Vol. 106, Iss. 13 | Tuesday, January 24, 2017
The Flat Hat The Weekly Student Newspaper
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of The College of William and Mary
VOX lobbies on the Hill Students put focus on health, abortion rights
Students join day of protest
be in a sea of pink and be surrounded by people who all believed in love. Every speaker was eloquent and left a footprint of who they were in my heart. It was absolutely incredible marching next to the Washington Monument and seeing that I was a part of something much bigger than myself. January 21, 2017 was truly a day that changed my life.” In analyzing the march, many on the national level — and some students at the College — have critiqued the diversity and intersectionality represented at the Women’s March. Damiana Dendy ’17 said that she was pleased with the diversity she saw in the speakers and marchers. Speakers at the march included the NAACP’s National Board of Directors Chairman Roslyn Brock,
On the first Monday following the inauguration of President Donald Trump and the day after the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling, students from the College of William and Mary gathered in Richmond to lobby with VOX: Voices for Planned Parenthood. These students were participating in the Women’s Equality Coalition Lobby Day with the Virginia General Assembly, an annual event. The lobbyists were supporting bills including HB2267, which would change Virginia laws to allow physicians to write year-long prescriptions for oral contraceptives, and HBJ696, which supports a fair map-drawing process when redistricting happens in 2021. Before students went to speak with representatives and legislative aides, they heard from Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northram and Governor Terry McAuliffe. With representatives from NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia and Planned Parenthood in the audience, Northram encouraged lobbyists to discuss abortion rights with their legislators. “A lot of others have talked about this, but this is about decision making,” Northram said. “This is a decision that women and their partners, providers, physicians and doctors should be making. It is not a decision for legislators. You
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Women’s March fills streets across nation, in Williamsburg
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On Jan. 21, the day after the inauguration, students joined the 500,000 protestors in the Women’s March on Washington. Others filled Duke of Gloucester street to march in solidarity with others around world.
SARAH SMITH // FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR On the day after President Donald Trump was inaugurated, students from the College of William and Mary joined the approximately 500,000 people estimated to be at the Women’s March in Washington, D.C. Others filled Duke of Gloucester Street in a sister march, showing their support for peers in D.C. According to the Women’s March platform, the mission of the march was to stand together in solidarity with partners and children for the protection of rights, safety, health and families. For students from the College attending, taking a stand against some of Trump’s stated policies led them to travel to D.C. “I attended the march because I felt it was important to take a stand and say that I am against the Trump administration’s promised treatment and policies for the most vulnerable and marginalized
populations in America,” Special Projects Worker at the Office of First Year Experiences Samra Asghedom ’17 said in an email. “Overall, it was an incredibly enlightening experience though. For me, this has definitely encouraged me to go to more protests and become more involved in working for the ideas and beliefs I stand for. I hope that this does not end at this one protest and will sustain itself as a movement into the future.” For Anna Fridley ’20, the march was less of an anti-Trump protest than a march to support women, their supporters and equality. “The Women’s March on Washington was a phenomenal, once in a lifetime opportunity that has changed me for the rest of my life,” Fridley said. “I have never experienced more love, hope and courage in one day. It was absolutely incredible to
SARAH SMITH FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR
College finds traces of Students take defensive action at Road to Richmond lead in Jefferson Hall water College places focus of lobby event on blocking harmful legislation Levels of lead do not violate Safe Drinking Water Act but do require College action SARAH SMITH FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR
Friday, Jan. 20, the College of William and Mary’s Residence Life office informed students living in Jefferson Hall that an assessment of the drinking water over break found levels of lead above the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulatory limit. Administrators told students that there was not a violation of drinking water standards set by the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Act and that the findings would not affect water usage for things like showering, but they did list steps that the College would be taking to ensure that lead levels decrease over the next few days. “William & Mary’s Environment, Health & Safety office performed a quality assurance assessment of drinking water in residence halls over winter break,” Associate Vice President for Student
Affairs and Director of Residence Life Deb Boykin ’76 M.Ed. ’82 said in an email. “Although the results of that testing showed no lead present in most of the 90 samples that were taken, two locations in Jefferson Hall — the sink faucets in the third-floor kitchen and the first-floor head resident apartment kitchen — were found [to] have lead levels above … 0.05 milligrams per liter.” Vice President for Student Affairs Ginger Ambler ’88 Ph.D. ’06 followed up on Boykin’s email later Jan. 20, sending a campus-wide announcement to clarify the situation. According to Ambler, the College first decided to test the water quality after reading news reports that other colleges had found lead in their water. Ambler said that all testing was done voluntarily and at the request of College administrators following this research. See WATER page 4
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Road to Richmond, the College of William and Mary’s annual lobbying day at the Virginia General Assembly, took place last Tuesday, Jan. 18. This year, the College’s priorities centered on a defensive approach: to advocate against legislation that would harm the College. In a meeting Monday evening, Secretary of the Board of Visitors Michael Fox and Student Assembly Vice President Hannah McKiernan ’17 met with students to discuss the College’s legislative priorities this session. Fox said that one of the biggest priorities this year was to oppose legislation that would limit the amount of out-of-state students at state-funded colleges to 25 percent, instead of the 35 percent figure currently in place. According to Fox, this would be devastating to the College from an academic, financial and diversity standpoint. The next day when students stepped off the bus in Richmond, College President Taylor Reveley characterized this policy as “catastrophic.” Due to a budget shortfall this year, funding cuts are inevitable for higher education, but the College administration wants to avoid these cuts going above the projected 5 percent.
Despite this constraint, Fox encouraged students to lobby for increased funding in order to raise faculty salaries and to provide more need-based financial aid, for both in-state and out-of-state students. The College administration also opposes legislation which would require schools that receive public funding to conform to a tuition-freeze decided by the General Assembly, instead of by the College’s BOV. The William and Mary Promise policy currently in place freezes Virginia students’ tuition at whatever the first-year rate is; this legislation would threaten the College’s agency in tuition rate decisions. Finally, Fox stressed the importance of thanking Virginia legislators for the capital they approved for campus construction projects, which allowed for the renovations of Tucker Hall, Tyler Hall, and the Integrated Science Center 3, and will allow for the expansion of the Arts Complex and the construction of the ISC 4. While there are other legislative concerns that students may be passionate about, Fox said that more partisan issues that don’t pertain directly to the College’s priorities should be avoided when speaking to legislators. This General Assembly session is the last one before state elections in November, and Reveley said that legislators are therefore more likely to put forward legislation that makes a political statement that they might
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Women’s March: First step in a long journey
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avoid in non-election years. The recent discovery of the University of Virginia’s $2.3 billion “slush fund” has also increased scrutiny of other schools that receive state funding. The day of the lobby, Reveley spoke to students after they stepped off the bus and reasserted the College’s legislative priorities. Reveley, who is serving as the president of the council of presidents in Virginia this year, also testified on the senate finance committee that afternoon to speak about these issues. Reveley encouraged those lobbying to enjoy their time wandering around the General Assembly building and to get a sense of how law-making works. “It’s the democratic process: the sausage-making at work,” Reveley said. Governor Terry McAuliffe also met with the group on the Capitol steps. McAuliffe said it is important for legislators to hear directly from students and that he is incredibly proud of the investment the Commonwealth has made in higher education, including $1 billion for higher education in 2016. “Education builds the workforce, which allows me to bring the jobs and it all comes down to students, so I think that it’s very important that they see the legislators and they say that the actions they take really impact your lives,” McAuliffe said. “And
Abigail Macmillan ’17 discusses the impact of the Women’s March, and the need for continuing advocacy for women, beyond the front of reproductive rights. page 5
Branching out over break
William and Mary Branch Out trips connect the College to communities near and far. page 7
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In the 1990s, rape was still thought of by many as an act committed by strangers in the night. Few people accepted that rape could occur between two people who knew and trusted each other. When Katie Koestner ’94 spoke out about being raped while a freshman at the College of William and Mary, she changed the conversation about sexual assault. From her experiences in college, Koestner built her life’s work around activism. Today, she serves as the executive director for Campus Outreach Services and for the Take Back the Night Foundation. She speaks at high schools and colleges across the country, educates students on sexual assault prevention and critiques school handbooks to help improve sexual assault policies. Koestner, who describes herself as a passionate person from a sheltered background, arrived at the College from Harrisburg, Pa. intending to double major in Japanese and chemistry and eager to have new experiences. Shortly after she arrived, she met a fellow student who caught her interest. “I thought he was smart, savvy, talented, congenial, he seemed to have instant friends going around, he could sing, he could play the piano, he played a great game of soccer. He was a lot of things, to me, that I thought were really intriguing,” Koestner said. About a week and a half after meeting him, they went out to dinner. “He took me to this really fancy French restaurant, and paid for dinner and bought champagne,” Koestner said. Koestner said that after the date she invited him back to her room because she wanted to spend time alone with him. Once they were alone, he pressured her to have sex. But Koestner, who wanted to wait until marriage, repeatedly told him she didn’t want to. “I told him no every which way I could without kicking him where it counted,” Koestner said. “I never even thought about doing that, quite honestly, because no one had ever talked about these guys out there that might try to steal your virginity. No one warned me. I told him no at least a dozen times. But he didn’t listen and I became the victim of rape.” Koestner knew what had happened to her had been rape, but not everyone saw it that way. According to Koestner, at that point in time many people believed that when a girl invited a guy back to her room, she deserved whatever happened to her. Still, Koestner was determined to prove that an injustice had occurred. When she reported her sexual assault to the William and Mary Police Department, the investigation that followed found her assailant guilty of emotional coercion. In accordance with Virginia law, this constituted rape. Despite this verdict, her rapist was allowed to continue his studies at the College. Outraged, Koestner felt compelled to share her story. “I was feisty, and I was distracted by the injustice. I was mad at not having my virginity. I was mad that nothing seemed to be done, and that is how I found the courage to speak out,” Koestner said. Koestner’s case became the subject of conversation in the years that followed. Faced with the prospect of seeing her rapist around campus if she stayed at the College, Koestner transferred to Cornell University in 1991 for the fall of her sophomore year. While at Cornell, she became involved with a rape crisis center and helped rewrite the university’s sexual assault policy. In January 1992, when Koestner heard that her rapist had been asked to withdraw following an alcohol-related offense, she re-enrolled at the College. He would later be readmitted, but Koestner decided to stay at the College. After returning to the College, Koestner dealt with harassment from her peers and inconsistent support from administrators.
