 a Doctor of Science honoris causa. Appointed NASA Chief Scientist in 2013, Stofan researches the geology of Earth, Mars, Venus and Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. She is an associate member of the Cassini Mission to Saturn Radar Team and a co-investigator on the Mars Express Mission’s MARSIS sounder.

“William and Mary was, and continues to be, part of the fabric of my life,” Stofan said. “My undergraduate experience cemented my love of geology, but more importantly, it nurtured and continued to ignite my love of learning.”

After thanking the College for the honor, Stofan discussed the current research of NASA in the solar system, preparing for human exploration of Mars, and on Earth, investigating sea level rise and record temperatures. She finished by speaking about the importance of scientific innovation and diversity in education.

Professor emeritus of government

Jack Edwards also received a Doctor of Humane Letters. During his nearly 34 years of teaching at the College, Edwards was a government professor and Department Chair, as well as the Dean of Arts and Sciences.

The College awarded two students, Andrew Halleran ‘16 and Isaac Alty ‘16 with the Thomas Jefferson Prize in Natural Philosophy, and one student, Hallie Westlund ’16 with the Monroe Prize for Civic Leadership.

History professor Jeremy Pope received the Thomas Jefferson Teaching Award, an award which recognizes a younger faculty member who demonstrates, through teaching, the inspiration of learning as exemplified by Thomas Jefferson.

American studies and history professor Leisa Meyer received the similarly-named Thomas Jefferson Award, an award recognizing a member of the College community for outstanding service to the College through personal activities, influence and leadership.

opinions

Opinions Editor Julia Stumbaugh Opinions Editor Jenny Cosgrove fhopinions@gmail.com // @theflathat

The Flat Hat

EDITORIAL CARTOON

| Tuesday, February 9, 2016 | Page 5

STAFF EDITORIAL

Shift in scoring

BRIAN KAO / THE FLAT HAT

Why Charter Day matters Mia Chand

FLAT HAT GUEST COLUMNIST

This past weekend was my first time celebrating Charter Day here at the College of William and Mary.

I thought it would be just another opportunity for the College to fundraise, with a few extra AMP events on the side, but it ended up being much more. Sitting in Kaplan Arena during the Charter Day ceremony listening to a series of inspiring people who have touched the university share their story and cheering on the men’s basketball team in the Gold Rush game, I truly felt Tribe Pride.

At the Collegewe have great sports teams and intense spirit, but one additional source of pride is our history and continuity. Going to this school, I feel like I am contributing to something bigger, an institution that I know will flourish for 323 years to come, as it has for the 323 years behind it. And when I hear about all the great things that alumni and current

students have done, I am inspired by the thought that 40 years from now I can come back for Charter Day festivities and serve as an example for future students, helping to make them just as proud of this school we call home.

I think it is important we keep celebrating Charter Day for years to come, because it simultaneously reminds us of how big and small we are. I am one of tens of thousands of students who will pass through this institution over the years, yet my individual impact on the College is still so powerful.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that every single student who studies here — whether it be the past, present or future — should be proud that they made this institution better in their own way.

Every single one of us has brought something unique to the school.

Not just the physical tracks we leave behind, like footprints in the Lake Matoaka woods, research hanging on the wall of the Integrated Science Center and bathroom graffiti in the stalls of Morton Hall, but the spirit and knowledge we added to the College community.

You can’t see this kind of mark, but it is there, and every student should be proud of the mark they leave. We will never just be a name in a file showing we graduated, but a force that contributed to the betterment of the school.

So to all the current students out there, keep doing you. To all the alumni, thank you.

Email Mia Chand at miarchand@gmail.com.

“

By going to this school, I feel like I am contributing to something bigger.

“

COMMENTS @THEFLATHAT

Great step forward, long time coming!

Students need a caring compassionate health expert -- not someone who will help push them out of the campus.

— Ami Cuervo on “Counseling Center hires full-time psychiatrist”

The Board of Visitors voiced its opposition to a bill currently under consideration in the Virginia General Assembly, HB 1336, that would standardize Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate test scores accepted for credit across all state colleges and universities. As the law currently stands in Virginia, institutions are allowed to set their own AP and IB criteria, which can lead to discrepancies over which scores merit credit.

Differences can present a challenge to prospective college students. Entering as a freshman with credit hours in hand can give a student a real advantage; college is not cheap, and having AP or IB credit may motivate a person to choose a school that gives more credit for his or her test scores, cutting costs and saving time.

Under the current system, some students (including, but not limited to, low-income students) may be discouraged from attending schools like the College with rigorous test standards.

There are scholarships, loans and fee reductions available, but of course none of these resources are unlimited or without flaw.

There is also a concern within state governments that disparate AP and IB credit policies encourage some students to look out of state for more generous options. Illinois passed an AP standardization bill in August of 2015, one of 16 states to do so.

The General Assembly’s intent with HB 1336 is understandable, if maybe not wholly laudable. But the legislation is not the best way to go about improving standards in higher education.

We believe, as the Board of Visitors does, that the College should have the prerogative to set its own standards for college preparatory tests. The College has a unique understanding of the degree to which AP or IB programs will ready students for coursework at our school. Courses are taught differently across state institutions, and so pre-college curricula may not fit as well at one university as it does another. There is too much variation in course or program expectations to establish a useful, applicable standard.

More importantly, college preparatory programs (and here we refer explicitly to Advanced Placement) are fundamentally inadequate. AP exams and course guidelines are designed, administered and, not least of all, sold by the College Board, a nominal nonprofit that boasts annual revenue in the hundreds of millions. College Board charges students $92 per test, and while some school systems cover those fees, the burden of taking multiple AP exams (ostensibly to save money down the road) accumulates quickly.

The hefty price would be more tolerable if the AP program actually presented high school students with a college-like environment. Too often, however, AP classes are taught exclusively to the test. Students are left underprepared for the critical rigor of college, having spent a year committing facts to memory rather than engaging with concepts and uncertainty. There is no guarantee that an AP score indicates college preparedness.

We are therefore sympathetic to the College’s stance against statewide AP standards. The General Assembly’s impulse — to make the college decision process simpler for high schoolers — is reasonable, but it fails to accommodate differences between universities. Changes in legislation notwithstanding, we’d like to see the College take a stand against the College Board and Advanced Placement.

The College is not a private institution, and it could expect a drop in applicants if it was to deny AP credit. Unlike Dartmouth or Brown, the College is not likely to stop awarding AP credit. No college or university could singlehandedly promote reform; any effective action must be collective. We understand that potential changes are limited, so we don’t expect a sudden, unilateral rejection of the College Board.

Instead, the College should shake itself from the ambivalence it has shown toward reform. The College conspicuously failed to sign on to a 2016 Harvard report endorsed by Yale and the University of Virginia that seeks to move college admissions away from testing and toward a more holistic system of evaluation. William and Mary needs to add its voice to those calling for a fairer and less harmful college prep regime.

