The Flat Hat March 19 2019

Vol. 109, Iss. 3 | Tuesday, March 19, 2019

The Flat Hat The Weekly Student Newspaper

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of The College of William and Mary

Race for the presidency V I T A

EMMA FORD, KIM LORES // EMMA FORD,FLAT KIM HAT LORES // FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR, FLAT HAT STAFF WRITER NEWS EDITOR, FLAT HAT STAFF WRITER

Thursday, March 21, election day, will mark the conclusion of campaign season for Student Assembly President and Vice President, as well as for individual races for class president and senators. For the past week and a half, prospective candidates have posted flyers, released websites and interacted with students around campus in hopes of implementing their policy visions within SA. Unlike last year’s uncontested presidential contest, which resulted in the election of President Brendan Boylan ’19 and Vice President Samir Tawalare ’19, two tickets are currently vying for SA president and vice president. Class of 2020 President Kelsey Vita ’20 is running for president with Senate Chair Ellie Thomas ’20, and Class of 2021 President David DeMarco ’21 with first-time candidate Nyla Pollard ’21.

Vita and DeMarco have vowed to run campaigns based on positivity and support for each other in their own campaign efforts to destigmatize negative, finger-pointing narratives that frequently plague political campaigns.

To demonstrate this goal, the two tickets have shared areas around campus where elaborate chalk messages are drawn about their individual campaigns. Furthermore, Vita and DeMarco tabled next to each other at the Sadler terrace throughout the first week of the campaign and sat together at SA’s March 12 meeting to exemplify their dedication to positivity and kindness on the campaign trail. They concluded the meeting by reiterating their goals to each run positive campaigns.

Vita and DeMarco have centered their respective campaigns around similar campaign points, with both tickets emphasizing mental health and wellness, sustainability and diversity.

Vita and Thomas’ platform totals 11 campaign promises and in addition focuses on Title IX and sexual assault prevention, student rights, dining services and community building, public affairs and campus safety, finance reform, academic affairs, accessibility, communications and transparency.

As a nod to Pollard’s position on the women’s basketball team, DeMarco and Pollard created a five-point platform entitled “The Starting Five”, which focuses on parking advocacy, curtailing polarization and food reform.

Both Vita and Thomas have been members of SA since their freshman year. Vita said that during that time, she believes she has seen SA go from spending money without full intent to demonstrating more policy-driven approaches.

Much of their campaign platform revolves around facilitating a campus community where all students feel physically and mentally safe.

“There’s certainly an aspect to that where you feel safe walking home at night; you feel safe crossing the street, but it’s not just about that,” Vita said. “Safety is about knowing that you have access to proper mental health resources. Safety is about knowing that when you file a Title IX report, it will be handled properly. Safety is knowing your rights as a student on this campus, and safety is really a lot more encompassing than that.”

DeMarco, who has served as class president since his freshman year, decided to run for SA President in hopes of fostering an SA governance that stays relevant to, and in touch with, the College’s student population. He also believes that including an SA outsider as his vice presidential nominee adds a fresh student perspective to his campaign.

See ELECTION page 3

D E M A R C O

Platforms focus on mental health, wellness, diversity

GRAPHIC BY HEATHER BAIER / THE FLAT HAT Note: The photos used in this graphic were submitted by those pictured and Flat Hat staff members. Details regarding each student’s stance on their chosen candidate and appropriate attribution for their photo as well as a list of Flat Hat reporters who contributed to this project can be found online at flathatnews.com.

Actress Glenn Close to speak at Class of 2019 commencement Philanthropist Jane Batten, singer Denyce Graves and women’s rights activist Sybil Shainwald to receive honorary degrees NIA KITCHIN FLAT HAT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The College of William and Mary has announced that Glenn Close ’74, D.A. ’89 will speak at the 2019 commencement ceremony May 11. She will receive an honorary fellowship during the ceremony, only the third person to receive this distinction.

Joining her as speakers at the ceremony will be philanthropist Jane Batten, singer Denyce Graves and women’s rights activist Sybil Shainwald ’48, who will all also receive honorary degrees.

Commencement also marks the culmination of the College’s yearlong commemoration of 100 years of coeducation.

Therefore, the College chose to have four accomplished female Index Profile News Opinions Variety Sports

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speakers to represent this milestone.

“It is our great pleasure to welcome these four accomplished women to William & Mary for Commencement, and especially fitting to mark our 100th anniversary of coeducation with the rare distinction of an honorary fellowship,” Rowe said in a written statement. “This quartet has made their marks in the arts, philanthropy, law and women’s health; they exemplify the creative, pioneering spirit we have been celebrating throughout the year. I very much look forward to sharing the day with them.”

The speakers are all well-known for their various endeavors.

Batten is an advocate for early childhood education and involved in many regional foundation boards. Graves is best known

Inside Opinions

Inside sports

The Flat Hat endorses Kelsey Vita, Ellie Thomas for SA President, VP

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for her titular role in the opera “Carmen,” and has performed in a myriad of genres. Shainwald has represented women in thousands of cases against harmful pharmaceutical drugs.

Close, an acclaimed actress, will join the ranks of Prince Charles of Wales and Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, the only other people who have received an honorary fellowship from the College.

During her time at the College, Close double majored in theater and anthropology while performing in many on campus productions. She has returned to the College previously to support the arts and participate in 100 years of coeducation events. She also narrated the short movie “Her Story,” which told the story of women at the College.

Though both candidates have strengths, The Flat Hat Editorial Board ultimately feel that Vita and Thomas are the best choices to lead the student body. page 6

Campus Golf The Flat Hat continued its yearly shenanigans at Kappa Delta’s Campus Golf. In a competition between Team Old People and Team Sports, the results will surprise you. page 10

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The Flat Hat

alternative project within SA was the ride-sharing program that he organized when the College evacuated in preparation for Hurricane Florence last September. After realizing that he was unsure of his own evacuation plans, he created two forms for students to fill out. The first form asked students if they could provide a ride off campus or a safe place to stay during the evacuation, and the second form asked if students themselves needed a ride or a place to stay. Alongside other members of SA, DeMarco and his peers were able to match over 100 people who needed help evacuating.

“I thought ... I’m an out-of-stater, I have no idea how I’m getting home,” DeMarco said. “... I looked around at all the other students panicking, and I was like, ‘There’s no way anyone else here is in a better spot than I am, at least, most people.’ You don’t need to write a bill to get things done; in fact, I think it’s actually the opposite.”

He noted that student participation in SA is integral to getting things done, citing the time when representatives from the College’s chapter of Students United came and shared their perspectives during the meeting’s public comment segment.

“I was happy that these people feel like they’re being heard ... that was really powerful. After that, people kept on coming,” DeMarco said.

DeMarco was especially moved when tens of students showed up for the public comment about the Higher Standards Resolution, which requested the Board of Visitors call for Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s resignation after it was reported that he had used blackface while attending a party during medical school. Although Northam has made no impression of a potential resignation, many bodies, including the College, felt compelled to voice their opinion on the situation.

Outside of SA, DeMarco is also an active member of Fraternity and Sorority Life as a brother of the Virginia Kappa chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. He is also the Health and Wellness Vice President of the Interfraternity Council.

In that position, DeMarco oversaw the creation of a new Supporting Survivors program last semester, which requires all fraternities in the IFC to undergo training from a campus health organization such as Health Outreach Peer Educators or Someone You Know in order to remain in the council and avoid citations.

“SA can’t really interact with the Greek

YOUR

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

VOICE EMMA FORD, KIMBERLY LORES //

FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR, FLAT HAT STAFF WRITER After serving two terms as the Student Assembly class of 2021 president, David DeMarco ’21 is running to be SA president to better represent the concerns of the student body. He believes that the experiences of his running mate Nyla Pollard ’21, a women’s basketball player and a newcomer to SA, can bridge these gaps and ensure greater student representation.

In SA, DeMarco has devoted time to improving the College of William and Mary’s food options,

which are currently provided by Sodexo USA. DeMarco has urged the administration to ensure that Sodexo upholds its contract and provides quality food to students. According to surveys conducted by DeMarco and other class presidents, dining is among the student body’s primary concerns.

DeMarco’s work has improved the Tribe Truck, which opened after spring break and now offers a rotating menu and accepts meal swipes as payment.

Besides dining reform, DeMarco’s favorite

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concerns and attends city meetings. Both Vita and Thomas co-founded the SA Title IX Committee, which has inspired much of their campaign involving Title IX reform on campus.

“I would say that a lot of my priorities have been related to making sure that this campus is an accessible space for students of all different communities,” Vita said. “In addition to making it safe, I think that connects to the work we have done with Title IX. Student rights [and] mental wellness is something that is also very important to me.”

Thomas was the chair of the Public Affairs Committee her sophomore year. Thomas communicated with the College’s Chief of Police Deborah Cheesebro from her sophomore year onwards to discuss campus safety, which is among her campaign’s primary initiatives.

Thomas has been part of multiple initiatives this year to improve safety at the College, including improving lighting around campus and installing rapid flashing beacons at relatively unsafe areas around campus. One of Thomas’ favorite bills she sponsored on this campus have involved interfaith harmony. Both Thomas and Vita have also worked on the Out of the Darkness walk, which promotes mental health and student well-being.

“It’s been such a growth experience for me this past year in just learning how to lead by listening and how to work with many, many people and senate, and kind of serve as the face of the senate,” Thomas said. “I’ve organized all of the meetings, all of the retreats that have happened, the bonding and tried to create an environment ‘STABILITAS ET FIDES’ | ESTABLISHED OCT. 3, 1911 that’s welcoming for senators, 25 Campus Center, The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Va. 23185 especially the freshman so they feel comfortable.”

Editor flathat.editor@gmail.com Opinions fhopinions@gmail.com Managing flathat.managing@gmail.com Variety flathat.variety@gmail.com One piece of legislation Vita Executive flathat.executive@gmail.com Photos flathatphotos@gmail.com News fhnews@gmail.com Online flathatonline@gmail.com and Thomas are both proud Sports flathatsports@gmail.com Advertising flathatads@gmail.com to have worked on is “The .

Copy flathatcopy@gmail.com Graphics flathat.art@gmail.com Blogs fhnews.blogs@gmail.com Act” that sought to provide menstrual products in women Nia Kitchin Editor-in-Chief and gender neutral bathrooms Ethan Brown Managing Editor Brendan Doyle Executive Editor around campus.

Maggie More Digital Media Editor In addition to SA, Vita Maddie Douglas Business Manager Kevin Richeson Operations Coordinator and Thomas are both active Amelia Sandhovel Business Manager Adam An Webmaster around campus through other Heather Baier News Editor Katherine Yenzer Blogs Editor Emma Ford News Editor Kayla Payne Graphics Editor organizations. They are both Leslie Davis News Editor Naomi Gruber Online Editor members of the Alpha Chi Zoe Beardsley Variety Editor Claire Hogan Online Editor Adithi Ramakrishnan Variety Editor Jae Chung Copy Chief chapter of Gamma Phi Beta.

Gavin Aquin Sports Editor Zoe Connell Copy Chief Vita is also an executive board Avery Lackner Sports Editor Jamie Holt Photos Editor Anna Boustany Opinions Editor Rebecca Klinger Photos Editor member for the William and Chloe Folmar Opinions Editor Charles Coleman Chief Staff Writer Mary Young Democrats, which Olivia Koenig Social Media Editor Averill Meininger Chief Staff Writer Kate Lucas Blogs Editor Alyssa Grzesiak Chief Features Writer she has participated in since her freshman year.