LEONOR GRAVE // FLAT HAT COPY CHIEF When students wrote messages, including “Katie Koestner is a slut” and other explicit terms, in permanent marker in Earl Gregg Swem Library, she went to the then-dean of the office of student activities. She told him that according to the handbook, all signs needed to be approved by his office, so the graffiti attacking her character was clearly in violation of school policy. “I went in there and said, ‘You know there are a lot of these postings on campus about me, that haven’t been taken down, and you all are really good at taking down signs, but all the signs that have anything to do with me, they don’t come down’,” Koestner said, describing the confrontation. “And he’s like, ‘Katie, what do you want us to do?’ ‘Well, those slanderous, horrible, harassing things that are up all over campus, maybe you should paint the walls and put up some artwork in Swem Library’.” In response, the College put up artwork. Today, works from the President’s Collection of Art at Swem Library continue to hang on the walls. While still enrolled at the College, Koestner became a prominent presence in the media and was at the forefront of the national conversation on sexual assault. Her story elicited sympathetic responses in an unprecedented way. “Had I not been white, had I not been a straight-A student, had I not been at the second-oldest college in the country, had I not played the clarinet and the piano, not had the resume I did, or the demographic qualities, Christian, virgin, you know, all those things, I don’t think my case would have hit any headline ever. Even if I shouted about it,” Koestner said. Koestner shared her story on Larry King Live, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Inside Edition and appeared on the cover of Time magazine. The increased media exposure was accompanied by backlash from segments of the student body. In 1992, the spring of Koestner’s sophomore year, Home Box Office announced they would be adapting Koestner’s story as a part of their “Life Lessons” documentary series, which aimed to educate families about challenging issues. This adaptation, which would go on to air as “No Visible Bruises: The Katie Koestner Story,” became a significant point of contention among the student body. Heather Hall ’92, the then-girlfriend of Koestner’s assailant, circulated a petition urging the producers of the HBO docuseries to present “both sides” of the case. The petition was signed by over 1,200 people, and created divisions within the student body. One of the students who signed the petition was Elizabeth Hall Magill ’93. When a reporter from The Washington Post approached her in 1992, Hall Magill was quoted saying that she did not believe the emotional pressure Koestner experienced constituted rape. When Hall Magill began looking into women and gender studies on her own later in her career, she said she was embarrassed by her earlier words. Today, Hall Magill attributes her younger self ’s opinion to the fact that she had never thought critically about this issue. She said that she urges people to set aside their perceived cultural understanding and to listen to those who have been assaulted. “[Now], I understand what victim blaming is, and that that’s what I was doing, and I think that culturally we need to have an awakening, to understand if a woman says no 12 times, she means no, and that kind of emotional pressure, that is rape,” Hall Magill said. “Katie was a trailblazer in terms of date rape and insisting that we look at it critically.” Reflecting the campus mindset, editorials in The Flat Hat during those years both condemned her behavior and defended her. In a letter to the editor titled “Educating a rapist,” in the March 15, 1991 issue of The Flat Hat, Koestner, anonymously, wrote a scathing critique of the College’s response, to her case.
“Welcome new students, transfers, tourists from distant lands — this is the College of William and Mary,” Koestner said in the editorial. “We uphold nearly 300 years of premium higher education at an institution with some of the most stringent entrance requirements in the nation. Here you will find National Merit Scholars, former National Honor Society Presidents, holders of numerous national and state awards for multifarious activities, and rapists.” In the letter, Koestner criticizes Sam Sadler ’64, M.Ed. ’71, former Vice President of Student Affairs, for allowing her assailant to remain at school after being found guilty. “We must wonder if the Vice President feels that if the woman’s wounds are hidden in deep crevasses beneath her skin, the damage done to her person is less serious than if physical violence was involved,” Koestner said. “Rape is rape — the destruction dealt will never completely heal.” She was not alone in speaking out on the issue of sexual assault. In a letter to the editor entitled “Right and wrong” from March 1992, Emily Becker, Elisa Jaramillo ’94 and Eileen Lintz ’93, coordinators for the Women’s Issues Group on campus, defended Koestner. Not every op-ed was as sympathetic — the Flat Hat editorial board in January 1992 questioned her true motives for speaking out. “Although Koestner says her intention has always been focused on promoting discussion about the problem and helping other women come forward, her selfinitiated crusade seems to have become a campaign to glorify Katie Koestner, and not about the problem itself,” the editorial board said. Her activism gave her a reputation for outspokenness, which was not always perceived in a positive light. Once, when a student organization voted Koestner “Most Dangerous Man on Campus” as a joke, she confronted them. “If you want to vote me most dangerous person on campus, I’ll be dangerous,” Koestner said, recalling that moment. “But you can’t harass me and call me a man. So I pretended like I was going to go over to the payphone to pick up the phone and call the police on them. And then they changed it to ‘Person.’” Through her activism, Koestner aimed to shake up what she saw as Williamsburg’s old-fashioned ways of thinking of the world. “I was protesting everything that I thought was outrageous and stupid and wrong,” Koestner said. Another time, in between shifts at the volunteer rape crisis center, Koestner picketed a fraternity house where three rapes had been reported, handing out flyers she had printed out herself at five cents apiece. “I handed them out, and of course the police come and try to arrest me, because I don’t have have a picketing permit, so I said ‘Okay, then how do I get one of those, and I’ll come back next weekend,’” Koestner said. The hostility she faced did not discourage her from activism or from focusing on her academics. “The more people harassed me, the more focused I got on making sure that my grades never were sacrificed,” Koestner said. “Anything that was wrong or unjust, I just tried to do something about it — and still get straight As.” She went on to graduate Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in public policy and women’s studies. Koestner’s college experience did more than build her character: it served as a basis for a lifetime of activism and advocacy for those who have been sexually assaulted. “The way I lived my college years taught me that you just have to speak up or shut up,” Koestner said. “If you don’t like something, you’ve got to do something about it, don’t wait around for somebody else to do something, don’t just blog about it or write about it; go do it. Go protest. Go call the police. Go change it.”
The Flat Hat
Tuesday, Janurary 24, 2017
Page 3
CAMPUS
Trump presidency stirs fears for students under DACA
President’s vows to suspend immigration protection worry “dreamers” TUCKER HIGGINS FLAT HAT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
President Donald Trump’s promises to suspend immigration protections across the board has students at the College of William and Mary worrying about whether they will be able to remain on campus. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, known as DACA, delays deportation action for those who came to the United States as minors. Through the program, which was initiated by President Barack Obama in 2012, previously undocumented students receive Social Security numbers and are eligible for work permits and instate tuition. While Trump said during the campaign that he would do away with the program, in an interview for Time magazine he pledged that his administration would “work something out.” The magazine noted, however, that he did not back away from his promise to eliminate the policy altogether. Law professor Angela Banks, an expert in immigration law and policy, said that it was uncertain whether eliminating DACA would be a priority for the Trump administration. She added that if Trump makes good on his promise to curtail the policy, there are a number of ways that he could go about it. “One is to say that immediately, now everyone that has [DACA’s protection] no longer has it, and it’s just gone,” Banks said. “The other is to say that whenever people’s current expiration dates are
up, that it will be valid until that date.” For the 20 students at the College who are beneficiaries of the program, the uncertainty looms large. The DACA renewal period lasts for two years, and many here under the program are freshmen or sophomores. If they are unable to renew, they will immediately be prevented from working, and it is unclear whether they will retain any financial aid eligibility or the in-state tuition status they may have, which is set by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Because of their ambiguous immigration status, many beneficiaries of DACA are reluctant to speak publicly about the program. The Flat Hat spoke to five of these students, who asked to remain anonymous in order to protect their privacy. One student, a sophomore from Ghana who has lived in Virginia since she arrived in second grade, said that the uncertainty over whether she’d be able to return in the spring has made studying for finals seem futile. “I don’t know if I can continue to go to this school,” she said. “I definitely can’t have a job anymore. My Social Security number is going to go away. [Trump] puts me in this state of being illegal, which then makes it easier, okay for him to deport me, even though I’ve done nothing wrong. I had a legal presence before. That’s a crazy experience to have.” Another student, a freshman from El Salvador, said that ever since she received DACA, she has felt protected. The uncertainty that now exists, she said, has hit her family particularly hard.
“It’s really hard not knowing what’s going to happen to your family, what’s going to happen to you, what’s going to happen to your academics — it’s just a whole bunch of factors that come together from that one thing,” she said. “DACA is just a concept for some people; ‘Oh, they have DACA.’ But the actual impact it has on us is very life-changing.” While many students under DACA had no way of knowing the others on campus under the program, after the election, some students became more public about their status, enabling them to organize a group. One student, a Resident Assistant who was not public about being a DACA student before the election, wrote a Facebook post on election night — after it was clear that Trump would win — in which she disclosed her status. The post was widely shared, and other students in the program began contacting her to share and receive support. With support from English, linguistics, education, Africana Studies and community studies professor Anne Charity Hudley and from the College, the student formed a group for DACA students. On Nov. 28, the group met with immigration attorneys in the Reves Center for International Studies. The attorneys came from McCandlish Holton, a law firm based in Richmond that has provided its services to the students pro bono. The student who helped to organize the meeting, who is from Peru, said that she was told that the College would have to fire her from her position as an RA and that she would also lose
her student housing. She was planning to take a gap year before applying to law school, but now having that option is uncertain, she said. “I don’t have a backup plan,” she said. “I just wish people would be more empathetic to our cause. The fact that we are childhood arrivals, I came when I was six years old … I thought I was going to Disney World, and I got here, and we stayed.” She said she’s working on bringing the lawyers back to campus to talk more about possible funding options for students in the program. The College’s admissions and financial aid offices both have said that they have not made any changes to their procedures in anticipation of any new policies. Director of Admissions Tim Wolfe ’95, M. Ed ’01 and Director of Financial Aid Ed Irish have said that they will continue to monitor the situation. Breaking from its usual behavior, the president’s office, which does not typically seek to influence federal law outside of research funding, has taken a stand on the DACA program. College President Taylor Reveley has spoken in defense of the DACA program, signing a letter along with more than 500 other college and university presidents asking the Trump administration to maintain the policy. “‘These kids are already here. They’re pursuing their education. Doing well. Good citizens of the campus community,” Reveley said, speaking about the letter. “I think the objective from my standpoint is, from a non-inflammatory, non-confrontational way, persuade this administration: Leave these kids alone. Let them finish.”