The staff editorial represents the opinion of The Flat Hat. The editorial board, which is elected by The Flat Hat’s section editors and executive staff, consists of Aine Cain, Isabel Larroca, Miguel Locsin, Quinn Monette and Kayla Sharpe. The Flat Hat welcomes submissions to the Opinions section. Limit letters to 250 words and columns to 650 words. Letters, columns, graphics and cartoons reflect the view of the author only. Email submissions to fhopinions@gmail.com.

GUEST COLUMN

A new freshman class brings a new way of thinking

Carly Schanck

FLAT HAT GUEST COLUMNIST

College is about figuring out who we are, both as individuals and as part of society at large. Many of us enter college largely unsure of who we are, and even those among us who are initially confident in their identities undergo massive change.

Since 1966, the University of California at Los Angeles has surveyed the nation’s college freshmen to gain information about who they are and where they come from. Many of the questions have to do with demographics, but a subset deals with how the students rate themselves on various dimensions compared with others their own age.

85.5 percent of the college freshmen polled in 2014 rated themselves above average in terms of their ability to work cooperatively with diverse people. 80.7 percent believed they

have an above-average tolerance of people with different beliefs.

76.1 percent rated themselves above average in terms of their ability to see the world from someone else’s perspective (UCLA).

And the trend continues in this fashion.

In other categories such as physical health, emotional health and spirituality, the students’ tendency to believe they were above average dropped dramatically.

However, on any issue relating to tolerance and open-mindedness, almost everyone rated themselves above average. Why is this?

Our culture places high value on openmindedness, diversity and freedom of thought. Especially in college, we strive to expand our horizons by being exposed to viewpoints other than our own. By doing so, we come to know ourselves better by solidifying our personal beliefs while simultaneously learning to love and accept those with whom we disagree.

Consistent with our school’s liberal arts ideology, as students at the College we hope to exit college as educated, open minded individuals who can think for ourselves.

We want to be able to work cooperatively with people different

from ourselves, tolerate people with different beliefs, and see the world from the perspective of others. As reflected by the survey results, we both revere and strive for those qualities.

They represent a type of intelligence more valuable than simply being able to memorize and reproduce information.

Who are the college freshman at the College? We are dedicated, passionate individuals who worked hard and graduated at the top of our classes in high school.

Just beginning our lives as young adults, we have decided to further our education in a way that goes beyond academics. We have embraced the value that the College places on open mindedness and critical thinking as we are exposed to an array of subjects and types of people. Most importantly, we are people who have decided to accept and learn from people of different religions, cultures, sexual orientations, political viewpoints, and paradigms.

We are diverse. We are accepting. We are free thinking. We are beautiful. We are the freshman of the College.

Email Carly Schank at ceschanck@email.wm.edu.

“

Especially in college, we strive to expand our horizons by being exposed to viewpoints other than our own.

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Page 6

GUEST COLUMN

College vs. Comedy

Jordan Wyner

FLAT HAT GUEST COLUMNIST

Recently, many compelling comedians, including Chris Rock and John Cleese, have refused to perform on college campuses. Most comics cite the hypersensitive, politically correct environment at most colleges as their primary justification for denying a university a performance. At this juncture, it is crucial to identify the two dominant forms of modern comedy: lowbrow and highbrow. The former is characterized by simple humor whose purpose is mainly to garner cheap laughs. However, the latter is more sophisticated in nature, offering a challenge to the viewer to consider the unfamiliar and uncomfortable.

In fact, “highbrow” comedy is the form most comics fear student bodies won’t approve. By definition, highbrow comedy offends customs; it is key to note that the offensive aspects are intended to be provocative rather than hateful. Currently, there is a clear necessity for this type of humor, as people must be stripped of predetermined comforts. Otherwise, norms that are corrosive remain undisturbed. Without this disruption, people are susceptible to becoming lost in a spectacle of irrational frenzy influenced by ideologies, similar to that of Trump’s movement, which damages the principles they desperately claim to uphold.

Although that is an extreme and infrequent scenario, it is, nonetheless, firmly rooted in the absence of contentious thought from social discourse. In this sense, the preservation of a politically correct culture denies us access to challenging, provocative ideas, generating restrictive “safe spaces.” As a result, a student body is deprived of further intellectual development by this void of anomalous ideas. Besides, it is the duty of a university to not only embrace the instruction of new, challenging ideas, but allow a respectful platform for response as well.

Returning to comedy, perhaps we’ve thrust the art backward into the 1960s, in which currently renowned, innovative comic Lenny Bruce was on several occasions removed from the stage, culminating in an appearance in front of a New York obscenity court for disseminating provocative speech. Fortunately, Bruce’s case is not representative of the current issue. After all, a campus has neither physically removed nor banned a comic from performing; in a sense, PC culture has nurtured a platform in which courageous, passionate comedians who desire to provoke and challenge their audience are filtered from those who merely yearn for acceptance. For example, in Bo Burnham’s recent performance on campus, he noted both Colonial Williamsburg’s troubled past and mocked the College’s elitist nature.

Nonetheless, the reluctance of some comics to perform on college campuses indicates that PC culture produces a space in which some do not feel comfortable spreading their beliefs and selfcensoring is incentivized. In regards to the art form, the politically correct climate of college campuses has devolved comedic performance into another “safe space.” The foundational fallacy of the ideology of political correctness is that it seeks to eliminate the inevitable: taking offense. To the distress of many, indignation is unavoidable; what matters is the means by which we respond to offense.

Attempting to silence provocative ideas is destructive and not conducive to future progress.

The PC collective should abandon the current path of dangerous emotions taken to their extreme and impassioned speech fueled by rage. Instead, only a rational, respectful conversation can effect meaningful change.

GRAPHIC BY BRIAN KAO / THE FLAT HAT

Lamenting the loss of Marketplace’s Qdoba

Julia Stumbaugh FLAT HAT OPINIONS EDITOR

of my dependence on Qdoba. I’m not ashamed of the fact that when the server asked me if I would like queso or shredded cheese I would say “both.” What I am ashamed of is the fact that Qdoba could be taken it so easily from us.

My friends at Virginia Tech are very smug about their food choices. Their student IDs will, for example, let them swipe in for a sandwich at an on-campus Chik fil­A. While I was a little bitter about this, my jealousy was eased by the presence of Mexican food just upstairs from the office where this paper is produced.

Now even that small comfort has been wrest from my grasp, and I have to comfort myself with Marketplace chicken tenders, which, while admittedly decent, aren’t quite up to Chik fil A standards.

In my opinion, the students of the College have been too docile in reaction to this change. “Change can be good,” some might say, or, “It was like $9 for a bowl, there’s no way that’s worth it.” I would politely disagree on both points; I am highly resistant to change in all areas of my life, and on the Gold-14 meal plan, you get 300 dining dollars, which gives you approximately 33 burrito bowls already built into your plan.

