The Flat Hat March 20, 2018

Vol. 108, Iss. 4 | Tuesday, March 20, 2018

The Flat Hat The Weekly Student Newspaper

of The College of William and Mary

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‘WE’RE GOING TO EARN THIS VOTE’ For first time in Student Assembly’s 24-year history candidates run unopposed in presidential race SARAH SMITH // FLAT HAT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF LEONOR GRAVE // FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

against them, the candidate list was finalized the Friday before spring break. After that, it was clear that the two were running unopposed. Campaigning for all positions officially began Monday, March 12.

According to the team’s campaign manager Rachel Becker ’19, this is the first time since SA began that tickets for the top leadership spots have been unopposed. Becker said that when they first found out that the team was running unopposed, they were happy for two reasons.

“One, it does make our lives easier and we also hated the idea of running against someone, because we knew our competitors, and they were people who ideas we supported and wanted to make sure their ideas were represented as well,” Becker said. “The second reason is that we can really focus on our energy now on preparing to govern. … Even though it is ‘easier’ the caveat is we have to prove ourselves now. … We’re really working hard to make sure our campaign time is used to spread our message.”

Sen. Brendan Boylan ’19 has been in SA for three years.

Samir Tawalare’19 is an SA newcomer and is involved in Griffin School Partnerships, South Asian Student Association and Talk to Plants.

Each year, the two weeks after spring break are filled with debates, campaign posters and the launch of new websites and Facebook pages as pairs of students prep for Student Assembly elections. The last two years, these election cycles have ended in narrow wins: both former SA presidents Eboni Brown ’17 and Elijah Levine ’18 won elections by less than 50 votes. This year, Sen. Brendan Boylan ’19 and his running mate Samir Tawalare ’19 face no opposition.

According to Boylan, he wasn’t always sure that he wanted to run for SA president. He said that in previous years, he assumed he would run for re-election in senate, where he has served for the past three years, and potentially campaign for senate chair.

“I figured there were going to be other people in the field or that it wasn’t worth the fight or that I wouldn’t be good enough, but through the influence of getting to know Samir more, I feel like we can have good people who know this stuff and who have direct connections to different circles on campus and we could build a cool team that could make a lot of change happen,” Boylan said.

Tawalare, who Boylan first met freshman year, said that he first got the idea to run while serving as an Orientation Aide under Brown, who suggested that he get involved with student leadership. When Boylan asked him to run as his vice presidential candidate a few weeks later, he said the stars aligned.

“I had that little extra confidence from Eboni’s support and Brendan was just someone who I had seen be very active, making his voice heard and speaking out about things,” Tawalare said.

While Boylan and Tawalare said they were aware of different rumors that other students might run

See UNOPPOSED page 3

Candidates reach across campus for platform guidance Each year, candidates for Student Assembly president and vice president recruit a team of students from across campus. These students are responsible for influencing platforms, running campaign social media and adding new perspectives to the work of candidates.

Historically, campaign members have also been seen later represented in a president’s cabinet as secretaries or in the role of chief of staff. This year the unopposed team of Sen. Brendan Boylan ’19 and Samir Tawalare ’19 have a team of 15.

The Flat Hat talked with members of their campaign, as well as individuals they’ve previously worked closely with, to gain insight on who they are, what matters most to them and what influenced their platform.

Boylan and Tawalare’s campaign consists of individuals with a variety of experiences. Their manager, Rachel Becker ’19, first met Boylan freshman year and said they bonded about their shared backgrounds and values, shaped in part by the fact they are both the children of social workers. Some members of the campaign have served on the SA senate with Boylan, such as Class of 2018 President Laini Boyd ’18, Sen. Clare DaBaldo ’20 and Sen. Sikander Zakriya ’19. Others, like Gowri Buddiga ’18, were acquaintances of the team until they reached out leading up to the announcement of their candidacy.

One of Boylan’s fellow SA members, DaBaldo, says that she views her role on the team as offering input on how they can reform the senate once in office, since she is also running for reelection.

Who is Brendan Boylan?

Boylan has served in SA since his freshman year, and now serves as both the senate historian and as the chair of the senate’s policy committee. Over these last two years, many of his projects have included reviewing the SA’s code and constitution, and he has sponsored several pieces of legislation aimed at cleaning up outdated code.

Sen. Shannon Dutchie ’19, Sen. Alexis Payne ’19 and Zakriya have all served with Boylan since his freshman year. Payne, who is also running for re-election, said she believes issues such as Title IX, subsidizing transcripts, diversity and health and safety are all important to Boylan based on the legislation on which she has seen him work.

She said that, in previous years, he has struggled with following through on bills, but that he has worked to improve this recently and that she considers him a great co-worker.

See CAMPAIGN TEAM page 3

Engagement Boylan and Tawalare plan on creating a policy advisory committee to work with Katherine Rowe and student organizations.

Intentionality The pair has said they will support proposals for a COLL 199 class focusing on social justice and equity, although they do not have a specific plan to do so.

Joy As both candidates are in campus music groups, they plan on supporting the arts.

STUDENT LIFE

Students, professors walk out during classes March 14 to protest violence Feb. 14 shooting in Parkland, Florida sparks over 3,000 coordinated walkouts across the country NIA KITCHIN FLAT HAT MANAGING EDITOR

A procession of students, professors and community members stretched across the Sunken Garden March 14 at 10 a.m. to protest gun violence in the wake of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

The walkout officially lasted 17 minutes, one in memory of each of the victims of the shooting, but participants lingered on the Sunken Garden long past the designated time to sign a banner to express support for students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and to get their hands stamped with a black ribbon to spread awareness of gun violence prevention.

This walkout was part of a nationwide effort. There were 3,000 registered school walkouts March 14 across the country, according to ENOUGH National School Walkout.

As participants arrived they formed a long line in order to sign the banner and the organizers also used the event as an opportunity to provide information about Students Demand Action, a club they are starting on campus to advocate for gun sense and effect change in the area of gun

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policy. The signed banner will be sent to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

The College of William and Mary’s chapter of Students Demand Action falls under the umbrella of a national organization called Everytown for Gun Safety. The organizers of the walkout, Samyuktha Mahadevan ’19 and Matthew McCauley ’20, said they decided to start the club in response to the onslaught of school shootings that occur in the United States.

An interest meeting for Students Demand Action will be held this Friday, March 16 from 3-4 p.m. in Washington Hall Room 201.

“Our goal is to create an organization here on campus for students to engage with their representatives, with each other and with the greater community,” Mahadevan said.

Many students walked out of their 10 a.m. classes to participate in the walkout; however, other students came to the Sunken Garden in solidarity despite not having class. Class of 2020 President Kelsey Vita ’20 falls in the latter group; she came even though she did not have a class until noon.

“It’s just so important to show solidarity with the millions of people who are affected by gun violence each year and also just to show that lawmakers that enough is enough,” Vita said.

The political statement was not limited to students: professors

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participated in the walkout too. Russian studies professor Bella GinzburskyBlum participated in the walkout and allowed her students to leave class for the designated 17 minutes if they chose to as well.

“I’ve been upset for many many years, I’ve made many phone calls and many donations for this cause already,” Ginzbursky-Blum said. “I think it’s wonderful that students are finally organizing and voicing their opinions very strongly.”

Dalton Lackey ’20, who was taking photos for the event, said he chose to participate because he is passionate about gun control. Lackey also said that he was participating because he felt the very real risk of violence as a student on a college campus today.

“Right now I think students are recognizing that lives are at risk,” Lackey said. “Even if [stricter] gun laws take away the risk of one or two children dying, it’s worth it. I think these students are recognizing that, as of now, they’re at risk on college campuses of having weapons used against them.

So this is something really important and easy for students to be a part of. It doesn’t require too much effort, but it definitely makes a statement.”

To McCauley and Mahadevan, the event’s turnout, in spite of the cold weather, is a heartening symbol that the College community is engaged in this issue.

Mackenzie Neal ’18 says the College should introduce courses that discuss Native American tribal laws and policies. page 6

Curtains rise on student choreography

The Orchesis Modern Dance Company is putting on their annual spring performance, “An Evening of Dance,” featuring student choreography. page 7

newsinsight “

News Editor Leonor Grave News Editor Madeline Monroe fhnews@gmail.com

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The Flat Hat

| Tuesday, March 20, 2018 | Page 2

THE BUZZ

I’ve been thinking a lot more about ancestry and about how people paved the way for you to be able to do things. Someone paved, through their body, their labor, their time, their love and their energy for you to have the things that you have now.

— Christine Fulgham ’17 said while attending The Lemon Project’s eighth annual symposium focusing on the legacy of African American history and the context of desegregation in higher education.

POLICE BEAT

March 13 - 17

Candidates for SA class presidents face off Newcomers challenge incumbent SA candidates for classes of 2019, 2020, 2021 MAX MINOGUE // FLAT HAT CHIEF STAFF WRITER Thursday, March 22, Student Assembly elections will be held, and every class president seat is contested, unlike last year, when all three class presidency seats were unopposed. Incumbent Class of 2019 President Jonah Yesowitz ‘19 is not returning to SA, but incumbents Class of 2020 President Kelsey Vita ‘20 and Class of 2021 President David DeMarco ‘21 face challenge in their bids for re-election.

Class of 2019 candidates 1

Tuesday, March 13 — Pot of gold: report of found property at Armistead Avenue filed at 3:56 p.m.

2

Friday, March 16 — Drunken leprechaun: Sarah Michelle Mazur was arrested on charge of public intoxication or swearing at Jamestown Road.

3

Saturday, March 17 — Gone green: Bryant Oneal Green was arrested on charge of possession of marijuana at Ernestine Avenue.

4

Saturday, March 17 — Boozy driving: Daniel Gene Erickson was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence at Lafayette Street and North England Street.

A THOUSAND WORDS

The class of 2019 will choose between Sen. Sikander Zakriya ’19, who has served as a senator in SA for three years, and Zauhirah Tipu ’19, an SA newcomer. Both would be new to the presidency, as the incumbent of three years, Jonah Yesowitz ’19, is not running for a fourth term.

“The reason why I initially ran for Student Assembly freshman year is similar to the reason why I’m running today: I really care about student voices,” Zakriya said.

Another important part of Zakriya’s platform is sustainability.

Zakriya wants to foster a relationship between the Committee on Sustainability and SA. On the diversity component of his platform, Zakriya talked about how he extended the Inclusivity Resolution he sponsored his freshman year through his time in senate.

Many of Zakriya’s specific goals are based on past accomplishments in SA; for example, Zakriya seeks to extend

the STI testing subsidies program.

Tipu, an SA outsider, frames her lack of experience in SA as valuable since it would mean bringing a new voice to SA. Tipu’s platform focuses on diversity, transparency, student life, health and wellness.

On diversity, that means supporting the creation of the COLL 199 requirement focusing on social justice and equity and providing more nutritional accommodations for students.

On student life, Tipu wants to work toward the College of William and Mary using fewer utilities, and to help students through initiatives like need-based graduate and post-graduate test fee waivers.

Tipu said she believes her leadership roles outside of SA, such as co-president of the Muslim Student Association, have prepared her for the role of class president.

“Adding a new voice to Student Assembly is ridiculously important,” Tipu said. “People grow content and complacent in the way things have been, and we forget that there are new avenues to take.”

Class of 2020 candidates

COURTESY PHOTO / COLLIN GINSBERG

CORRECTIONS The Flat Hat wishes to correct any fact printed incorrectly. Corrections may be submitted in email to the editor of the section in which the incorrect information was printed. Requests for corrections will be accepted at any time.

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Current class of 2020 President Kelsey Vita ’20 is running for her third term, and facing competition from Abe Winterscheidt ’20, a newcomer to SA. Vita’s platform focuses on what she calls personalized communication.

Vita hopes to create two outreach undersecretary positions, whose holders would reach out to communities across campus.

Vita has worked on outreach with Sen. Shannon Dutchie ‘19 through SA FAQ week, a week-long program addressing misunderstandings about SA and clarifying the role of student government.

Both candidates also emphasize mental health’s importance in their platform.

“As somebody who has anxiety, [mental health] is very personal to me,” Vita said. “One way of doing that is lobbying for the online booking of appointments. A lot of people have difficulty reaching out to a stranger and setting up an appointment, so doing that online would take some of that edge off.”