Students travel to Washington D.C. to join national Women’s March Others formed march in Colonial Williamsburg, called federal representatives MARCH from page 1
mother of Eric Garner Gwen Carr, actress Scarlett Johansson and author Janet Mock. “I found the march to be greatly empowering,” Dendy said. “We saw great diversity in the protestors as well as the speakers, and noting that intersectionality is crucial. It was powerful to see firsthand so many people from all walks of life across the U.S. — those of different ages, races, genders and sexualities all marching in solidarity. However, we cannot stop there. The magnitude of this march points to how vital our solidarity is. The march was a moment in history, but we must continue the fight in our day-to-day lives. Although marchers across the globe protested in solidarity, we did not protest one issue; there are a plethora of issues and it will take a village, a global village, to fight the good fight. I worry that people went home after the march feeling like they made a statement and that’s good enough, but it’s not.” Dendy compared the Women’s March to the Black Liberation Movement, saying that action beyond words is required for success. “I heard women at the march say they are marching for all people, because once women are free, everyone is free. But the Black Liberation Movement, for example, has been saying since day one that once blacks are liberated, all people are liberated. Now it’s time for real action and real intersectionality. People often become complacent with small victories, as I feel many will following this march. However, there is no room for complacency.” For some students like Erica West ’17, the Women’s March was just one of many protests during the inaugural weekend. West said that she was involved in multiple protests during the inauguration ceremony on Jan. 20. West, in discussing diversity at the march, also said that she would have liked to have seen more diversity in the Women’s March
and the day before. “The Women’s March was a mixed bag for me, probably because I was involved in protests during the inauguration the day before,” West said. “On one hand, it was heartening to see the sheer number of people who were spurred to action in the face of this presidential administration and its influence on the American populace — especially kids and teenagers. I also think it is important to have ‘entry level’ demonstrations of the people’s will such as the Women’s March, because it makes activism more accessible and friendly to those who are new to it. On the other hand, the crowd was not as diverse as it could have been, and one thought I had throughout was, ‘How many of these people will be spurred to action beyond this day?’ It would have been lovely to have so many people on our side the day before as we went toeto-toe with angry Trump supporters. Protest is rarely popular in its time — what happens to this movement and momentum when it isn’t ‘in style’ to be involved anymore?” Not all students were able to make it D.C. to participate in the march, so some spent the day after the inauguration marching in Colonial Williamsburg or calling local representatives in support of inclusive legislation. Class of 2020 President Kelsey Vita ’20 said that when she found out that she couldn’t go to the Women’s March, she wanted to do something that she felt could still make an impact. Vita decided to call representatives on the federal level to advocate against some of Trump’s policies. “The main goal was to let people know they can be effective if they can’t or don’t feel like protesting,” Vita said. Vita also joined other students who were marching in Colonial Williamsburg. “Marching in Colonial Williamsburg was really eye-opening,” Vita said. “I wasn’t sure what to expect turnout-wise, since a lot of
people I know went to D.C., but I would guess at least 100 people were there. At one point this little kid was chanting, ‘coexist, coexist’ even after everyone else had stopped chanting, and it was really heart-warming to see how much this kid cared about the safety of others. The overall atmosphere of the day for me was still somewhat somber considering the inauguration the day before, but was mostly very empowering. It was inspiring to be surrounded by so many people who care about progress.”
NIA KITCHIN / THE FLAT HAT
Students gathered in D.C. to join the national Women’s March on Washington.
VOX sends representatives to Women’s Equality Coalition Lobby in Richmond Lobbyists focused on bills in support of oral contraceptive prescriptions, 2021 redistricting efforts LOBBY from page 1
are getting ready to go up to the Hill and you’re going to see that unfortunately most of them are men. Let’s find it unacceptable for legislators who are men to be telling women what to be doing with their bodies. 2021 is a couple of years off, but that’s when redistricting happens. I have worked
really hard, but there are some people who you can’t change their minds … we can’t change minds, but we can change seats.” Students from VOX, beyond lobbying for longer oral contraceptive prescriptions, also spent Monday lobbying in support of HB2186, also known as the Whole Woman’s Health Act.
COURTESY PHOTO / NATHAN AUTRY
Students from VOX traveled to Richmond Jan. 23 to lobby in the Virginia General Assembly.
The wording of this bill upholds the fundamental right to access abortion in state law, repeals state restrictions that impede access to abortion and makes it illegal to enforce a new regulation on abortion that has no legitimate medical benefit. McAuliffe addressed the audience and discussed the importance of elections at the state and national level. He also said that it was crucial to elect Democrats to state offices because Virginia’s economic growth was dependent on overturning discriminatory legislation including an “HB2-like bill” that was overturned in a legislative committee earlier in January. He said that he recently traveled to California to meet with three major high-tech companies about bringing their businesses to Virginia, and all three questioned the presence of the HB2-like bill. “I’m telling you folks, that HB2like bill that I had to veto, this is not hypothetical, it actually came to my desk,” McAuliffe said. “This is not some hypothetical reason why you need Democrats in office. If a Republican was sitting upstairs in the governor’s office, all those bills
would be signed … hypothetically if companies like Microsoft, Google, Apple can go anywhere they want in the globe, they’re not going to a state that discriminates. This is how you grow the economy — through us working together to keep Virginia open and welcoming.” One student, Cody Mills ’20, said that one of the highlights of the day was getting to talk to representatives’ legislative aides who report directly to them. Mills was unable to talk directly to representatives, but he said that it still made him feel like he was going to have an impact on the General Assembly. “That was really cool, just because they are going to relay it back directly to the person they are representing,” Mills said. “They are going to hear from us, and not just in the form of social media, we were face-to-face with them. Another highlight was going to stand and take a picture with Terry McAuliffe and others and just realizing that they are on our side and just realizing [all] of the power we do have to make change in the state of Virginia.” Another student, Jessica Seidenberg ’19, was able to meet with her representative from Alexandria, Va.,
and representative for District 93 in the Virginia House of Delegates Mike Mullin. Seidenberg said that one of her favorite parts of the conversations she had was the specific attention that Mullin paid to the bill on oral contraceptives. “Both of them were very interested in meeting with us and talking with us,” Seidenberg said. “A lot of people here had met Mike Mullin, and I hadn’t before, and it was great to hear his perspective on things and see that he was interested in what we are working towards. He took specific interest in answering questions on the oral contraceptive bill and the bill on redrawing state lines. That kind of interest and attention really makes a difference and shows that he plans on serving us and not the other way around.” Students like Mills and Seidenberg were instructed to discuss the importance of these bills while meeting with legislative aides and representatives and to enforce the importance of women’s healthcare. If students had personal experience with abortion or women’s healthcare, they were encouraged to share those as well.
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Page 4
The Flat Hat
CAMPUS
CSD hosts annual Martin Luther King Jr. talk Angela Rye discusses King’s legacy in post-Obama United States, Trump presidency EMILY MARTELL FLAT HAT CHIEF STAFF WRITER
Thursday Jan. 19, political analyst Angela Rye joined the College of William and Mary and the Williamsburg community to discuss Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy, especially with reference to the current climate of political uncertainty and change. Rye was the keynote speaker for the annual Center for Student Diversity’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration. She is the CEO of IMPACT Strategies, a political advocacy firm based in Washington D.C. In addition to this, Rye is a CNN political commentator and NPR political analyst who regularly joins other news outlets for on-air commentary. During the 112th Congress, Rye served as the executive director and general counsel to the Congressional Black Caucus. Although the Center for Student Diversity holds the King commemoration annually, this marked the first time the discussion among attendees examined a post-Obama era. Rye used King’s 1967 “Where Do We Go From Here?” address at the 11th annual Southern Christian Leadership Conference Convention as a focal point throughout her lecture. Rye highlighted the main topics of the speech: affordable housing, job creation, voter education and strong minorityowned small businesses, topics she said “ring eerily familiar” today. “‘With all the struggle and all of the achievements, we must face the fact, however, that the negro still
lives in the basement of the great society.’ That’s a sobering thing to read,” Rye said, quoting King. In this context, Rye shared her impressions of Obama’s rise to the presidency. She said that she was initially skeptical, doubting that a black man would be elected president in America. However, as the prospect seemed more and more likely, Rye became proud of her country. For Rye’s now 99-yearold grandmother, Obama’s election was even more significant: it marked the first time she ever called herself black. “My grandmother would say she was Creole, she was Indian, she would say she was brown, whatever that meant that day, but this woman has been black ever since Barack Obama was elected,” Rye said. To Rye, the election of Obama meant the shattering of a misnomer, of prejudice and of implicit bias. Children would be born with a black man as president and it would be completely normal. Discussing the symbolic importance of the period, Rye recalled moments like when Obama danced with a 106-year-old black woman before the 2016 Black History Month reception at the White House or when he let the five-year-old black son of a White House staffer touch his hair. However, Rye said she rejected the idea that the Obama administration marked the beginning of a post-racial era, the fulfillment of King’s dream. She noted that America’s very founding was based on racial oppression. Discussing Donald Trump’s rise to power, Rye brought attention to a sustained division in American society.
“This election highlighted that divide even more so,” Rye said. “We battled with what it means to make America great again, when for so many of us, America had never been greater.” Drawing a stark contrast to her characterization of Obama, Rye listed acts of misogyny and racism by Trump throughout his campaign and career. “You can’t disassociate the actions [Trump] took during his campaign from who he’s been his entire professional life,” Rye said. The day after the election, Rye said she threw herself on the floor and just cried. When she got up, Rye said she was still angry; however, she said she began to think about where to go from there. Guiding the discussion back to King’s 1967 speech, Rye shared three of King’s main points: assert dignity and worth, organize strength into economic and political power and create full employment in a guaranteed annual income. “We must massively assert our dignity and worth,” Rye said on the first point, quoting King. Drawing a parallel between King’s statement and the Black Lives Matter movement, Rye concluded the organized portion of the event by encouraging students and community members to join together, attend demonstrations and become part of the national dialogue. Opening the discussion to the attendees, Rye responded to questions regarding unifying local and national advocacy groups, the Women’s March on Washington and how to engage politically with younger members of the community. Audience members shared details about a
demonstration in Merchants Square the following day. Another question concerned how Rye engages with her colleagues who voted for Trump. “What I have done — and I don’t know if it’s helpful, but it’s helped me survive this,” Rye said. “The people that I go on air with — I’ve been very conscientious about who they are as human beings outside our political banter on air.” However, Rye continued, she has largely avoided political conversations with her Republican counterparts. After the event, students and community members gathered for a chance to meet Rye in person. Two of the students waiting to meet Rye were Bianca Bowman ’20 and Samir Talaware ’19, who discussed their plans for inauguration weekend. “Now that I know that there is something in Merchants Square, I might go to that, then we are driving to D.C. for the Women’s March on Saturday,” Bowman said. Kim Green, a Fellow for Education Programs in the Office of Community Engagement, said she came to the lecture looking for a little inspiration, given what she called the “rocky” political climate. “I think that a lot of people could have come here today and given a really good MLK speech,” Green said. “They could have given a speech that left students inspired, they could have quoted some MLK speeches, but what Angela Rye did today was modern, appropriate, and I think she was completely honest.”
Fox prioritizes policy targeting out-of-state students Annual College lobbying event sees higher turnout than 2016 trip to Richmond RICHMOND from page 1
let’s make sure we have the best education system in the country. Don’t cut it. You can’t cut education. Because you’re cutting your future.” Shannon Lewis ’20, who is from Connecticut, said she was particularly focused on the legislation that
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We hope that you all will continue to fight for the alma mater of this nation. — Student Assembly President Eboni Brown ‘17
would affect out-of-state students. “William and Mary has been incredible for me and I wanted to return the favor. As an out-of-state student, it’s especially important for me because of the new bill that is going to cut out-of-state students from 35 percent to 25 percent,” Lewis said. “It’s something that will directly have an impact on me, so I wanted to do my part to help.” Others were drawn to Road to Richmond to observe the inner workings of the General Assembly. Katherine Jaggers ’20 and Lexi Pacheco ’20 said that they saw Road to Richmond as a learning opportunity and a chance to see if they want to pursue government work. “I want to be a government major; I’ve always been really interested in that,” Pacheco said. “I don’t really know what I want to do career-wise, but I’ve always
considered being a legislator and local government is the perfect place to start.” Shaina Greenberg ’20 said she had some experience with lobbying, but was interested in approaching it from the College’s perspective. “I’ve done some lobbying before, so I thought it would be cool to do it under William and Mary’s umbrella, and get some experience as an older student,” Greenberg said. Students split up into groups walked around the General Assembly for a few hours to meet with legislators, or their legislative assistants, on key committees that dealt with the College’s legislative priorities, and leaving them with small bags of green and gold M&Ms to thank them. McKiernan, who interned at the General Assembly her sophomore year and helped organize the event last year, said that legislators tend to be receptive to students from the College. “I think it’s a welcome difference from what they usually see. A lot of times they tend to hear from people who are angry or people who are frustrated or people who are paid to lobby them,” McKiernan said. “And we are not, we are here because we love our school, and a lot of them know we get our money from them, and they’re really interested in hearing what we have to say.” They then met with Senator Monty Mason ’89 and Delegate Mike Mullin, who discussed their work in the General Assembly and invited questions. Mullin, who has a background as a criminal prosecutor, said that he hopes to prioritize legislation supporting victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. On the issue of higher education, Mason and Mullin both said it was important to protect Virginia’s institutions of higher learning. “One of the great things that Taylor [Reveley] has been so great about has been talking about an education here at the College as being not just an investment in that particular person, but an investment in the state as a whole, because when someone comes
to go to school here, they stay here,” Mullin said. “So many people that go to the College of William and Mary stay on the peninsula and add to the benefits of the Virginia economy. So advocating for our colleges and universities not just as places for higher learning, but also as investments in the Commonwealth as a whole is always a good way to talk about things.” According to Mason, one of the biggest issues in Virginia is fair redistricting, and he is working on a nonpartisan redistricting referendum bill. In addition, he hopes to encourage voter participation by promoting absentee ballot expansions and increasing reliable transportation to the polls. “The single biggest issue for your ability to have proper representation, for the ability for you to be able to compete in competitive districts and zones, is nonpartisan redistricting,” Mason said. Mullin said that gerrymandering represented a fundamental threat to Virginia’s representative government.