It’s a dark time here at the College of William and Mary, and we should recognize what we’ve lost here. If you want a bowl or a quesadilla or a bulging tin-foil wrapped burrito, then you’re going to have to wait until ten PM. Midday Qdoba lovers will tragically be stuck with Sodexo burritos. When the College took Qdoba from us, they left more than a hole in the counter at Marketplace; they left a hole in students’ hearts.

Email Julia Stumbaugh at jmstumbaugh@email.wm.edu.

“

In the grey bleakness of winter, when the food trucks have left the terrace empty and barren, there is a distinct lack of options for brand-name food on this campus.

Students can make the journey to Tribe Square and eat Pita Pit or Mooyah, or they can eat late night at Sadler. In the middle of the day, however, especially when snow and sleet makes long treks across campus undoable, Sodexo is pretty much a student’s only option. There was one exception to this; the ever-present Qdoba option in Marketplace. We returned from winter break to find out the horrifying truth. Qdoba is gone from the Campus Center, and with it any hope a student might have for midday queso and guac.

The optimist might note at this point that Qdoba isn’t going to just disappear; it’s going to be replaced with Wholly Habaneros. This is of little comfort to me. There are some Mondays when the only thing getting me through the day is the hope of some queso. I’m not ashamed

It’s a dark time here at the College of William and Mary, and we should recognize what we’ve lost.

“

COMMENTS @THEFLATHAT

I remember when friends in [the Bryan Complex] were severely disciplined in the late 60s during a protest for having women in their rooms against the rules of the College.

— Mark Cole on “An all-inclusive living experience”

GUEST COLUMN

GroupMe: the insidious instant-messaging system you can’t escape

Lexi Godfrey

FLAT HAT GUEST COLUMNIST

If you’re reading this, you are almost definitely part of some sort of GroupMe message, whether it is between your friends, your freshman hall, your sorority or some other social group — and I am sorry for you. If you’re not part of one, congratulations, you’ve won college. Never change, keep yourself safe. This may seem dramatic, but there is a high chance that most people know exactly where I’m coming from. Because, for some reason, at the College of William and Mary, emails and group texts are no longer relevant, and GroupMe is basically the Promised Land.

If you are part of any GroupMe, you are probably accustomed to the constant barrage of notifications from whatever group you’re a part of. You’re also most likely familiar with that random message

from a Sarah or an Elizabeth asking a question that is clearly addressed in a former conversation maybe five to six messages up in the chat. I’m usually a patient person, but seriously, Sarah/ Elizabeth, get yourself together and scroll up, so help me God. There’s also that one kid that thinks it’s cute and funny to text bomb the chat with seven messages that could have easily been combined into one concise paragraph. Please stop; your name showing up in my notifications once is enough, we get it. Then there’s that kid that tries to be the comedic relief and sends memes of President Reveley or Terry Tarpey gifs. Yes, I love Terry Tarpey as much as the next girl (maybe even more so), but you can calm down, please.

And let’s talk about the victimization that happens in these GroupMes. If a day goes by without some sort of roast happening in our “squad” chat, it’s a miracle akin to Jonah and the whale.

I’m going to be honest — this might be more of a personal issue, given that our “squad” chat’s picture is a very unflattering Christmas photo of me with the caption “I’m

a HoHoHo,” and I really do feel personally attacked by that. But I know I am not alone in this plight, so if you are also a victim reading this article, just know that I stand with you.

It is a known fact that GroupMes get completely out of control almost all of the time. There are those who are bold enough to mute the conversations, but they are aware that they are putting themselves at risk of being “flamed” by the rest of their “squad.” And occasionally, there are the reckless and stupid who choose to leave the group entirely in a final blaze of glory.

Those people are the ones to watch out for, because while GroupMes are one of the most annoying and frustrating aspects of college, they are a necessary evil, and when you upset the natural balance, you risk collapsing the entire system.

So, Sarah or Elizabeth, if you get pissed because I call you out for being ignorant, you suck it up and stay in that GroupMe, because while we both have our different reasons for wanting to leave, we are in this together, and there is no backing out now.

Email Lexi Godfrey at algodfrey@email.wm.edu.

“

For some reason, at William and Mary, emails and group texts are no longer relevant, and GroupMe is basically the Promised Land.

variety

Variety Editor Sam Dreith Variety Editor Sarah Ruiz flathat.variety@gmail.com // @theflathat

| Tuesday, February 9, 2016 | Page 7

KYRA SOLOMON / THE FLAT HAT

The Flat Hat

Just keep swemming

Library embraces centuries-old history as it celebrates fiftieth birthday AKEMI TAMANAHA FLAT HAT ASSOC. VARIETY EDITOR

One of the College of William and Mary’s busiest buildings hit a milestone birthday this year. The Earl Gregg Swem Library, a building with a legacy of late nights, has just turned 50.

Although the Swem Library building is only 50 years old, the history of the College’s library is much older. The original library, constructed in the 1690s, was located in the Sir Christopher Wren building. It stayed there for over 200 years before moving to Tucker Hall in 1905 after Andrew Carnegie donated $20,000 for the construction of a new library.

The library’s namesake is Earl Gregg Swem, who was a librarian at the College from 1920 to 1944. Swem enjoyed a high status at the College; records indicate that the president of the College, John Stewart Bryan, gave Swem and only nine other men carte blanche access to the historic buildings on campus during Rockefeller’s restoration of Colonial Williamsburg in the 1930s. Swem was allowed to roam in and out of the buildings as he pleased.

Swem made several contributions to the College’s library during his time here. According to university archivist Kim Sims, one of his largest contributions was allowing the students themselves to search for books within the stacks.

“At the time, and even for years after that, that wasn’t a normal thing to do,” Sims said. “The stacks were closed to students and people pulled the books for him. He had that different mindset to allow students to be engaged with the books.”

Swem had a passion for history and genealogy. It was that passion, Sims said, that led to the library’s extensive Special Collections section. Swem also wished to see an increase in the collection of university records.

“He was able to establish those relationships to where people trusted him enough to give him these items,” Sims said.

Several old families in Virginia gave Swem documents detailing their family’s history for Swem to house in the library. He was also able to obtain records of the College’s that were being stored elsewhere. Some of the records Swem acquired include the original minutes of the first Phi Beta Kappa meeting and land grants given to the university that date back to 1705.

Although Swem died a year before the new library was built, his legacy lived on as the depth of information the library housed continued to grow. In 2003, the 100,000 square-foot Warren Burger Special Collections wing was added to the library. In 2015, the newly renovated Reeder Media Center, which allows students to

create media of their own, opened.

“Every time I look over the list of databases I see something new and it’s usually something really interesting,” Swem research librarian Paul Showalter. “And then there’s the Reeder Media Center, where students, faculty and staff are constantly creating new digital information. Swem is a special place because it serves as a bridge that connects us to past knowledge and scholarship as well the cutting-edge research and information creation happening today.”