Diversity is also an important issue for Vita, who has sponsored events like Transgender Awareness Week. Vita also seeks to create discussion between the Department of Diversity and the Department of Finance, to drive more funding toward multicultural clubs.

Vita’s past terms reflect her current platform,

which focuses on concrete, workable solutions to problems across campus.

Winterscheidt’s platform features a host of issues to address, namely mental health, sexual assault, income inequality, diversity and inclusion.

Winterscheidt took specific issue with Vita’s mental health policy on the online booking of counseling appointments.

“That’s not a bad thing by any means, but I talked to my therapist about it, and she laughed, because that’s not the problem,” Winterscheidt said.

Instead, Winterscheidt believes that the solution lies in increased funding for the Counseling Center and mental health organizations, along with an expanded dialogue on mental health.

Winterscheidt also believes that there is often an environment of cliquishness in campus communities, including SA, a personal issue due to childhood exclusion.

“I’m here fighting an uphill battle — not only do you have the incumbent advantage, but you also have a very well-established group [in SA],” Winterscheidt said.

Overall, Winterscheidt wants SA to have a larger impact on campus.

“Somebody told me that in SA, they consider it a success if nobody has died in two years,” Winterscheidt said. “That is a really low threshold for success. I want to see real success and meaningful impacts on this campus.”

Class of 2021 candidates The class of 2021 will be able to cast a vote for either incumbent Class of 2021 President David DeMarco ’21 or for Sen. Aria Austin ’21.

DeMarco describes his platform as focusing on the personal, the interpersonal and government policy. For the personal area, DeMarco put out an interest survey to find out what issues his class was interested in, which turned out to be dining facilities and dorm cleanliness.

In the interpersonal area, DeMarco said he is focusing on social and diversity issues. On government policy, DeMarco is working on fixing what he believes are institutional problems in SA. DeMarco believes that he has demonstrated a level of commitment that Austin would be unable to manage as president.

“One of Aria’s best attributes is that she balances a wide array of time-sensitive activities … but the problem is that, comparatively, all of these activities have spread Aria and her platform a tad too thin,” DeMarco said.

DeMarco also expressed concern about the specificity of Austin’s platform.

Austin described her platform as based on her personal motto.

“I have an overarching platform based on a quote that I try to live

my life by, by Walt Whitman. The quote is, ‘The powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse,’” Austin said. “I think the way to make our class grow is by capitalizing on people’s verses and working together.”

As senator, Austin sponsored bills on topics such as diversity and student accessibility. She also worked toward getting the class of 2021 a limited quantity of water bottles using class funds.

Austin believes that the best part of being involved in SA is connecting with the student body, and she maintained that she would be committed to the office.

“I’m not going to bash on David because I think David’s a great guy,” Austin said. “But I think I’m a bit more personable and passionate — when I do something, I put 100 percent into it no matter what.”

Austin said that she will remain involved regardless of the election results.

There is discussion among the candidates about what caused the increase in presidential bids this election year.

Vita and Zakriya suggested that this could be due to the overall political climate, while DeMarco believed that the reason is different for each race. There is; however, agreement among all six candidates that this competition is good for the College as a whole.

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Page 3

NEWS ANALYSIS

Platform focuses on outreach, finance

Boylan, Tawalare platform includes robust code reform, sustainability plans NIA KITCHIN FLAT HAT MANAGING EDITOR

For the first time since 1994, when the Student Assembly was first created, the contenders for president and vice president, Sen. Brendan Boylan ’19 and Samir Tawalare ’19, are running unopposed. The pair released its campaign platform to The Flat Hat March 15, just a week ahead of the election to be held March 22.

Boylan and Tawalare have focused their campaign on driven engagement, intentionality and joy. In these three areas the pair emphasized its commitment to increased engagement with the student body and its eagerness to create a year of outreach and conversation.

Student Assembly Reform Boylan and Tawalare propose many different avenues for reform within SA, including engaging more with staff and students, reallocating funding and reinstituting the Review Board.

Specifically, Boylan and Tawalare laid out their plans to grow a close relationship with incoming College President Katherine Rowe, to hold office hours for students to speak about issues and concerns and to increase information about SA during Orientation by working with Orientation Aides and the Office of First Year Experience.

Regarding funding, the pair expressed its dissatisfaction with the current allocation of funds within SA, some of which are spent on services that they believe students do not use. To fix this issue, they want to reorganize SA’s annual budget process. They plan to prioritize funding services like official transcript subsidies.

Within SA, Boylan and Tawalare plan to bring the Review Board back to serve as the judicial branch of SA and hold members accountable. In addition, they plan to create a Policy Advisory Committee to reach out and support student organizations, which will aid in the creation of legislation.

Compared to previous SA campaigns, Boylan and Tawalare lay out a thorough and specific plan for the year, especially concerning funding. During last year’s campaign, SA President Elijah Levine ’18 and SA Vice President Annelise Yackow ’18 did not have a platform that explicitly addressed reform in SA. However, they did say they planned to institute finance regulations similar to Boylan and Tawalare’s, which would make it more difficult for SA to deny funding to multicultural student organizations. In contrast, the 2017 campaign for Danny O’Dea ’18 and Nami Srikanth ’19 had specific plans for SA reform.

They laid out a plan, echoed in part by Boylan and Tawalare, that proposed to increase information about SA during Orientation, increase accessibility of funding for multicultural student organizations and codify senate finance committee guidelines. In addition, O’Dea and Srikanth also had planned to

create avenues for donations to the College to be allocated specifically to issues of mental health and diversity. All three campaigns that ran in the 2016 SA election addressed SA reform through a lens of outreach and creating a website for SA. Academics Regarding academic improvements at the College, Boylan and Tawalare’s platform suggests that it is open to change, especially regarding the addition of the COLL 199 social justice and equity course to the COLL curriculum. The pair is campaigning for increased awareness about open educational resources, continued progress addressing class credits for ROTC students and ways to ease the process of class registration for students.

These ideas for progress do not include many specific plans for implementation, but rather enthusiasm for continued conversation about existing issues. However, compared to previous campaigns, the pair is making academic improvements to the College a main campaign issue.

Diversity Boylan and Tawalare’s platform expresses support for diversity on campus and plans to “stand in solidarity” with student DREAMers and the LGBTQIA+ community. Furthermore, the pair plans to ally with the Office of the President, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Board of Visitors in order to hire and retain more faculty of color at the College. It also wants to continue supporting cultural and advocacy organizations.

This plan for diversity initiatives focuses on working with staff to increase representation. However, it is less comprehensive than previous campaigns regarding diversity. For example, O’Dea and Srikanth’s 2017 campaign included racial sensitivity training for student organization leaders who received funding from SA and increased funding for accessibility on campus, and Levine and Yackow’s campaign of the same year included a “People’s Report” to increase communication about diversity, established guidelines for funding multicultural groups and looked toward becoming a sanctuary campus for students protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

Health and Safety Boylan and Tawalare’s platform provides three specific, concrete ideas for increasing health and safety on campus. The pair plans to expand the free tampon pilot program that began this semester and increase access to menstrual products on campus. In addition, Boylan and Tawalare want to build off this program and create a condom dispenser program, bringing more contraceptives to campus in order to decrease STIs. Regarding drugs and alcohol, the pair plans to create an information campaign about the health risks of drugs and mixing these two substances. This information campaign will consist of a survey that will help create guides explaining the dangers of these substances.

Including ideas to tackle the dangers of drugs and alcohol in their platform is unique in terms of recent SA campaigns. However, Boylan and Tawalare do not address specific ideas for fighting sexual assault on campus. Their platform includes continued improvement of the language of informational materials in bathrooms so they are less triggering and continued collaboration with groups on campus such as HOPE and The Haven to increase conversation about sexual assault and relationship violence.

Compared to previous campaigns, Boylan and Tawalare’s campaign does not include new initiatives for combatting sexual assault. For example, O’Dea and Srikanth’s campaign included specific initiatives such as requiring bystander intervention training sessions for organizations that receive SA funding, and Levine and Yackow’s campaign talked specifically about expanding education about sexual assault during Orientation.

Additionally, Boylan and Tawalare’s platform does not address mental health on campus, which dramatically differs from previous years, when mental health was a prominent campaign issue.

Sustainability Boylan and Tawalare plan to continue the focus on sustainability that Levine has created as well as institute new initiatives for a greener campus.

They plan to develop a culture of service within SA and encourage members to become more invested in the environment. They want to continue partnerships with the Student Environmental Action Coalition, Take Back the Tap and the Bike Alliance. Specifically, Boylan and Tawalare plan to institute composting stations and communal gardens as well as increase the number of water bottle refilling stations.

Sustainability has been a campaign issue in the recent past, though last year Levine and Yackow did not touch on the subject in their platform, while O’Dea and Srikanth planned to institute sustainability measures within SA and bring speakers to campus. In 2016, there was a variety of attention paid to the issue of sustainability. Justin Canakis ’17 and A.J. Scalia ’17 did not publish campaign materials on the issue, and former SA President and Vice President Eboni Brown ’17 and Hannah McKiernan ’17 paid limited attention to sustainability, emphasizing a need for increased recycling on campus and an intention to work with organizations on campus to increase sustainability.

Katherine Ambrose ’17 and Liz Jacob ’17 used their experience with green issues on campus to lay out specific ideas about working with Dining Services and student organizations to increase environmentalism at the College.

Comparatively, Boylan and Tawalare’s sustainability platform is stronger and more overarching, and it includes plans to institute sustainable practices around campus and work within existing structures, such as the new Department of Sustainability and the Office of Community Engagement, to increase sustainability.

Tawalare on platform: ‘This is a living document, it’s not an agenda’ Candidates emphasize their thoroughness, intentionality despite running unopposed UNOPPOSED from page 1

Although Boylan and Tawalare finalized their platform — which highlights three pillars: engagement, intentionality and joy — by Thursday, March 15, the platform has still not been publicly shared. The two have made campaign pages on Facebook and Instagram, where they have shared information about two of their three pillars as well as endorsements from members of their campaign team, including Class of 2018 President Laini Boyd ’18 and Noora Abdel-Fattah ’20.

The team decided to not make a website, which has previously been a staple of SA campaigns, as they are running unopposed. Traditionally, websites are used to house candidate’s full platforms, contact information and endorsements from campaign team members and other students.

While the team has not yet made any campaign

appearances at student organization meetings, Boylan and Tawalare said that they plan to incorporate these events not just in the final days of their campaign, but throughout the rest of their time in office.

When they do release their platform, Tawalare said he hopes to receive student feedback both in support and against their work, because his team is viewing it as a “living document” that it plans to change throughout the rest of the campaign.

“I have been telling people to get ready to have some views,” Tawalare said. “We say at the beginning of the thing that it is a living document, it’s not an agenda, it’s a plan, it’s a graphic organizer for an essay. It’s not immutable.

We are going to have goals, people are going to disagree with them, we are going to take them into consideration, but we can maintain those priorities.”

According to Boylan, while the platform accurately reflects the content he and his team wanted to see, he

believes that perhaps it is not as in depth or specific as he initially would have liked.

“This is not as developed as we would maybe like, we don’t have as many ideas here,” Boylan said. “We are still going to earn this vote, it’s going to be really weird when we earn 100 percent of the vote and it’s going to look like a Banana Republic. … Would we have created a website?

Yeah, probably. Would the platform have been done earlier? It would have been rolled out at midnight [March 12]. We are taking a more relaxed approach, but no less intense.”

Becker said the initial urgency to face off against competition has been translated into a thoroughness that she believes is a strength. Tawalare said he is viewing this new approach to campaigning as a way to have fun as candidates.

“When you are in school and you have to get good grades there is a pressure , but if you are learning out of a

genuine interest it makes it more fun and more effective, it lifts a pressure of spreading our ideas and our mission to those who ask us about it,” Tawalare said. “It makes it more enjoyable, it allows us to dedicate our authentic and genuine brainpower to this, make it marketable in a competitive setting. When life gives you lemons, we did not ask for this to happen, but it is the case, but we might as well roll with it, take what comes and I guess, use it to the best that the situation can be used.”

Boylan said that while he is still feeling stress during the campaign process, he is coming to terms with the fact that in just a few weeks, he will be president of the student body.

“It’s a different kind of stress,” Boylan said. “Now we are here, we don’t have to react to another party, we have to react directly to the students, to their questions, to their critiques. We have to establish that rapport that we want to have throughout the entire year, that’s a jump start.”