Fernando Castro News Assoc. Editor Alyssa Slovin Opinions Assoc. Editor Sarah Greenberg News Assoc. Editor Caroline Wall Opinions Assoc. Editor “I think being a part of those Karina Vizzoni News Assoc. Editor Nathan Seidel Sports Assoc. Editor political conversations on Suzanne Cole Variety Assoc. Editor Griffin Dunn Business Assoc. Editor Isabella Miranda Variety Assoc. Editor Margaret Lashley Design Assoc. Editor campus is really enlightening,” Lauren Cohen Opinions Assoc. Editor Katherine Stone Design Assoc. Editor Vita said. “It was an interesting Anthony Madalone Opinions Assoc. Editor Christian Borio Copy Editor Lizzie Brown Copy Editor time to be coming into campus as a Democrat because I think

community too much, so I think having the voice of two sides there is important,” DeMarco said.

He also participates in theater and music organizations at the College, which he partially does in order to meet diverse groups of students.

“When you talk to more students around campus, that’s when you get the local knowledge,” DeMarco said. “You can put out as many surveys as you want ... but it’s about talking to people and getting those really nuanced stories, and those have been translated to the best bills in Student Assembly, and the best ideas I’ve had in Student Assembly.”

While his musical pursuits help him meet new individuals at the College, DeMarco also enjoys them as a creative outlet. He sings for an hour each day and plays the cello and the piano, which provide him a space to do things of personal interest that are not influenced by how other people think.

Coming from outside of SA, Pollard has spent a lot of time in other campus organizations, and likewise pursues extracurricular activities both out of passion and a desire to pursue her interests without judgment. Her main commitment during her time at the College has been her position on the women’s basketball team, but she has many interests outside of basketball. Majoring in education, she plans to attend graduate school in order to work with children in the future.

Pollard works with an organization called Classroom Champions, where she records videos that provide life lessons about diversity and health, and then sends them to fourth-grade classrooms in Richmond and Newport News.

Pollard is also a member of the Black Student Organization that seeks to improve diversity on campus and provide a space for African-American students at the College.

“Coming in my freshman year, being a minority on campus ... it was a welcoming community, but I would say that being in the organization has impacted how I’ve seen a shift on campus ... it was nice being a part of a growing organization,” Pollard said.

She also enjoys filmmaking as a hobby, and currently operates a YouTube channel with her roommates as an expression of that passion.

Pollard agrees with DeMarco that it is unnecessary to prove yourself to other people, which she learned during her freshman season on the basketball team.

“It wasn’t necessarily proving yourself; it was just being yourself ... do it because you want to,”

IS

Class of 2020 President Kelsey Vita ’20 has served in Student Assembly for three years.

Now­, Vita hopes to be elected as SA president to represent the entire student body and enact policy-based change on campus.

Vita selected current SA Senate Chair Ellie Thomas ’20 as her running mate. Thomas likewise believes that by fostering an environment of communication and accessibility within SA, meaningful and tangible change can be enacted alongside the administration that helps the College’s student body.

Both Vita and Thomas have worked on a variety of bills and served on several different committees throughout their time on SA. Vita is an executive liaison for the senate and is responsible for updating the senate on executive plans at each meeting. She also is the chair of the Student Rights Committee, where the committee is currently creating a student bill of rights.

Vita is currently working with the College’s chapter of Amnesty International in order to make the campus more accessible to refugees. She has been the primary sponsor of SA’s Transgender Awareness Week for three years. Vita also spearheads the SA FAQ Week, which is designed to teach the student body more about SA. Vita has also worked with Undersecretary of Student Affairs Caleb Rogers ’20 to create the Student Residents Group, which works with the city of Williamsburg to voice student

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EMMA FORD, KIMBERLY LORES //

FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR, FLAT HAT STAFF WRITER there was a lot of political polarization that we are still seeing today, so I think that has informed my work in Student Assembly because I think I felt like I had a responsibility to stand up for certain issues related to justice. I think that has informed my work but I know that at the same time when I enter Student Assembly I’m taking off my Democrat hat; I represent all students.”

In addition to Young Democrats, Vita is part of a women’s wellness group on campus called the International Movement for Resilience, Authenticity and Activism, which strives to start intersectional conversations about different women on campus. Vita discussed how her generalized anxiety has contributed to her desire of fostering safe spaces for others on campus so that students can engage in authentic and honest conversation. Thomas also has participated as a delegate for the Panhellenic Council, which oversees the College’s sororities and maintains safety standards among its chapters.

Thomas also started her own club called the Alexander Hamilton Society, which discusses informed policy and international security to foster debate on campus. She also serves on the committee for the 100 years of coeducation at the College as the student representative.

Vita and Thomas felt that experiencing the leadership of other strong women in SA helped them grow as both as women and as student leaders. They have also felt that the culture of the senate has changed, and that senators now forge more collaborative relationships with each other that benefit the organization’s functional operation.

“It’s been a privilege to learn and serve with other people,” said Thomas. “I know that I have had mentor’s in senate that I know have changed my life like Emily Grace Thomas and Alaina Shreves, and Annalise Yackow who just taught me how to be a strong female leader. I think finding my voice in that has been incredible.”

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

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NEWS ANALYSIS

SA platforms emphasize communication DeMarco, Vita raise the bar with well-researched action plans NIA KITCHIN FLAT HAT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

This year’s Student Assembly presidential election has raised the bar for future campaigns. Both presidential campaigns have released well-researched and relevant platforms for issues they would address if elected, laying out actionable steps for topics they plan to tackle in the coming year.

The campaigns differ in their scope, with Class of 2021 President David DeMarco ’21 and running mate Nyla Pollard ’21 favoring a concise and readily actionable platform based upon data of student concerns. On the other hand, Class of 2020 President Kelsey Vita ’20 and her running mate Ellie Thomas ’20 are presenting a comprehensive and long-term policy plan that emphasizes communication to address issues they believe are most important based off of their extensive experiences working in SA. There are some overarching issues that both campaigns agree are important and that they subsequently stress in their online platforms, most notably mental health and diversity. However, they clash over the level of prioritization for some issues as well as the best approach to improving campus food, parking and Title IX. Mental Health Both campaigns emphasize the importance of improving and expanding mental health resources on campus. Vita and Thomas plan to push for the hiring of more therapists at the Counseling Center and the creation of a fund for students requiring off-campus care by appealing to the Parent and Family Council to allocate money. DeMarco and Pollard call for hiring new therapists using student fees, and then working to find a more sustainable solution in the future. Both campaigns agree that there should be a focus on hiring more diverse therapists.

In order to address the stress culture on campus that can exacerbate mental health issues, DeMarco and Pollard plan to advocate for a College Policy Wellness Clause, in which if a student has three or more exams over the course of one week, they would receive an automatic extension on one of them. Vita and Thomas would focus on creating a culture of wellness by working with Earl Gregg Swem Library to develop finals programming and hosting speakers on campus who destigmatize mental health. They also plan to implement programs that provide students greater access to information that would assist them in making decisions regarding their own mental health, as well as for the well-being of their friends.

DeMarco and Vita disagree about the impact of care reports — Vita’s campaign strives to ensure that students feel in control and supported throughout the reporting process, and they plan to initiate open discussion about the necessity and impact of care reports, especially during orientation. In contrast, DeMarco’s ticket argues that care reports should be expanded to graduate schools, and that the fear and stigma around care reporting can be fixed by making the care reporting process more transparent to students.

Both campaigns plan to continue pushing for an online appointment-booking process for the Counseling Center and developing more comprehensive mental health training for students.

Mental health is thoroughly addressed in both candidates’ platforms and there is consensus between the tickets on several points. DeMarco and Pollard’s plan is more focused and addresses concrete changes to immediately improve the lives of those affected by mental health, while Vita and Thomas emphasize changing the culture on campus and the College’s approach to mental health in a broad and inclusive manner meant to assist every student.

Diversity Vita and Thomas’ campaign includes a broad range of initiatives that address diversity in the classroom, residence halls and administrative departments, while DeMarco and Pollard are incorporating diversity considerations into each of their five platform priorities.

Vita and Thomas said they want to advocate for a diversity committee in every academic department and increase student input in faculty hiring decisions as part of a broader initiative to hire more people of color. They also intend to push for the creation of spaces on campus for minority groups and encourage all students to attend events characterized as diverse, as well as incentivizing cross-cultural programming more broadly. While they acknowledge that Residence Life policy mandates placing students in a hall that corresponds with their gender identity, Vita and Thomas cite student reports that this might not always be the case and promise to advocate for transgender students.

In the DeMarco and Pollard campaign, diversity is woven into the main points of improved food and curtailing polarization by advocating for more cultural cuisines and speakers with unique viewpoints.

Between the two campaigns, the DeMarco and Pollard campaign has chosen not to focus as much on specific diversity policies, instead opting to pursue a more simplified platform. While this platform is based on student survey responses that show diversity is only the fifth most important priority to students, DeMarco and Pollard could work to more effectively fold diversity into their top five priorities. Conversely, Vita and Thomas have included a broad range of diversity initiatives to both change the overall culture of campus to be more welcoming and provide actionable plans to improve diversity on campus.

Food DeMarco and Pollard’s campaign prioritizes improving food options for students on campus, with many different avenues of action where DeMarco has already made some inroads over his past two years in SA. Vita and Thomas have taken a different approach to improving dining services, focusing more on improving dining halls for students with eating disorders and increasing access to existing food options.

DeMarco’s campaign would push for introducing new restaurant options for students on campus and work with Sodexo to improve dining hall food and add locations that would take flex and swipes. He would also advocate for juniors and seniors living on campus as well as residents of Sorority Court, Fraternity Row and Ludwell Apartments to be able to opt out of choosing a meal plan. DeMarco and Pollard emphasize the importance of continued communication with Sodexo and student feedback so effective change can be made.

Vita and Thomas would instead advocate for removing calorie counts from dining halls or imposing a QR code to help students recovering from eating disorders. They also want to improve food options for students with allergies, while simultaneously pushing for another Tribe Truck to be installed near Swem. Their emphasis is more on student advocacy within pre-existing groups, like the Student Culinary Council, in order to make student’s food preferences heard.

DeMarco and Pollard clearly have a comprehensive plan to make real change happen with food on campus, aided by DeMarco’s extensive prior experience communicating with Sodexo about changes with Tribe Trucks taking swipes and student surveys.

Vita and Thomas’ plan includes actionable social and economic justice points but does not address the primary issue students on campus have with the food options available.

Title IX The Vita and Thomas campaign deals extensively with Title IX and sexual assault prevention, and Vita said that this would be the first issue she pursues if elected. She wants to improve student training with sexual assault and have opt-in trainings for recognized student organizations. She also wants to switch the reporting software from Advocate to Callisto for Title IX reporting in order to give survivors more agency in the reporting process. Callisto has an option to create a confidential report of an assault, but the survivor can choose to wait to officially report it until they are notified that another person has named the same perpetrator. Vita and Thomas would also hold forums on Title IX and implement a Start by Believing Campaign in order to receive feedback on how current policies are working and to change the way that sexual assault is talked about on campus.

DeMarco and Pollard’s campaign platform does not explicitly reference sexual assault or Title IX. DeMarco said that is because so many organizations at the College, like Health Outreach Peer Educators and Someone You Know, are already engaged in productive work on this topic. DeMarco also said that he disagrees with Vita’s proposal to change the reporting software, arguing that holding off on reporting someone for sexual assault until they have already harmed someone else is dangerous. DeMarco added that it would be a better alternative to stop the perpetrator before they commit another crime.

The two campaigns have chosen to approach the issue of Title IX very differently. Vita believes that this is an issue SA should be actively involved in and that supporting survivors is one of the most important actions she would take on as president. This campaign clearly has put a great deal of thought into this issue and addressed it thoroughly in their policy platform, listing changes that they are ready to make. DeMarco has not officially addressed the issue in his platform because it is not listed by students as a priority based on his survey (“harassment” is listed as the issue sixth most important to students) and because he believes other student groups have already taken up this cause and are making great strides.