There are years of renovations and new additions to the library to come. Last October, Swem received a donation of $2 million from alumna Frances Lightfoot Robb ’48 — the largest private contribution to be received in the history of Swem Library. The donation has already helped purchase several documents for Special Collections.

Associate Director of Strategic Communications and Outreach at Swem Library Tami Back said that the staff is full of ideas.

They wish to support and expand student employment at the library.

Back also noted that Swem staff have discussed adding different spaces, like a faculty dedicated space or a green space, to the library.

“We would love to add some green spaces to the library,” Back said. “We’ve been talking about a green roof and a patio outside in front of Read and Relax. We think it would be great if we could extend Read and Relax and have kind of an outdoor space that students can use.”

Swem is already considered one of the best libraries in the nation. According to rankings in The Princeton Review, Swem is the highest rated library in Virginia and is one of the top 20 highest rated libraries in the nation. Back said she believes that Swem’s commitment to College students is one of its best aspects.

“I love that the library serves students,” Back said. “I love seeing

“

the students in here. Obviously our library is very popular. It’s rare that we’re not full of students. I think that’s great. That students really love the library. We really play a role in student success on campus.”

Swem offers students a variety of study tools. It provides private study rooms, writing assistance and research assistance to name a few. According to Showalter, librarians enjoy helping students find what they’re looking for.

“By far, the best part of my job is meeting with and helping students,” Showalter said. “Whether it’s at the research desk, in classes, in one-on-one research consultations, in the library or around campus, I really enjoy all the opportunities that my job offers to have a positive impact on students’ lives.”

The celebration of Swem Library’s 50 years of service to students has already begun. Window clings have been installed on the iconic circular front window to celebrate the anniversary, and this year’s annual library record will include a commemorative history of the library.

Students can also take selfies with a cardboard cutout of Earl Gregg Swem at the front of the library, which are part of a celebratory media campaign.

Archival photos of the library through the years have been posted on the Swem Facebook and Twitter account, along with the library’s website and on the digital signs in the library itself.

A timeline video has also been posted on Youtube.

The Swem Library board also celebrated with other campus boards on Charter Day. “We hosted the campus boards here at Swem Library on Thursday, February 4,” Back said. “It was a chance to get all of the different boards on campus, including our own board of directors, here in the building to celebrate our 50th anniversary. We were really happy to have them all here and to host them here at Swem.”

According to Back, the social media campaign will be used to continue the celebration of Swem all year long.

[Earl Gregg Swem] had that different mindset to allow students to be engaged with the books.

—Kim Sims

Burnham brings laughter to packed PBK performance Comedian treads a fine line between fart and College-themed jokes during show FRANCESCO FRANZESE THE FLAT HAT

To call Bo Burnham’s comedic style “experimental” would be an understatement. Even among his contemporaries, Burnham is unique in his mixture of musical numbers and (often juvenile) humor, with a little bit of social commentary thrown in for good measure.

At only 25, he’s already a comedy sensation with several popular specials and albums under his belt. When I heard that Burnham was going to perform at the College of William and Mary for Charter Day as part of his “Make Happy” tour, I didn’t hesitate to rush out and purchase a ticket.

Before Burnham took the stage, comedian Jesse Thomas opened with a brief bit about a Southern wedding and his failed love life. While far more conventional than any of Burnham’s stand-up, Thomas nonetheless succeeded in warming up the audience for the act to follow, thanks to some spot-on comedic timing. The audience’s anticipation was palpable, however, when Burnham finally took the stage, strolling out in his typical overdramatic fashion.

Burnham’s opening song, a parody

of cliche “hype” ballads, created some funny banter with the audience to start the show off on the right note.

However, the accompanying music occasionally overpowered Burnham’s voice completely. This might have been intentional, given that it was a parody, but it was nonetheless a bit distracting.

Regardless, it was a hilarious start to a show that didn’t disappoint.

One of the more enjoyable elements of Burnham’s stand-up was that he uniquely styled it for the College. Occasionally, he would interrupt his normal performance to ask questions or poke fun at the “elitist” nature of the school. These moments were sprinkled throughout a show that was mostly improv, and the very freeform nature made for some of the more memorable moments of the night.

The first true song Burnham performed was “Straight White Male,” where Burnham lamented the First World problems plaguing his life. The song, given its subject matter, risked turning out a little trite, but it was saved by its selfawareness and some genuine laugh-outloud lyrics (particularly the ending lines: “We used to have all the money and land / We still do but it’s not as fun now.”). It dragged on a little, as the whole punchline

was basically the repetition of the slur, but it still managed to be quite funny.

This was followed by two quick, amusing songs, one of which can only be described as a “nursery rhyme rap,” while the other was an extended joke implying that he had slept with a random audience member’s mother (poor Riley).

Afterwards, he made fun of the growing homogeneity of country music with “Country Song.” While certainly effective, it failed to capture the energy of one of his older songs criticizing pop music, “Repeat Stuff,” as it never really went beyond basic parody. It was still quite funny, but it didn’t measure up to the hilarity and ingenuity of his other work.

Highlights of the rest of Burnham’s stand-up include the world’s most overdramatic yet absolutely hilarious fart joke; the song “Lower Your Expectations” that basically told the audience to give up on true love; a back-and-forth session where he made fun of students’ majors (including one male student who apparently majored in tequila); the return of “From God’s Perspective,” one of the funnier songs from his previous special “what.”; and his own version of a breakup song eloquently titled “Eat a Dick.” His closing performance, a riff on Kanye

West’s infamous auto-tune rant, captured the sort of surprising introspection that makes Burnham’s comedy stand out in the first place; after an hour of making the audience laugh, he finished off with a song that seemed comical at first but quickly revealed his insecurity as a performer and served as a meaningful love letter to his fans.

Ultimately, Bo Burnham earned his spot alongside previous Charter Day performers like Kendrick Lamar and Ludacris with his own unique, unrivaled

blend of musical performance and stand-up comedy. Though some of his songs fell a little flat and his focus on awkward humor and trope subversion may not have worked for all comedy fans, he nonetheless crafted a wholly singular experience for the Tribe to cherish as its own. I personally would rank “Make Happy” underneath his previous special, “what.”, for his best special, thanks to a few weaker songs and an uneven balance of performance and comedy, but Burnham never failed to make the audience laugh.

COURTESY PHOTO / THE OFFICE OF WEB & DESIGN

Burnham performed at PBK Theater during his Charter Day performance.

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Hearts Upon the Gale Alumni couples return to campus to tie the knot in the Wren Building ERIKA BOSACK FLAT HAT ASSOC. VARIETY EDITOR

24 hours before his wedding, Nicky Hutchinson proposed to his girlfriend. The next day Hutchinson and his bride were married in the Sir Christopher Wren Chapel.

Misconceptions like five-year wait times just to get a reservation have surrounded the history of Weddings at the Wren Chapel for ages.