SA campaign team comes from diverse range of clubs, backgrounds Candidate pair seeks input for content of campaign platform from team of 15 students “I would say his strengths include his initiative and ability to pinpoint ideas that benefit the campus community,” Payne said in an email. “In addition, he has been an integral part in promoting transparency in SA. Brendan is always great about reaching out to fellow senators to collaborate, which only makes initiatives more successful. I see this translating very well to his presidential candidacy.”

Dutchie said she also believes that, while Boylan is in many organizations that take up his time, he knows SA very well and is aware of the commitment that SA requires.

She said that it is not abnormal for members of SA to see their GPA suffer, but she hopes that Boylan and Tawalare will find a balance with the College’s administration to make their jobs more reasonable.

Outside of SA, Boylan serves as the Filipino American Student Association’s fundraising chair, a development coordinator for Branch Out Alternative Breaks and is a fiddler in the Appalachian Music Ensemble. Sean Balick ’19, another member of the Appalachian Music Ensemble, said that he first met Boylan his freshman year when he was knocking on doors to campaign for a seat in the class of 2019’s senate.

“I don’t know too much about their platform,” Balick said in an email. “I remember when Brendan came to me freshman year he said working towards ending rape on campus was one of his biggest priorities, so I would assume that is still big for him. I have a strong faith in them as representatives. Having gotten to know both of them personally I have found a lot of love and concern in their hearts for William & Mary and all of its students. I have no doubt they will put the students before themselves, because that is how they live their lives.”

Balick said that he feels “100 percent comfortable” voting for them, but had another candidate run against them, he still believes that he would support them.

“I know I can trust them,” Balick said in an email.

“There are no two more-able, no more-deserving people

of representing the student body.”

GowriBuddiga’18servedasSAdiversityundersecretary her junior year and was campaign manager for Danny O’Dea ’18 and Nami Srikranth ’19 last academic year. She said one of the first questions she asked when joining the team was how Boylan and Tawalare would make sure to avoid stepping on the toes of people who belong to marginalized identities on campus. However, she said she believes Boylan to be a good listener and has shown great care about diversity issues in particular.

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Brendan does a great job of not putting himself at the center of the narrative, especially when it comes to race.

Gowri Buddiga ‘18

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CAMPAIGN TEAM from page 1

“Brendan does a great job of not putting himself at the center of the narrative, especially when it comes to race,” Buddiga said.

Salem Regetie ’20 became part of the campaign after meeting Boylan through Branch Out, for which she is a site leader. She saw her role as being able to provide input as a student of color on campus. She said an issue she considers especially important is the hiring and retention of faculty of color, an issue which was included in the campaign platform.

“They really do care,” Regetie said. “I think they have the best intentions and anyone can see that.”

Who is Samir Tawalare?

Tawalare had no direct experience with SA before Boylan reached out to him about running to be his vice president, but was involved with other organizations on campus. Tawalare is a member of the South Asian Student Association, served as an Orientation Aide, tutors for the French department, volunteers with Griffin School

Partnerships and plays drums for campus band Talk to Plants.

His Talk to Plants bandmates spoke to his qualities as a peer, mentioning thoughtfulness and compassion as characteristics he embodies. Sam Wiles ’19 said he was especially struck by Tawalare’s ded­ication to the Meridian Coffeehouse despite never having an official staff position, and that he brings this willingness to help to other organizations as well.

“He’s so incredibly passionate about every organization he participates in,” Wiles said.

Ben Chase ’19, another Talk to Plants member, said he believes Tawalare will listen wholeheartedly to the concerns of the student body.

“Samir always brings a lot of love and happiness to the situations which is important especially in a group setting,” Chase said. “… I have an incredible amount of faith in him and in Brendan as well.”

The Team Dynamic As the campaign manager, Becker said she attempts to reconcile Tawalare’s enthusiasm with Boylan’s institutional knowledge of SA. However, she refuted the idea that because they are running unopposed they are taking the campaign less seriously. She said running unopposed gives them two advantages: it lessens the stress of the campaign, and it allows them to focus their energy on preparing to govern.

“We take this very seriously, but we don’t take ourselves very seriously,” Becker said.

Boylan, Tawalare and their team, she said, embody a love for the College, but a love that is accompanied by a critical approach.

“I think loving William and Mary means looking at it with a critical eye and leaving it better than you found it,” Becker said. “We’re not going to be able to change everything that we want to but we can start by changing everything we can that’s in our reach.”

The dynamic of campaign team meetings, according to people on the team, was collaborative. At the first

meeting in a small classroom in Tyler Hall, Becker said everyone talked about their experiences and bounced around ideas.

“After that meeting, I was just like, ‘Yes, I am so proud to be on this team and I feel like we really can make a difference,’” Becker said.

John Teague ’19 echoed this idea. Teague, a former Orientation Area Director, first met Tawalare when the two were Orientation Aides. While he did not have a specific title, Teague said that the team was egalitarian in terms of who could contribute opinions and did what work.

Camryn Easley ’19, the editor-in-chief of The Black Voice, is also part of the campaign team. She said the issues she is especially passionate about are education and inclusion and she brought that to the campaign.

Easley said that, as a minority student herself, she has experienced firsthand the challenges marginalized communities face on campus and was able to relay those particular concerns to the team.

“Brendan and Samir really believe that including and uplifting marginalized groups on campus will bring attention to outstanding issues that others may not be aware of and make the student body more united,” Easley said in an email.

Those involved in the campaign speak to its collaborative nature and to a collective hope that Boylan and Tawalare will continue to listen to their voices should they transition into leadership roles.

“They’re not there necessarily there to do everything, but to support students who are already doing things,” Buddiga said. “Or, at the very least, not getting in the way.”

Buddiga said that while the two dream big and their vision might not always be feasible, she believes they have surrounded themselves with a solid team of people doing the work of campus activism on a day-to-day basis.

Beyond the team members quoted in this piece, the campaign also includes Sophia Brodnax ’20, Zach Meredith ’19, Cameron How ’20, Sean Roberts ’18, Seema Sethi ’19 and photographer Patrick Canteros ’20.

Page 4

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

CAMPUS

Giovanni delivers ode to historical resilience Eighth annual Lemon Project symposium coincides with 50 year legacy celebrations LEONOR GRAVE, MADELINE MONROE FLAT HAT NEWS EDITORS

In the eighth annual gathering for The Lemon Project: A Journey of Reconciliation, poet Nikki Giovanni drew the largest gathering the symposium has seen since it first began.

The Lemon Project, the initiative focused on studying the history of African Americans at the College of William and Mary, hosted a symposium March 16-17 that featured a series of speakers, artists and panels. This year’s symposium also coincided with the commemoration of 50 years of African-American students in residence at the College and focused thematically on the historical context of desegregation in higher education.

When College President Taylor Reveley delivered remarks on the second day of the symposium, he spoke about the evolution the Lemon Project has seen from its inception.

“Over the years the symposium has really taken on a life of its own,” Reveley said. “One of its most important aspects at William and Mary has been the fact that it has brought people in from the community, not just from the academic village.”

Few schools, Reveley said, have had projects of racial remembrance

SYDNEY MCCOURT / THE FLAT HAT

The Leah Glenn Dance Theater performed “Stifled, Sorrowed... Sustained.”

and repentance as lengthy, as multifaceted and as community-centric as The Lemon Project.

“Slavery and segregation characterized William and Mary far longer and for far more generations than diversity and inclusivity have characterized us over the last few decades,” Reveley said “I genuinely feel we are making an effort to understand our past and to learn from it and to move forward effectively as well and The Lemon Project has been a crucial, and indeed, the crucial piece, to this endeavor.”

Thesymposiumfocusedheavilyonadiscussionofhistory,andincorporated art inspired by history. On the first day of the symposium, following welcoming remarks from 50th Anniversary Committee Chair Jacquelyn McLendon, artist Steve Prince gave a talk titled “The Second Line: Redressing American Systems of Education.”

Prince began his talk by introducing the musical terms “dirge” and “second line.” According to Prince, “second line,” in the musical sense, can refer to the upbeat rhythm found in jazz music, but he said he also utilizes it to differentiate between the first and second line of family at a funeral and to differentiate between the first line of one’s life and the second line of one’s afterlife.

“When we think about the dirge and the second line, it’s not about death — it’s about moving towards a place of life,” Prince said.

After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, Prince was moved to create the work “Katrina’s Dirge,” suggesting hurricane Katrina cleansed the nation’s misleading perception of New Orleans and unveiled the city’s underlying racial tensions and injustices. In another of his pieces, “Nine Little Indians,” Prince illustrated members of the Little Rock Nine who were the first African-American students to enter the all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas Sept. 1957 despite violent protests after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down segregation.

In the afternoon, artist Steve Prince led a hands-on communal artwork workshop to create a piece called “The Lemon Revival,” using woodcuts and commemorating the contributions of Lemon to the Williamsburg community.

Christine Fulgham ’17, who participated in the class Prince led over the summer during which the collaborative “Lemonade” mural was created, found Prince’s talk valuable in its message to find the beauty in life alongside mourning. This is something she said she sees reflected not only in Prince’s work, but in the Lemon Project’s broader mission.

“I’ve been thinking a lot more about ancestry and about how people paved the way for you to be able to do things,” Fulgham said. “Someone paved, through their body, their labor, their time, their love and their energy for you to have the things you have now.”

To Fulgham, recognizing Lemon, an enslaved man owned by the College, is a way to recognize history more fully.

Following Prince’s Friday talk, a roundtable on the College and the local African-American community focused on the relationship between the university and the town and included four Williamsburg residents. Later Friday, Provost Michael Halleran gave a few remarks before a discussion on Giovanni in context. Friday night ended with a conceptual performance piece from Valarie Gray Holmes titled “The New Gatekeepers,” which imagined a woman who was around in 1959 to witness the integration of the College.

Before Giovanni stepped up to the microphone for her address, the Leah Glenn Dance Theatre performed a piece entitled, “Stifled, Sorrowed …

SYDNEY MCCOURT / THE FLAT HAT

President Reveley and Nikki Giovanni both spoke at the annual Lemon Project symposium

Sustained.” The three dancers, Olivia Armstrong ’14, Kayla Moore ’13 and Arisa Smith ’17, danced to music by Philip Glass and audio recordings of Giovanni poems.

Giovanni’s speech took a poetic approach to talking about the history of African Americans, from the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade to more contemporary forms of racism and discrimination such as police brutality.

“No matter what we think about this country that we now call America, it couldn’t be diddly-squat without black people having come and given it the language that we have,” Giovannni said.

Giovanni spoke about the resilience of the African-American community and its myriad of contributions to American society and culture. Her speech emphasized that acknowledging history through initiatives like The Lemon Project is important in order to move forward.

One student in attendance, Neonna Ferebee ’20, said she considered Giovanni’s remarks a highlight of the symposium.

“She really affirmed black womanhood and our ability to sustain throughout history,” Ferebee said.

Furthermore, Ferebee stressed the importance of The Lemon Project at the College.

“I’m glad we have something like this where we can recognize our history, especially this institution and its connection to slavery,” Ferebee said. “I’m excited for the future.”

FACULTY

Doug Young wins Raft Debate Professors defend disciplines to escape ‘island’ GRACIE HARRIS FLAT HAT PHOTOS EDITOR

Although all four participating professors garnered many laughs and cheers from the audience, chemistry professor Doug Young was declared the winner of this year’s Raft Debate Thursday, March 15. The Chesapeake auditorium in the Sadler Center was filled to capacity with high-energy students, and the casual atmosphere was maintained by a variety of costumes and props.

Dean of Graduate Studies and Research Virginia Torczon, who judged the event, introduced the professors at the beginning while sporting a white powdered wig.

She emphasized the importance of the inflatable raft on stage and explained the rules. Each professor was given seven minutes to present their initial case and then three minutes each to respond to each other. After that, audience questions were taken, and a sound meter used to determine the winner.

History professor Fabricio Prado, representing the humanities, was the first to present his case. Clad in an all-black, steampunk-esque costume and utilizing a synthesizer, he emphasized the need for human beings to make sense out of the mess of scientific information. “[The synthesizer] can be just a box of noise,” Prado said. “If you want to turn this into a real instrument, you need a human. We think that we all work together, but the humanities were there in the beginning. Without knowing where we came from, we cannot know where we are going.”