Parking Parking advocacy is another point on DeMarco and Pollard’s five-pointed star of priorities. They point to student concerns with limited parking and heavy fines to shape their aims of constructing more parking garages and advocating for reducing or eliminating student ticket fines and parking pass costs. They also address the limited appeals process and propose implementing a peer advocate program for students to be walked through the process by students familiar with it.

Vita and Thomas’ campaign does not prioritize parking in the same way, opting instead to include it as a point on their public affairs and campus safety platform. They also identify creating more campus parking as a goal, and reference the possibility of more clearly labeling parking restrictions for students with passes.

While both campaigns address student concerns with limited parking and extensive fines, DeMarco and Pollard’s platform identifies this issue as a priority for them and creates more aggressive action items for their time in office. Vita and Thomas take a less assertive and detailed plan for improving parking, while still including it as a smaller issue.

Campaigns feature similar goals, different approaches DeMarco selects SA outsider as running mate, Vita prioritizes long-term goals ELECTION from page 1

“When you look at the difference between our team and Kelsey and Ellie’s team ... it’s very clear from their website that it’s a lot of people that are already in Student Assembly...” DeMarco said. “I think that’s really good in a lot of ways, but what I’ve found is that when a large majority of people on their team have already been on exec, and in fact, in their flyer, literally right behind them is Brendan Boylan, the current president — is that the best thing, to have everyone on your team already be in Student Assembly, already be in the current administration? ... While experience is important and knowledge about that is important, I think bringing in new voices is also important.”

Vita said that their ticket emphasizes the role of students as important change makers on campus and that through fostering strong relationships between the student body and SA, greater collective action can materialize at the College. According to Vita and Thomas, their platform supports greater student advocacy in school policy, and includes ways that the College can improve certain aspects of school policy to better reflect student needs.

In his two years in SA, DeMarco has attended different club meetings on a weekly basis and has sent out surveys to students asking what changes they wanted to see on campus.

“When I got here, I was like, ‘If I get elected, I am giving 100 percent to Student Assembly,’” DeMarco said. “... I’ve been able to dedicate a lot of time in comparison to a lot [of ] other people in Student Assembly to it and that turns into me being the only one going out to club meetings and chapter meetings, which is something that we should standardize.”

During his campaign, DeMarco has claimed that SA does not sufficiently represent the student body, evidenced by a survey that he has placed at the forefront of his campaign. This survey indicates that SA’s top priorities revolve around internal affairs, while the primary priority for the rest of the student body is dining reform.

“That’s why talking to students is so important, because you can’t do collective action and getting things done unless you’re actually talking to students,” DeMarco said.

On a similar note of collective reform, Vita and Thomas both want to change the voting practices of SA and instead support bills that promote tangible change on campus. A particular concern for Vita and Thomas is education on Title IX, as well as further reform on how the College handles sexual assault cases.

Vita’s ticket plans to increase communication between the Title IX Coordinator and student body, so that students can have a better understanding of how Title IX claims are processed. They want the College’s Title IX Coordinator to set up an action plan related to the proposed changes of Secretary of Education Betsy Devos, as well as a statement that the College will not drop its standards because of a potential change. Vita and Thomas also want executive board members of clubs to take a training class to provide them with tools to protect members of their organizations.

“The next two parts of training include supporting survivors and also how to deal with if you think you might have a perpetrator in your organization,” Vita said.

Vita wanted to run for SA President with Thomas as her vice president primarily because they share similar visions for the College. The two met during their freshman year serving in SA, and have worked on numerous bills together in the past three years.

A particular favorite of the two is “The . Act” which sought to bring menstrual products to bathrooms around campus, including gender neutral bathrooms.

According to DeMarco, he decided to approach Pollard — who has no prior SA experience — to run with him in order to imbue his campaign with ideas from the student body at large.

“She is outside of Student Assembly, and she is really active in the community, so she really also is in touch,” DeMarco said.

DeMarco and Pollard have centered their

campaign on listening to other people’s stories and experiences with a focus on improving representation on campus. Pollard believes that playing for the women’s basketball team and being a member of the Black Student Organization have helped her get to know the concerns of diverse groups of people on campus.

Both Vita and DeMarco want to increase the number of therapists available in the counseling center as well as improve the diversity of the counseling staff. They both hope that by doing so, all students will feel comfortable attending counseling sessions.

In addition to mental health, DeMarco and Pollard also plan to establish a “wellness clause” that would institute a policy that would provide relief in the form of extensions for students who have a certain number of exams or projects within one week.

If elected, Vita and Thomas hope to work with University Advancement and the Parent and Family Counsel to set up an endowment to fund more counselors in the College’s counseling center. They would also look to bring Callisto — a software which time-stamps a sexual assault if the victim records it while simultaneously searching for repeat offenders and allowing the victim to remain anonymous unless they choose to come forward — to campus.

“This could be really impactful on campus in helping survivors and also with finding perpetrators and protecting people, and that kind of follows the theme of keeping people safe on campus,” Thomas said.

They also want to advocate for more uniform expectations for faculty hiring practices across departments, such as ensuring the presence of a diversity committee in each department and exploring having potential new faculty members give trial lectures to students are hired. They have also proposed potential one-credit vetted courses taught by students.

Vita and Thomas aim to reform SA finance and make it a less difficult process for student

groups to ask for funding for events. In addition, they would like to enact a “price-per-head” policy when groups seek event funding to ensure that events are well-attended and that money is being allocated fairly.

Vita and Thomas are investigating the possibility of removing calorie count displays in the dining halls, and instead allowing that information to be viewable online for students who explicitly wish to see it.

“That can be kind of triggering for people with eating disorders … we still need to have conversations about the feasibility of it,” Vita said.

Improving dining services is similarly a priority for DeMarco, who has paired up with Sodexo USA to provide better food items to the College’s dining halls and reviving the Tribe Truck, where students are now allowed to use meal swipes instead of Dining Dollars. DeMarco has stressed that he was the first member of SA who reached out to the administration to bring forward concerns about Sodexo’s food quality.

DeMarco and Pollard are also prioritizing student life. As a commuter, Pollard wants to advocate for reorganization of the parking spots and the ticketing policy on campus, something that she believes has often been looked at as an unsolvable problem.

Current President of SA Brendan Boylan ’19, current Vice President Samir Tawalare ’19, current Chief of Staff Rachel Becker ’19, Class of 2019 President Sikander Zakriya ’19, Sen. Cody Mills ’20, Sen. Vicky Morales ’22, Sen. Meghana Boojala ’22, Secretary of Student Life Samyuktha Mahadevan ’19 and Undersecretary of Williamsburg Affairs Caleb Rogers ’20 have all endorsed Vita’s campaign on social media.

Sen. Margaret Lister ’21 and Sen. Mark Smith ’22 have endorsed DeMarco’s campaign.

The student body will also vote for SA senator positions and class presidents March 21. The class of 2020 senator and presidential races are uncontested. A special election will take place next fall semester to fill vacant 2020 senate positions.

Page 4

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

CAMPUS

Vigil honors New Zealand shooting victims Muslim Student Association, local leaders advocate against hate NIA KITCHIN FLAT HAT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Students from the College of William and Mary Muslim Student Association organized Monday, March 18, alongside the Center for Student Diversity, to hold a prayer vigil for the families of the mass shooting at Al Noor mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand. Students, college officials and community members came together to fill the entire Commonwealth Auditorium.

Local leaders, students from the MSA and Bruce Jacobson — College President Katherine Rowe’s husband — spoke in front of the crowd about the history of white supremacy and violence against Muslims to urge action and advocacy against hate, as well as to express their fear, grief and love for their community following this massacre.

MSA presidents Zauhirah Tipu ’19 and Fatima Chaudhry ’19 opened the vigil by recounting the Muslim community’s experience with oppression and violence, and by describing the horror stemming from these actions of hatred. However, they also emphasized how the community has come together in the wake of this tragedy and brought its strength out into the public

eye. After expounding on these tragedies, they also called on the crowd to not let this be the extent of their support for the Muslim community.

“Do not let the next action you take be attending another candlelight vigil,” Tipu said.

Tipu and Chaudhry vocalized the grief they felt for those who were lost Friday in Christchurch and emphasized their support for Muslim communities around the world who were hurting.

Chaudhry emphasized that this was not about the perpetrator, and though he believed he was hurting their communities, he failed to do so.

“While he believes he took 50 lives away, he also created 50 martyrs who have been sent to the highest realms of heaven,” Chaudhry said.

Because Rowe was out of town and could not speak at the vigil herself, Jacobson spoke for them both about how profoundly saddened and outraged he was after the massacre. He spoke about how essential it was to live together in solidarity as a community despite differences.

Wesley Campus Minister Max Blalock then gave an impassioned appeal to the crowd about standing up together for

those who are less privileged. Identifying himself as an example of someone in a position to advocate for others because of his social privilege as a straight, white Christian, he urged others to do the same.

“It is important, especially for those like me who are white and Christian, to put our asses on the line for those who are targeted,” Blalock said.

Blalock said that this violence and hate was being expressed far too often, and that people dying in houses of worship was incomprehensible. Going forward, he said that gathering together after a tragedy is not enough, and that this massacre should act as a wakeup call.

“I don’t know if there’s any better call for us not just to love and gather but be willing to wage peace as fervently as some people want to wage violence and terror and war,” Blalock said.

Students from the MSA then took turns on the stage, speaking about their personal experiences with their mosques at home, sorrow for those who were lost, fear for their communities and hope for the future.

To close the vigil, the crowd was directed to light candles and listen to a traditional Muslim prayer.

STUDENT LIFE

Williamsburg Sunrise Movement joins Youth Climate Strike Speakers call for climate change reform, demand renewable solutions

NIA KITCHIN FLAT HAT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Students at the College of William and Mary gathered in the Sunken Garden on one of Williamsburg’s first spring days to demand action on climate change. Activists from the Williamsburg Sunrise Movement Hub organized this protest as well as a student strike in solidarity with the U.S. Youth Climate Strike.

This strike saw students from across the nation leaving their classes Friday, March 15 and converging together to urge political leaders to act on climate change. The student strike from classes was started by 16-year-old Greta Thunberg who began protesting every Friday in front of the Swedish parliament a year and half ago. Students at the College joined an estimated one million others from around the globe in skipping class.

At the College, student leaders from the Sunrise Movement, the College’s chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists and the American Indian Student Association spoke about the necessity of addressing climate change.

“Today we are taking action with students around the world who are also striking for their futures,” Sunrise Movement member Hannah Ferster ‘19 said.

After a crowd of roughly 40 students had gathered at the east end of the Sunken Garden, Ferster spoke from the top of the stairs. She explained that the Sunrise Movement is a youth movement aimed at stopping climate change and ending the fossil fuel industry’s influence in politics. Referencing an estimate from the United Nations, Ferster reminded the crowd that unless drastic changes take place, only 11 years remain before the worst effects of climate change are felt.

“We are fighting for a future where we all have clean air and water, a stable climate and the economic stability to live fulfilling lives,” Ferster said. “We are fighting for a future where justice is central to our decisions, and historically oppressed communities are empowered and invested in. We have a vision of a vastly better future and we are striking today to show the power of this vision.”

Ferster spoke about how she felt exploited by fossil fuel companies who were selling out her

future and those of her community for a profit.

She emphasized that low-income communities, indigenous communities and communities of color are disproportionately affected by climate change. According to Ferster, this crisis has become so urgent due to the lack of action taken by politicians, leaving the fight for change up to a younger generation. It is this generation who will have to face the consequences of the inaction of their political leaders.

The US climate strike, led by students, has identified five main points that they think are essential to fight climate change. These include passing a Green New Deal, halting all fossil fuel infrastructure projects, mandating that all decisions by the government be tied to scientific research, declaring a national emergency on climate change and making climate change education compulsory from kindergarten through eighth grade.

“Climate change should be a nonpartisan issue that is only directed by the best scientific knowledge available, but it hasn’t been this way in the past, and early education is the best way to ensure that these decisions are being made according to science and not politics,” Ferster said.