In reality, the chapel has been very flexible about the timing and types of alumni weddings that take place in the historic Sir Christopher Wren building — even surprise weddings are not off the table.

According to Director of Historic Campus, Kimberly Renner, spontaneous weddings like the Hutchinsons’ can turn out to be wonderful events. “[Hutchinson] contacted me two weeks out from when he was planning to have the wedding,” Renner said. “He proposed to her and had the wedding ready to go and had her family in on it and everything, and he knew her well enough that he had, with the help of her family, the dress picked out and everything … They ended up being my favorite couple I’ve ever worked with.”

Renner is in charge of booking the Wren Chapel for events such as weddings. She said that the rumor that reserving the chapel is ultracompetitive has caused many alumni to avoid the venue.

“There [are] a lot of people that don’t come to us sometimes as a result,” Renner said. “I don’t know if the admission guides are still saying that … but that’s never been the case that we’ve booked five years in advance, we can’t.”

Like with any other venue on campus, booking revolves around the College’s football schedule and events such as Family Weekend and Homecoming, which are never planned more than a year in advance.

Moreover, Wren Chapel weddings are not open to the public, which increases the amount of available dates.

“Everyone has to be connected to the College; that’s part of the reason we’re not booked too far in advance,” Renner said. “With this being a popular destination for tourists from all over, we wouldn’t have the space for William and Mary families if we didn’t keep it for that. So our rule is its alumni and their children, and then faculty and staff members and their children, that can get married in the Wren Chapel.”

All couples have to do to reserve the Wren Chapel once they pick an open date is sign a contract with guidelines about how they can use the space.

“Because it is a historic site, there are certain guidelines they have to follow, and we’re very particular about what they can do in the space,” Renner said. “They can have whatever kind of service they like or whatever kind of wedding they would like, but they have to follow our guidelines which have a lot to do with decorations … for example, flowers can only be on the altar, there can be no candles anywhere except on the altar, nothing on the floor.”

According to Renner, depending on the couple’s preferences, planning a wedding at the Wren Chapel can be an independent process or a more personal one with help and advice along the way.

“Some of them I don’t work that closely with, I just book the space and they know the rules and they sign the contract, and they just show up and follow the rules and that’s it,” Renner said. “We do all sorts of

different types of weddings … some couples I work more closely with if they want me to.”

A wedding or reception on campus are obvious choices for alumni, as many of them have a long history with the school. In some cases, Renner said, even the bride and groom’s relationship has ties to the College.

“It’s amazing how many weddings we do see that it’s both William and Mary alumni getting married and they met here, so it means so much for them to get married here,” Renner said. “[In] some families

“

Our brides are really special to us because they don’t leave us. If you have your wedding reception here, chances are ...

I’ll see you through the years.

— Cindy Gillman

… parents have gotten married here, or other family members, and then they’ve gone here and gotten married here too so sometimes there’s a legacy of Wren Chapel weddings.”

The same is true for the Alumni House, which is a popular location for wedding receptions, especially with couples who get married at the Wren. According to Director of Business Development for the Alumni House, Cindy Gillman, staff make an effort to keep in touch with the families of brides years after the wedding.

“Our brides are really special to us because they don’t leave us,” Gillman said. “If you have your wedding reception here, chances are I’ll see you at homecoming and I’ll see you through the years … sometimes one of my brides will come back with little kids, it’s really neat to be part of their happy day and be able to keep up with them a little bit.”

Gillman is in charge of the wedding showcase held annually at the Alumni House. This year’s show took place on Sunday, Jan. 24 and featured caterers, bakers, DJs, photographers and planners from the Williamsburg area. The event was open to the public, but it tends to be especially popular with alumni brides and grooms.

The show consisted of several displays from different companies with samples of their work. It allowed future brides and grooms to see in person how the products would look, and to meet the vendors personally without any obligation or pressure to choose them.

“I think the event for a lot of people is a really relaxed event where they can start thinking about their wedding,” Renner said. “Our show

is very small … we want to keep it that way.”

The showcase is smaller than other bridal shows because it aims for a unique, personal feel. The casual atmosphere is meant to facilitate memorable conversations with vendors, the Alumni House staff and couples.

Melissa Saunders, a current student in William and Mary’s parttime MBA program and a bride next October, said she enjoyed feeling the atmosphere at the showcase.

“Meeting the people [is] really cool, because you kind of get a feel for their style and their energy since they’ll be part of our big day,” Saunders said.

That sentiment was shared by the vendors themselves, who were very eager to talk to potential customers and make a good impression with product demonstrations.

DJ Howie Alexander, representing Colonial DJs, provided the soundtrack to the showcase, and demonstrated the Cupid Shuffle and the Wobble for the attendees.

“I own all my own equipment, all my own music, I probably got $250,000 worth of music, video and karaoke,” Alexander said. “It’s crazy how much over time you invest into it.”

According to Alexander, his software allows him to tailor the music to the couple’s and guests’ preferences and show off his flair for dance and ability to energize a crowd. “[I get] very, very good results from this bridal show. We get great, quality people that come in, so our booking percentage seems to be a lot better at a show like this.”

Cakealicious, a bakery and dessert bar based in New Town, is another recurring vendor in the showcase. The business is family owned and run primarily by Alice Cooke and her husband Randy Cooke. According to him, all the decorations on the cakes are handmade and edible. Cakealicous bakes for hundreds of weddings a year, and each cake takes approximately three days to make.

The Cookes have worked with College alumni and staff, as well as celebrities including Williamsburg musician Bruce Hornsby, actress Coco Brown and Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.

“It’s my wife’s business and it’s just a passion of hers,” Randy Cooke said. “If you talk to her, she’ll tell you she was taught by the master … and when she says ‘master’ she’s talking about God. We’ve taken classes from the people that you see on TV on all these cake shows, we know many of them personally … so we’ve tweaked what we do but, she’s predominantly self-taught.”

According to Gillman, most of the vendors said they had been participating in the showcase for several years, or since it began.

Since we’ve done [the showcase] for so long, we’ve worked with a lot of the same vendors over and over again, so we have a really good relationship with the vendors, and I think that makes the day go a lot smoother,” Gillman said. “We all work really well together … that’s really appealing to brides; it makes them even more confident about how the day’s going to turn out.”

Above all, Gillman said that the event promotes cooperation between local vendors, as well as between popular venues like the Wren Chapel.

“There’s a push in Williamsburg to really market Williamsburg as a wedding destination,” Gillman said. “The more we know about other

CONFUSION CORNER

Hot seats: defending your lecture hall territory A simple game of classroom musical chairs can escalate into a heated conflict

Emily Gardner

CONFUSION CORNER COLUMNIST

There is an ethical debate proliferating across our campus of such crucial significance that no student can remain neutral on the issue. This debate has raged for decades, if not centuries, before the current student body assumed responsibility for it. Likewise, it will be passed down to successive generations as a tradition more sacred than Yule Log or knowing when to scream the “William and Mary” part of the alma mater. This divisive quagmire pits brother against brother, friend against friend and the occasional student against professor: the issue of fundamental seat ownership rights.