He then explained that allowing the sciences to exist unchecked and without ethical considerations serves to the detriment of all humans.

“It is not just about saving the humanities,” Prado said.

“It is about saving humanity.”

Prado said that without the concept of history, one loses the greater context of our existence.

“We can rebuild technology,” Prado said. “But history, my friends — our origins, the stories from your ancestors, all the African diaspora, all the movement of people, the challenges, our mistakes — if you lose that, you cannot recreate it.”

Government professor Jaime Settle, representing the social sciences, spoke next, preceded by enthusiastic cheers of “settle this debate” from the crowd and several signs sporting slogans. She began by thanking her “campaign staff” of cheering students and launching into an impression of U.S. President Donald Trump.

“Nobody has more respect for the humanities and social sciences [than me], trust me on this,” Settle said.

“Brilliant people, great people, no one loves it more than I do.”

Her argument focused on the importance of government to humanity and the ability of social sciences

to design institutions and processes to best serve people.

Young spoke next, arguing for the natural and computational sciences. He began his speaking time by using a flame to pop an inflated balloon while declaring, “Science.”

“That was powerful, and painful, but I just created water from fire, and that is the power of science,” Young said. “When asked, ‘Why should you save the natural and computational sciences?’ there really is only one answer here. Because science.”

Young elaborated with references to DJ Khaled to describe science as foundational and an image that combined the faces of Lord Voldemort and Trump to show where humanity would be if left with only the arts and social sciences.

Young described science as the key to civilization, something that gives us some of the most important technological advances in society.

Computer science professor Pieter Peers, who played the devil’s advocate, took the stage last with an attempt to convince the audience that no discipline should be saved.

“I didn’t know what the Raft Debate was — I was told this was a battle of wits and intelligence,” Peers said, pausing to look at his colleagues. “Anyway, so apparently three professors are stranded together on a deserted island. Well, that doesn’t surprise me.”

He went on to discuss his confusion over the nature of the Raft Debate, explaining what he would do as a student if his professors were actually stranded.

“If I heard that one of my professors was stranded on a deserted island, I would go and party,” Peers said. “I would get a drink. But then it hit me. The drinking age in this country, it’s 21.”

Peers moved into his argument, drawing from a boy’s survival guide, saying that the only rational and ethical decision was to leave them all so they could work together to survive.

The rebuttals passed quickly, with the professor trying to refute each other’s arguments and improve their own.

Settle emphasized the way that social scientists ask questions and its relevance to current events. Young used his rebuttal time to use dry ice and flowers to demonstrate the future without science.

“Science is much like my favorite person, Santa,” Young said, changing into a Buddy the Elf costume. “Because no matter if you believe in him or not, he is always there for you, and he always brings you wonderful presents just like the natural sciences.”

After audience questions, Torczon used a sound meter to determine the winner of the debate. Despite the urgency of Settle’s advocates and Peers’ children’s use of air horns, the natural and computational sciences, as represented by Young, were declared the definitive winner of the Raft Debate.

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opinions

Opinions Editor Ethan Brown Opinions Editor Katherine Yenzer fhopinions@gmail.com // @theflathat

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, March 20, 2018| Page 5

STAFF EDITORIAL

Boylan and Tawalare: promising candidates, room for improvement

GRAPHIC BY KAYLA PAYNE / THE FLAT HAT

STAFF COLUMN

Gun control walkout poorly executed

Anna Boustany

FLAT HAT OPINIONS ASSOC. EDITOR

Wednesday, March 14, the campus was quietly abuzz with the idea of a walkout in honor of the victims of the Parkland, Florida shooting that would take place at 10 a.m. and last 17 minutes. I arrived at the Sunken Garden several minutes before the walkout was intended to start, very unsure about what to expect.

When I got there, there were only a few people milling around, but by five minutes past 10, there was a line of people stretching almost all the way across the Sunken Garden.

As thrilling as it was to see a large group of people coming together in support of the victims of gun violence, the walkout seemed to lack true meaning.

With no speakers and little organization beyond flyers and posters to sign, no one seemed to know what was happening or what to expect. I had assumed that there would be an organized moment of silence, but in the 30 minutes I was there, nothing of the sort occurred. The walkout organizers were passing out flyers for a new club that they are hoping to form to address gun violence, which is very admirable.

However, the walkout itself seemed self-indulgent.

Nearly everyone I talked to (including myself ) did not have a 10 a.m. class that they actually were walking out of.

Also, on a college campus, there are very few consequences for skipping class or showing up 20 minutes late, whereas the high schoolers who were walking out across the country were facing much greater consequences.

While I understand that it is not necessary to make a sacrifice in order for a protest to count, it does make the protest more meaningful.

This, combined with the fact that there was very little organization, made it seem like the walkout was more of an opportunity for students to post on their social media about how great they were than to honor the Parkland victims or learn about steps forward that could be taken in order to prevent gun violence in the future.

I do believe that the organizers and all of the students gathered did truly have good intentions, but the execution was poor.

There was a great deal of potential for students to learn about ways to contact their legislators or donate to organizations fighting gun violence (like Everytown for Gun Safety, Moms Demand Action and many more that can easily be found in a quick Google search), and it saddened me that this opportunity was ignored. At the very least, I would have appreciated an official moment of silence to pause and honor the victims of Parkland and all previous school shootings.

I do appreciate the effort that the walkout organizers made and that they are planning on forming a club here on campus to combat gun violence. I am incredibly heartened by the large number of students who came to the walkout, and I hope we can all find ways to encourage taking action to make a difference and move toward a better future together.

Email Anna Boustany at aeboustany@email.wm.edu

“

With no speakers and little organization beyond flyers and posters to sign, no one seemed to know what was happening or what to expect. I had assumed that there would be an organized moment of silence, but in the 30 minutes I was there, nothing of the sort occurred.

“

COMMENTS @THEFLATHAT Hello Sean and Maddie!

First, thank you guys for coming in and for taking the time to review us! We are pleased to read that you both enjoyed yourselves and appreciate your feedback on areas you feel we could improve. We agree that at times it can be loud in here, however we are fans of the ambiance we have created as it has an energy not otherwise found in the Williamsburg restaurant scene!

We are aware that our ambiance it is not for everyone though and that is totally cool.

And while we are happy to hear that you guys both genuinely enjoyed your offerings, we are disappointed to read that you feel we are a bit expensive for the “underwhelming” experience. We certainly have never claimed to be a cheap place to eat or drink, but we respectively disagree with the comparison you make to us and Food for Thought. Our pricing is actually low for the quality of food we offer. All of our fish, meat, poultry, eggs, cheese, produce, etc. is sourced from over 20 local farmers, fishmongers and artisans. We brew our beer using the best malt, hops and ingredients we can find. Source locally roasted, fair trade coffee and tea. Our cocktail program, albeit different from the Green Leafe, uses spirits sourced primarily from Virginia distillers. With the focus on local creating the foundation for which we operate, it is actually a pretty smashing deal to dine with us! We do however agree that if your looking for a cheap burger and $5 pint, we are not the place for that, but if your looking for food that is handled properly, beverages served with integrity and great service, we are the spot!

With that said, we would love the opportunity to have the two of you in again! It seems we didn’t do our philosophy justice by failing to show you both the excitement about the products we offer!

We are extremely appreciative of the support we have received from the students and faculty at William & Mary and are hopeful we can continue to find ways to deliver cool experiences for you all!

If you choose, please reach out and let us know when you plan to be back in and we will take great care of you!

— Amber Ox Public House in reponse to “Amber Ox: Worth the Price?”

Brendan Boylan ’19 and Samir Tawalare ’19, as the only ticket vying for president and vice-president of Student Assembly, are unique candidates in a unique situation.

Running unopposed — for the first time in Student Assembly history — gives them an obvious advantage. However, it has also presented a disguised obstacle; without the forced urgency of a competing ticket, Boylan and Tawalare have been running their campaign at a much slower pace than past SA presidential tickets.

The campaign period officially began Monday, March 12, but they waited until Thursday, March 15, to release their platform to The Flat Hat and have not publicly published their platform as of the date of publication.

However, their delayed pace is balanced by an opportunity to listen more deliberately to groups within the campus community.

This input from organizations across campus will give the candidates the chance to hone their platform not just over the course of their campaign, but also over the course of their year in office.

The Flat Hat chooses to endorse Boylan and Tawalare with an understanding of their unique situation, alongside their proven commitment to community service and meaningful involvement in multicultural and activist groups across campus. We expect to see these candidates improve as they rise to the challenge of assuming the highest positions in student government.

Boylan, who has been a senator for the class of 2019 since his freshman year, has a strong institutional knowledge of SA. Additionally, he has shown an ability to learn from his mistakes and to help inform future decisions. He has also committed to listen to the campus community, especially marginalized groups.

In his interview with the editorial board, Boylan mentioned that he has sometimes struggled to find the right approach when confronting issues in SA. When he authored the Survivor Solidarity Resolution in spring 2017, for example, he ran into issues when he realized that his committee created redundancy with sexual assault advocacy groups that were already leading initiatives. However, Boylan seems cognizant of the importance of facilitating the work of student groups and has made an effort to counter a tendency to repeat his past mistakes in this campaign.

Tawalare, despite being an SA newcomer, has a well-known presence on campus and has brought excitement for his vicepresidential role to the campaign. He is personable and has created wide-reaching bonds on campus based on his involvement in the South Asian Student Association, Griffin School Partnerships and his band Talk to Plants. His lack of institutional knowledge of SA could present a challenge as he is expected to lead weekly Senate meetings, but he appears invested in learning more in order to be able to effectively operate within the organization in the fall.

The strengths of Boylan and Tawalare’s campaign mirror their strengths as individuals. Their enthusiasm is palpable and they have genuine concern for the student body, especially marginalized and underrepresented groups.

The portion of their platform with the most concrete proposals is probably their planned budget reforms. They plan to translate the information they receive from communication with other organizations into a reallocation of funding based on the $739,900 SA budget for this year.

Specifically, Boylan and Tawalare mentioned wanting to look closer at AMP, which receives significant funding from SA each year, as a potential source for restructuring cuts that could be directed to initiatives like funding for transcripts. This has the potential to reach more students.

Boylan and Tawalare’s desire to be transparent, while noble, has not yet been fully realized. Though transparency forms a large part of their platform, they have opted to not make a website for their campaign, as of publication.

To encourage future transparency, they plan to develop a department of outreach, and will utilize social media as a tool for connecting with students and organizations. There are many clubs and organizations cited by name in the platform, and we hope that Boylan and Tawalare will continue this outreach and will transition it to meaningful policy.

The platform can be overambitious. Boylan and Tawalare cite the hiring and retention of faculty of color, the facilitation of academic credit for ROTC students and support of the COLL 199 credit as issues they support. These are largely performative stances as SA generally lacks the authority to sway these administrative decisions. Nonetheless, they point toward the heart of the campaign, which prioritizes diversity at all levels of the College institution.

Both Boylan and Tawalare have proven their dedication to the campus community through their extensive outreach efforts. The two have room for growth, especially in the transparency and specificity of their platform and proposed policies, and they are by no means free of fault.

However, the initiative shown by Boylan and Tawalare in their involvement on campus as well as within this campaign should give students faith that both individuals will listen to the campus community. It is the hope of The Flat Hat that this will allow them to continually improve as candidates and, eventually, lead the 2018-19 SA as president and vice-president with purpose and efficiency.

SA has the capability to influence the College through its considerable budget, but it also serves as a symbolic representation of campus culture. If Boylan and Tawalare follow through on their intentions, they would create a culture in SA which would facilitate important work being done by students from every corner of campus.

The staff editorial represents the opinion of The Flat Hat. The editorial board consists of Brendan Doyle, Kiana Espinoza, Leanor Grave and Julia Stumbaugh. The Flat Hat welcomes submissions to the Opinions section. Letters, columns, graphics, and cartoons reflect the view of the author only. Email submissions to fhopinions@gmail.com.

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Page 6

GUEST COLUMN

Tribal policy courses needed

Mackenzie Neal FLAT HAT GUEST WRITER

Jan. 29, 2018, H.R. 984 was signed into law, officially recognizing six Virginia Native-American tribes as domestic dependent, selfgoverning nations. Tribal leaders, alongside senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, have worked tirelessly for two decades to pass this legislation, and it was an enormous achievement. I was thrilled to hear the news, but as I celebrated on social media I quickly realized that my peers at the College of William and Mary had absolutely no idea what I was talking about.

