SPORTS >> PAGE 7
VARIETY >> PAGE 5
The College’s men and women protect their home turf by winning at Zable Stadium Saturday.
Diana Peloquin is the first College graduate to win “Jeopardy!”
Success at Tribe Invitational
Vol. 103, Iss. 42 | Friday, March 25, 2014
Alumna on “Jeopardy!”
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Student life
Campus raises Islam awareness End week with fast by TUCKER HIGGINS flat hat assoc. News editor
things easier, though, like my ability to communicate and write reports (something many of my peers with math/physics backgrounds weren’t very good at), and it also helped me look at problems in a different light,” Singer said. Another graduate of the program, David So ’13, found that the program allowed him to get the best of both worlds in terms of science and humanities. “While studying Chinese at William and Mary, I was fully immersed in the humanities and got to hone my creative thinking,” So said. “Now at Columbia, my classes are much more science and math based and so they require me to think logically.” So added that a background in the humanities provided him with invaluable skills that many of his peers in graduate school did not have. “I think my humanities background makes me
The Muslim Students Association will host a fast-a-thon tonight to conclude Islam Awareness Week, a series of events that began last Monday to spread knowledge of the Muslim faith and culture. The fast-a-thon will begin at 6:30 p.m. in Tidewater A and B in the Sadler Center. According to Yousra Aboulatta ’14, president of the MSA, the group has hosted this annual event approximately 20 times. This year, MSA added to the week a documentary about the Syrian Civil War as well as a charitable component, raising money for Syrian relief agencies. “We’d like to help explain to those who have untrue perceptions and ideas the reality of our religion,” Aboulatta said in an email. The events kicked off March 25, with the group hosting a discussion about Islam’s creation story. A more visible event happened March 26 when the group hosted the “hijab challenge,” a call for those who typically don’t wear the traditional Muslim headdress to wear one around campus. Approximately 35 students have participated in the activities so far. However, the group expects that more will come to the fast-athon, which is being held with assistance from the Student Assembly, the Lutheran Students Association, Oxfam and Stop Hunger Now. So far fundraising efforts this week have gathered about $120 for Syrian relief. Aboulatta said that after the fast-a-thon, which costs $2 to attend, she hopes to have raised $500 in total. Several professors have assisted the organization by offering academic credit to students who participate. Arabic professor John Eisele, who offered credit to his students, said that it is important for those learning a language to also learn about the culture of those they are studying, because in many ways the culture shapes the language. “Students and faculty are well aware that Islam is a big factor in world affairs. But many
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ENGINEERING
Students, faculty discuss dual degree partnership with Columbia by Rohan Desai flat hat news editor
For students interested in pursuing engineering at the College of William and Mary, a lack of a department does not mean a lack of options. For over a decade, the College has offered prospective engineers a combined degree program with Columbia University’s Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science. Students enrolled in the program spend either three or four years at the College and two at Columbia, graduating with a bachelor’s degree from each institution. Although admission to the program is guaranteed, students must complete prerequisite courses, maintain a 3.3 grade point average and submit two letters of recommendation from professors of required courses.
Applications for the program are accepted at any point during a student’s time at the College, and applicants are not required to major in fields related to engineering. In the past, students with majors as varied as Chinese and government have enrolled in the program, although students have expressed some difficulty in transitioning from a liberal arts background to an engineering school. “[Being] a non-engineering major at William and Mary made Columbia more difficult by not fully preparing me in terms of rigor and workload. … I’m sure if I had done a different major besides psychology like physics, math or computer science then I wouldn’t be saying this,” Michael Singer ’11, who studied mechanical engineering at Columbia, said in an email. Singer noted attending the College first came with its own benefits. “My liberal arts background did make some
Student Life
Trammell talks LGBT rights, politics First openly gay rector addresses politics, social acceptance by ZACH HARDY flat hat STAFF WRITER
The College of William and Mary’s first openly gay rector Jeffery Trammel ’73 spoke to student LGBT rights group William and Larry Thursday, March 20. During his talk, Trammell touched on a number of issues related to LGBT rights on local, state and national levels. After speaking, Trammell took questions from the audience. One student asked Trammel’s opinion on the best way to come out in a professional setting. Trammell responded by saying that in today’s increasingly accepting society, it’s best to explain one’s sexuality in an open and up-front manner. Another student asked about
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Trammell’s time as a gay man at the College and as a player on the basketball team. Trammell said that though he did not come out to many people, he still felt welcomed and encouraged by those he did tell about his sexuality. “Ever since Thomas Jefferson attended here, William and Mary has always been an institution with progressive ideas,” Trammell said. “It’s a huge privilege to be a part of and be involved in social change. … There’s no question we are going to be on the right side of history.” Newly elected House of Delegates Senator and alum Monty Mason ’89, D-93, attended Trammell’s talk. Mason — who ran with an LGBT-rights platform this fall — defeated Republican Mike Watson in November, and
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has since supported a marriage equality agenda during the Virginia Legislature’s most recent session. Mason said that he felt encouraged by the Legislature’s movement toward gay and transgender rights, which was most clearly evident in the new Attorney General Mark Herring’s refusal to support the state’s ban on same sex marriage. “One of my favorite moments of the General Assembly this year was when Bob Marshall stood up on the floor and railed against the Attorney General and the opinion of the judge who supported same sex rights,” Mason said. “And then the next person who spoke was my colleague Rob Kapricka, who had 8
College RankED Smartest Public School The College of William and Mary earned the top honor on Business Insider’s list of “The 20 Public Colleges with the Smartest Students,” published Monday. Following the College, the University of California, Berkeley, came in second, while Georgia Institute of Technology took the third slot. The University of Virginia finished fourth, and the University of California, Los Angeles, ranked fifth. Business Insider’s list was compiled using data from the website Niche, a site that provides reviews of colleges and K-12 schools. According to its website, the site’s data comes from reviews by students and parents, as well as from information from government databases and administrators. Niche Director of Marketing Erin Kelly said the criteria used to create the list were based on user reviews.
— Flat Hat Managing Editor Abby Boyle
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Inside opinions
SPORTS
Don’t ‘‘diss the English major
Rain High 50, Low 27
“William and Mary is only one of six colleges on our site that received either an A or A+ in Academics grades,” Kelly said in an email. “Our Academic grades have extensive criteria, as does our data.” She said the Academic grades ranking is based on students’ ratings of their professors and the academic environment, and more open-ended reviews of specific majors. Academic grades also take into account the school’s retention rate, SAT scores and faculty among other factors. According to the Business Insider article, the site also used Niche’s lists of smartest girls and smartest guys in creating its list of smartest students. The College ranked fifth on Niche’s list of smartest girls, with a score of 9.85 out of 10. It ranked second in the category of smartest guys, earning a 9.93 out of 10.
English degrees, though believed to be “pointless,” actually teach students valuable communications skills. page 4
Teddy Fish is not a typical story
Flat Hat Sports Desk editor reflects on “Tribe for Teddy” event and how eleven-month-old Teddy Fish flipped conventional sports writing on its head page 8