On one side of the aisle, or row depending on the

room layout, are those who demand the recognition of private seat ownership. These seat-stakers sit in the same seat every lecture and can get quite flustered, even angry, when they feel trespassers have infringed upon their private property. Those advocating for unchanging classroom arrangements argue that having the same seat not only aids concentration and reduces anxiety, but also provides a basic stability that is the underpinning of a functional society.

On the opposite side of the debate are the cowboys of our generation. They roam the wideopen classroom and pursue the freedom to sit where they want, when they want. Seat-takers argue for personal freedom, public ownership and possibly even free love. The thought of being tied to one seat for an entire semester is suffocating. To these renegades, fixed seating patterns are oppressively

“

reminiscent of elementary school.

I observe both sides with empathy. The seatstakers feel tangible discomfort when they walk into class to find that they not only have to deal with a particle physics-induced headache, but they now also have to devote mental energy to selecting a new temporary location. It is distressing for them to have to sit away from their friends, adjust to a novel environment and deal with the other side of the classroom, which always has strange lighting or a mysterious odor. In an ever-changing and cold world, a familiar seat is a soothing constant.

On the other hand, the seat-takers just want a bit of variety. They know that seat-claiming is often anxiety-driven, and they feel as though they should not be a slave to someone else’s neurotic need for consistency. They value college precisely for its lack of structure, and seat-selection seems like a

Seat-takers argue for personal freedom, public ownership and possibly free love.

horrendous insult to this ideal. They also question, with just cause, the notion of private ownership in a public space. Names are not written on the chairs, and individual students did not purchase them.

Therefore, seat selection should not fall under the veil of the traditional notions of private ownership.

Where do we go from here? Unfortunately, as is the case with so many of society’s other pressing problems, there is no simple solution. Both sides have valid feelings, real experiences of discomfort and opinions that should be honored. However, due to the constraint on seating resources, the two distinct seating strategies will never be able to coexist in their purest form.

So, a fight to the death? Well, perhaps there is middle ground. I hold hope in my heart that one day our student body will be able to come together and agree upon a common seating etiquette. Perhaps a social contract that nurtures empathy, open communication and negotiation could support the weight of a unified student body. Sadly, until a solution is realized, this bloody civil chair war will continue to tear our campus apart.

Emily Gardner is a Confusion Corner columnist who believes peace among the seats is possible.

sportsinside

The Flat Hat

| Tuesday, February 9, 2016 | Page 9

RECRUITS

Tribe football, soccer sign recruits Class of 2020 inked 23 National Letters of Intent to play for the College

NICK CIPOLLA FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR Wednesday, Feb. 3 marked the 2016 National Signing Day, where high school student-athletes commit to a collegiate program by signing National Letters of Intent. Although the day largely revolves around the top football recruits, William and Mary had a number of signees for several of its Division I sports.

The breakdown of new studentathletes adds 13 new members to the Class of 2020 for football, four for men’s soccer and six for women’s soccer.

This is in addition to signings that took place before National Signing Day, which included four volleyball recruits, a women’s basketball player and two men’s basketball commits.

With the graduation of a myriad of seniors from the football program, the Tribe has many spaces to fill. The 13 signees will likely be just about half of the total newcomers, as some will come later and try to make the team as walkons. The College signed players from several East Coast states, as far north as New York and as far south as Florida.

“We are very excited about this year’s group,” head coach Jimmye Laycock ’70 said to Tribe Athletics. “This is a well-rounded class with a great deal of athleticism.”

On the offensive side, the Tribe gained a pair of running backs and wideouts, a quarterback and one offensive lineman. Running back Jaret Anderson comes from Charlotte, N.C., his conference player of the year for his senior season while running back Noah Giles of Suffolk, Va., was the 2015 Division III Player of the Year. The receiving corps gains Jordan Lowery

from Roanoke, Va., a record holder for his high school program in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches. Wide receiver Anthony Mague also joins the College from Medford, N.J. after setting his high school’s record for career receptions. The offensive line loses senior captain and center Andrew Jones, but gains Daniel Evers from Chapel Hill, N.C., the Rivals.com 2015 No. 12 overall postgraduate prospect.

From Poughkeepsie, N.Y., quarterback Dean Rotger is heading to Williamsburg after setting his high school’s records for touchdowns as well as for both career and single-season passing yards.

Defensively, William and Mary adds two linebackers, a pair of defensive backs and a trio of defensive ends.

Arman Jones of Chesapeake, Va. and Alexander Purviance of WinstonSalem, N.C. are the newest linebacker recruits. Jones earned first-team allconference honors while playing COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS multiple defensive positions, settling in at college as linebacker. Purviance Tribe football had 13 signees from high schools along the East Coast from New York to Florida, while Tribe soccer had 10 recruits between the teams. led his high school in tackles for his Metropolitan area, while Walter earned of Stafford, Va., is the other midfielder/ Fallston, Md., a member of the Maryland final two years while gaining distinction all-conference honors in his junior defender joining the Tribe as a member United Soccer Club. The Tribe also adds as the Central Piedmont Conference season and Johnson was selected to the of the 2014-15 No. 2 nationally-ranked midfielder/forward Rachel DeMasters from Stanardsville, Va., the district Arlington Impact Red 97. and Forsyth County Defensive Player Florida All-State team for 2016.

“While we do not graduate many Offensive Player of the year last season, The men’s soccer team signed a of the Year this season. Defensive backs Isaiah Laster of Cary, N.C. and Nathan keeper, a defender and two midfielder/ seniors, we do have a few key areas we Fairfax, Va. native Charlotte Hyland, a Lewis of Chesapeake, Va. (and the same defenders. Goalkeeper Daniel McBride want to strengthen and each of these midfielder who was named first team school as linebacker Arman Jones) join comes from Lincolnton, N.C. as the student-athletes fits a very specific all-region last season and defender the College after Laster set a school first D-I soccer recruit in his school’s need,” head coach Chris Norris said to Hannah Keith from Charlottesville, Va., a three-time Jefferson District first-team record for interceptions and Lewis history. Defender Tanner Shane is from Tribe Athletics.

The women’s soccer team’s six defender. earned first-team all-conference honors. Macungie, Pa. and was a four-year varsity “This is a strong class with players Defensive backs Robert Omelchenko starter who won the state championship additions include midfielder/defender of Darnestown, Md., Jake Walter of once. Midfielder/defender Reeves Trott Stephie Arens of Ashburn, Va., a Virginia who have the ability to challenge for Haddonfield, N.J., and Gavin Johnson comes from just down the road from High School League State Champion, playing time,” head coach John Daly said of Apopka, Fla. round out the football Lafayette High School in Williamsburg, forward/defender Sully Boulden of to Tribe Athletics.