In addition, the Williamsburg Sunrise Movement Hub outlined three demands that they have for the College in order to show bold leadership at the local level. These demands include the College’s commitment to 100 percent renewable energy on campus by 2030, the divestment of all stocks, bonds and investment funds from fossil fuel companies and a minimum wage of $15 for all campus employees. Ferster said that this last demand is important to climate change because lower-income communities are most affected by climate change, so it is essential that they have the financial resources to protect themselves from its effects.

“We are here because everyone has something to do with climate change,” Ferster said. “This is an issue that touches every person and every part of our lives.”

After Ferster spoke, YDSA member Colin Cochran ’21 talked about the human toll that climate change enforces across the globe and urged those present to hold wealthy executives

NIA KITCHIN / THE FLAT HAT

About 40 students gathered on campus in solidarity with the U.S. Youth Climate Strike protesting climate change.

and powerful political leaders accountable for their actions. He said that these influential figures use their wealth and power to stall action on climate change while profiting off of the fossil fuel industry.

“It’s incorrect to say that we are approaching disaster,” Cochran said. “Disaster is already here and any delay at this point means more lives lost, more people forced from their homes and more ecological devastation.”

Cochran called for an immediate transition from fossil fuel-based economies, explaining that changes need to go beyond the individual level.

He also called for the rejection of the eco-fascism that countries take part in when they continue to exploit the resources of the less fortunate while only protecting their own people from the effects of climate change.

Finally, AISA President Maggie Orozco ’21 spoke about the destructive nature of climate change, especially when it comes to indigenous communities. She also emphasized that this is an issue that affects everyone and that students at the

College can and should take up a leadership role in fighting climate change and set an example for other universities.

“We need to take more steps here at a college level,” Orozco said. “We only have 11 years to before we have very, very destructive impasse.

And we’re all college students so we work pretty well under pressure, so I say we could probably do something about this here at William and Mary.”

Isabel Agostino ’22, who attended the strike, said she had been saving her permitted skips from her Friday discussion class and thought that this would be a perfect use of them. As a student pursuing an environmental policy track, Agostino said she was terrified of the current state of the climate.

“I just really think that our world is important, so if it’s going to a place where we don’t have the same sort of diversity and beautiful locations and incredible life we see every day, that is not something I want to happen,” Agostino said. “So, if people are struggling with making a change I want to help.”

Former FBI Director James Comey ’82 discusses integrity, ethics in career College alum highlights optimism for future of U.S. political climate despite current administration CLAIRE HOGAN FLAT HAT ONLINE EDITOR

Friday, March 15, James Comey ’82 returned to campus for a talk about integrity and politics. Surrounded by government majors sitting throughout the rows of Tucker Theater, Comey discussed his experiences as United States Deputy Attorney General and Director of the FBI before answering questions from students.

Comey opened with a story about his time as deputy attorney general that featured an ethical dilemma he faced regarding a National Security Agency surveillance program called “Stellar Wind.”

“I had never heard of Stellar Wind [and] didn’t know anything about it,” Comey said. “It involved the NSA conducting surveillance in the United States for counter-terrorism purposes, which was extraordinarily unusual, and conducting that surveillance in an unusual way that was really problematic.”

Comey went on to explain that the program, sponsored by former President

George W. Bush, was sponsoring surveillance actions without the president’s knowledge, which violated a statute of Congress. The program was due for renewal and the White House renewed the program without the consent of the attorney general.

Comey and Attorney Robert Mueller decided to quit if the program continued its illegal actions, putting themselves on the line to prevent the Justice Department from authorizing an illegal program.

Their strategy worked and the program was reshaped to fit within existing legal guidelines. Comey said that his decision in the moment originated from his judgment abilities.

“It really helped me to close my eyes and say, ‘Ok, what could be said about this three years from now? What will be said about this in Congress, in the media, in academia?”

Comey said. “... How will it be thought about in different places and times?’ Take this crisis and move it around. In my mind, that’s judgment. Judgment is the ability to inspect a thing from different angles, and especially from different places in time,

and see it as others could see it.”

In the subsequent question and answer session, Comey touched on some of his recent judgments, including his decision to announce that the FBI was reopening the case of Hillary Clinton’s emails less than two weeks before the 2016 election. Comey explained his actions as a tough choice between two bad options: he could either speak about the investigation or conceal it from Congress and the American public.

“Speaking would suck, because it might have an impact on the election of the president of the United States, that’s the last thing on Earth we want to do,” Comey said. “But what about that other thing?

Concealing, in our judgment, would cause catastrophic damage to the institutions of justice, at least for the rest of our lives, probably forever,” Comey said. “Which should we choose, something that sucks, or something that’s catastrophic? It’s not that hard, actually. We gotta do the suck thing.”

Some students who attended the talk shifted their perspectives on Comey’s actions regarding the

investigation into Hillary Clinton.

“I was on the side of like, ok, maybe he did something wrong,” Erin McClain ’22 said.

“But after listening to him, I understood. He was in a really tough position. It was nice to see that there are people working in the government, for the government, that have integrity and have morals and are catering to what’s best for the American people.”

Other students were encouraged

by Comey’s tough decision on the Clinton investigation.

“Hearing his thought process and how he had two choices that both were difficult was really good to hear and also made me feel more confident in our government — that there are people in the system who are doing it for the right reasons and are apolitical in the Department of Justice,” Sophia Moustaid ’22 said.

Comey also discussed the current political climate in the United States under President Donald Trump, saying that he is optimistic about the future despite Trump’s negative impacts on domestic politics.

“I describe in my book that Donald Trump

is a forest fire,” Comey said. “I chose forest fire because he is doing great damage, shortterm damage, to the truth most importantly.

I don’t care whether you’re a Republican or Democrat, it’s not ok for the president to be a chronic liar. But I chose forest fire because, in the wake of a forest fire, amazing things grow that could not grow before. The old, boring trees were soaking up the water and the air and the light, I feel that already. I know the history of this country; I’ve seen us before and what forces us upward again is that the values of this country are too strong to be screwed up by any one leader.”

Students like Selene Swanson ‘22 found Comey’s optimism heartening.

“I thought it was really good how he talked about how America has its ups and downs, and it does give me a lot of hope,” Swanson said. “It’s good to hear it from someone who’s been up close and personal and involved in that, because it’s easy to be optimistic when you don’t know how the sausage gets made, but the fact that even James Comey can be optimistic, makes me optimistic.”

opinions

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

The Flat Hat

| Tuesday, March 19, 2019 | Page 5

GUEST COLUMNS

Students voice support in SA presidential race DeMarco, Pollard demonstrate community Vita, Thomas possess vital experience, involvement, awareness of student needs display commitment to student body Sally Fraker

Jeremy Simmons

FLAT HAT GUEST WRITER

I have always seen Student Assembly as nothing more than a resume boost for those in it. Never have I been able to name an initiative that SA has accomplished; that is, never was I able to name a noteworthy initiative until meeting David DeMarco. As a transfer student new to the College of William and Mary this year, I am in awe of David’s commitment to making this school a better place for everyone, not just for his fellow members of SA. His actions have made me realize that student governments truly have the ability to make substantial change, provided the right people are running it.

The first time I met David was before I was even a student here. I visited the school during my initial thoughts of transferring, and in the short minutes I interacted with him, I was amazed and almost intimidated by his dedication and ability to make connections with people. Almost a year later, on the first day of classes last fall, I walked into my climate change class not expecting to know anyone. Moments after taking my seat, none other than David came in and sat down right next to me and welcomed me like we had been friends for years.

Since then, David has never stopped encouraging me to share concerns with him. He even has personally reached out to my friends, who he has no direct connection to, to find out how he can improve their time at the College. For two years he has been attending different club and chapter meetings, putting out surveys, and sitting out on the Sadler terrace dressed as Santa, all to find out what students’ main issues are.

Of course, anyone can ask students for their opinions, but the hard part is truly listening and then acting on it. David has shown repeatedly that he has the drive and the capability to confront student concerns and then make meaningful change for the better. Some of my best friends are vegetarian, and it is a challenge every day for them to find food options in the dining halls. I have seen them sit down to eat with a plate of carrots and cucumbers for lunch because there is nothing else available. We have seen everything from labeled vegetarian options with bacon in it, to bugs in the vegetables. When we reached out to David about it, his response was “I have a meeting with a Sodexo representative soon, and I will bring it up then.” We now have a Tribe Truck that accepts meal swipes and has vegetarian options every week because of what David was able to do after hearing student voices.

FLAT HAT GUEST WRITER

Food and other problems of that magnitude The reason I am supporting Kelsey Vita and aren’t the only things he cares about. I have come Ellie Thomas in this election is simply that they to him with issues as small as one bad experience have been supporting me throughout their time in with Tribe Card Services and within a week he had Student Assembly. a meeting scheduled with them. He even gave me Flashing back to freshman year, I remember the opportunity to attend the meeting with him.

Kelsey running for class president. Her campaign His action against such small concerns, if nothing and platform won me over because of the high else, shows his genuine devotion to every individual probability of seeing student. change occur with Additionally, Nyla her placement represents a critical fresh in SA. After she perspective to SA. SA won, she hosted has continuously office hours for disregarded the students in her opinions of students. social class to More than any other come and get candidate, Nyla to know her. understands what Since then, I the common student have had the experience is and how opportunity it can be improved. Her to get to involvement in athletics understand and in the College’s Black her as a Student Organization on leader campus exposes her to a and a friend. broad range of students and Kelsey’s energy their individual experiences. She shows her care can truly relate to what it feels like and love for not only to be a student not heard by the the school, but how people whose job it is to listen. the students want to see Partnered together, David it change for the better and Nyla have the ability to during their time here. dramatically improve student When I met Ellie the first life. Having been in SA since time, I felt that exact same arriving at the College, David energy. The passion Ellie knows how it runs and how to and Kelsey possess to make use the position to accurately the school better through the address what students are feedback of the students shows concerned about. Having never that they are ready and willing been in Student Assembly, to do the work it takes to make Nyla can address what she a change. has witnessed first-hand and The initiatives that offer her unique perspective these two have sponsored on student representation. and helped cultivate have Because of this, David and Nyla accumulated into a long list have my vote for SA President that reaches so many different and Vice President. students across campus and Email Sally Fraker at really takes their interests safraker@email.wm.edu.

GRAPHIC BY KAYLA PAYNE / THE FLAT HAT into account. For example,

Kelsey is the founder of and main sponsor on SA’s FAQ Week, which is currently SA’s biggest outreach initiative. She also was a main sponsor along Sen. Anthony Joseph ’21 on the Higher Standard Resolution, which denounced the use of blackface and called for the creation of a SA Committee on Race Relations, which is charged with working on issues related to greater hiring of faculty of color as well as renaming buildings on campus which are currently named after racist and Confederate figures. Kelsey is also the main Senate sponsor on Transgender Awareness Week and has been for the past three years, while also serving as the main sponsor on the Out of Darkness Walk for suicide prevention this year. The crazy thing is that the list goes on, and these are just the things Kelsey has already been able to accomplish.

Ellie has also worked hard to be an advocate for students. She was Chair of the Public Affairs Committee, in which she helped start a relationship with Police Chief Deb Cheesebro to advocate bringing more lighting on campus for campus safety. Also, Ellie was the primary sponsor for Interfaith Harmony Week for the past two years, which helped to promote empathy and compassion for others on campus. Lastly, Ellie and Kelsey worked vigilantly on the Period Project with members of SA, HOPE and VOX to install dispensers for free pads and tampons in hightraffic, gender neutral bathrooms across campus.

Together, these two have accomplished so much, and I believe they are ready to keep fighting for all the students they represent. In making the team and building the platform together, these two made sure that the voices across campus were heard and represented.