The federal Indian trust responsibility is a foundational characteristic of America’s legal and political heritage, yet most students at the College have never heard of it. Of course, it’s not necessarily their fault — to my knowledge, it isn’t taught in public schools and isn’t featured in the AP Government or AP U.S. History curricula. It’s shocking, though, that students studying government, environmental policy, public policy and law can remain unaware of the basic principles of federal-tribal relations long after they’ve completed their university-level coursework at the College. I’m surprised and disappointed that, unlike other top-notch universities, the College does not offer courses in tribal policy or federal Indian law in either its undergraduate or graduate programs. By overlooking this critical aspect of U.S. history, law and politics, the College is doing a disservice not only to its longstanding relationship with local tribal nations, but also to its own cherished identity as a historical liberal arts institution.

At the Undergraduate Level: If you want to study tribal policy at the College, you have to get creative with course registration. There are 30 courses that count toward the new native studies minor — and if you include classes tangentially related to indigenous studies, a generous estimation might raise the number to 45 courses that may mention modern tribal policy at some point in a semester.

There are no government or public policy classes that prominently feature federal Indian policy, state-tribal relations or Indian law in their course descriptions. If you compare the College to another Public Ivy on the East Coast, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, you’ll see that UNC Chapel Hill offers 52 native studies courses in its American Indian studies department alone, and 11 of these courses focus primarily on tribal politics, federal Indian law and indigenous political activism. Brendan Thomas ’18 is graduating in May with a major in history and a minor in native studies, and he argues that the College should offer a broader set of indigenous studies courses.

“Anthropology has had a monopoly on Native Studies in (white) academia for a long time, but the anthropological perspective is certainly not the only, or indeed always the most valuable, method to study the Native experience,” Thomas said. “The study of the Native experience should be as multifaceted and complex as Native people themselves are. A fully-fledged Native Studies program should incorporate courses on Literature, Film Studies, Government, Environmental Science, Sociology, and Law, and not just its traditional domain within the anthropology and history departments.”

Emily Williams ’18 is of Native Hawaiian and Diné (Navajo) descent, and she says students at the College must be aware of modern Native America regardless of their choice of study.

“We do not live in the past. We survive, and we assert our rights like anybody else through our culture and our sovereignty,” Williams said. “Letting the professionals we educate go on unprepared and unaware of American Indians fighting to thrive is disgraceful for such a well-reputed institution. Students and Natives alike deserve better.”

In my experience, I learned more about tribal policy in my Indigenous Literature class than a major’s worth of government courses could teach me. Luckily, many government and public policy professors have recognized this gap and are endeavoring to address it. In his Intro to Public Policy class, government professor Lenneal Henderson teaches the evolution of the federal-tribal relationship and gives students an overview of both historical and modern Native-American policies. However, with an enormous amount of material to cover and limited time in the semester, it’s difficult to properly and thoroughly examine the subject, leaving several critical aspects of tribal policy unexplored and undiscussed.

At the Graduate Level: According to Marshall-Wythe Foundation Professor of Law and Founding Director of the Human Security Law Center Linda Malone, most law schools consider it a given to offer courses in federal Indian law.

“Federal Indian law is not geographically limited to schools west of the Mississippi — it is relevant, and it has expanded,” Malone said in a phone interview.

The subject of Indian law regularly comes up in Malone’s environmental land use and constitutional law courses, and she and other professors at the Marshall-Wythe School of Law Studies shared that they encountered federal Indian law in their careers prior to teaching at the College. Despite its significance and relevance, courses in Indian law have never been offered at the College’s law school, and there are currently no plans in place to do so. The same is true for the College’s public policy program.

“William and Mary has a long history with local tribes, so it would be very natural to have these opportunities. It would be a tremendous public service to offer a course in Indian law, and there is a great deal in students’ interest to take an Indian law class,” Malone said.

Whether you study anthropology, environmental policy, political science, international relations, health or education, odds are that you will encounter federal Indian law or tribal policy in some capacity at least once in your career. Even as an intern in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Public Affairs —an office many would consider definitively unrelated to tribal policy — I encountered federal tribal consultation policies, country-tribal-state jurisdictional battles, international discussions on Alaska Native whaling rights and national security conversations about nuclear waste storage on tribal lands. The identity of the United States is inextricably linked to its history as a settler-colonial nation built on indigenous homelands. The College would benefit by expanding its course offerings to incorporate more Native studies courses, especially in the realm of tribal policy and law.

Email Mackenzie Neal at mlneal@email.wm.edu.

GRAPHIC BY MAGGIE MORE / THE FLAT HAT

Students have mixed reactions to spring concert GUEST COLUMN

STAFF COLUMN

Welcoming Joe Jonas to D.R.A.M. deserves to be campus with open arms spring concert headliner

Lexi Godfrey

FLAT HAT GUEST WRITER

Spring is right around the corner, and everyone is awaiting its arrival with bated breath. Last week, Alma Mater Productions announced that the College’s spring concert will feature DNCE, with opener, D.R.A.M. For those of you who fail to keep up with this generation, DNCE is Joe Jonas’s totally adult, non-familial band that has churned out hits like “Cake by the Ocean” and “Body Moves.”

Alternatively, D.R.A.M is the mastermind behind “Broccoli,” and it doesn’t seem like anyone can honestly say that they’ve heard another song by him.

There has been a lot of buzz around these concert choices, both angry and excited. From my observations, it seems that those who are the most disappointed in DNCE as the headliner are also those who failed to have a Jonas Brothers “phase.” And to them I ask, ‘how dare you?’

How dare you try and rob the joy of Joe Jonas from the nowgrown, fangirl generation? I’m not sure if this is coming as a news flash to a lot of people, but Joe Jonas is a millennial icon. Not only is he a talented vocalist and musician, but he is also a successful actor, starring in legendary movies such as “Camp Rock” and “Camp Rock 2,” and he’s undeniably dreamy. Joe Jonas watched many of us fall asleep night after night from behind his glossy poster eyes, and all we ask is for this one magnificent night back in time without pushback.

“

How dare you try and rob the joy of Joe Jonas from the now-grown, fangirl generation?

Joe Jonas represents what many of us constantly fail to articulate. He is our innocent childhood fantasy while simultaneously being the one that took us by the hand into the first wonders of adulthood. On the brink of full maturity, Joe Jonas will grant us a night of pure adolescent hysteria and ignorant bliss. On this night, our minds will rest and our hearts will sing. On this night, we won’t be college students, but angsty 12-year-olds dancing in our rooms alone to Joe’s melodic, silken voice. Let us have this.

As for D.R.A.M., I have been informed by an AMP insider that he will work less as an opener and more as a “co-headliner,” most likely performing for 45 minutes to an hour. I can’t say I wasn’t initially excited by this choice in opener, but the more I think about it, the less enthusiastic I become.

I can say with full confidence that I will only be able to sing along to one song with D.R.A.M., and I guarantee I am not the only one. Granted, D.R.A.M. will certainly act as more of a “hypeman” per se, as DNCE’s music can be classified as more low-key pop, which is not D.R.A.M.’s style.

Regardless of the technicality that is D.R.A.M., Joe Jonas will be in Kaplan Arena in just a few weeks time, singing to each and every one of our open hearts, and at this point in the semester, that is inspiration in itself. D.R.A.M. will undoubtedly catch the electric Jonas energy during his performance, and I can only hope that he manages that energy responsibly. Because for one night, we will be reliving our frenzied 13-year-old dreams, and both D.R.A.M. and Joe Jonas will have to stare into our faces as we do so.

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

Anthony Madalone

FLAT HAT OPINIONS ASSOC. EDITOR

I don’t care what boy band you were a part of a decade ago, Joe Jonas; I’m sorry, but you and your band should not be the ones headlining the College of William and Mary’s spring concert. That honor should be going to none other than Big Baby D.R.A.M., the concert’s current opener.

Yes, everybody has heard “Cake by the Ocean” ad nauseam.

As much as I get a kick out of the fact that an ex-Disney star managed to score a top 40 hit using a food-based allegory for an intensely intimate sexual act, I cannot bring myself to enjoy the song beyond that small kick, with nothing in the music or lyrics striking me beyond its initial ironic value.

D.R.A.M., meanwhile, also managed to score a top 40 hit in “Broccoli”, another song in which the namesake coyly relates to its underlying content . Beyond that imagery, however, there is not only a tirelessly good beat, but also an overwhelmingly positive message about working hard at what you love and eventually gaining wealth and success from it, which is a sentiment that I think is extremely important to impress on students trying to strike a balance between passion and success.

Beyond pure song quality, popularity plays a huge role in determining what makes or breaks a headliner. DNCE undeniably has Joe Jonas, an ex-member of a band that managed to influence the childhoods of hundreds of students across our campus. This should not actually matter in terms of headlining, because DNCE is quite distinctly not The Jonas Brothers.

Although I have not formally polled the College’s entire student body, I have noticed an extremely distinct trend within our population. Whenever DNCE is mentioned, there will most assuredly be a comment regarding Joe’s old group, whether it be questioning if the other brothers will miraculously show up or wondering if Joe will sing any of his old band’s music. Being completely stuck in the shadow of a past act does not mark the character of a headliner.

D.R.A.M. lives in no such shadow, existing purely by himself as a distinct artist. His fans aren’t excited to see him because he was featured on a Chance the Rapper album, but because his own music is incredible.

Even if affiliations with past groups can be considered a valid form of criteria with what makes an artist a headliner, it is objectively wrong to say that DNCE’s inclusion of Jonas can come close to comparing with D.R.A.M.’s collaborative discography. During their tenure as a group, DNCE has written music with Nicki Minaj, helped Rod Stewart release a remix of “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy”, and appeared on a non-marquee song for “My Little Pony: The Movie.”

D.R.A.M., meanwhile, has worked with the aforementioned Chance The Rapper, in addition to artists such as Gorillaz, Calvin Harris and Neil Young. These artists not only span several different generations, but also managed to help define them. Disney history included, DNCE does not hold a candle to D.R.A.M.’s prior pedigree.

Finally, and most importantly, the most essential aspect of a headliner is the breadth of their catalogue. The whole point of differentiating between headliner and opener lies in how long each artist gets to perform. At the moment, DNCE has one new single, an album and an EP made up of songs from the album.

D.R.A.M., on the other hand, has three EPs, a full album and a mixtape, with more features than DNCE to boot. All opinions aside, D.R.A.M. simply has more content on hand than DNCE, and thus can better fill a headlining set list.

I have nothing against Joe Jonas or his prior group: Although my skill has fallen to time, I was once proudly able to sing along to all of “Burnin’ Up”, including Big Rob’s verse. As he stands today, however, Jonas and DNCE have no right to be headlining anything over an artist with the content or skill set of D.R.A.M. The spring concert is going to be great regardless of who headlines; I just wish D.R.A.M. had proper billing on the stage he is justified to own.

Email Anthony Madalone at asmadalone@email.wm.edu.

variety

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Variety Editor Heather Baier Variety Editor Carmen Honker flathat.variety@gmail.com

The Flat Hat| Tuesday, March 20, 2018 | Page 7

n c o h o e r s i e r o s g n i r a a t p r h u CARMEN HONKER // FLAT HAT VARIETY EDITOR

y

Student choreographers learn more about their personal choreographic methods, styles

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“It ’s be en rea lly ex cit ing to se e my pe rso na l mo ve me nt ae sth eti c gr ow an d de ve lop int o my ow n sty le. ” – Hailey Arindaeng ’19

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“It’s definitely a challenging process, and I wouldn’t say that I am a natural choreographer,” Pitts said. “… I grew up training in ballet, so I had never done this kind of dance before, and I always thought that my movement style would naturally be more balletic, but my piece is very grounded and very non-balletic. So, it’s kind of cool to see how I am growing as a choreographer and what feels good on my body, because it is really not what I expected my style of movement to look like.”

The choreographic process extends beyond merely the allotted weekly rehearsals, as choreographers must devote additional time

to think through the workings of movement sequences that they will later teach to their dancers.