These athletes and likely more to he earned back-to-back Wilmington, Del. who has been allrecruits. Omelchenko earned honors where this season for being one of the top Conference Player of the Year awards state in each of her three completed come will join the Tribe this August for high school student-athletes in the D.C. going into his senior year. Ricardo Acosta seasons, keeper Katelyn Briguglio from the 2016 fall semester.

TENNIS

College downs three at MNTC Men sweep, No. 42 women split at home NICK CIPOLLA FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR

Sophomore Christian Cargill and the Tribe men’s tennis team continued their hot streak with resounding victories over Radford and Pennsylvania this weekend.

On Friday, the Tribe (5-2) thumped the Highlanders 7-0 in Williamsburg, Va., at McCormack-Nagelson Tennis Center, recording the best victory in school history in all-time matches against Radford. All Tribe singles players won in straight sets, and reigning Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week Cargill led the way with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Radford’s Janken Thoen in No. 1 singles. The three William and Mary doubles teams swept the Highlanders to take the point for doubles, although the No. 1 doubles game did not finish. The pairings of Cargill and junior Damon Niquet at No. 3 and senior Scott Huang and sophomore Alec Miller at No. 2 are both undefeated on the season.

The Tribe then sealed up the victory in emphatic fashion, with Miller, Niquet and Cargill flying to victories Cargill to put William and Mary up 4-0 in the match. Although the result was already decided, junior Aidan Talcott, sophomore Lars de Boer and junior Addison Appleby did not let up, each tallying victories to earn the sweep for the Tribe.

Sunday’s performance against Pennsylvania looked less dominant, but was still a strong performance against a team that had comprehensively beaten the Tribe at the Penn Invitational in the fall. Of the 10 matches played between the teams at that tournament, only the No. 2 doubles pairing of de Boer and Miller earned a victory.

This time, the Tribe came prepared. In a rematch of the Penn Invitational Day 3 match-up, Cargill rose to the challenge of the Quakers’ Kyle Mautner, who defeated him 6-2, 7-5 in the fall.

Cargill squeaked out a victory at 7-6 (6), 1-6, 6-1.

The Tribe sophomore has now won four matches in a row, taking him to 8-8 on the year and 5-2 at No. 1 singles.

Cargill also made an appearance on the doubles court, where he and Niquet brought home the doubles point at No. 3 doubles with

a 6-4 victory. Once William and Mary had this early advantage, the Tribe traded matches with Penn early. Appleby was trumped by Penn’s Matt Nardella, but Niquet responded with a quick 6-2, 6-2 victory at the No. 6 position. The Tribe’s Miller lost out at No. 2 singles before de Boer gave the Tribe a 3-2 lead, earning a 7-6 (4), 6-3 win at the No. 3 singles. Talcott would then clinch his fourth consecutive singles triumph to win the match for the Tribe. Cargill’s win over Mautner was just icing on the cake for William and Mary, who go to 5-2 on the season.

The women’s team, meanwhile, endured an up-and-down weekend. The No. 42 Tribe defeated No. 28 South Carolina Saturday, but could not maintain the momentum, and was trampled 1-6

by No. 64 Wake Forest.

On Saturday, William and Mary (5-3) went behind early to strong Gamecocks doubles play, with only the pairing of junior Marie Faure and senior Elizaveta Nemchinov able to earn a 6-0 victory at No. 2 doubles. However, the Tribe’s strong singles play carried them to a victory over South Carolina. Nemchinov and Faure both earned straight-set victories over nationally ranked singles players in the first two singles matches, including Faure’s particularly impressive 6-1, 6-1 thumping of No. 54 Ingrid Gamarra Martins.

Sophomore Olivia Thaler, freshman Lauren Goodman, and senior Julia Casselbury also posted victories over South Carolina.

The next day, the Tribe had less luck. The College’s doubles players were able to pull out a 2-1 doubles win to earn the point, but William and Mary’s singles players failed to build on that advantage.

Nemchinov, who had earned the No. 91 ranking nationwide, slipped to a three-set loss at No. 1 singles.

All six Tribe singles players Casselbury lost, with only Nemchinov, Faure and Casselbury winning sets.

The women’s team continues their season in two weeks, where they travel to Texas to match up with Brigham Young before facing a tough test in No. 17 Texas Tech. Meanwhile, the men’s team continues its home stand next weekend with a pair of matches on Saturday, facing Binghamton and Villanova in a double-header at McCormackNagelsen Tennis Center.

COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS

No. 91 senior Elizaveta Nemchinov and the rest of the No. 42 Tribe upset No. 28 South Carolina Saturday afternoon.

sports Gold standard

Sports Editor Nick Cipolla Sports Editor Sumner Higginbotham flathatsports@gmail.com @FlatHatSports

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, February 9, 2016 | Page 10

MEN’S BASKETBALL

GABBIE PACHON / THE FLAT HAT

Junior guard Omar Prewitt, the CAA player of the week, puts up a foul shot in the College’s 90-64 home victory over Delaware Saturday. Prewitt finished 7 of 8 from the free throw line, and 6 of 8 from the field for the game-high total of 21 points.

Tribe leads entire time, dominates Delaware in a 90-64 showing for Gold Rush game SUMNER HIGGINBOTHAM FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR On the heels of a 83-56 thrashing at the hands of Elon, the Delaware Blue Hens, still crashing and burning in the 2015-2016 season amidst a 14 game losing slide, limped into Kaplan Arena in Williamsburg Feb. 6 to take on William and Mary (17-6, 9-3 Colonial Athletic Association), a team fresh off a comeback road victory in the conference and riding a four-game winning streak. The matchup played out exactly as one might expect.

With the largest crowd of the season —6028 fans— at its back, the Tribe dominated Delaware (5-18, 0-12 CAA) in every aspect of the game to easily claim a 90-64 Gold Rush game victory for the College.

“Proud of the players, proud of the win. Anytime you win a conference game that decisively you feel good,” head coach Tony Shaver said. “Quite honestly, I’m really proud to be a small part of what’s going on right now.”

Shaver pointed to the largest home crowd of the season as a major benefit to the play on the court, though it certainly added to the pressure.

“It’s been a great weekend for the College [and] a great celebration,” Shaver said. “Part of my nervousness tonight was that we had a lot of people behind us, and a lot of people working to make it good for us.”

Sophomore guard David Cohn echoed the

LETTER FROM COURTSIDE

A COACH SAYS THANKS Dear Tribe Family, It is Monday morning and I have had a full day to digest what an incredible day Saturday was not only for our program, but I believe the entire William and Mary community.

We had over 6,000 Tribe fans dressed in gold making Kaplan Arena an electric environment.

I believe the most important part of that great crowd was the nearly 2,000 students bringing their own special energy to the gym. We were able to show a national television audience what Tribe Pride is really all about!