Whether working on Title IX reform, garnering support for increased mental healthcare access, or making sure diversity and inclusion reach into all aspects of campus, these two women have the fiery spirits to make a difference on this campus.

All in all, this shows that not only have they been successful in the past with their positions in SA, but that they have the platform that encompasses the needs of the students and have the stamina and endurance to see these plans executed as SA president and vice president.

Email Jeremy Simmons at jasimmons@email.wm.edu.

SA resolution exemplifies importance of fostering dialogue Henry Blackburn and Anthony Joseph FLAT HAT GUEST WRITERS

This past February, the Senate of the Student Assembly held a vote on the Higher Standards Resolution, which called for the immediate resignation of Governor Ralph Northam, the revocation of his honorary degree by the Board of Visitors, the firing of adjunct professor Senator Thomas Norment and the creation of an ad-hoc race relations Senate committee.

The Senate meeting saw impressive turnout from the student body and many students of color gave personal stories of their experiences with racism and other forms of bigotry. Many in attendance were moved to tears. The Senate passed the resolution unanimously, showing that it will not stand silent to racial intolerance.

While we are glad that the resolution passed, we still feel as if the weight of Northam’s actions has not been fully appreciated.

In fact, we believe that parts of the campus community — whether in Student Assembly or any other part of campus — do not agree with us in that Northam’s actions deserved the strong response that the Senate offered in their resolution. In fact, many who defend Northam and those like him say that their actions were committed during a different time — a time when racist expressions were acceptable to most people. We think this is correct; social standards were different in Northam’s day.

People wore blackface and caricatured black people and culture much more openly than people do now, so obviously something has changed in our social consciousness. But while this points to such actions being “acceptable” then, it says nothing about whether they were right. This, we believe, is the crux of the disagreement between those who think otherwise and our beliefs.

If we as Americans are going to commit ourselves to the basic and foundational idea that there are right and wrong things in our world, we need to have standards for what makes those things right or wrong. These standards must be consistent and can’t be nullified by what society thought was right, wrong or unworthy of consideration. Otherwise, every atrocity in American history that was either approved or left unconsidered by the majority of people — typically white, well-meaning people who did not think too hard about what was going on or what the consequences of their complicity would be — is no longer subject to moral judgment. Slavery, the Trail of Tears,

Japanese internment, the Tuskegee studies and every other injustice under the sun can be justified by saying, “Well, it was a different time. These things seem bad to us now, but people didn’t know any better.” But consistent, historical objections to each one of these examples show that someone did know better — a small group of people often had the courage to think for themselves, stand up, and loudly proclaim that what was happening was wrong.

Even then, the objection might be raised: what if nobody truly knew better back then? What if nobody was there to protest injustice, to fight against the mainstream? To this we say: so what? If we limit ourselves to thinking that the people of today do not have the power to judge the people of yesterday, then we have given up our very ability to think that we are capable of being better, more decent people than the monsters of our history. Northam is not a monster — he’s probably far from it. But we must realize that his past is not something that can be cut away. We must realize that this racism and intolerance is something that we have to talk about, no matter how uncomfortable it is.

With all this in mind, the question we now face is: what now? How do we combat institutionalized racism within our collegiate realm? Do we shame and admonish them? Do we drag them through the streets and make an example of them?

The easy solution is to say “yes” and welcome these forms of punishment, but we hope everyone can see how detrimental that is to the goal of understanding, equality, and civility. As humans, we fear what we do not understand. How are we going to come to terms with one another if we are threatening to harm each other? It is already a big ask for humans to let go of their preconceived notions of one another. While we think we’re right and that basic social awareness confirms our position, we don’t think that forcing and reprimanding with shame and violence is the answer. History has already proven those tactics do not work.

Instead, we should create spaces where we can have revealing and meaningful conversations that can dismantle pedestals of privilege and ignorance. These are not the dubbed “safe spaces,” but areas for free speech to express different perspectives and experiences. We should have spaces where someone can come and say, “I don’t understand why blackface is bad. Can anyone explain it to me?” It may seem trivial to some who see Northam’s actions as egregious, regardless of the time period, but the fact of the matter is that not everyone does.

Should we not try to get them up to the same speed as the rest of

us? We are too quick to abandon those who are more ignorant than we are. All of us have fallen to ignorance at some point in our lives, and we should give them the same courtesy as was given to us then. After all, during the debate over the resolution, that’s what we had to do. If we had shut down our colleagues at every juncture and did not allow them to express their thoughts, we would have never succeeded in swaying their opinions.

Furthermore, we need to acknowledge our own privilege.

We are students at the College of William and Mary, one of the best schools in the country. We are receiving a premier education in the liberal arts and sciences. While more Americans are now deciding to attend college, many before us did not, and many of those who currently do attend often are not receiving the caliber of education that we are. We are not suggesting that we stop discussing the College’s shortcomings, but that we instead should take some initiative to continue to learn about one another’s lives and experiences. Is that not why we are here? Don’t we come to college to learn something that we do not understand, in hopes that we can use it for something meaningful someday? Why do we not share that approach to different social perspectives? Is that not the purpose of a liberal arts education? Do not take our stance as sympathy for the white supremacist, the homophobe or the misogynist. This is not about all of us holding hands and singing “Kumbaya.” This is about seeing the humanity in one another. This is about giving people a forum where they can try to understand. These spaces do not have to be sanctioned by the College or even run by a club. These are spaces that can form within groups of friends and residence halls. We cannot expect understanding to happen on its own then start complaining and wondering how this happened or asking, “what time period are they still stuck in?”

We should take the time to have these conversations from the very beginning.

For those who are still on the fence or claim that we have done enough, we strongly urge you to reconsider. The civil rights movement did not die with its activists — it died because of the complacency amongst the American people, namely the white electorate. So, we hope that our colleagues read this, harken back to the importance of receiving a social education, and decide to be involved in the dialogue. It begs your immediate and resolute attention — our silence is damning.

Email SA Review Board Chair Henry Blackburn ‘20 at hsblackburn@email.wm.edu and Sen. Anthony Joseph ‘21 at amjoseph@email.wm.edu.

The Flat Hat

STAFF EDITORIAL

The Flat Hat endorses Vita and Thomas for SA Presidency The two tickets for Student Assembly President and Vice President have highlighted issues important to the community of the College of William and Mary as a whole, and the ideals espoused by both campaigns are similar in nature. They both have their strengths and weaknesses and can learn from each other.

Both choices would serve the College’s student body well in different ways; however, with the information available to us now, we believe that the ticket of Kelsey Vita ’20 and Ellie Thomas ’20 possesses a combined experience that helps them realize what is possible to accomplish, and what should be shelved due to unrealistic expectations. Therefore, The Flat Hat chooses to endorse Vita and Thomas for SA president and vice president.

Vita, who has served the class of 2020 president for all three years, and Thomas, chair of the Senate, are both well-acquainted with SA and how to get things done.

Their platform, while broad, largely contains concrete, actionable plans, and it is clearly thoughtful in design.

Among Vita and Thomas’ best issues is campus safety.

Having dedicated time in Senate to getting pedestrian lights installed, Vita and Thomas can be trusted to continue their work in this area. Additionally, they have a plan to get the Office of First Year Experience to start implementing mass shooter prevention education — a topic that they find crucial given the massacre at Virginia Tech in 2007. Included in their plan are guidelines for accessibility in older halls such as Morton Hall, along with assisting Facilities Management to make sure doors open in such a way to disadvantage a possible assailant.

Furthermore, Vita and Thomas’ focus on Title IX as a major issue in their campaign resonates strongly in an era where survivors are gaining a long overdue voice and stage in society. Their platform includes a plan to work with the Sexual Violence Prevention Specialist and the Title IX Coordinator to ensure that survivor’s needs are met in the face of Education Secretary DeVos’s proposed changes to federal sexual assault policy. It also includes a proposal to switch to Callisto, a reporting software designed by survivors for survivors. Both of these ideas show the extent to which Vita and Thomas have considered the concerns of survivors and are willing to work to support them in the face of national challenges.

It is clear that Vita and Thomas have a strong understanding of the legislative process in Senate, as well as the abilities of the executive branch. One of the ticket’s best qualities is the achievability of its proposed policies.

The working knowledge that both Vita and Thomas have accrued over their years of service in SA shines through in their platform and their campaign and will color a potential administration.

Despite their positive attributes, should they win, Vita and Thomas have a lot to learn from David DeMarco and Nyla Pollard’s campaign. It was clear from the start of election season that DeMarco and Pollard had emphasized the importance of outreach and advocacy.

Though Vita and Thomas have been able to accomplish much through the legislative process, DeMarco has been able to get a comparable amount of work done by working from outside the established system — most notably his work with Sodexo in improving the services provided by the company to students and his efforts to use student survey data to sway administrative opinion.

However, DeMarco and Pollard’s platform is plagued with overly optimistic impossibilities. It seems as if they proposed radical, implausible ideas with the hopes that minor subpoints of their plans will be the policies that actually get approved by administration. Going forward with this plan makes it seem that they either did not do the research to see what was possible — or that they knew their plans wouldn’t be possible but decided to publish them anyway. For example, their first policy point under parking advocacy is to make parking decals free for students, an idea that is appealing in theory but impossible due to the revenue the school gains from this practice. Realistically, their plan to revamp the appeals process is less flashy but more likely to be adopted.

A place where both tickets have failed is in the issue of free speech. Vita and Thomas include in their platform the plan to implement the Chicago Statement on Free Speech, yet they advocate for trigger warnings, which are not included in the original statement. While we believe that this is an important consideration, we also believe that the issue could have been better served by adopting a free speech proposal tailored to the specific needs and wishes of the College community. DeMarco and Pollard include in their platform the desire to bring “controversial” speakers to campus, yet when probed, they backtracked away from the word.

Additionally, while both candidate pairs addressed the issue of mental health — well-known to be of great importance to the student body at large — we feel that both pairs could also have delved deeper into specific, active ways to address the ongoing issues of stress culture, strained resources at the Wellness Center, and recently debated problems with care reports. However, of the two, Vita and Thomas’s plan was the more comprehensive.

The competition produced by this campaign has provided opportunities for both tickets to learn and improve, an important element in any election and beneficial for SA and students at large. Whoever enters the office will have an opportunity to implement what they have gained from each other, and from student feedback.

We at The Flat Hat firmly believe that Kelsey Vita and Ellie Thomas, with their clarity and practicality, are the best choice for Student Assembly President and Vice President.

The staff editorial represents the opinion of The Flat Hat. The editorial board consists of Gavin Aquin, Ethan Brown, Brendan Doyle, Nia Kitchin and Maggie More.

Editor’s Note: Ethan Brown and Nia Kitchin recused themselves from the editorial; Brown for personal reasons and Kitchin to maintain objectivity in her reporting.

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Page 6

STAFF COLUMN

Sophomore Year Experience program forecasts repetition, may prove unrelatable to students

Caroline Wall

FLAT HAT OPINIONS ASSOC. EDITOR

The College of William and Mary’s First Year Experience program is helpful only to the extent it presents new information to students. Out of the three programs that freshmen are required to attend their first semester, I only found one helpful. Most of First Year Experience is a repetition of the endless amounts of information dumped on freshmen during orientation.

While these reminders could be needed, they could just as easily be facilitated by resident assistants through emails or hall meetings.

However, First Year Experience does have some value. For me, my hall’s diversity session was a great way to get to know my hallmates and learn that my perceptions and assumptions are very often incorrect. I learned that I cannot rely on an idea of who I think someone is, but rather, I need to take the time to get to know them. I value this part of First Year Experience over the others because it felt separate from orientation, like a next step, instead of a repeat of the other presentations.

Therefore, if the College’s new Sophomore Year Experience, set to begin with the class of 2023, is going to be effective, it needs to offer something new for students. I imagine sophomores face different challenges than freshmen. They

have a better sense of what the College is all about, how it operates and how they fit in that community. However, sophomore year is still a new experience, and Sophomore Year Experience should target the process of navigating that experience.