“A lot of it is me lying on the floor in the downstairs studio, trying to think about what to do,” Pitts said. “I have also gotten better at it in the past few months that I have been choreographing it, but usually I will think of a formation first, or a pattern that I want, and I’ll say, ‘Okay we have eight counts to get into this line, and then four counts of eight of some sort of combination in a canon,’ and I will go through and map out the piece in terms of just where I want the bodies to be.

Then, I will usually go back and fill in the movements and actually choreograph combinations. But it takes me so long to actually do that part because it’s hard to come up with something that you are happy with. It’s one thing to do it on yourself, but [it is different coming] up with things that you know will look good on your dancers, because you, yourself, are not the one who will be doing them.”

The casts of each piece also determine the scope of choreography.

Arindaeng said that it is crucial for the choreographer to remember for whom they are choreographing, as this may sway the original direction of the choreographer’s vision. The choreographer must also prioritize the dancers’ comfort.

“Each choreographer comes into a project with a vision, but it is so important to remember that your vision is just as important as how comfortable your dancers feel on stage,” Arindaeng said. “So, as much as I’d love my vision to come across as the first time I thought about it, it’s equally as important to me that my dancers feel really confident on stage. Because, as a dancer myself, I know how empowering that can be to go on stage and just love performing the movement… [my dancers and I] have such a good way of communicating, and I really want to make sure that they feel comfortable with the movement too.”

Arindaeng said that communication and patience are both part of the progression of movement.

“If I come into rehearsal and a movement phrase isn’t translated as I initially intended it to, we work through it together,” Arindaeng said. “We communicate about how we can make this work for each of our individual, unique and different bodies. Sometimes you try something out and it doesn’t work, and you come back next week, and you come up with a new solution. It is important to be patient; I think that your dancers are your clay, and it is continually evolving.

You have to remember that it is really exciting to see your vision come to life and to allow it to grow over time and to give your dancers a chance to learn and adapt to your movement style; they are learning something new, too.”

Social Chair Carrie Byrne ’20 and Head Costume Officer Antonella Nicholas ’20 are co-choreographers. They, like other choreographers, began their process during the summer months of 2017. Byrne and Nicholas picked their music selections and began developing ideas for costumes over the summer. They entered into this academic year having general themes established for their piece, and their choreographic process began in the fall.

Choreographic development for Byrne and Nicholas is very much a collaborative process, not only between the two of them, but also between them and their cast of dancers.

“We do it all together pretty much,” Nicholas said. “If we think of choreography separately, we definitely bring it in and say, ‘Do you like this?’ It comes through us and then to [our dancers]. Usually it takes quite a bit of time to come up with movement that is different.

We want to make sure it has variety and then also that the dancers can do it; we think about what looks good on them.”

The strength and versatility of the dancers in their piece shape how Byrne and Nicholas end up constructing their dance.

“We were really able to come up with movements that were both very original to our style of choreography, but then also could

highlight [the dancers’] strengths because they have so many,” Byrne said. “We were very lucky in that aspect, where we got that group of dancers, especially because all but one are choreographers themselves. … We give them a movement, but then they make it their own, which I think is very important to how our piece turned out.”

Additionally, composition and growth of movement phrases within the pieces is never finished. The process is ongoing and constantly evolving.

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“We were really able to come up with movements that were both very original to our style of choreography , but then also could highlight [the dancers’] strengths because they have so many.”

– Carrie Byrne ’20

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T

he Orchesis Modern Dance Company performs biannually.

Their spring production, “An Evening of Dance,” is an opportunity for student choreographers, as members of the company, to develop original works that will be performed on stage by fellow company dancers.

Behind each carefully constructed piece lies much preparation and many pointed decisions about music, costumes, patterns and choreography. For many of the students, their involvement with Orchesis marks their first experience choreographing.

Orchesis President Hailey Arindaeng ’18 began choreographing her sophomore year at the College of William and Mary with a cast of five dancers, and then she had six dancers during her junior year.

This year, she is choreographing the finale — the piece that closes out the show — with the complete cast of 22 dancers. Arindaeng said she is eager to be working with students from a variety of different dance backgrounds.

“It’s been really exciting to see my personal movement aesthetic grow and develop into my own style,” Arindaeng said. “This year I am working with 22 dancers in finale and working with a group that large is very different from working with just six dancers, but it is really exciting to see the whole company come together. We each come from very different dance backgrounds. So, some of us grew up in a studio that was mainly contemporary and jazz, and others have a very strong ballet background; some people did dance team in high school. And getting to work with 22 dancers who all have really unique strengths and being able to leverage their styles to create a piece that features so many unique styles of dance from each of the dancers is really exciting. [It is exciting] to see that come together with this longer piece.”

Orchesis Vice President Jessica Pitts ’19 is a first-time choreographer this year. Initially, Pitts did not think that she would pursue choreography, but she said that this year, she was particularly inspired by the idea. For Pitts, passion drove her desire to choreograph; she said that without passion for her developed concept, she would not have choreographed.

Pitts said that choreographing does not necessarily come as second nature to her and that her choreographic process has proved to be quite interesting.

“There are always parts that we are tweaking,” Byrne said. “What we come up with in our meetings to choreograph is never what ends up on them, finally. There is a lot of tweaking that goes on.”

Orchesis’ spring production places such emphasis on the students, especially since the pieces are all student-choreographed and performed. Arindaeng said that she believes that it is the distinct student perspective that makes “An Evening of Dance” so unique.

“We have not only the faculty perspective; we also have the student perspective,” Arindaeng said. “What is so exciting about our spring show ... is that we get to choreograph pieces that we know will speak to the student community. For example, we have had pieces about undocumented immigrants, the civil rights movement, youth protests, and ranging from that to things such as the struggle to seek perfection in your young adult life. Those themes and ideas all came from students because we know that on this campus, those are topics that we are really passionate about.”

The dancers in Orchesis are students of all interests and academic majors, brought together by the commonality of a love for dance.

Arindaeng said that because of this diverse background, Orchesis is able to communicate a broad range of messages to its student audience and ultimately spark conversation around campus.

“Each of us comes from such a different background — some of us are biology majors, finance majors, English majors, and because we have that diverse background, we are representing a lot of student voices,” Arindaeng said. “The themes that we are portraying on stage — because part of modern dance is conveying a message that you couldn’t say through words — are speaking to a lot of students who can relate to those messages, which I think is very exciting. Some of my friends will come to the shows who aren’t dancers, but we will have really exciting conversations afterwards about the inspiration for each piece. … Even someone who has never seen dance before can get something out of the show that is valuable or related to some sort of message. It’s thought provoking and encourages them to think about a topic in a new way as far as conversations on campus.”

COURTESY PHOTOS / GEOFFREY WADE GRAPHIC BY CARMEN HONKER / THE FLAT HAT

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Page 8

Sitcom legend talks show biz

Bonerz discusses his career with film and media students LEXI GODFREY FLAT HAT STAFF WRITER

Pineapple Inn impacts both volunteers and residents Students volunteer for low-income family shelter CLAUDIA SANTA ANNA // FLAT HAT PHOTOS ASSOC. EDITOR

Every Thursday and Friday, volunteers from Pineapple Kids board a bus behind Blow Memorial Hall and make a 15-minute trek off campus. Their destination is the Pineapple Inn, which provides subsidized housing to families facing poverty in the Williamsburg community.

Pineapple Kids offers tutoring and mentoring to children living at the Inn. It also provides students with the opportunity to challenge common misconceptions about homelessness and poverty in Williamsburg and learn more about the issue of childhood poverty.

“I didn’t really know what to expect because I hadn’t really worked with people in poverty before or been exposed to people in poverty or low-income situations,” Cherry Wang ’20 said. “After joining Pineapple Kids I’ve realized that ‘wow, this is a real situation that people are going through every day.’”

Other members shared similar sentiments about how volunteering has made positive impacts on their lives.

“You can learn about poverty rates and a lot of injustice in systems in the world but there’s nothing that really compares to real-life, in-person experiences,” Julie Rodil ’20 said. “I think that’s a very valuable experience to have.”

According to the U.S. Census, the City of Williamsburg has a poverty rate of 21.1 percent, more than Washington, D.C., which has a poverty rate of 18.6 percent. Despite this, poverty remains mostly hidden.

“Prior to being a part of Pineapple Kids, I had no idea that the poverty rate was that high,” Rodil said. “Some of the people I’ve met at Pineapple Inn are some of the most hardworking people I’ve met, and it’s strange and disheartening to know that all they’re doing still isn’t enough to not be in low-income housing.”

Though many of the residents of Pineapple Inn are employed, sometimes with more than one job, they still struggle with making ends meet.

“I have seen William and Mary dining workers at the Inn before, and other places, and that’s very telling to what is actually being paid,” Clay Moughon ’18 said. “Even with a job, it’s still really hard for these folks.”

Although the residents of the Pineapple Inn have a place to live, that doesn’t mean the families aren’t considered homeless or in poverty.

“There are different ways to define homelessness, and different governmental organizations classify them differently,” Bianca Caccamo ’20 said. “The Pineapple Inn is very much like an inn — like one room, and a bed, like a hotel room. It’s not that they don’t have a roof over their head. However, the school system, part of their definition of homelessness is, is the housing suitable to learning, to thriving, to childhood. The answer is no — one room, one bed or maybe two beds are not suitable for a family of four, five, six, sometimes more.”

As the Pineapple Inn is neither stable nor consistent housing, the children living in it are classified as homeless under the McKinney-Vento Act, which defines “homelessness” in the school system.

Though the children face added challenges throughout their schooling, Pineapple Kids works to remain a consistent and positive force in the children’s lives by giving them a space to learn and work on school homework.

“We can’t ensure that these kids have stability in the rest of their lives but we can ensure they will see the same people, and their mentor or tutor will be there,” Moughon said.

Before arriving at the Inn, the club prepares “William and Mary lessons” for the children tailored around their interests so they can take agency in their academic enrichment.

“What we’ve been focused on this semester has been health, so I did a lesson on food groups and what goes in

each food group,” Caccamo said. “The kids got really engaged in sorting pictures of food in different piles, and after that or before that depending on the schedule for that day we would have homework time.”

The club also allows time for volunteers to chat with the children and create positive relationships.

“It was our last day of volunteering and you have this close connection with some of the kids,” Amma Owusu ’20 said. “They are so sad to see you go and that’s really rewarding, to have this connection with someone else, and to see how you have impacted them and how they have impacted you. As much as we teach these kids we learn a lot from them I think as well.”

While connecting with the children, the club hopes to become a positive influence on their lives by introducing new ideas, like attending college, and breaking down stereotypes in their own thinking.

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I didn’t really know what to expect because I hadn’t really worked with people in poverty before... After joining Pineapple Kids I’ve realized that ‘wow, this is a real situation that people are going through every day.’

– Cherry Wang ‘20

“One of the great benefits that I’ve seen to this program is a lot of times they won’t know what college is,” Caccamo said. “After a time when they’re like ‘What’s William and Mary? What’s a college?’ and we’re explaining, ‘Here’s what college is and here’s all the fun things I’m studying and you get to choose what you learn.’ They’re learning about this whole institution of college which is something that, if they were to choose to pursue a college degree, is one of the biggest things that can help break the cycle of poverty. By introducing the idea of college to them young, getting them excited about it, I think that’s one of the big ways our club can make an impact.”

Caccamo explained how rewarding it was to her to make an impact on the kids’ lives.

“No matter what’s going on, they’re still just kids. They still want to laugh and get silly and have fun and dance,” Caccamo said. “They did this weird dance thing that I felt out of date because I didn’t know what they were doing, but they all knew what they were doing and it was fun and they were laughing. They are kids, so even though it’s important for us to understand the issues they’re facing and the unique challenges to their lives, at the end of the day sometimes they want to talk about their favorite TV show. It is an extremely real and extremely rewarding part of working with at-risk populations because even though they do have additional challenges they also are just like anyone else.”

This past Thursday, the College of William and Mary hosted sitcom legend Peter Bonerz for two lectures on careers in television and comedy.

Bonerz is best known for his performance as Dr. Jerry on “The Bob Newhart Show,” as well as for his directing chops on shows like “Friends” and “Home Improvement.”

Bonerz was asked to visit by his previous mentee, Kevin Smith, who is a film and media studies professor at the College. Smith reached out to Bonerz to provide experienced insight for students in his “Writing Low Budget Film/Series” class.

After his time as an actor, director and comedian, Bonerz spent some time as a professor, but ultimately decided his students were too young to relate to his humor. Since then, Bonerz has been casually speaking at different universities about his time as a performer and director.