“Part of the reason that people are disillusioned in their democracy and feel like they don’t have a say in their government is because you don’t have a choice in who to vote for,” Mullin said. After hearing from Mason and Mullin, there was a reception at the Library of Virginia. Reveley and Student Assembly President Eboni Brown ‘17 both addressed the crowd. Reveley spoke about some of the College’s accomplishments in the recent year, focusing on its technological modernization efforts and comprehensive internationalization efforts, and the $660 million raised by the end of 2016 as part of the For the Bold campaign. In her speech, Brown, who has participated in Road to Richmond every year since she’s been at the College, thanked legislators for the work they do to support higher education. “We hope that you all will continue to fight for the alma mater of this nation,” Brown said.
COURTESY PHOTO /WM.EDU
Students attending Road to Richmond event prioritized lobbying against a bill limiting out-of-state students in VA.
Residence Life to continue to test water following threshold lead levels College finds lead levels above EPA action threshold in two kitchens in Jefferson Hall WATER from page 1
The Environment, Health and Safety office only found threshold levels of lead in Jefferson Hall and they initially took approximately 90 samples from 24 buildings over a two-day period. According to Boykin, when the College tested follow-up samples in Jefferson Hall after running the water, the first-floor kitchen sample no longer had detectable levels of lead and the third-floor kitchen sample was below the EPA’s regulatory limit but above the EPA’s action level of 0.015 milligrams per liter. Boykin advised students to run the tap until water is cold to the touch and to only use cold water for cooking and drinking. She also said that the College would be investigating potential sources of lead contamination. “Your health and safety are of utmost importance to us, and I am grateful to our
professionals in residence life, and environment, health and safety for proactively taking steps to ensure the quality of our water,” Ambler said in a campus-wide email. Jefferson Hall resident Jo Rozycki ’20 said that she was unaware of any issues with the water until she read the email from Boykin, but had been concerned Jan. 19 when she noticed the tap water had a slight metallic taste, which she worried might have been related to the lead levels. “I think all of my hall mates are taking the precautions the emails said to take,” Rozycki said. “It’s disconcerting since you live in a place where you wish to have clean, drinkable water, and I sincerely hope that the College makes the efforts to fix the situation.” Another student, Sofia Kellogg ’20, said that she has decided to avoid drinking water that comes from the tap just as a precaution until
Jefferson Hall residents are updated about the lead levels. Kathryn Anderson ’20 said that she is also waiting for an update as to how the College is handling the situation and is pleased that they will be continuing to test the water. “It’s a little disturbing that there’s lead in our water, especially since I drink from our sink every day,” Kellogg said. “Since I got the email from Residence Life about the water, I’ve been using my Brita filter more often. I really hope they fix the problem soon.” For Kelly Konrad ’20, the actions taken by her Resident Assistant and Orientation Aides helped her feel calm about the water in Jefferson Hall. “My hall’s RA and OAs alerted us of the situation and told us that we should read the email notification carefully,” Konrad said. “I always fill up my water bottle with a Brita filter so I’m not too worried about it, especially since I don’t cook anything in the dorm, but it’s still
a little scary to think about it. It has just further proven my [thoughts] that Jefferson needs some renovations.” While students are taking the extra precautions that Ambler and Boykin suggested, many are staying focused on the fact that the water has not violated the Safe Drinking Water Act and does not pose a great threat. Daphne Sink ’20 said that she believes that at the end of the day, these problems are just what one could expect from living in an older freshman dorm. “While it is a little worrying to see the level of lead in the water,” Sink said. “It takes a lot of it to get sick. No one has been drinking straight out of the faucet all the time, so there are really no worries. Overall the whole situation [can] be [chalked] up to freshman dorm problems.” Reporting contributed by Flat Hat Associate Sports Editor Alyssa Grzesiak ’20.
opinions
Opinions Editor Jennifer Cosgrove Opinions Editor Julia Stumbaugh fhopinions@gmail.com // @theflathat
The Flat Hat
| Tuesday, January 24, 2017 | Page 5
GUEST COLUMN
Excluded from an
“all-inclusive” march
Lauren Wagner
FLAT HAT GUEST COLUMNIST
COURTESY PHOTO / EMILY MUDD
GUEST COLUMN
Women’s March: First step in a long journey
Abigail MacMillan FLAT HAT GUEST COLUMNIST
This past weekend marked the inauguration of our 45th president and a series of historic protests against the incoming administration. From Williamsburg alone, entire buses of demonstrators headed to Washington, D.C. to participate in the Women’s March. Students offered up their cars and their NOVA homes to those who needed a place to stay in the D.C. area, making it possible for scores of other students to attend the protests. In the days following the Women’s March on Washington and the sister marches that took place across our country and, indeed, on every continent, I hope we come to a place where we can recognize the beauty of these events, while also looking critically at what the marches stood for and asked for — and what we are asking from ourselves and each other. It’s no secret that the Women’s March was riddled with well-deserved criticism from the start — the original organizer was a white woman who initially called the event the “Million Women March”, clearly appropriating the titles of earlier marches led by black women. The organization eventually shifted to include more women of color, as did most of the speaking line-up for the event, and, to their credit, the organizers ultimately devised a relatively comprehensive, progressive platform for the march. Looking around on the day-of, I was struck by the demographics of the marchers, who seemed to be disproportionately older white women. This isn’t necessarily problematic — the marches seemed to provide an opportunity for many folks who had little experience with political activism to engage and to express their outrage at our current government, and I’m all for folks feeling empowered to participate. Therein lies the beauty of the march — hundreds of thousands of women around the world showing up, putting their bodies on the ground and demanding recognition from a bigoted and dangerous administration. But there’s discomfort there too — how do we grapple with the fact that 53 percent of white women voted for Trump, that we white women have failed time and time again to show up for movements that aren’t centered on us? How do we understand and talk about the breathtaking privilege it takes
to fly across the country to participate in a day-long march? How do we look at this march as representative of anything other than the continued centering of white/privileged women in feminism? Media coverage of the Women’s March was largely positive and kumbaya, whereas coverage of the protests and blockades around the inauguration itself (those led largely by local organizations) was decidedly more negative. The white-dominated Women’s March was seen as a safe, non-violent unifying movement of people, endorsed by authorities and the police, whereas previous experience has shown that similar marches led by women of color are often seen as the opposite of that and policed accordingly. Large marches like this, safe and unifying, serve their purpose: they draw a broader crowd and send a powerful message with their massive numbers. But mass appeal necessarily means dilution of the message, as was the case with the Women’s March. I want to strike a balance between critiquing the very real issues with the Women’s March and its messages and recognizing how important and empowering the March felt for so many people — including those who, for so many reasons, could not march. Significantly, the Women’s March represented one of the largest ever demonstrations of disabled folks, and disability organizers even created a virtual march to enable those who couldn’t attend in person to participate. And certainly our new President felt the flames of so many people showing up the day after his inauguration to demonstrate against his fledgling administration (his tweets tell us all we need to know). At the same time, the march’s p-ssy-centric messaging unnecessarily equated genitalia with gender to the effect of alienating trans and non-binary folk. The real test of the march’s success will be in the follow-through. What will the women* of this country do to continue to show up and demand social justice? What will we do to organize (and to support organizers that have been doing this work) in our own community, at the College and in greater Williamsburg? White women will turn up for abortion, of this we can be sure. And abortion is important; reproductive healthcare is a fundamental pillar of feminism without which we will never achieve equality. But will we continue to show up for racial justice? For queer and trans justice? For disabled folk? For undocumented immigrants? For Muslims? For all who remain marginalized, for those who will surely suffer the most under this administration? Our path forward is clear: We need radical change, we need radical resistance, and we need for this Women’s March to stand for all women*, not just white women, or we will never achieve a more equitable and inclusive society. *And trans/non-binary folk. And men. And everyone. Email Abigail MacMillan at ammacmillan@email.wm.edu.
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We need for this march to stand for all women.
As a pro-life feminist, my identity is in itself complex and nuanced, though not contradictory, as many assume. A common critique that I have faced from friends and strangers alike is that being pro-life effectively disqualifies one from identifying as a feminist or engaging in valid feminist discourse. The Women’s March on Washington proved for me to be yet another blow in the constant push-pull of identity politics that I experience on an everyday basis. I looked forward to the March with eagerness and excitement. I knew that the March was striving to be inclusive of people from all walks of life, looking to embrace and embody intersectional feminism, incorporating the issues of women of color, trans women, the LGBTQ community, lower- or working-class women, disabled women, immigrant women. Amid the idealism and vibrancy of these efforts to organize the March, the publicity I saw on social media and the discussions I had with my friends, I never felt unsure, I never questioned that I belonged with these women, gathering to fight for social justice issues that I support passionately and
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The March wasn’t really inclusive of women from all backgrounds. wholeheartedly. I am pro-life. Being pro-life means that I am pro the life of every person, at every stage of life, from conception until natural death. I support a living wage, equal pay for women and men, affordable health care, generous and loving care for aged people, and I demand an end to every kind of discrimination — against queer people, people of color, people with disabilities, homeless and displaced people and immigrants. I am against all kinds of gender-based and sexual violence. My ideals and my desires, I thought, aligned perfectly with the platform of the March. Then I heard that New Wave Feminists, a pro-life feminist group, was removed from the list of official partners of the March, amid a storm of controversy and outrage expressed on social media. Several articles I have read on the subject show tweets posted from different people, calling the inclusion of pro-life partners “horrifying,” “nauseating” and “embarrassing.” Roxane Gay, a feminist writer whom I hold in high esteem, tweeted “That’s not how it works!” concerning the inclusion of pro-life views in intersectional feminism. Please, then, Dr. Gay, tell me how it does work. Because I know for certain that the way I live out my identity as a woman and as a feminist doesn’t depend on anyone’s affirmation for me to know that it is valid. The Women’s March on Washington then released an apologetic statement saying that the listing of New Wave Feminists as an official partner of the March was an “error.” A mistake. How convenient. This statement almost seemed like a betrayal. After all of the talk about inclusivity, welcoming and intersectionality, for my participation to be actively discouraged was an enormous frustration. It all just seemed like lip service. The March wasn’t really inclusive of women from all backgrounds, it just claimed to be. I felt that the March’s statement regarding its prochoice platform effectively collapsed “women’s rights” into abortion services. In order to be pro-women’s rights, one must be pro-choice. This position is a disservice to all people fighting for equality. I watched from afar and supported my friends marching on Saturday, even though my support may not have been welcome. But this Friday, I will be participating in the March for Life in D.C., to fight for the protection and dignity of every human life. I am pro-life. I am a feminist. I will not be stopped, and I will not be silenced. Email Lauren Wagner at ldwagner@email.wm.edu.