I speak for our entire team when I say our student support is as inspiring to our players as it is appreciated. We do not take it for granted and I wanted to be certain we let all involved know that their efforts and energy have a direct impact on our play.

We work extremely hard everyday, both on the court and in the classroom, to represent this University in the best possible light and there is NOTHING we want more than to share any successes we have with the entire campus community.

Again, thank you for coming out to show your support – I hope we will see you again this Thursday evening for the 7pm tip off vs. Hofstra!

Shaver GO TRIBE Tony Shaver

sentiment. “I don’t think I’ve ever played in front of a crowd like that,” Cohn said. “It really is a sixthman out there…if a ref makes a bad call, the refs will hear it {from the fans} so we don’t have to say anything. That place is fun with that environment.”

With a sea of gold t-shirted fans cheering them on, the Tribe picked apart the Blue Hen defense, mining the efforts of the bench players particularly well as the College received 33 points from the reserves. Delaware dug up just two points outside of their starting five. The domination began early, as the Tribe led the entire game except for the opening 39 seconds of a 0-0 score. As has become a trademark of the College, three-point shooting propelled the Tribe to an early 6-2 lead. With the best three-point percentage in the CAA at 39.2 percent, William and Mary dropped 13 triples on the Blue Hens at a 40.6 percent mark on Saturday.

The Blue Hens failed to adjust to the College’s sharpshooting perimeter offense, as the Tribe repeatedly drove inside and then passed back out for the open triple.

“The last time we played them they played a straight zone, and that’s what we were expecting,” Cohn said. “Every time they went zone, it was just a high-ball screen and I’d attack downhill … my job tonight was finding the hot hand.”

There were quite a few hot-hands available on Saturday. Junior guard Omar Prewitt, the CAA Player of the Week, added 21 points on six of eight shooting from the field along with seven

free-throws, marking the ninth time this season he has eclipsed 20 points. Sophomore guard Greg Malinowski tacked 15 to the board, a new career high, senior forward Terry Tarpey put up 12 and sophomore guard Connor Burchfield, the best three-point shooter in the nation with a 60.8 percent conversion rate, cashed in 11 points off the bench.

“We were joking with Connor — he was three of five from three tonight, his percentage actually

“

We just have too many weapons on the offensive end.

— Sophomore guard Greg Malinowski

went down,” Shaver said. “I told the guys they need to rest some more, but I told Connor he needs to get in the gym and shoot some more.”

Malinowski spoke succinctly of the Tribe’s scoring success.

“We just have too many weapons on the offensive end,” Malinowski said.

For the fifth time in the past seven games (nearly

six games — William and Mary had 19 assists against Northeastern) the College racked up 20 or more assists on offense. Delaware surrendered 22 assists in a zone defense that was exploited time and time again by Cohn, operating as the Tribe’s point guard as he has all season. Cohn finished the game with 10 assists.

Shaver found that particular statistic the most encouraging of the game, hinting that this year’s squad could have what it takes to win the CAA and finally make the NCAA Tournament.

“For us it’s so important to be unselfish, I’ve always believed in that style of play,” Shaver said. “It’s exciting to see a guy like David Cohn giving up opportunities to score to get the ball to other people. If you want to consider yourself a championship caliber team, [sharing the ball] has to be a part of that program.”

Saturday marks yet another loss for the Blue Hens. Delaware is now winless through the last 56 days, having lost to the Tribe ten days prior by a 94-79 mark in Dover. The College dominated every section of the stat sheet Saturday: outrebounding the Blue Hens by 15, shooting 53.2 percent compared to the Delaware’s 33.9 percent and blazing past the Blue Hens in transition for a 17-3 advantage in fast-break points.

Up next for the Tribe (No.2 in the CAA) is a key matchup against Hofstra in Kaplan Feb. 11. Hofstra is currently knotted up in a three-way tie for the No.3 spot in the CAA. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

COMMENTARY

History beckons the College to March on

William and Mary’s student section has shifted from the gridiron to the court

Josh Luckenbaugh

FLAT HAT ASSOC. SPORTS EDITOR

I spent the majority of my childhood in Richmond as the son of two proud University of Richmond alumni. Naturally I cheered for the Spiders, and jeered at the College of William and Mary, especially during the annual football game between the two rivals. Some of my earliest memories, both joyous and sorrowful, are of those fiercely-fought gridiron battles. Both teams enjoyed strong fan support. However, when basketball season came, no one bothered to mention the Tribe, a perennial bottom-feeder in the Colonial Athletic Association.

Years later, I was accepted to the College. When I arrived, I expected what I had experienced before: strong support for football, middling support for basketball. And yet, after

witnessing another packed Kaplan Arena during Saturday’s Gold Rush game against Delaware, I have realized the opposite is true. While student crowds at Zable can be counted in the tens, with empty seats out-numbering occupied ones for some games, the mass of green and gold at Kaplan every single game stretches into the hundreds and occasionally thousands.

William and Mary may have started as a football school, but it has clearly evolved into a basketball institution.

The obvious question remains: Why the shift? One component clearly is the basketball team’s recent success: two straight 20-win seasons, two straight conference final appearances, a National Invitational Tournament berth last year, Marcus Thornton ’15 shattering the longest-held scoring record in the NCAA. Fans like success.

But it’s not as if the football team has suddenly started playing worse.

In fact, they just reached the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2010, advancing past the first round for only the third time since 2000. Yet there was an undeniably stark contrast in student attendance for the playoff

game against Richmond in December and the CAA Basketball Tournament in Baltimore last March, where College supporters dwarfed the fan bases from other schools.

The reason for the difference in attendance rests, in my opinion, within the psychology of the student body itself. William and Mary is a school uniquely preoccupied with its own history. Tradition continues to play an important role in the campus culture, with events like Convocation, Yule Log and Charter Day drawing significant crowds. As a result, the students have an awareness of their own place in the school’s storied history, and will seize upon any opportunity to etch their names into that history.

Athletically-speaking, William and Mary is distinct because it is one of five schools of the original 160 to never participate the NCAA Tournament. We’ve all watched local mid-majors such as George Mason, Virginia Commonwealth and even Richmond garner national attention during the tournament, and as one of America’s first institutions of higher

education we feel we deserve a chance at Cinderella glory. And,oh, how tantalizingly close we’ve come. Three CAA finals appearances since 2010, zero wins. March madness indeed.

And while today’s students can fantasize about telling their grandchildren how they were there when the Tribe reached the tourney for the first time in the history of the nation’s alma mater, no such dreams of grandeur come to mind when watching the College play football.

The program has gone as far as it will probably go in this era. They are far from competing for a national title, toeing the line between mediocrity and decency for the majority of recent memory. In the battle between making history versus sticking with the status quo, making history will win over a William and Mary student every single time.

Nevertheless I remain impressed by the capacity crowds that flood Kaplan every time I attend. Thornton may be gone, but that desire for what he fought for remains. And hey, if we can’t get over the hump in 2016, there’s always next year.