“They were just so out of my humor range … they were too young,” Bonerz said.

Bonerz’s first performance debut was in 1960 when he joined an improvational troupe, The Premise, in New York City. From there, Bonerz pursued a career in film and television, landing roles in series like “The Addams Family” and films such as “Whatever Happened to Aunt Alice?” and “Catch-22.”

“We didn’t go into [comedy] as much as it went into us,” Bonerz said. “It’s about all we could figure out at certain points in our life that we did with some enthusiasm and some positive feedback.”

Bonerz believes that he has a lot to offer younger generations when it comes to careers in “show business,” as he frequently put it.

“Over the years of my experience in show business … I made a lot of mistakes, and I developed certain theories that I thought I could pass on,” Bonerz said.

One of the pieces of advice that Bonerz gave was to offer up good ideas for free in the interest of advancing one’s career. He uses this as one of his main philosophies for staying afloat in show business.

“If you’ve got something you think people want to hear, give it away,” Bonerz said. “You’ll come up with more good ideas, so just give it away.”

In the interest of directing, Bonerz insists that the best way to keep a good reputation in the industry is to make sure the production crew is happy.

“Half the battle is developing and maintaining a positive attitude for the crew,” Bonerz said. “You have to energize the crew; everyone is necessary to the process.”

Bonerz says that a lot of times, actors get the most attention because they are the faces of the series, but to make a good show, keeping the crew happy is what will build a good reputation as a director.

For the later part of the lecture, Bonerz and Smith opened up the discus-

sion for questions from the audience.

One student asked Bonerz about directing the movie “Police Academy 6.” He said that he accepted the job because it appealed to his ego rather than his artistic integrity. He encouraged the audience to make decisions based on artistic credibility rather than money and greed.

Bonerz also spoke of his time directing “Friends.” He is responsible for directing the episode with the infamous Ross and Rachel kiss in season two of the series.

“The writing staff was phenomenal. They knew how to write for the actors,” Bonerz said. “[The actors] knew how to work with each other … like a team.”

Emily Fernandez ’18 found out about Bonerz’s lecture through her film studies class with Smith and attended the afternoon lecture. Fernandez was grateful for his honest advice about how the industry can make or break you.

“I thought it was really cool to hear from someone who traversed the film and TV industry with real life experience and candor,” Fernandez said.

“

If you’ve got something you think people want to hear, give it away.

You’ll come up with more good ideas, so just give it away.” ­– Peter Bonerz

“But, also, I had to take his perspective with a grain of salt because his views, opinions and experiences undoubtedly were very different to experiences today.”

John O’Neill ’18 was also in attendance of the afternoon lecture. He is also in Smith’s film studies course, and is interested in pursuing a career in either comedy or television production. “[Bonerz] talked about how important it is to have a good attitude and be able to work well with people, and that was exciting to hear,” O’Neill said.

“He emphasized that if you have less experience or knowledge than someone else, but are more passionate and excited about a project, people will see that and want to work with you.”

Smith expressed his content with Bonerz’s visit and the impact it had on students.

“Peter’s visit was a huge success,” Smith said. “The students found him very interesting and engaging. Peter is a great talker, funny and interesting and full of great stories and insights about his experiences.”

LEXI GODFREY / THE FLAT HAT Bonerz played Gerry in the Bob Newhart showamong other prominent postions.

sportsinside

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, March 20, 2018 | Page 9

BASEBALL

See you, ETSU The Tribe brought the crowd at Plumeri Park to their feet Sunday with a lastminute, game-winning, series-winning hit against Eastern Tennessee State.

JULIA STUMBAUGH // FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR

COURTESY PHOTO/ TRIBE ATHLETCS

Nick Butts’ clutch double in the bottom of the ninth clinched a 3-2 game win and a 2-1 series victory for the Tribe against Eastern Tennessee State.

In between autographing baseballs for excited kids after William and Mary’s win Sunday, head coach Brian Murphy had nothing but positive words for his team.

“We beat a pretty good team here this weekend,” Murphy said. “Those guys were playing well when they came in here, and we did a great job finishing against that lineup. We can build on that.”

Murphy had plenty of reasons to be upbeat after the Tribe (8-13) found a late run in the bottom of the ninth to put down Eastern Tennessee State (10-6), winning the game 3-2 and claiming the weekend series 2-1. After an extra-inning loss Saturday, when the Tribe gave up a run late to allow the Buccaneers to push the game to extra time and then lost in the 10th inning, junior catcher Hunter Smith and junior infielder Nick Butts redeemed the Tribe Sunday with clutch hits.

The College opened scoring Sunday in the bottom of the second as a single from junior outfielder Owen Socher sent sophomore infielder Patrick Ryan home, putting the Tribe ahead 1-0. The Buccaneers had an immediate answer in the next inning, however, getting a runner to third base in the top of the third. The

next batter up managed to crack a single just over the outstretched glove of Ryan at third base to tie the game at 1-1.

The top of the fourth was a quick set of three flyouts, and the Tribe gathered some momentum in the bottom of the inning as an Eastern Tennessee infielder fumbled a grounder from freshman Matt McDermott, very nearly allowing the College to get two runners on base. The infielder managed to get the ball to first base in time, however, making the play to end the inning.

The College got another look in the bottom of the sixth as senior outfielder Luca Farina’s walk loaded the bases with McDermott stepping up to the plate. He again couldn’t get the ball past the Eastern Tennessee State infielders and grounded out with the game stuck at 1-1.

Freshman pitcher Jacob Haney threw a season-high seven innings Sunday, closing out his time on the mound in the bottom of the seventh with a strikeout, flyout and groundout. He ended the day having allowed five hits but only one run.

“Jake Haney did a really good job giving us seven innings on a day where he wasn’t his sharpest,” Murphy said. “He

kind of fought it the whole way through, and against a good lineup.”

Like in the heartbreaker Saturday, the Tribe allowed a late run by Eastern Tennessee State. The Buccaneers cracked a drive deep into the outfield in the top of the eighth, and the crowd at Plumeri Park breathed a collective sigh of relief as a College outfielder made a diving play to catch it. But the umpire ruled that the ball had hit the ground before the catch, and in the confusion, Eastern Tennessee State got a run in to lead the game 2-1.

The bottom of the eighth saw the first two Tribe batters strike out in quick succession. It looked as if, much like the day before, the College was going to be unable to find an answer for a late backbreaking hit from the opposition.

However, Smith wasn’t about to let history repeat itself. He stepped up to the plate and cracked a home run past the scoreboard to tie the game at 2-2.

After Smith’s homer, the College managed to find even more momentum and get two runners on base. However, the Buccaneers gathered themselves and managed to close out the inning without allowing the Tribe another run.

MEN’S TENNIS

Tribe shuts out JMU, Troy

College snaps three-game losing streak ALYSSA GRZESIAK FLAT HAT EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Saturday, William and Mary welcomed Colonial Athletic Association rival James Madison to the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center. Coming off a three-game losing streak, the Tribe (9-6, 2-0 CAA) was looking to break its winless drought. The Tribe defeated the Dukes (12-3, 2-1 CAA) in a 7-0 landslide, its sixthstraight win over the conference foe.

To kick off the shutout, the Tribe won all three spots in doubles play. The Tribe duo of senior Alec Miller and junior Tristan Bautil defeated JMU’s Theophile Lanthiez and Paul Mendoza 6-1 at the No. 1 spot. Senior Christian Cargill and freshman Louis Newman followed suit at the No. 2 spot, defeating Dukes’ Alvaro Arce and Pierre Kohler 6-3.

To complete the successful doubles run, the Tribe team of sophomore Brenden Volk and freshman Michael Chen defeated JMU’s Gonzalo Adis and Tate Steinour 6-2 at the No. 3 spot.

The College kept up relentlessly in singles play. Chen was the first member of the Tribe to come out victorious, defeating Adis at the No. 6 spot 6-4, 6-2.

Cargill followed at the No. 2 spot, defeating Arce 7-5, 6-2 after a tight first set. Newman’s 7-6, 7-5 victory at the No. 3 spot over JMU’s Damon Roberts put the College up 4-0, securing its victory in the conference matchup.

COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETCS

Senior Christian Cargill helped guide the Tribe to shutouts.

Continuing the Tribe’s singles success was freshman Finbar Talcott with his defeat of Kohler at the No. 4 spot in a three-set battle.

After winning the first set 6-4, Talcott dropped the second set 6-3 before coming back with a powerful 7-5 third-set conquest.

Freshman Sebastian Quiros closed out the contest with another third set tiebreaker at the No. 5 spot. Quiros won the first set 6-3 before dropping the second set 6-3 to Lanthiez; despite the lengthy gameplay, Quiros was able to finish strong and steal the final set 7-5. This concluded the matchup, with the Tribe walking away without a single loss.

“We have four freshmen on the team,” Cargill said. “[We’re] really kind of showing them the ropes, how to do things around here, whether it be on the court as well as off the court. It’s helping me grow as a person as well.”

Sunday, the College looked to continue its victorious cycle as it took on Troy (9-9). After securing the doubles point for the second match in a row, the Tribe shut out the Trojans 4-0.

For the second time this weekend, the Tribe dominated in doubles play and secured the point to give it an early 1-0 lead over the Trojans.

Chen and Volk finished first at the No. 3 spot with a 6-2 victory over Trojans Pelayo Antuna and Jiaqi Duan.

Bautil and Miller also came out on top at the top spot with a 6-2 win against the Trojans’ pair Mustapha Belcora and Oskar Michalek. Cargill and Newman’s battle at the No. 2 spot went unfinished.

“We tried to switch up the [doubles] pairs a little bit, and then in practice we kind of focus on the basics in terms of making serves, making returns, and that definitely paid off in the match,” Cargill said.

Yet again, the Tribe dominated in singles play, resulting in three straight wins to secure the 4-0 shutout victory.

Quiros kicked things off with a flawless 6-0, 6-0 victory over Belcora at the No. 5 spot, improving to 4-1 in the position. Talcott followed at the No. 4 spot, defeating Duan 6-4, 6-4. Cargill’s strong finish (7-5, 6-0) at the No. 2 spot over Antuna ended the matchup and solidified the College’s 4-0 finish.

“It was a great victory for the Tribe,” Newman said. “Everyone did really well in singles and doubles. We were able to win really, really quickly and just put the match to bed.”

The Tribe will hit the road again to take on Cornell March 24 and East Carolina March 31.

After the weekends’ victories, the College is 8-1 at home and 1-4 on the road.

In the top of the ninth, the Buccaneers got a runner to second as sophomore relief pitcher Jamie Sara walked a batter and then saw him to second on a sacrifice bunt. However, Sara wouldn’t allow anything more than that, striking out the final batter and keeping the score at 2-2.

“We pitched really well today,” Murphy said. “That keeps you in every game.”

In the bottom of the ninth, the Tribe had one final chance to close out the game before extras.

“We had a little bit more energy [than yesterday],” Butts said. “Close game like this, you have to stay energetic and just know you’re going to pull through at some point in the game.”

And pull through the College did, getting on base as a catcher’s interference call sent Socher to first. Junior infielder Zach Pearson then put down a sacrifice bunt to get Socher to second.

With a single out on the board and Socher waiting on second, Butts stepped up to bat and cracked a hit to the outfield, sending Socher sprinting toward home.

“I knew there was a guy on second so they were going to try to pitch backwards, throw off-speed first and then maybe

come after me after that,” Butts said. “I just got a fastball over the middle of the plate, hit it up the middle.”

The Buccaneers tossed the ball back in a desperate throw across the field.

It sailed just over the tip of the Eastern Tennessee State catcher’s glove as Socher threw himself across home plate. As the Buccaneer lowered his glove in defeat, the Tribe came pouring onto the field to bury Butts in a victorious pile, celebrating a 3-2 walk-off win and its second weekend series victory of the season.

Thanks to clutch hits from Butts and Smith and shutdown pitching from closer Sara, the College will improve to 8-13 on the season. After winning only one of its first nine matches, it has now won five of its last 10.

“It’s all about getting better as the season goes on, so as long as we’re getting better, then it’s all good,” Butts said.

With the Tribe’s Tuesday matchup against George Washington in the nation’s capital postponed due to weather considerations, the College’s next match will be another home game, this time against in-state rival George Mason in a midweek showdown.