GUEST COLUMN
A climate of support: Finding a community at the Women’s March
Megan Leu
FLAT HAT GUEST COLUMNIST
This past weekend, I was lucky enough to go to our nation’s capital and join in what was one of the largest gatherings of protesters in our country’s history (despite what Sean Spicer’s alternative facts may say): the Women’s March on Washington. Some students at the College of William and Mary told me about buses going from the College to Washington D.C., and though there were fewer students than I had anticipated on my bus, I was glad to see that fellow members of the Tribe were coming together to bring as many people as they could to this momentous event. Having heard about some of the arrests made on Inauguration Day, I was initially anxious to see how the day would play out. My bus captain’s briefings on what to do if confronted by the police and how to deal
with violent hecklers did not exactly assuage my fears. However, it became evident early in the day that the Women’s March would not be an event remembered for violence and hatred, but for love and community. One woman I met on the bus had even gone so far as to give me and my friend some of the extra pink “pussy hats” she had knit, a clear symbol of the instant connection and sisterhood felt between the people participating. Stepping off of the bus in D.C., I was met with a sea of people accessorized like me with fuchsia hats that popped against the white sky. Though my day began around four in the morning, I maintained high energy and positive spirits throughout the event. I could never fixate too much on my physical exhaustion because I was surrounded by some of the most enthusiastic, thoughtful and friendly people I had ever met. I felt like I could strike up a conversation with anyone. Though police officers and members of the National Guard sprinkled throughout the city suggested the March might take a more violent turn, these individuals were friendly in demeanor; officers took the time to wish us all good morning, and the National Guard rushed to wave at us and take pictures. I met people of all races, orientations and creeds who had come from across the country and around the globe. The Women’s March was in no way limited to women, as the name might suggest. I saw proud fathers, husbands and sons marching in support of the women in their lives. While female empowerment was the general theme of the day, I
was glad to see that people did not fixate on only gender inequality, but on all issues of discrimination and social justice. People gathered on behalf of Black Lives Matter, as well as the protestors at Standing Rock in their continuous struggle against the Dakota Access Pipeline. There was so much truth in the posters I saw; I am convinced now that love actually does trump hate. We were proof of that. The sheer size of the crowds prevented me from seeing or hearing the speakers and my friend and I did not end up marching on the planned route, but that does not mean the day was a waste. The memories I made will stay with me forever. I was able to march with my mom, who had driven all the way from Massachusetts to be there. I posed with a man dressed as Ruth Bader Ginsburg, holding my poster of the Supreme Court Justice proudly as people swarmed us with cameras. I was just feet away from Senator John Kerry as he walked outside the Capitol with his dog. Most importantly, I was finally assured that respect and compassion are alive and well in this country, regardless of our president. When I came back to the College, all of my friends who were unable to come to the March had nothing but supportive things to say to me. Though the March was confined to one day, the event sparked a continuously growing sense love and support that is evident not only in Washington D.C., but at my home here on campus as well. Email Megan Leu at mhleu@email.wm.edu.
The Flat Hat
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Page 6
Purpose beyond the page
Carley Schanck FLAT HAT STAFF WRITER
Inspiring. Hard-working. Overachieving. Exhausting. Perfectionistic. Stressed. All of these describe the culture of students on campus. On one hand, that culture is awesome, and it’s a big part of what drew me to the College of William and Mary. Each student here has his or her niche, something that she or he is passionate about. Whether spearheading groundbreaking research in neuroscience, composing expressive and deeply touching music, or creating innovative ways to serve underprivileged kids, we all want to change the world through our respective areas of interest, and that’s incredible. It truly is an inspiring, stimulating and challenging environment that spurs me on to set huge goals and go out and accomplish them. But there is a negative side to this culture, one that we all experience but don’t always take the time to critically examine. Tell me if this isn’t an interaction you have every day: [Friend A sees Friend B in the Sadler Center] Friend A: Hey, how are you? Friend B: Ugh, I’m honestly so stressed out. I have three exams, two papers and a group project this week. I was studying until super late last night, and I am so exhausted …. etc. etc. Does anyone notice what’s wrong with this scenario? It may seem like a subtle thing, but it really matters. The question was not, “How many exams and papers do you have this week?” The question was, “How are you?” Somehow on our college campus, the line between these different inquiries has blurred so much that they have become synonymous. That’s a dangerous shift in semantics, and here are the implications.
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Every time someone asks you how you are and you answer with how much work you have, or how stressed out you are, you are revealing what’s at the center of your life. If how you are is the same as how much work you have, then it only follows that you are the work you have, and that is simply not true. This isn’t news to anyone. We all know our identities are more than what we do, but do our actions support that belief? I’d argue that in many cases, no, they don’t. And that is subtly but incredibly harmful. Because you’re not just saying, “I am what I do.” You’re also saying, “You are what you do,” and thereby imposing this unhealthy mentality onto others. The truth is that person has a purpose beyond schoolwork, and so do you. I can’t tell you what it is, but I can tell you what it’s not. Your purpose is not to put your head down and go through life as a slave to stress and fear of failure. There are real things happening in our world. There are people around you who are worth investing in. What are those things and who are those people? Isn’t it worth some time and energy to answer those questions? I think so. Because it’s easy to find purpose in your achievements when everything is going well. But if I got in a terrible car accident tonight, or found out that someone in my family was terminally ill, or experienced some other terrible thing, school wouldn’t be enough anymore. Okay Carley, I get it. I shouldn’t find my worth in what I do. But how do I go about changing this mentality that’s so ingrained in me? I’m no expert, but I’ll give you my two cents. I think the first step is being conscious of the fact that every day, you wake up and make a decision about what’s going to drive you that day. Realize that it truly is a decision. You are the only one who can decide what you’re going to put at the center of your life. Every time someone asks you how you are and you answer with how much work you have, or how stressed out you are, you are revealing what’s at the center of your life to those around you. If you’re reading this and you’re not satisfied with what you’ve decided is at the center of your life, that’s ok. You have the ability to reevaluate what matters to you and live by that instead. Email Carley Schanck at ceschanck@email.wm.edu.
GRAPHIC BY KRISTIE TURKAL / THE FLAT HAT
GUEST COLUMN
The case for keeping outdoor activity classes Ashley Meredith, Carolina May and Rachel Smith FLAT HAT GUEST COLUMNISTS
Adventure Games. Kayaking. Canoeing. Rock Climbing. Yoga. Tai Chi. Judo. Scuba, and more. These highly coveted one-credit kinesiology classes are among the first to fill up during registration and seem to be on everyone’s undergraduate bucket list. The scramble to register for these courses has intensified in recent years as news spread across campus: better take them now, because the kinesiology activity courses will be discontinued by spring 2018. There’s a broad consensus that outdoor and adventure education, as well as physical activity, has far-ranging benefits for physical and mental health. Both anecdotal evidence and scientific data say the same thing: these classes make students happier and healthier. The surgeon general suggests that schools and universities make physical activity a “key component of a comprehensive education.” Given these widely agreed-upon benefits, shouldn’t we be expanding our activity programs instead of ending them? Though there may be some concern that these courses compromise the academic integrity of a College of William and Mary education, currently a student cannot apply more than four kinesiology activity credits to the 120 academic credits necessary to graduate. Still, many students take more than four classes, knowing full well that they won’t get academic credit for all classes. And we’re not the only school with this kind of program in place. Both Duke University and the University of Virginia have similar programs that offer course credit for activity classes, including classes like Fly Fishing, Ice Skating, and Fencing. Rather than degrading the value of our degrees, these classes enrich them. We pride ourselves on being a liberal arts institution that values well-rounded students who have knowledge and abilities across many disciplines, and activity classes are a valuable dimension of a liberal arts education. On top of that, outdoor and adventure classes are of direct educational value to students who wish to go into careers in outdoor education and recreation — a field with 6.1 million jobs in the United States. Now there is the question of funding. While equipment can be pricey, the activity program gear has already been purchased and is in use. Additionally, students are charged an activity fee to take part in these classes. Though funding for higher education in general is undoubtedly a serious concern, the College has yet to release a statement about the cancellation of the activity program. Without transparency,
we have little understanding of why activity classes cannot continue. Physical education was once an academic requirement at the College, but it was eliminated due to budgetary constraints in 2002. In a statement, the William and Mary Educational Policy Committee said that “[e]ncouraging the continuation of physical education in the William and Mary curriculum is supportive of the overall mission and goals of the College.” They also stated that if this decision turned out to be a “detriment to the overall experience of students at William and Mary,” it would be reconsidered. Why are these concerns no longer relevant in the decision to entirely eliminate the program? The College may hope that the benefits of these classes will be provided by Campus Recreation or that students will seek them elsewhere, but the activity program is unique in how it serves our campus community. Unlike many expensive for-profit outdoor experience programs, the fees for these courses can be covered by students’ financial aid packages, making them accessible to students from all economic backgrounds. Though students can take advantage of exercise programs and opportunities through Campus Recreation, the pass/fail activity classes incentivize students to set aside time to spend outside and stick to an exercise schedule. While Campus Recreation runs low-cost outdoor trips, these trips provide a different kind of experience than the activity classes. Most Campus Recreation trips last only a weekend and, although they are a great way for students to venture off campus and learn technical skills, a weekend trip cannot offer the same depth of learning as a semester-long class with a fulltime outdoor instructor. Lastly, there is also the issue of capacity. Cutting these activity classes will mean that fewer students will have the opportunity to engage in outdoor activities, period. Ask a student about their favorite classes at the College, and there’s a good chance they will tell you about the semester they took Adventure Games, or Whitewater Canoeing, or Yoga. These are the kind of classes we tell high schoolers about on tours, the kind of classes that make students feel like they belong on our campus, and the kind of classes that make William and Mary students who we are. We are balanced, we are fun-loving, we value health and happiness and we are bold. It would be a shame and a loss to our community to take away the program that has given so many students so much. We have something good here, William and Mary. Let’s fight to keep it. Email the authors at ajmeredith@email.wm.edu, cjmay@ email.wm.edu, and resmith@email.wm.edu.
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Ask a student about their favorite classes at the College, and there’s a good chance they will tell you about the semester they took Adventure Games.