For example, many students pick a major their sophomore year, a decision that can be daunting. More generally, sophomore year has a different focus than freshman year.

Now that students feel more settled on campus, they face questions on what they need to work on, what goals should they be striving for and how can they strengthen the relationships they built the year before. Sophomore Year Experience needs to be centered on these new questions, not the same questions students have already spent a year answering.

Arguably the biggest change that will come with the new Sophomore Year Experience program is the requirement that students stay on campus their second year in addition to their first. While 75 percent of sophomores already elect to stay on campus, this will eliminate options for students who no longer want to be in a dorm. While this may be limiting, I think it might also be liberating. Figuring out housing arrangements will be less of a chore for second-semester freshmen attempting it for the first time.

Knowing that they must stay on campus will take away the stress of considering off-campus housing, therefore streamlining the process to only having to go fill out the College’s housing contract.

Additionally, staying on campus may help sophomores to expand their sense of community.

Sophomore Year Experience has the potential to help sophomores streamline their focus and become more comfortable with their life at the College as long as it avoids unnecessary repetition and information dumps and instead focuses on students’ relationships and current needs.

Email Caroline Wall at cewall01@email.wm.edu.

Sophomore Year Experience needs to be centered on new questions, not the same ones students have already spent a year answering.

ASK A TWAMP

Q: What is adjustment like for the St Andrews William and Mary Joint Degree Programme?

A: It was Christmas Eve. I woke up at 3:45 a.m. and lay awake until 7 a.m. when I admitted defeat. I descended the stairs and saw my older sister, Alana, who greeted me with “Merry Christmas Eve!” I responded by bursting out crying in a temper tantrum induced by sleep deprivation.

For the next half hour, I cried uncontrollably for no other reason than that I was frustrated and tired, and I didn’t understand why I simply couldn’t adjust.

The first few days home after my exhausting transatlantic transit were about adjusting, as most things are in the Joint Degree Programme between the College of William and Mary and the University of St Andrews. My first day back in the good ole’ USA, I spent hours in the capitalistic stronghold of Bass Pro Shops buying my grandfather bullets for Christmas. My eyes had to readjust to sunlight, but more than anything, it was that damn sevenhour time difference.

Although each night I went to bed at around midnight, indulging in sleep aids when I pleased, it didn’t matter. I woke up consistently at 3:45 a.m. Wide awake. I would try reading to fall back asleep; I would take more Sleep II; I would punch my pillow in frustration, all to no avail. Hours later, I would stumble down the stairs with increasingly darkening circles around my eyes. I could not adapt back to Colorado time.

The difficulty of adjusting was the theme of my fall semester at St Andrews. I had successfully navigated freshman year at the College socially, academically and mentally, and I fully expected to have the capacity to adapt to St Andrews with the same confidence and excitement I brought to Williamsburg.

But my transition to St Andrews utterly failed.

I found myself more isolated than I had ever been. Arriving at a new school, not as a freshman nor as a study abroad student and not quite as a normal second year, I lacked a common identity to exploit to create bonds.

There was no summer camp

orientation. Only me and 24 other students in the Joint Degree Programme each independently coping with our own doubts and discomfort. We were isolated from each other, spread across campus in different halls, with few opportunities to even share a meal. Coordinating FaceTimes with family across a seven-hour time difference was taxing and trying desperately to keep in touch with my incredible friends from freshman year often left me feeling more despondent than reanimated.

Academically, I was isolated from my professors, stuck in lectures of over 300 students.

My IR professor verbatim began the semester’s first class by saying “Don’t email me unless necessary — there’s 300 of you, so I don’t really care.” St Andrews is an independent self-help system, and I just couldn’t adapt and help myself escape my rut. I felt stuck.

By the point of my tantrum on Christmas Eve, it wasn’t unusual for me to cry with little provocation.

I was unable to handle what life was throwing at me.

For my family however, this new me, this me who couldn’t adjust or deal with uncertainty, was a disturbing shock.

Alana, after witnessing my tantrum, delivered a sisterly slap and the demand that I “pull myself together.”

Little did I know this would motivate a complete change in perspective, attitude and strategy which has ensured my newfound success at St Andrews.

That’s what being a student in the JDP has been for me: an act of pulling myself together.

The program is designed to challenge and make you uneasy in every way.

The personal growth I’ve experienced in the last months is unprecedented in my life.

St Andrews was my prison in the fall, but through adapting my approach and expectations, I have filled this semester with nothing but joy.

Aubrey George is a student participating in the St Andrews William & Mary Joint Degree Programme.

Email Aubrey at abgeorge@email.wm.edu.

If you have a question you’d like to see answered, please email it to GRAPHIC BY ANGELA VASISHTA AND HEADSHOTS BY KAYLA PAYNE / THE FLAT HAT fhopinions@gmail.com.

variety

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

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, March 19, 2019 | Page 7

Damage Control WCWM up and running again after burst pipe wrecked station SAM SUSLAVICH // THE FLAT HAT After a burst pipe in Campus Center caused serious water damage to the WCWM radio station last summer, the station has finally been repaired and restored.

While other facilities in the basement of Campus Center were quickly cleaned by the College of William and Mary after the water damage, the radio station sat uncleaned for months.

This neglect allowed massive amounts of mold and rot to occur in the various rooms of the station.

The damage spread through the entirety of the station, compounded by seasonal humidity. Because of the mold, the radio station was shut down in September due to health concerns.

Some of the radio station’s most valuable equipment and facilities took the brunt of the water damage. The soundproofing in the live performance booth, which cost thousands of dollars to install, was irreparably damaged and the furniture in the lobby of the station was completely ruined. Worst of all, the station’s gigantic catalogue of vinyl records, 45s, and CDs were greatly harmed by the water.

With one of the largest collections of vinyl records in the eastern half of the country, the loss of the collection would have had a negative effect on the culture of the station.

“This collection is a way for us to connect to our roots in radio and establish our identity,” WCWM president Varvara Troitski ’20 said.

The possibility of this loss was made even more tangible by the initial refusal of the College to fund the cleaning of the collection. Due to the water damage and neglect from the College, WCWM was unable to broadcast their shows, had already lost a major part of the station, and was coming dangerously close to losing much of the library it had curated over several decades.

Fortunately, Media Council funding allowed WCWM to begin the process of having the records cleaned. The ceiling tiles were replaced. New furniture was brought in to replace that which had been damaged.

All soundproofing material in the live performance room was removed. The station was made operational once again through months of effort from the members of WCWM and the College staff.

The station began to broadcast again as WCWM waited for their collection to return from cleaning, but the wait was not an easy one.

“Frankly, it was just kind of sad being in a studio devoid of records” said David Lefkowitz ’22.

Luckily for the station, the collection soon returned. Now, dozens of boxes arrive at the station every day filled with the refurbished library of vinyls and CDs and the process has transitioned from repairing the station to cataloguing the collection once again.

“This semester we hit the ground running and have almost all the CDs back on the shelves,” Troitski said.

M e a n w h i l e , W C W M has returned to its normal broadcasting schedule. New hosts such as Trevor Schneider ’22 are already beginning training.

“I am trying to get certified this semester. [WCWM] is a great group that I want to be a bigger part of” Schneider said.

To continue the success of repairing the station, WCWM has booked Mitski, a Japanese-American singer-songwriter to perform on campus March 23.

As Troitski continues her leadership of the station, she hopes to continue her work of updating and growing the station.

COURTESY PHOTO / SAM SUSLAVICH

Shining the spotlight on intersectionality “Sa Pagitan” offers a chance to experience new culture, diversify worldview GRACE OLSEN // FLAT HAT STAFF WRITER The Filipino American Student Association’s Culture Night boasted a crowd that overtook the Sadler Center’s Commonwealth Auditorium March 16.

The entire evening consisted of a studentproduced play — “Sa Pagitan”—andwasfollowed by a traditional Filipino dinner highlighted by lechon, a full roast pig and a plethora of other dishes.

Doors opened at 4:30 p.m., but the line quickly wrapped around the Center before the show began at 5:00 p.m.

Several students and performers commented on the impressive turnout as well as the program’s success. Culture Night co-chair, Luigi Almirante ’21 produced the program and was a key orchestrator in the selection of the actors and dances. Almirante was thoroughly impressed with the final result.

“Getting to see some of the scenes from the audience, I was amazed by how well the actors did,” Almirante said. “All the hard work we’ve done the past four months definitely paid off.”

The English translation of “Sa Pagitan” is “the between.” The program dealt with the complex intersectionality of FilipinoAmericans, a theme which has been prevalent throughout many of the College’s productions this year. In the performance main characters Adel Bituin and Mahalia Montgomery faced many adversities in their own lives and challenged their own identities as Filipino-Americans, giving new perspective to audience members.

Audience members included FASA alumni and students — some of who struggle with finding their own spaces within the in between.

“Having the main character be mixed is very interesting, I am also

mixed so I feel like I can relate a lot to that,” Megumi Matsuda-Riveio ’22 said. “[‘Sa Pagitan’] touch[es] on the whole subject of having too much culture or not enough which I feel like is a lens that is not talked about enough.”

Megumi, alongside Brenda Henriquez ’22, came to watch Megumi’s roommate and other close friends perform. Both women claimed to be thoroughly impressed with the outcome of the months of hard work.

“Sa Pagitan’ touches a lot of themes that I am passionate about, especially how it documents the documentation of college students,” Henriquez said. “It is an interesting way to display [the issues] in a play, rather than just dances and speeches.”

Almirante and FASA have been working on the production since the spring of last year. During Culture Night, the club centers its focus on underclassman performances, which are typically organized by the FASA’s senior members.

“I have an acting and dancing role, but last year I was the culture night co-chair,” Ahlexus Bailey ’20 said. “Having this experience being behind the lines and not actually planning anything has been a lot different, but still very rewarding.”

Bailey reflected on the months spent rehearsing for the performance. While FASA hosts many events throughout the year, Bailey believes that the production of Culture Night is what knits the club closest together.

“Seeing everyone come together through this production has been one of the most amazing things to see while I have been here,” Bailey said, “I think it’s one of the best bonding experiences our club can have.”

Club member Brendan Boylan ’19 has spent his past years at the College as an active member of FASA. Last year, Boylan was on the executive board for Culture Night’s production, which focused on the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos.

“I was really involved last year, I was on the executive board, but this is my last culture night, and hoorah with the club so I always sing the Filipino national anthem and have a lot of fun,” Boylan said. “This year, the production mainly involved the freshman and sophomores and they put on an amazing show and are talking about issues that

really matter to people in our community and to the wider country.”

According to several audience members, the performance’s overall message was heartfelt — whether they identified as Filipino American or not.

“It shows the struggles of a culture are just as culturally relevant to history as it is today,” Noah Pelleetier ’22 said. “I thought it was really cool and very well done.”

Pelleetier was in attendance with roommate Clay McCollum ’22.

“I thought [‘Sa Pagitan’] was really cool,” McCollum said. “I enjoyed the dancing and am definitely going to enjoy the food now.”

Concluding the program, attendees and audience members mingled over a classic Filipino dinner of pancit, lumpia, adobo and lechon.

Performers were adorned in flowers and served guests while chatting about the success of the program as well as the relief they felt that it had come together as well as it did.

“I thought it was amazing, I think it was the best Culture Night production thus far,” Almirante said.

According to students, the struggle of having either too little or too much culture COU RTES Y PHOTOS / WM FASA is more prevalent than we realize, and it is performances like “Sa Pagitan” that bring these issues to light and teach us how to best address them.