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Sports Editor Brendan Doyle Sports Editor Julia Stumbaugh flathatsports@gmail.com @FlatHatSports

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, March 20, 2018 | Page 10

Not Just The Smile guy

Paul Rowley dishes on varsity basketball, law school, Jimmy Buffett HEATHER BAIER // FLAT HAT VARIETY EDITOR

Paul Rowley ’17, J.D. ’20 is the smile guy, the energy guy, the guy who graduated from the College of place between 10 minutes and a half hour and, one, that meditation was awesome,” Rowley said. “I was William and Mary in three years with a double major in computer science and finance while playing doing so well then, like I was happy. I think I started shooting the ball better, my mind was clear. It was college basketball and started at the Marshall-Wythe School of Law in the fall of 2017 as one of three awesome, he made me believe in that and, two, I loved that environment and learning so much about such a different culture.”

Division I athletes in the country going through law school.

Rowley said if it had not been for the liberal arts requirements posed by the College, he never would But before he even imagined donning a green and gold jersey and stepping onto the glossy hardwood have taken the class, but he really enjoyed the final performance and the court of Kaplan Arena, he looked into the stands of his high school gymnasium during one particular community the class formed. game to see his math teacher’s children wearing homemade jerseys with Rowley’s name and number “That was something I never would have taken if it wasn’t, a requirement and on them. it was so cool,” Rowley said. “We ended up doing a final performance and were Graduating from Loudoun Valley High School in 2014, the decision to join the Tribe was not a hard all wearing half skirts and we had face makeup on and my teammates were one. Having looked at many different universities, Rowley said he felt at home in the locker room. definitely, they clowned me about it, but from the inside we formed quite a “When I was looking at colleges, I was looking among mostly academic schools because obviously community there for a month in summer school. It was a very, very cool class academics are important,” Rowley said. “But at 16 when I was making that decision it was a large part of and Guru was fantastic.” what basketball team do I fit in with, both on the court and off the court, and I think Outside of his coursework, Rowley said his favorite on-court moment happened William and Mary has a thing for tall wings that shoot threes and it was a locker room last season in Cameron Indoor Stadium at Duke. that I really had a great feel for.”

“Just being at Cameron Indoor, it just feels like college basketball,” Rowley said. “That The decision to graduate in three years with a double major in computer science is one of the coolest places I’ve been, and I think it was, like, the day before Thanksgiving and finance was, however, not an obvious one. Rowley said his original intention and there were students there before we got there, they still packed the place. Students had been to take the minimum 12 credits required of student athletes per semester, were on break already and the place was still packed full, and I started that game and I made but his dad convinced him otherwise. two early threes and maybe hit three of my first three [shots] and we were kind of going back “I remember my very first semester I was talking to my dad and I only wanted to and forth with them. That was definitely one of those moments where I was like, this whole thing take 12 credits ... and my dad sat me down and he pulled up an Excel spreadsheet and is just, it’s so cool, it’s so cool what I get to do every day.” he’s like, ‘Here are your AP credits, here are the potential classes you could take every Entering Kaplan Arena before a game, the first thing most students and fans hear is loud music semester throughout,’” Rowley said. “He’s like, ‘You could do all this, graduate in three blaring from the speakers and basketballs being dribbled on all corners of the court. But before he years and get two majors out of it,’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, but dad, I could also just take takes his first warm-up shot or even steps onto the court, Rowley gets himself ready by taking a nap 12 credits and it would be very easy.’ But even just that one small decision kind of and listening to the smooth beats of Jimmy Buffett. started me down this path.”

“So, before every, almost every, game, I take a nap,” Rowley said. “They say naps are bad, they It was a path that has earned him numerous awards, both academic and athletic, make you groggy. I like to think I come out pretty ready to play. I listen to some pretty calming stuff and earned him the respect of fans. He was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa in 2017, is and I’ve been on a Jimmy Buffett kick recently. I’ll listen to ‘Margaritaville’ before games. I’m pretty a three-time winner of the Colonial Athletic Association Commissioner’s Academic laid back, I’m kind of just easy-going and whistling and smiling and ready to have a good time.”

Award and, this year, was named CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

On top of basketball and law school, Rowley said his schedule doesn’t leave him much free time.

Having fallen in love with fans, teammates and fellow students, Rowley said the However, in the rare break, he spends his time catching up with teammates and friends around decision to stay at the College for graduate school was not a difficult one. campus.

“I never wanted to go anywhere else,” Rowley said. “Just the environment, the “I got a lot of people I have to see,” Rowley said. “I feel like I have friends kind of all over the place support we have from fans, I love playing in Kaplan, I love this group of guys, I’m now. Going to undergrad here, having friends in the athletic community and then having friends in happy to play with this coaching staff. I don’t know how much better it could get, the law school as well, so I feel like there’s always somebody who I owe a visit to or I have to catch up especially coming from a great academic school and having such great options, so I with.” wanted to finish my career in green and gold. I really feel like I’ve grown roots here in Between spending time with friends and teammates, doing homework and playing ball, Rowley Williamsburg.” has learned the ins and outs of time management. When life gets a little too overwhelming, he takes The decision to attend law school, however, took a little more thought. Rowley was some time to himself by shooting hoops because he loves the repetition of it. approached by multiple professors in the computer science department who encouraged Rowley said that taking a step back and appreciating everything he has keeps him moving forward him to pursue a master’s degree, but he eventually decided computer science was not the and working hard. direction he saw his life heading.

“Some days the law school kicks me in the butt,” Rowley said. “Some days I’m just swamped. You Instead, Rowley followed in the footsteps of his sister and entered the law school in know, I leave the house at seven and I get back at midnight, and I try to get a little sleep, and I wake up the fall of 2017. and do it all again and sometimes those days pile together, but mostly, I mean, I try to get some sleep … I “I was looking at my other options; obviously law school is not a very popular one for try and drink a big glass of water. I try and take a step back and just kind of realize, I mean some days it’s sports, but my sister, actually, my freshman and sophomore year, went to the law school very stressful, like, yeah I got a full plate, but, again, I’m just, I’m lucky to be in such a fantastic situation, here and she graduated here and I saw her experience. I saw kind of the caliber of people you know, I just try and appreciate it.” she was in class with. I saw the intellectual material and I liked it,” Rowley said. “I guess Though he works hard and puts hours into the gym on a daily basis, shooting shot after shot, he said it was a little bit of persistence, kind of poking my head around and seeing if I could get a lot of his success is the culmination of many great people in his life. everybody to let me do it, and then they did, and I feel like it’s worked so far.”

“I feel like I have been the benefit of so many great people in so many areas of my life,” Rowley said. “I Rowley said the law school helped him plan his schedule so he would be able to mean, starting from the fact that I’ve had two parents who have supported and loved me and helped me attend. Though he is still unsure of which type of law he’d like to pursue, Rowley hopes through this whole thing. … I’m so fortunate to have had the support I’ve had, to have the coaches I’ve to make the decision after taking a few more classes and working at a firm over the had, to meet the people I’ve met. I’ve been fortunate to be in such a great situation.” summer.

Next season may be Rowley’s last playing for the Tribe, but anyone who has seen him on the Having taken courses in computer science, finance and law at William and Mary, court will know him by his constant smile and endless love for the game.

Rowley has seen a lot of what the College has to offer academically. His favorite class, GRACIE HARRIS / THE FLAT HAT “I’m known for a big smile, and people talk about they can see my love for the game, and I though, was not in any of those departments. Instead, it was a Southeast Asian dance and folklore course he took with former teammate Jack Whitman ’17 over a summer semester with a like to hope that comes through,” Rowley said. “I definitely, I feel very appreciative. I’m very fortunate to be in the situation I am, and I hope that people can see that when I play, and I have a great job, I have a professor they called ‘Guru.’

“We started every class, we’d clean the floor with our shirts and we’d lay down and meditate for some great set up, and I have a lot to be happy about so I’m glad that can show through.”

THE EXTRA POINT

Record-breakers deserve credit for change in culture

Despite lack of NCAA basketball tournament bids, Cohn, Green embody Tribe programs’ progress

Josh Luckenbaugh FLAT HAT SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Basketball fans across the country have witnessed plenty of history being made in the opening days of the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament, including UMBC’s unprecedented victory over Virginia Friday, the first time a No. 16 seed has ever defeated a No. 1 seed in the men’s tournament.

With miracles and madness abounding, William and Mary supporters certainly must feel bittersweet emotions watching the likes of UMBC and Loyola-Chicago triumph on the sport’s biggest stage. As has been well documented, neither the College’s men’s nor women’s team has ever reached an NCAA tournament, the men’s squad just one of four original NCAA programs still waiting for its name to be called on Selection Sunday.

Nevertheless, College loyalists should not forget the history that several members of the Tribe made earlier this season, rewriting the school record books and symbolizing the progress the Tribe has made on the court over the past several years.

The contributions of the Tribe’s pair of stellar senior point guards, David Cohn and Jenna Green, garner particular recognition, as both players prepare to graduate from the College, leaving behind a legacy of leadership, excellence and, perhaps most of all, selflessness.

After his transfer from Colorado State in 2014, Cohn had gaping

shoes to fill as the Tribe’s floor general, following in the footsteps of arguably the College’s greatest player in its history, Marcus Thornton ’15. Despite the incredible pressures facing him, Cohn quickly established himself as a worthy successor to Thornton, combining an energetic, efficient style with a penchant for the spectacular.

In just three seasons as the Tribe’s starting point guard, Cohn broke the school record for assists, surpassing the previous mark held by Scott Coval ’86 by over 80 dimes. Additionally, Cohn’s guiding hand on the offense this year helped the College become the first team in the history of the NCAA to shoot at least 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range and 80 percent from the free-throw line in a single season; Cohn is the first Tribe player to dish out over 200 assists in a single season.

“David’s been as good a point guard as I’ve ever coached, and I’ve been coaching for 40 some years,” men’s head coach Tony Shaver said following the Tribe’s season-ending loss to College of Charleston in the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament.

“His fight, desire to win, how he led this team this year will forever impress me.”

Not only did Cohn showcase a unique ability to put teammates in a position to score, he did so without committing many mistakes.

Cohn finished his Tribe career with a 2.66 assist-to-turnover ratio, by far the best in school history. Starting 92 of a possible 93 career games during his time in Williamsburg, Cohn displayed impressive durability while stuffing the stat sheet on a nearly nightly basis.

At 6-foot-2, Cohn was one of the shortest players on the College’s roster; nevertheless, he will be remembered as having an enormous impact on Tribe basketball for years to come.

Much like Cohn, Green helped the Tribe women’s team reach new heights with her dependability and decision-making, now holding program records for career starts and assists. Part of head coach Ed Swanson’s first recruiting class for the College

along with forwards Abby Rendle and Jeanne Gaumont, Green immediately took over as the Tribe’s starting point guard in her freshman season, directing the College offense as the Tribe earned its first-ever Division I postseason berth to the Woman’s Basketball Invitational.

Green remained a mainstay in the College’s starting 5 for the rest of her collegiate career, setting the tone for the Tribe on both ends of the court with suffocating on-ball defense, excellent ball movement and an increasingly effective shooting touch. Her consistency and playmaking abilities gave the Tribe a steady foundation to build on, the trio of Green, Rendle and Gaumont finishing its time at the College as the class with the most wins in program history.

“There’s a lot of pressure when you’re the first recruiting class, and as a coach I think I probably put a lot of pressure on them … but they’ve certainly delivered,” Swanson told CAASports after the Tribe’s CAA tournament loss to Elon. “Jenna Green’s improvement this year has just been incredible … they’ve just changed the culture of the program.”

And if not for their record-breaking statistics, players like Cohn and Green will most certainly be remembered for changing the culture of Tribe basketball. The College may still lack an NCAA tournament banner, but recent Tribe teams have almost singlehandedly created a tradition of success where there was none before. Along with Cohn and Green, fellow seniors like Rendle and guard Connor Burchfield have set similarly excellent standards for the players who will follow in their footsteps. Shaver and Swanson also deserve credit for their efforts to transform Tribe basketball into the perennial championship contender it is today. The wait for that first NCAA tournament berth is a frustrating one for sure, but while we wait, let’s also applaud the players who laid the groundwork for the team that will inevitably get over the hump.

Email Josh Luckenbaugh at jluckenbaugh@email.wm.edu.