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will hope & pray that the “ Iprogram will continue. — Robianne Williams Brath on “For Students Protected Under DACA, Presidential Transition Stirs Fears About Returning Next Semester”
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Variety Editor Katie Koontz Variety Editor Akemi Tamahana flathat.variety@gmail.com // @theflathat
The Flat Hat | Tuesday, January 24, 2017 | Page 7
Alternative Adventures
COURTESY PHOTO / JOSE ACUNA
Five students, including two site leaders, traveled to Haiti for 11 days over this past winter break to work with Haiti Compact, where they traveled around the country and learned about the efforts to revitalize local communities after the 2010 Haitian Earthquake.
William and Mary Branch Out projects leave their mark on communities near and far LEXI GODFREY THE FLAT HAT
Winter break means many different things for students at the College of William and Mary. For most, it means sweet relief from the constant barrage of emails from professors, procrastinated assignments, frustrating group projects, and caffeine overdoses. For others, it means reuniting with family and celebrating holidays. But, for some, it means giving back to communities through projects about which they are passionate. According to the College website, Branch Out alternative breaks are “immersive service trip[s] in which students engage in direct service with a community partner organization.” Students have the opportunity to travel across the country, or even across the globe, to participate in community service of their choosing. This year, there were five different Branch Out programs with different causes that students joined to give back: Haiti Compact, Outreach360, Bridges to Community, project:HOMES and the Lemon Project.
Haiti Compact The Haiti Compact, which originated after the Haitian earthquake in 2010, agreed to return to Haiti every year for four years. Participants continue their work with the Haitian people to restore destroyed communities. After the fouryear contract was over, the Haiti Compact added an extra four years of community partnership. This winter break, five students, including the two co-site leaders, Jose Acuna ’18 and JiaJia Chen ’18, went to Haiti for 11 days to work with the Haiti Compact, assisting in the restoration of local Haitian areas. The students partnered with Gabrielle Aurel, CEO of the non-profit organization Sonje Ayiti, to redevelop communities. They intended to work with students of the Cima School of Hope to teach them English, but a storm prevented them from actually meeting with the children. They were also taken to different areas of the country
to volunteer and learn more about the work that Sonje Ayiti does to provide jobs and economic sustainability for local Haitian communities. “Right now, the government is trying to get a lot of charity, but that’s not a sustainable form of living,” Acuna said. “So that’s why [the executive members] are very in to starting small businesses, like the restaurant, the cocoa factory ... And they train the Haitians to be able to work in those environments — they just do so much.” The team got to visit two different local, affordable restaurants, a cocoa factory run by women, a new chicken processing plant and more. Acuna was delighted to see that Haitians are keen on improving their own situations through education, employment and reinvestment in their own communities.
Bridges to Community Also in Nicaragua, a group of students travelled with Bridges to Community to build a home for a deserving family. They stayed in a rural Nicaraguan village with a beneficiary family and learned to build houses from local masons. “Living in the community is integral to the success of the overall project, because it allows us to make genuine and authentic connections with local Nicaraguans and form mutually beneficial relationships,” site leader Emily Holtzman ’18 said. The students had the opportunity to participate in cultural exchanges, and they learned traditional Nicaraguan dances and ceremonies from the locals. “It was hilarious to watch the team try to keep up with the Nicaraguans and [ending up] falling all over each other,” Holtzman said. The team also had the opportunity to travel around Nicaragua and even visit an active volcano with flowing lava. Holtzman said, “Being able to witness boiling, flowing magma in person was a sight I will never forget, and probably the coolest thing I have ever seen.”
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Living in the community is integral to the success of the overall project, because it allows us to make genuine and authentic connections with local Nicaraguans and form mutually beneficial relationships - Emily Holtzman 18
Outreach360 Another international trip was made possible through Outreach360, where 10 students travelled to Nicaragua for one week, and five students stayed for a second week. The students taught native schoolchildren English using worksheets, games, flashcards and more. “[The students’] English is pretty advanced at this point, so we’re teaching them… fluency, making sure they’re still talking in English…[and] thinking in English,” site leader Katie Freund ’17 said. Freund remembered a vocabulary-advancing activity where one boy wrote a mystery story about Donald Trump murdering Hillary Clinton, and the following investigation that sent him to jail. “[These are] really smart kids, but also they just pick up so much,” Freund said. She has been back to Nicaragua every year since she was a freshman, and she has been able to observe the same children’s progress and growth.
Project:HOMES
COURTESY PHOTO / JOSE ACUNA
In Haiti, the students partnered with Gabrielle Aurel, CEO of the non-profit organization Sonje Ayiti, to redevelop communities.
Here in the United States, nine students worked with project:HOMES and Virginia Supportive Housing to help with affordable housing renovations and learn about different programs and housing options on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. With project:HOMES, the students scraped and repainted a porch for an ongoing restoration project, and with Virginia Supportive Housing, they learned about the residential community opened for housing formerly homeless single adults. “Our group appreciated getting the chance to learn about the differences between something
like the New Clay House and a shelter,” site leader Sarah Thoresen ’17 said. After learning about the residential community, the students had the chance to cook dinner for the residents, put together bags of canned goods for the residents to take with them and sit and chat. “Overall, I was impressed with the positivity and effort our participants brought to the trip,” Thoresen said. “Our reflections were also impressive. It was great to hear everyone’s different perspectives and the conversations that followed.”
The Lemon Project Students also volunteered with The Lemon Project on campus. According to the College website, The Lemon Project “is a multifaceted and dynamic attempt to rectify wrongs perpetrated against African Americans by the College through action or inaction.” Over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, 11 students sifted through past Flat Hat articles from the beginning of its establishment to find articles specifically focusing on race relations. Once the articles were identified, the students uploaded them to a public Omeka database for people to reference when studying the intersectionality of race and journalism. Among the articles found, some argued for the College’s continued segregation, some argued against it and some argued for the education of African Americans. “I think it is more valuable than ever to look at how history, in many ways, repeats itself,” site leader Brendan Boyle ’19 said. “We need to ensure that we are looking at history, and we are understanding history, and we are understanding how it is still relevant today, and how we can mitigate repeating it.”
Night at the opera The Flat Hat
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Page 8
A review of Sinfonicron Light Opera Company’s performance of “The Sorcerer” KAYLA SHARPE DIGITAL MEDIA EDITOR
Everyone loves an open bar at a wedding, but throw a secret love potion into the mix and you have the quirky and comical plot of “The Sorcerer”. Sinfonicron Light Opera Company celebrated its 52nd year with this amusing opera, with a libretto by W. S. Gilbert and music by Arthur Sullivan. The show originally opened in 1877 in London and was later revised in 1884. In “The Sorcerer,” love is in the air in the merry village of Ploverleigh as plans are made for the wedding of the young Alexis and Aline. However, when the happy couple enlists a mysterious sorcerer to assist them in spreading their nuptial bliss to the entire village, confusion ensues, hearts are turned and even love must give way to sacrifice. Despite significant snowfall early in the rehearsal season, the Company presented a solid performance that reflected its unique contributions to the theater landscape at the College of William and Mary. The cast made the most of a lighthearted and unimposing script by weaving in their own clever humor and excitement. Stylized makeup effectively aged older characters, adding to their expression and believability, while elegant costumes designed by Chelsea Easter ’17 and Corey Strickland ’17 were as distinctive as the characters themselves. Similarly, props, gags and hijinks were plentiful throughout the performance.
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’18 as the ever-enthusiastic Hercules. Likewise, Amy Folkerts ’19, playing Constance, added just enough drama to turn her character from a forlorn, love-struck young woman to a hysterically emotional wreck with skillful comedic timing. Both Gillian Giduice ’17 and Alex Bulova ’19, who played Mrs. Partlet and Dr. Daly respectively, added texture to the show through well-executed and distinctive character accents. Bulova especially demonstrated subtle comedic touches in “Engaged To So-and-So.”
Sinfonicron utilized a simplistic yet effective set, choosing instead to prioritize other technical aspects of the production. A mesmerizing starry background illuminated the stage during the second act and well-executed lighting cues accentuated subtle situational changes. What “The Sorcerer” lacked in complexity, the cast made up in its ability to insert wit into every line, look and lyric, proving that it takes more than nefarious snow or even spells to stop the Sinfonicron Light Opera Company from excelling at its craft.
Sinfonicron utilized a
simplistic yet effective set.
The orchestra, directed by Arjun Malhotra ’17, was robust and expressive but often overpowered the cast, rendering several full-cast numbers inaudible. Choreographer Olivia Thomas ’18 crafted an elegant and fluid spectacle that perfectly emulated the show’s whimsical plot, save for several noticeable missteps during more complex sequences. While the lively cast often seemed stifled during noticeably static scenes, the vocal prowess of the ensemble elevated the overall production. “The Sorcerer”’s heartiest performances were given by Alex Bulova ’19 and Jacob Herrin ’17 who played the boisterous Sir Marmaduke and titular scheming Sorcerer respectively. Bulova capitalized on every moment onstage with his booming vocals and ability to mesh harmoniously with his fellow actors, particularly in “Welcome Joy.” Herrin commanded the audience’s attention from start to finish with his spellbinding and mischievous mannerisms and expressions. His introduction in “My Name is John Wellington Wells” featured delightful quirks and good diction. Catherine Smith ’18 showed good balance, wavering between a love-struck bride-to-be and a sensible, forthright young woman. Consistently lighting up the ensemble was Claire Seaton
ALL PHOTOS BY / ARCHER BRINKLEY
Sinfonicron Light Opera Comany, which celebrated its 52nd anniversary this year, performs “The Sorcerer,” with a libretto by W. S. Gilbert and music by Arthur Sullivan.