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Page 8

COURTESY PHOTOS / JONNY MALKS

FRISBEE

& FOCACCIA Ultimate frisbee team, music, chemistry of bread all key to Jonny Malks ’21’s identity

J

onny Malks ’21 has a wide-reaching presence at the College of William and Mary. Some know him as a co-captain of Darkhorse, the College’s Ultimate Frisbee A-team; some as a frequent talent featured by AMP Homebrews; and others as that guy who helped them with their paper at the Writing Resource Center in Earl Gregg Swem Library.

A key player and enthusiastic teammate on Darkhorse, Malks tore his ACL in September 2018 after a bad landing during practice.

“I was just going up for a jump at practice, came down and it buckled,” Malks said. “70 percent of ACL injuries are non-contact, so it’s just like you’re running and it overextends or you’re jumping. It’s definitely a strange injury and one that is a big mental battle.”

Unable to participate in gameplay, he has continued his role as a co-captain as well as stepped up as a coach of sorts for the team.

“I’ve been basically just coaching and just helping out wherever I can,” Malks said. “I’m thankful for all the opportunities I’ve gotten and all the wonderful people that I’ve met. That’s why I stick around and stick around with the team, even when I can’t play. It’s such an enjoyable experience to captain William and Mary Darkhorse because all the guys are some of the greatest I’ve ever met, so I’m really thankful for them.”

In the summer of 2018, before his ACL injury, Malks was selected as a member of the Under-20 men’s United States team in the World Junior Ultimate Championship in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

“It’s a really ephemeral process,” Malks said. “It’s like one tryout weekend in the winter and then the team is picked like early spring and then you basically do workouts up until a week before the actual tournament, and then you all meet for a week. … Then the tournament is just incredible. It can be anywhere in

the world, this time it was in Canada so just a short bus ride from Naperville, but it was incredible.”

The more fulfilling part of the experience for Malks was bonding with his new teammates and being exposed to the exceptional talent of players from all over the world.

“The community of Ultimate is what makes it special,” Malks said. “I’m sure if you’ve read or heard anything about Ultimate that’s a lot of what people say but this international community was just sublime. … The spirit was great at this world’s tournament, and we ended up winning gold and it was just it was the most incredible experience — it was like a dream.”

Music is another major part of Malks’ identity. He plays the guitar, ukulele and piano, and has been writing his own songs since the seventh grade.

Now, Malks shares his music with his peers and the community by performing at AMP Homebrews and having jam sessions with friends. “[My parents] have always been encouraging me to do it, but I never wanted to practice up until the seventh grade when we took a trip to Hawaii and I picked up the uke because there were free lessons in the hotel lobby, which was pretty unique to Hawaii,” Malks said.

“So, I picked it up there, wrote my first song that same summer, and then taught myself the guitar and I’ve been learning ever since.”

Malks and his friends jokingly branded his style “sad boy” music. Writing the lyrics and putting words to the music is his favorite part of the process.

“I write love songs, I write about my life, I write weird lyrics,” Malks said. “I’m really into lyrics, they’re probably my favorite.

I’m like an okay musician but really I like lyrics. … I love sharing my music with the William and Mary community.”

Malks also works at the Writing Resource Center, where he gets the

ALYSSA GRZESIAK // CHIEF FEATURES WRITER

opportunity to work hands-on with students and their writing. For Malks, he is not only providing a service for his peers, but also getting the chance to learn from them as well.

“I think writing really is—any sort of writing—a very personal and vulnerable process in itself,” Malks said. “So being able to share that with tons of different people and learn so much from them about whatever they’re writing about is really special.

So, it’s a really incredible job.”

When he’s not at practice, work or physical therapy, Malks likes to spend time with his sister Sarah Malks ’19. “[My sister] lives just off campus so I like to hang out with her a lot,” Malks said. “We’re watching the Bachelor together, which has been good. It’s been lots of drama, but we always do some nice baked goods.”

A lesser-known interest of Malks’ is that he loves to bake bread. He finds learning about the different kinds of bread and the unique elements and styles involved in the process therapeutic.

Malks’ tentative upperclassmen Monroe Scholar project will be on the chemistry of bread.

“I’m really into baking, bread specifically,” Malks said. “Learning about all the different kinds of breads and all the different kinds of like kneading styles and how long do you have to rise them for and how the ingredients interact in dough is really special to me. It’s just so interesting how you can put all of the inedible ingredients together and come out with a final [product] like that.”

The William and Mary Ultimate men’s and women’s respective A and B teams are putting on a series of games, the Virginia Showcase Series, which benefit two charities: The Girls Ultimate Movement and Here for the Girls. Malks is particularly excited to be a supporter of the Girls Ultimate Movement, the USA Ultimate organization committed

to increasing the participation of girls in the sport, because of its drive to achieve equity in Ultimate.

“That has become a huge part of why Ultimate is so special to me, because we have, not only people who think about these sort of things … but there’s so much action for it,” Malks said. “It’s just a beautiful game and it’s so important that, especially girls, have the role models to see that they can not only play Ultimate, but play sports and do whatever they want to do and know that it’s not a man’s world anymore. It’s definitely women’s time to shine in sports, and in general, I think. So, I’m really excited about the Girls Ultimate Movement as a charity.”

Above all, Malks is thankful to be at the College because it has allowed him to create an identity for himself that is more than just one activity.

“I’m really thankful to be at William and Mary because it’s one of those places where, or one of those situations for me, where I’ve been hurt so much and I knew [Frisbee] was my favorite sport and I was super passionate about it, but I never realized how much of my identity Ultimate had become until I was like wrenched away from it for over a year with these injuries combined,” Malks said.

While he considers Ultimate to be a major part of that identity, something he didn’t realize until his injuries, he credits the College for allowing him to be a player in more than one game.

“It’s a really special place, William and Mary, for me just because I’m still enjoying it and I’m still loving the people and the academics and my job and all the different activities that we have here,” Malks said. “I’m really thankful for William and Mary because I truly know that I love it when the one thing that I’m usually doing has been sort of pulled out from under me and it still makes me happy ever y day to be here.”

sportsinside

The Flat Hat

| Tuesday, March 19, 2019 | Page 9

TRACK AND FIELD

Tribe excels at W&M Triangular, wins seven events College qualifies for IC4A championships in New Jersey, 32 individual team members recorded personal bests COLLIN ANDERSON THE FLAT HAT Saturday at Zable Stadium, the William and Mary track and field teams opened their season by welcoming state rivals George Mason and Virginia to Williamsburg for the W&M Triangular meet. After the official conclusion of the National College Athletic Association indoor season last weekend, it was time for the opening of the 2019 outdoor campaign.

The Tribe truly excelled in the field events, getting strong performances in the men’s competitions from sophomore thrower Kelly Cook, Jr., who placed first in the hammer throw, third in the shotput and third in the discus throw with throws of 55.31m, 16.41m and 49.22m respectively. On the women’s side, freshman thrower Chelsea Wallace led the charge, placing second in the shotput and third in the discus. It marked the first outdoor collegiate meet for the high-school All-American from Chesapeake, Virginia. The Tribe also got strong performances from senior Preston Richardson, sophomore George Cross, and senior Bri Miller.

The women’s 2000m steeplechase kicked off the running events on Saturday afternoon, and freshman Lauren Kroepfl dominated the race

for the College, running 7:16.91 for the 18-hurdle, five-lap race. The race began relatively slowly, with the three competitors sticking close together for the first two laps. However, Kroepfl used her speed and strength to gain the advantage on the third lap and never looked back. Also, a trio of strong performances in the 1500m paced the Tribe, with senior Rachel Snyder and junior Deirdre Casey both recording top-five finishes, and junior Cole Clark placing eighth in the men’s race.

While the meet did not officially keep team scores, the competitive spirit was still in the air on St. Patrick’s Day weekend. Keeping up the spirit of the holiday, it was all green in the men’s 800m, as the entire top five consisted of either George Mason or Tribe athletes. Freshman Colin Grip was the top finisher for the College, finishing third in 1:57.24. In the sprints, Virginia junior Anna Jefferson had a strong day, winning both the 100m and 200m dashes. In the women’s 200m, the Tribe had five runners place in the top seven, led by junior sprinter Susanna Maisto.

Up next were the final individual events of the day, the men’s and women’s 5000m. On the women’s side, the Tribe was led by juniors Charlotte Kowalk and Carina Garcia, who finished fourth and sixth, respectively behind a trio of Virginia runners. The final individual event of

the day was the men’s 5000m. From the start, George Mason dominated the race, with numerous runners in the lead pack.

Slowly but surely, freshman Micah Pratt worked his way back into the race, and gathered momentum going into the final lap. The Lynchburg, VA native ran one of the fastest final laps of the day in 63 seconds, but the gap proved to be insurmountable. The top finisher for the College was Pratt, who finished in fifth with a personal-best time of 14:54.99. The final events of the day were the men’s and women’s 4x400m relay. The Tribe placed first in a competitive race, edging out George Mason by 0.31 seconds, 4:16.45 to 4:16.76.

It was a great way to end an opening meet for both Tribe teams, who strung together strong performances in the sprints, distance races, and field events. Overall, the Tribe men and women had seven event wins, and 32 athletes recorded personal bests.

On Saturday, several athletes also qualified for the IC4A Championships which will take place May 11-12 in Princeton, N.J. The Tribe will look to build on these strong performances. Both Tribe track and field teams will be back in action next weekend at the Dan Stimson Memorial Meet hosted by the College, which will kick off at 10 a.m.

LACROSSE

College takes down Rams 17-13, looks to win more games on road Women enter a three-game win streak, Martire and Hyatt contribute crucial goals, benefit from strong first half KEVIN RICHESON FLAT HAT OPERATIONS COORDINATOR William and Mary entered Sunday’s game against Virginia Commonwealth on a two-game winning streak. The Tribe was fresh off of a thrilling 9-8 victory over Davidson to bump the College’s record back over .500. Meanwhile, the Rams came into Sunday’s contest on a two-game skid. Sunday, the Tribe (5-3) used a strong first half to propel it to a 17-13 victory over the Rams (3-4).

The Tribe got off to a fast start with a goal in less than three minutes. Senior attacker Maddie Torgerson recorded the first goal of the game to give the College a 1-0 advantage. The Rams were able to tie the score at one with just over 23 minutes remaining in the opening

half, courtesy of a free position shot. Midfielder Savannah Slack took the shot and scored to pull the Rams even with the Tribe. However, the College got back on track by holding the Rams scoreless for over 15 minutes. During this time, the Tribe racked up four goals to jump out to a commanding 5-1 lead. Junior midfielder Meredith Hughes tallied two of the Tribe’s four goals during this span of time.

With under eight minutes to play before the half, the Rams pulled back within three goals.

Nevertheless, the College finished the half strong with four goals in the last eight minutes of action.

Hughes scored another two goals to give her a gamehigh four goals in the first half. At the break, the Tribe led 9-3.

The offensive onslaught continued at the start of the

second half, with both teams combining for six goals in the first six minutes of play. The Rams managed to match the Tribe with three goals during this stretch, but the College still enjoyed a comfortable six-goal edge, 12-6 with 24 minutes remaining in the game.

The Rams did make a comeback in the middle of the second half. Midfielder Sky Hyatt scored twostraight goals to cut the deficit to four, 12-8 with under 20 minutes to go. However, freshman midfielder Belle Martire stopped the bleeding with a goal to reestablish the Tribe’s five-goal lead.

That goal was Martire’s 22nd of the season in just eight games. The Rams refused to go away though, closing within three goals, 14-11, for the first time since the eight-minute mark of the first half. As the clock ticked below 10 minutes to play, the College

added on two more goals for insurance to basically seal the win. Ultimately, the Tribe never trailed en route to a 17-13 victory.

The Rams were led in the loss by midfielder Sky Hyatt and attacker Jessica Del Rossi. Hyatt had a gamehigh six goals, along with three assists, while Del Rossi added a hat trick. Meanwhile, the Tribe was led by Hughes’ team-high five goals. Martire finished with a hat trick and freshman midfielder Grace Ahonen added four goals.