CONFUSION CORNER
Starting the new year with a new mentality Add changing the way you approach campus stress culture to your resolution list
Emily Gardner
CONFUSION CORNER COLUMNIST
This time of year is always a heart-warming testimony to the upper bounds of human hope and naivety, especially after winter break has buried the memories of last semester’s suffering. What I most adore is our collective high from New Year’s resolutions that still seem feasible. This is the year: You’ll go to the gym, I’ll stop wasting two hours with John Oliver before I go to bed and Mitch McConnell will finally figure out how to shape his little turtle mouth like a human being. Change seems so palpable at the beginning of the year, and I would like to take this time to make a proposal for a campus-wide resolution before the gloom of never-ending midterms sets in. Of course, the potential for a New Year’s resolution failure is very real to me, but I feel like this initiative is too important to not try. William and Mary, it’s time to pull ourselves out of Swem, stop procrastinating with the homework for our “easy” course, and actually reform the “twamp” mentality once and for all, as we have been promising to do for years. Oh yeah, that thing. Changing the twamp mentality has been a goal of ours for how long? And yet, I already hear the hollow, tinny echoes of bragsplaining reverberating through the asbestoslined halls of my dorm. The nonchalantly dropped words, “I didn’t really do anything for break. I was just really busy reading like 1000 pages for my
sociology class and wrote a lot of job apps. I think I’m already going to have to pull an all-nighter” fell into my airspace just the other day. I was shocked to be bombarded so early with this epitome of the festering stress culture we passively condone. There is nothing wrong with being busy. Most people prefer to be busy. They might even electrically shock themselves if left alone in an empty room with no other form of stimulation because it is better than being bored. I find that I am happiest when busy and, let’s be honest, most of us choose this school for its academic rigor and exciting challenges, even though it can be stressful. The true issue is our perspective and response to this stress (that and the complaining, which I am of the opinion is a poor conversational habit and lacking in imagination). William and Mary would not be the same if it weren’t hard, and it is hard, so we will always be stressed. What we can change is how we decide to react and frame that stress. My vision for all of the little green-clad twamps of the future is that they will move from our destructive tailspin of despair, negativity and type-A selfharm and begin to approach their overwhelming workload with a bit more humor, optimism and self-forgiveness. I know Obama is out of office, but he didn’t take all the hope and change with him and I can’t help but hope that our student body won’t be this way forever. This all sounds lovely, like quitting Netflix coldturkey, or communism, but it won’t just magically happen. We will need to turn to the teachings of cognitive behavioral training and mindfulness. The twamp mentality stems from a negative thought pattern in which we automatically engage. Being stressed out and working too hard is often a protective mechanism. By resorting to stress culture, we can point to our personal misery and hard work as evidence against our culpability if we fail. Further, we don’t have to lead our lives intentionally or make defining decisions. The right thing to do is always to be working and stressing. It’s our safest option, and therefore the default for
our striving student body. But defaults can change. If we start to become more self-aware and monitor when we start to slip into the negative mindset, we can pull out of the tailspin before it’s too late. It is as easy or as difficult as actively choosing not to engage in that pattern of thought and redirecting ourselves to the positive. Just as a practitioner of Buddhism learns to accept the suffering of life with serenity, this school of brilliant and beautiful people can learn to accept the stress of our school without allowing it to impede our happiness or resorting to self-soothing bad habits. Instead of spewing our stress through involuntary rants about sleep-deprivation, we can make the conscious decision to fight our negative thoughts and take the incremental steps needed to lead truly fulfilling lives. Maybe this is an unrealistic goal. I might still
be blinded by the New Year’s glow. Speaking to the difficulty, I am actively combatting the deep anxiety and insecurity I have about completing this week’s to-do list as I write this. The quote from the first paragraphs, the one I disparaged for dirtying my pretty brain space, was actually something I said after my first winter break. I’m guilty. I wish every time I’m asked how I’m doing I could respond with a snappy fact about fugu instead of giving into the easy lure of negativity. I wish I could give a report of my individual status that paid homage to who I am, not what I must do. Leading authentic and sustainable lives is important; we at least need to try, especially amongst the turmoil of 2017. If you’ll keep me honest, I’ll do the same. Emily Gardener is a Confusion Corner Columnist who wants to change the College one twamp at a time.
GRAPHIC BY / EMILY GARDNER
sportsinside
The Flat Hat
| Tuesday, January 24, 2017 | Page 9
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Tribe sqeaks by Dukes, loses to Phoenix
Much-anticipated season looking bleak as College falls below 0.500 in CAA play BRENDAN DOYLE FLAT HAT ASSOC. SPORTS EDITOR William and Mary returned home to Kaplan Arena Thursday night from a two-game road swing, attempting to even up its Colonial Athletic Association record against James Madison. Behind a career-high 14 points from redshirt sophomore Paul Rowley and a late free throw by senior guard Daniel Dixon to take the lead, the Tribe (9-8, 3-3 CAA) prevailed, 73-72, in an exciting, back-andforth game. After Dixon hit one of two from the line with seven seconds left to take a one-point lead, the Dukes (6-14, 4-3 CAA) had an opportunity to win the game. Following a timeout by each team, JMU rushed the ball up the court. The Dukes missed a tough layup and the ball bounced around until it ended up in the hands of JMU forward Yohanny Dalembert. Dalembert quickly put the ball up and made the shot. The officials originally counted the basket; however, after a video review indicated that the ball was clearly still in Dalembert’s hand as the clock hit zero, which nullified the shot and gave the Tribe a victory. “I was a little concerned [the officials] might be calling a foul before the buzzer, but I was confident that the shot was after,” head coach Tony Shaver said, concerning the review. “My eyes are old, but not that old.” The exciting ending was preceded by a game that was fun to watch, if sloppy at times. No team held a lead larger than nine in the contest. After the under-16 media timeout in the second half, the teams were never separated by more than four points. “They’re a really big team, we knew that coming in, so we knew we’d have to be really physical, on the boards especially,” Dixon said. “I think we did a pretty good job with that.” Dixon, who returned from an injury that forced him to miss the Tribe’s previous game against Charleston, was the leading scorer in the game with 18 points. Those 18 included a couple of threes and multiple big shots. Also contributing with double digits were senior forward Omar Prewitt, adding 12, and Rowley with 14. Rowley, although he didn’t start, was part of a second unit that kept the College in the game. The Tribe turned the ball over 11 times in the first half and was outscored 15-2 in points off turnovers in the stanza. Nevertheless, Rowley’s 11 first half points helped the Tribe climb back into the game after a 17-3 Dukes run reclaimed the lead for JMU at 30-21. Following a Rowley layup, the Tribe led 33-32, although the Dukes would lead 37-33 at the half. “[Rowley] really played great. He had a lot of poise tonight,” Shaver said. “When he plays within himself and doesn’t try to do more than he’s capable of doing, he’s really good.” After the half, the Tribe came out sluggish,
turning the ball over twice in the first two minutes. Shaver immediately pulled all five starters in favor of the second unit. “We have a lot of guys in that starting unit not doing what they’re supposed to do sometimes,” Shaver said. “That second group was terrific, I’m really proud of them. Proud for them, as well.” The wholesale change would prove to be a turning point in the game, as the Tribe showed more energy for the duration of play and gained momentum moving throughout the second half. That energy was felt throughout Kaplan Arena, as the crowd of 3,076 made its presence felt. Following a Prewitt layup to tie the game with little more than a minute remaining, the
BRENDAN DOYLE FLAT HAT ASSOC. SPORTS EDITOR After being down 10 with six minutes and two seconds left at Elon, William and Mary rallied to tie the game. However, Elon outscored the Tribe 13-4 the rest of the way en route to a 71-62 victory. “Story of our season, really,” head coach Tony Shaver said to Tribe Athletics. “Lack of consistency in our effort and lack of consistency in our execution has been our story all year long. It was certainly the story in these 40 minutes tonight.” The Tribe (9-9, 3-4 CAA) took an eight-point
COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS
Despite the team’s struggles, senior guard Daniel Dixon has played well, leading the team with 16.1 points per game.
crowd was on its feet, roaring for its defense to make a stop. “It’s nice and deserved [to be home],” Shaver said. “We’ve played six of our last seven on the road.” The Tribe defense stood strong backed by the home fans, and on the next possession Dixon was fouled and made the game-winning free throw. The College traveled to Elon for a tilt with the Phoenix at 7 p.m. Saturday. Then, the Tribe returns for a four-game homestand.
lead into halftime after holding Elon (12-9, 4-4 CAA) to a season-low 22 first-half points. The Phoenix shot 22.6 percent in the period, while the Tribe only hit 11 of 36 shots. Junior guard Connor Burchfield and senior forward Omar Prewitt led the way for the College with eight and seven, respectively. However, the tide turned as the second half began. Right off the bat, a 12-4 Phoenix run tied the game, followed soon after by a 9-2 spurt, paving the way to a 10-point Elon lead. Phoenix guard Dainan Swoope led the charge for Elon,
with 17 points in the half. The Tribe did not score a field goal for a stretch of 7 minutes, 20 seconds in the second half, giving the Phoenix a chance to take control. The Tribe only had three assists while turning the ball over six times after halftime. “Any time we have more turnovers than assists, we’re not going to win basketball Cohn games,” Shaver said to Tribe Athletics. “I just think we made the wrong decision frequently tonight.” Due to a shoddy offensive performance and a spotty defensive showing in the second half, the College found themselves down 56-46. The Tribe, though, had not thrown its last punch at the Phoenix. Back-to-back threes from redshirt sophomore forward Paul Rowley and junior guard David Cohn cut the lead to four quickly after the game was tied at 58 with 2:52 left, when senior guard Daniel Dixon completed a threepoint play the old-fashioned way. Momentum shifted nearly immediately, though, as Swoope hit a layup, plus the foul, to take the lead back for good. “That was a key play to the ball game,” Shaver said to Tribe Athletics. “The ball was in the middle of the lane. Their guy dove for it and ours didn’t, and they got a three-point play out of it.” “I don’t care if you’re playing in Williamsburg, or in Elon, or in Timbuktu, you can play the game hard,” he added. “And we don’t always play the game hard. Rips my heart out, to be honest with you.” Swoope would go 5 for 5 from the charity stripe from that point forward. He would also hit a three to effectively put the game away. Prewitt was the high scorer for the Tribe, with 14 points. Pitching in with 13 was Dixon after scoring 36 against the Phoenix earlier this season at Kaplan Arena. Also in double digits was Burchfield, who finished with 12. The Tribe return home for four games starting Jan. 26 against Delaware, looking to get back on track after losing three of its last four to conference foes.
The third annual Gold Rush game will be held Saturday, February 11 at 2 p.m. in Kaplan Arena. This year’s game is a conference matchup against the College of Charleston.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Tribe drops close contests to Towson and Elon College stays competitive, but fails to close, falling to 3-3 in CAA play after strong start to season CHRIS TRAVIS FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR After a 13-2 start to the season, including a program-record 11-win streak, William and Mary dropped two close conference games over the weekend to fall to 13-4 and 3-3 in Colonial Athletic Association play. Friday, the Tribe fell 64-60 on the road to Towson. The team returned home Sunday and lost 60-58 to Elon on a pair of free throws with less than two seconds left. The Tribe started quickly Friday, grabbing a 6-0 lead and forcing Towson to burn a timeout. Following the break, Towson made some changes that the College failed to counter. A 14-2 run by the Tigers quickly boosted them to an eight-point advantage, which they held nearly constant for the remainder of the quarter. After one, Towson led 1812. Towson remained aggressive to start the second quarter, taking a 28-16 lead with just under four minutes until halftime. The Tribe turned up their defensive intensity, forcing two turnovers that sparked a 12-2 run to close the half. During the run, senior guard Marlena Tremba and sophomore guard Bianca Boggs each had 5 points. At the half, the Tribe trailed 30-28. Throughout the third quarter, the teams traded short four- and six-point runs, leading to a deadlocked 46-46 score. Towson reasserted themselves as they did early in the game, jumping on the Tribe for a 13-3 run to take a 59-49 lead with 4 minutes, 42 seconds remaining. This lead proved insurmountable, despite the Tribe forcing five steals and going on
an 11-5 run to close the game. In the run, freshman forward Victoria Reynolds had three steals. Despite the 64-60 loss, the Tribe defense was a bright spot, as it forced 24 turnovers and finished with 18 steals. Offensively, junior guard Jenna Green had 15 points to go along with eight assists. Tremba finished with 15 and junior center Abby Rendle stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks. Sunday, the game against Elon opened with the teams trading buckets en route to a 7-7 tie. Then, Boggs broke the game open nearly singlehandedly, as she scored five straight as part of a 7-0 Tribe run. After one, the score was 19-13 in favor of the College. The conference-leading Phoenix opened the second quarter with a flourish, outscoring the Tribe 22-10 in the period to take a 35-29 lead at the half. After allowing Elon to shoot 53 percent from the field in the first half, the Tribe defense locked down in the third quarter to hold Elon to just 10 points. However, the Tribe offense could also manage only 10 points during the period, as the deficit remained six. With 3:35 remaining in the game, the Tribe trailed 56-50 and appeared to be in dire straits. After Reynolds split a pair of free throws, Rendle completed a traditional three-point play to cut the deficit to two with just under two minutes remaining. After the teams traded baskets, the Tribe took a timeout with 0:35 remaining to draw up a play. Head coach Ed Swanson elected to go to senior forward Alex Masaquel, who delivered the tying basket with 0:26 remaining. On the final possession of the game, the Tribe defense forced
COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS
Junior guard Jenna Green has increased her role this season, and finished with 15 points and 8 assists against Towson.
a missed shot, but failed to control the defensive glass, resulting in Phoenix guard Lauren Brown knocking down two free throws under pressure to secure a 60-58 win for Elon. For the game, the College had four players in double figures, led by Rendle with 13. Tremba,
Boggs and Reynolds each had 10 for the Tribe. The College looks to move past 0.500 in conference play against Delaware 7 p.m. at home Friday. The College hosts powerhouse James Madison in the first annual Golden Game on Sunday at 2 p.m.
sports
Sports Editor Nick Cipolla Sports Editor Chris Travis flathatsports@gmail.com @FlatHatSports
The Flat Hat | Tuesday, January 24, 2017 | Page 10
vault. Senior Rob Meyer continued his success from last season to finish first on parallel bars and rings. Junior Mitchell Campbell took top honors ver finals and winter break, on high bar, while junior Griffin Antle William and Mary athletics won pommel horse. Sophomore continued to compete. Peter Makey and freshman Tim The semester ended with the longO’Neill shared honors with Palma and overdue win over Richmond on Meyer, Makey tying Meyer on rings the Zable Stadium gridiron, an and O’Neill tying Palma on vault. NCAA Championship cross country Senior All-American Aria Sabbagh appearance, a lopsided finish at finished first all-around with 71.65 Cameron Indoor Stadium against points. The College finished second a nationally-ranked Duke men’s in a field of four at Saturday’s Navy basketball team and a win over regional Open, falling to host Navy 397.65 to rival Old Dominion for women’s 390.6. Meyer finished first on parallel basketball. Here are the top stories bars while sophomore Jacopo Gliozzi to get fans of the Tribe up to speed won the pommel horse. Notably, the with current trends and standings. former men’s gymnastics coach Cliff Men’s Basketball Gauthier retired at the turn of the After falling at Duke over year after 43 years at the helm. He Thanksgiving weekend, the remains a volunteer assistant while College (9-9, 3-4 CAA) closed out former assistant coach Mike Powell the nonconference slate through took over the team on New Year’s Day. December, winning four games and Track and Field dropping three to finish 2016 with Prior to this weekend’s Christopher a 6-5 record. The Tribe remains Newport Captain’s Invitational, the undefeated in Williamsburg but has Tribe competed at the CNU Holiday faced road struggles, failing to record Open right before students departed a tick in the win column in away for break. The men took second with games until the nonconference finale 152 points in the field of six, only falling at ODU on Dec. 29. The biggest margin NICK CIPOLLA // FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR to Norfolk State (160). Five qualifiers of victory came on Dec. 16 with a 113for Intercollegiate Association of 59 victory over Milligan, followed by Amateur Athletes of America went to a Dec. 19 victory over Savannah State that ended 112-85. The games marked with 47.1 percent from beyond the dropping the Tribe to 1-1 in CAA play. three in Raleigh, N.C., when North the Tribe: Senior and All-American the first time in program history that arc and 92.3 percent from the stripe, However, the team rebounded for Carolina State hosted the College and Derek O’Connell qualified in pole the team has broken the century senior guard Omar Prewitt with 5.8 a tight 60-58 win over Northeastern Ball State. Despite the finishing order, vault, senior Taylor Frenia qualified mark in back-to-back matchups. rebounds per game and junior guard Jan. 13 and a solid outing at UNC- the Tribe’s 192.275 is the highest team for shot put and weight through, junior Preston Richardson qualified in shot Unfortunately for the Tribe, the David Cohn with 4.7 assists per game. Wilmington Jan. 15. Heading into put, and junior Davion Hutt qualified On the horizon are a quartet of the past weekend, the College was offensive explosions inside Kaplan for the 60-meter dash. The women Arena did not translate to the road home games starting Jan. 26 with 13-2, making them the best team won the CNU Holiday Open over often during break as it only defeated Delaware, followed by CAA leader of the winter sport seasons to date. the field of seven with 158.5 points. The Tribe also made headlines one team on the road during break North Carolina-Wilmington Jan. 28, Two Eastern Collegiate Athletic besides ODU. In a performance Drexel on Jan. 30 and Northeastern on SportsCenter after senior guard Conference qualifiers were earned similar to the Colonial Athletic on Feb. 2. With losses to UNC- Marlena Tremba hit a third quarter by senior Rochelle Evans, both in buzzer beater from the other side of the shot put and the weight throw. the court; the ensuing video reached Swimming as high as No. 5 on SportCenter’s The defending CAA Champions Top 10 plays. Tremba continues to had a meet at ODU postponed due to lead the College’s scoring with 14 the snow over break, but this weekend points per game and 2.6 three-point both the men and women defeated shots per game. Senior forward Alex Davidson. The men won 181-107, Masaquel leads the defense with 7.4 while the women were victorious by rebounds per game (4.7 defensive, a 164-124 margin. The men (6-3) won 2.7 offensive) and 2.2 steals per game. three-quarters of the 16 events and Junior center Abby Rendle continues have already clinched a winning 2016to shine after her season was cut short 17 season dating back to fall meets. last year, leading with an astounding Tribe in the Pros 4.1 blocks per game with 69 total Joining Pittsburgh Steelers head through 17 games. Rendle also made coach Mike Tomlin ’95 in the National history right before the new year with COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS Football League’s list of coaches is both her and the program’s second Senior Marlena Tremba’s three-quarter court shot. Sean McDermott ’98. McDermott triple-double performance on Dec. 29 against East Carolina, notching score of the young season. The effort was hired by the Buffalo Bills after the 14 points, 11 boards and 10 blocks. was aided by a team win on beam regular season ended, becoming the The Tribe hosts its first-ever “Gold and a season-high floor performance. second William and Mary alumni with The men competed in the State a head coach career. Though not an Game” this weekend against CAA favorite James Madison after a Friday Open in Williamsburg on Jan. 15 and alum, the Super Bowl-bound Atlanta tilt against Delaware in Kaplan Arena. the Navy Open in Annapolis, Md., Falcons have a Tribe connection in this past weekend. The State Open head coach Dan Quinn, who began his Gymnastics The season began in early ended with the Tribe on top of each career in Williamsburg as a defensive COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS January for the men’s and women’s of the six individual titles. Freshman line coach. All three of these coaches Senior guard Daniel Dixon continues to lead the Tribe’s scoring with 16.1 average points per game. gymnastics teams, who have already Tomas Palma performed well in his with a connection to the College were in several meets. collegiate opener, winning floor and part of the 1994 Tribe football team. and Northeastern participated Association semifinals in 2015, the Wilmington The women opened at Rutgers, College defeated Hofstra 95-93 in already, the Tribe’s home perfection overtime via a three-point buzzer will be challenged. The third annual where the Tribe finished fourth of four beater by senior guard Daniel Dixon. Gold Rush game is scheduled for on Jan. 7, picking up 188.275 points, Dixon has moved into a role as a Feb. 11 against College of Charleston. five behind team title winner New Hampshire’s 193.425. The College Women’s Basketball leading scorer for the Tribe, putting After falling at home to St. John’s rebounded Jan. 11 at Kaplan Arena up a huge effort at ODU with 36 points, followed by games with 19, 25 in the Nov. 13 opener, the Tribe has against Alaska Anchorage, winning Senior Briana and 32 points against Northeastern, had a breakout season, winning 11 191.325-188.950. Hofstra and Elon, respectively. straight games for a program record Gironda finished first all-around Before the semester began and streak. The women’s team (13-4, 3-3 by winning the floor, bar and beam the Tribe returned home to beat CAA) ended nonconference play 10-1, events. The Tribe dominated on vault James Madison Thursday night, finishing the close games it has seen with a tie between teammates senior the College was 2-3 in CAA play. trouble with in past seasons in the win Olivia O’Connor and sophomore Current season leaders include Dixon column. The College of Charleston Katie Webber for first place, both with 16.1 average points per game, was the team that eventually broke earning scores of 9.750. This past COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS sophomore forward Paul Rowley the streak on Jan. 6 by a 70-60 margin, weekend, the Tribe finished third of Junior Davion Hutt earned one of five IC4A qualifications at the CNU Holiday Open in December.
FEATURE
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Catching up with the Tribe
Classes stopped, but the College stayed active over break. Here are the stories you may have missed.
TENNIS
Women 2-0, men 2-1 in spring openers Tribe starts 2017 campaign with strong performances ALYSSA GRZESIAK FLAT HAT ASSOC. SPORTS EDITOR William and Mary started the season strong with the women winning the season opener for the third straight year. The women beat Richmond 6-1 and annihilated Elon 7-0 at home, securing the first Colonial Athletic Association win of the regular season. The men improved to 2-1 in the regular season with a 4-3 win against Brown and 5-2 against Boston College after losing the season opener to Yale. Saturday, freshman Rosie Cheng and junior Olivia Thaler won doubles 6-1, a nearly flawless set over Richmond opponents in the season opener. Senior Marie Faure, juniors Ekaterina Stepanova and Thaler and
sophomore Lauren Goodman secured wins in both singles and doubles matches. Both Thaler and Goodman won 3-0 straight-set wins. Cheng went on to secure her first career dual-match win at No. 4 against Elon Sunday. Thaler took the No. 5 spot and her sixth win this year after defeating Elon opponent 6-2 and 6-0, improving to 2-0 in dual-match play for the season. Junior Maria Groener crushed her Elon rival 6-0 shutouts in both sets in the No. 6 spot. Although the men lost to Yale 5-2, senior Damon Niquet and junior Alec Miller secured singles wins. The Tribe men started out Saturday’s match against Brown down 2-1, but three-set wins by junior Christian Cargill,
senior Aidan Talcott and Niquet advanced the Tribe to a 4-3 victory against the Bears. The Tribe dominated the Bears in doubles with wins in the No. 1 and No. 3 spots. Junior Ryan Newman and Talcott beat the Brown No. 1 opponents 6-4, while Cargill and junior Lars de Boer secured a win in the No. 3 spot 6-3. The men continued their win streak to 2-1 with the defeat of Boston College. Senior Addison Appleby’s first dual-match win of the year at the No. 3 spot gained the Tribe a 2-0 lead. An exciting match set was won by sophomore Michael Ruamthong, his first career dual-match win, after a 7-6 tiebreaker. The women continue their season in Durham against Duke Jan. 28 while the men take on Navy at home Jan. 29 at 11 a.m.
COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS
Junior Olivia Thaler won both her singles and doubles matches against Richmond.