The College will finish up its non-conference schedule next Sunday with its fourth-straight road game. The Tribe will travel to Coastal Carolina looking to continue building momentum going into CAA action. The Tribe’s CAA-opener is on the road at Hofstra April 5.

sports

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

The Flat Hat

| Tuesday, March 19, 2019 | Page 10

COMMENTARY

Tony Shaver fired

Program faces uncertain future

Kevin Richeson

FLAT HAT OPERATIONS COORDINATOR

Last Wednesday, it was reported that Tony Shaver, the head coach of William and Mary’s men’s basketball team, had been fired after his 16th season. The news came after the Tribe crashed out of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament in the quarterfinals. Delaware upset the College 85-79, despite the Tribe holding a 14-point halftime lead and leading by as much as 16 at one point.

My initial reaction to the news was bewilderment, frustration and anger. I still maintain that this decision is not in the best interest of the men’s basketball program at this time, but I can understand why Athletic Director Samantha Huge felt that this was a decision that needed to be made.

Shaver was the head coach for the men’s team here for 16 seasons. During that time, the Tribe failed to win a CAA championship and earn an automatic bid to the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament. In fact, the College has never won a CAA title and is one of four original Division I teams to never make the NCAA tournament. The other three teams are Army, the Citadel and St. Francis (Brooklyn). Furthermore, Shaver’s overall record at the helm of the Tribe was 226-268 (124-162 CAA).

Men’s basketball is one of the most popular and profitable sports at the College, and thus the continued mediocrity and lack of a conference championship under Shaver could lead some people to argue that a change was necessary and even necessary several years ago. For those reasons, I understand why the decision was made to fire Shaver. Nevertheless, the timing of this decision and the fallout it could potentially have on the 2019-2020 season and beyond makes it unforgivable in my eyes. In 2016, junior forwards Nathan Knight and Justin Pierce entered the College as freshmen and redshirt junior guard Matt Milon transferred in from Boston College. That trio of players, rising seniors, were arguably the best class the men’s basketball program has seen in a long

time. Knight was a First Team All-CAA pick and a member of the All-CAA Defensive team this season. Pierce was a Third Team All-CAA pick and Milon is one of the best three-pointer shooters in the conference.

Furthermore, this year’s freshman class is also stacked with young talent. Guard Chase Audige was a member of the All-CAA Rookie team and other players like guards LJ Owens and Thornton Scott got significant playing time this season. Forward Mehkel Harvey also has incredible upside. With one year of experience under their belts and with the Tribe’s top three players returning as seniors, the Tribe was set to be a favorite in the CAA next season.

Hofstra’s star guard Justin Wright-Foreman and Northeastern’s star guard Vasa Pusica are both graduating, and, on paper, the College looked to have the team to beat in the 20192020 season.

While I agree with Huge’s sentiment that Tribe men’s basketball needs to have high expectations, I think the timing of this decision made it incredibly rash and reactionary. I was obviously disappointed with the quarterfinal loss in the CAA tournament, but I was already looking forward to next year with a chance to finally get over the hump and qualify for the NCAA tournament with a CAA championship, but that seems like much less of a possibility after Shaver’s firing.

First off, you never know what kind of a fit an incoming coach will be. Often, even if the hire ends up working out, it takes a season or two to start to implement a new system and make significant strides as a program. I am fine with setting up for future success (as Tribe fans, we are used to it), but the 2019-2020 campaign presented one of the best opportunities in school history to make a run for the men’s basketball program’s first CAA championship.

I was truly excited and optimistic about the upcoming season and would have honestly been okay with letting Shaver go if the Tribe failed to meet its goals for that season.

I think that Shaver has been a good coach and had a significant impact on this program, but I agree that we need to have high expectations.

I simply think that the timing of the firing could not have been worse and completely jeopardizes next season’s success. Even if whoever Huge decides to hire leads the College to the promised land eventually and has a great career here, I will still disagree with the timing of this decision, while respecting and admiring the hopefully good hire that Huge will have to make now.

Additionally, this decision has a massive impact on the makeup of the men’s basketball

COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS Head coach Tony Shaver’s 226-268 record, acrued over 16 years, makes him the winningest coach in program history.

team. A new coach means a new identity, and there is no guarantee that the players will buy into that identity and gel with the new hire.

I have followed the men’s basketball team and covered many basketball games over the past three years, interacting with Shaver and players over that span. I never got the impression that the team was sick of playing for him or would welcome a change. On the contrary, players seemed to truly like and respect Shaver and obviously had a strong bond with him since he was responsible for recruiting them to play here.

Since the firing was announced so quickly after the end of the CAA tournament, I am skeptical of how much the players knew about the upcoming decision and if any of them were on board with the move. My biggest fear beyond making a poor hire to take over for Shaver is losing recruits or current players.

Even with no transfers by current players or decommits by recruits, next year’s projections are up in the air. However, losing valuable pieces on this team could doom the Tribe before the season starts, costing it an incredible opportunity to win a conference championship.

Two days after the announcement, my worst fears were confirmed when junior guard Justin Pierce announced that he was exploring other options as a graduate transfer. Pierce immediately received interest from over a dozen programs, many of which have incredibly strong men’s basketball programs. While it is not a given that Pierce decides to transfer, it is likely that he will, and I doubt he would have made that decision if Shaver had returned as the head coach for his 17th season.

Losing Pierce would be a huge blow to the Tribe, but it would still be a talented team.

However, it is also not a given that Pierce will be the only player looking to transfer.

That could be the difference between a CAA championship or another year of misery for Tribe fans. If another player or two follows in his footsteps, the College could go from CAA favorite to one of the worst teams in the league next season.

Only time will tell whether a new coach will outperform Shaver and achieve what he never could. I am not entirely confident that will happen, especially since Shaver arguably achieved more than any of his predecessors, including leading the College to four CAA championship games. For that, I am incredibly grateful for what he gave to this program. But no matter what happens in the long term, the short term has most likely been impacted negatively and the Tribe’s hopes for next year are significantly dimmer.

I would love to be proven wrong and for the College to win a CAA championship in the new coach’s first year. However, I will continue to be mystified by the timing of this decision, when it would have been easy to let Shaver have one more year and see what he could have accomplished with such a talented team.

He always could have been fired after that year when the Tribe would likely be in a partial rebuild with the losses of Knight, Pierce and Milon. This week, I have had a lot of frustrating conversations about this decision, but we must now turn our attention towards making sure whoever is hired is the best fit for this program and that the players support the hire.

They should be consulted in this process in order to ensure that the Tribe is set up for both short-term and long-term success. I just hope this time next year, we don’t have to look back and think about what could have been in the 2019-2020 season.

Email Kevin Richeson at kmricheson@email. wm.edu.

CAMPUS GOLF

Campus golf team rivalries cause rift in staff friendships Team Sports is neither sporty nor team; Team Old People struggles physically

GAVIN AQUIN AND ZOE BEARDSLEY FLAT HAT SPORTS, VARIETY EDITORS

After a sad, horrible and disgusting rainout Feb. 16, it was no surprise that the powers-that-be moved Campus Golf to March 16 — the day before St. Patrick’s Day. The Flat Hat’s Campus Golf teams travelled from Campus Center’s damp, asbestos-filled basement to the sunny and muddy Sunken Garden, a golf course that rivals — supersedes, even — the Professional Golfers’ Association Championship’s venue of choice this year: Bethpage Black Course on Long Island.

The teams were immediately

GAVIN AQUIN / THE FLAT HAT Avery hates golf and needs help right now.

greeted by the blaring speakers, screaming Kappa Delta members, adults in furry costumes and so many rogue tennis balls. It was paradise.

Competing first for The Flat Hat were the paper’s very own freshman editors: Team Sports.

Having watched about two hours of golf between them, the freshman editors were positive they had mastered the ins and outs of the sport itself.

This assumption was quickly proved wrong when, out of nowhere, Sports Editor Gavin Aquin ’22 sustained a wrist injury attempting to chip a ball from the concrete. His childhood training in golf had failed him. Truly he deserved the injustice of having to play golf with a righthand club, setting back the progress of left-handed rights by nearly four and three-quarters centuries.

“Our caddy said I could use a lefthanded club, but I didn’t want to make her walk all the way across the Sunken Garden,” Aquin said. “My mild-natured Nevadan personality jeopardized what should have been an easy sweep of the inexperienced and the uncultured. I blame the humidity.”

Sports Editor Avery Lackner ’22 and Variety Editor Zoe Beardsley ’22 battled it out for second the entire game, but in the end Zoe’s inability to putt with her eyes closed proved a mountain that was too big an

obstacle to overcome.

“I bet that if you asked Tiger Woods to putt with his eyes closed he would be bad at it too,” Beardsley said. “So, in a sense, I’m just as good at golf as Tiger Woods.”

Even though Lackner persevered in defeating Beardsley and Aquin, no one on the team could get close to David Lefkowitz’s ’22 mastery of the Campus Golf course.

Lackner lamented her second place finish to everyone within earshot of her.

“I was so extremely disappointed by this,” Lackner said. “After a year of victory for the Boston Red Sox, I thought that I too could be a winner.

However, I was not a winner. In fact, I am from Texas. Yes, I did have to tell everyone that, it’s in the ‘I’m From Texas’ handbook.”

Not to be forgotten, Team Old People put up an impressive performance as well.

Despite dealing with the arthritis brought on by their advanced age, they succeeded in succeeding.

The least elderly member of the team, only recently reaching the age of retirement, Kevin Richeson ‘20 found himself in a sticky situation.

After being bitten by a radioactive squirrel, Richeson was cursed with a lifetime of carrying in his head a database of all-encompassing knowledge of everything from birdies

to lob wedges.

Since with great power comes great responsibility, naturally he had to explain to every tipsy golfer that he saw — well, how to tell the difference between an eagle and an elbow.

“For some reason, most people seemed annoyed that I was talking to them about golf, but I didn’t let that stop me,” Richeson said.

For Kiana Espinoza ’19, Campus Golf presented itself as the perfect opportunity for her to go full “abuelita” and take care of everyone who was unfortunate enough to be hit by a tennis ball.

“All these unfortunate children are getting hit by tennis balls,” Espinoza said. “As the matron of The Flat Hat intern children, I cannot stand for this wanton violence.”

As the former Sports Editor, Alyssa Grzesiak ’20 has seen some things in her tenure at the paper.

“Back in my day, Campus Golf was even more violent,” Grzesiak said.

“The tennis balls would come from the trees, the bushes, and attack everyone and everything. I once saw a squirrel eaten alive by a tennis ball.

My life hasn’t been the same since.”

Jack Bowden ’19 decided to attend Campus Golf in order to enjoy his retirement years.After spending time as a washed-out politician, he just needed to hit the course.

“I have dedicated my life to

public service,” Bowden said. “As the foremost scholar of Student Assembly constitutional law, I expect to one day be called to teach at the William and Mary School of Law. Until that day comes, you’ll find me at the Sadler Center Country Club.”

At this time, not much is known about Team Looked Very Lost’s performance, but Heather Baier ’20 managed to finish the course and find her way back to the office — which was a miracle in and of itself, but we are proud of her. She even placed second!

However, the most important contribution to The Flat Hat’s Campus Golf efforts this season is that of Sarah Smith’s ’19 role as MVP Caddy Supreme. Lugging golf clubs and tennis balls across the Sunken Garden, she oozed the utmost sorority-girl overenthusiasm despite the effect that being former Editorin-Chief and Senioritis has had on her — essentially, she is guilty on all counts of being a female Barack Obama. Second term anyone?

“I have to deny all the rumors,” Smith said. “I will not be seeking reelection in 2019. In fact, just let me graduate already.”

The Flat Hat’s Campus Golf team will compete again next year when the event is inevitably rescheduled because Williamsburg has heinously ugly weather.