The Flat Hat November 19 2019

Vol. 109, Iss. 20 | Tuesday, November 19, 2019

The Flat Hat The Weekly Student Newspaper

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of The College of William and Mary

College receives $1.3 million computer science grant

CAMPUS

Records reveal diverse history Chen attends as College’s first student of color

GRAPHIC BY EMMA FORD / THE FLAT HAT

CHARLES COLEMAN FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

Recently, while examining old records and archives of early international students at the College of William and Mary, Mosaic Fellow Shayna Gutcho discovered a picture of Pu-Koa Chen ’23 in the 1923 Colonial Echo. Gutcho’s discovery marks the oldest available record of a student of color at the College, and Chen is now believed to be the College’s first student of color as an international student from Shanghai, China.

Chen’s time at the College represents an important piece of history that coincides closely with the stories of Ming Pan ’25 and Arthur Matsu ’28. Pan was previously believed to be the College’s first student of color, and Matsu was believed to be the first Asian-American student at the College.

Both individuals will be highlighted in the coming centennial celebration of Asian legacies and those of other students of color in Williamsburg. Now, with the discovery of Chen’s record, these anniversaries will occur much sooner than previously expected.

The discovery of Chen’s time here at the College exemplifies the institution’s quickly evolving history and exemplifies the abundant amount of unknown information and history that fellowships like the Mosaic Fellow and Earl Gregg Swem’s Special Collection seek to uncover. Chen played an important role carving the path for minority students at the College.

Gutcho described the process of first coming across Chen’s picture in

Department aims to graduate 930 computer science students in 20 years PETER HELLER // THE FLAT HAT The College of William and Mary was recently awarded grant money from Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s “Tech Talent Initiative,” a state initiative to produce more computer science majors within Virginia’s public university system. As a result of this, the College has been given a yearly grant of $1.3 million that is to designed to increase the size of the undergraduate computer science program.

On top of this yearly sum, the College also will receive additional funding and support from the Virginia state government during the first few years of the Tech Talent initiative. The College hopes to graduate an additional 930 computer science majors over the next 20 years.

The investment announcement Tuesday, Nov. 12 came at the end of a long journey

See APIA page 3

to secure state funding. The College’s administration applied for the grant in April and received word earlier this week that they were eligible to receive funding for the new program.

The move comes as a part of Northam’s broad attempts to expand the technology sector throughout Virginia. The governor’s plan to invest in computer science came about as partially because of Amazon’s new ‘HQ2’ headquarters, which is slated for construction in Northern Virginia.

The governor hopes to fill many of the new Amazon jobs with Virginian computer science graduates. The employees in the technology sector are in high demand, and by investing in the computer science programs of major universities, the state government

believes it can prepare college students for the workforce and bolster the tech sector in the state.

“This initiative is an investment in Virginians … Virginia’s tech sector will continue booming only if we can train the workforce those jobs require,” Northam said in a press release. “With today’s announcement, we are educating a workforce that will fill jobs at hundreds of tech companies around the See GRANT page 3

CAMPUS

UndocuTribe rallies, speaks out against court cases to end DACA Coinciding with D.C. protests, organizers read anonymous statements, poems and speeches to demonstrate support AVERILL MEININGER FLAT HAT CHIEF STAFF WRITER

Two years ago, in light of President Donald Trump’s revocation of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, UndocuTribe was created at the College of William and Mary. The evening of Tuesday, Nov. 12, UndocuTribe gathered students to reflect and stand in solidarity with recipients of DACA status.

After the Supreme Court heard oral arguments regarding DACA’s legality earlier that day, the vigil aimed to support members of the College with uncertain futures related to the policy.

UndocuTribe is the only immigrants’ rights advocacy group at the College and fosters education and action to support the immigrant and undocumented communities, as well as to address the issues these populations face.

Over 700,000 individuals’ futures are at stake in relation to DACA, a figure that spurred UndocuTribe to organize a gathering in display of their support for the DACA community. President of UndocuTribe Aida Campos ’20 emphasized the importance of the event.

“We received an email that there was going to be a rally in D.C. last week and we knew we probably couldn’t get people in Williamsburg to move out to D.C. for this, especially early in the morning, but we can do something on our campus,” Campos said. “We know for a fact that we have DACA students on our campus, so we wanted to create an event that showed them that their were numbers of people on campus that support them.”

Despite the event being organized

AVERILL MEININGER / THE FLAT HAT

Aida Campos ’20 and other members of DACA discuss the importance of supporting the undocumented community, and protesting Supreme Court

relatively quickly, students, faculty and community members filled the lobby of Andrews Hall, and an impressive number voiced their values and experiences. Campos began the event by sharing the importance of being present together in support of one another, and by illustrating the necessity of uplifting undocumented and ‘DACAmented’ communities on campus.

“This gathering is meant to let people

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express their emotions about the current situation in this country or about personal experiences they’ve had on this campus,” Campos said. “If there are any moments of silence, it’s okay for us to linger in those; it’s okay to feel uncomfortable in the silence and just to hold space for many DACA students who validly are not here.”

Campos asked that those individuals present with American citizenship recognize their fortuity.

“If you are a citizen in the audience, like me, please acknowledge your privilege; please acknowledge the fact that your life isn’t in limbo right now because of this case,” Campos said.

As Campos stepped back into the crowd, another member of UndocuTribe stepped forward and spoke powerfully about this privilege that many others do not share.

“I’m going to be blunt,” Ashley

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See DACA page 4

Inside Variety

Further recognition of U.S. Veterans Day would benefit Williamsburg community

Partly Cloudy High 54, Low 40

Hernandez Estrada ’21 said. “To the citizens in this room: People are fighting for the right to stand where we are right now. I don’t mean that to be a guilt-trip; it’s just a fact. People are fighting for the right to be taking up the space that we are at this very moment. And not just that, but for the right to work, to drive and to live peacefully in the place that they know as their home.

That is what is at stake here.”

Many individuals spoke at the event, and brought forward different perspectives and formats of expression.

These included anonymously-submitted statements by DACA students, poetry readings and spur-of-the-moment speeches. Many stressed education as a vital tool in supporting immigrant and undocumented communities.

“I encourage you all to be more involved, to become an ally through UndocuTribe’s UndocuAlly training because at times like these our minds are so clouded with mixed emotions that it’s hard to go through this on your own,” a student with DACA status who came to the United States at age eight Jeaneth Reyes ’20 said.

UndocuAlly training, as Reyes mentioned, is a program offered by UndocuTribe to help students become better allies to their undocumented and DACAmented peers.

Subsequently, professor John Riofrio, director of Latin American studies at the College, pointed out that by coming to the gathering, students made an impactful decision.

“I’m very moved by the people willing to tell their stories,” Riofrio said. “I’m very moved to see all of you here. It’s November;

Lucas Harsche ‘23 says that the College should close for Veterans Day to increase recognition and raise awareness for our veterans. page 6

Syndi-sins scintilates Hip-hop dance group Syndicate performs fall showcase inspired by the seven deadly sins. The student dance group put on an exciting, energy filled show. page 7

THE BUZZ

| Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019 | Page 2

Beyond the celebration of gay marriage, Taiwan witnessed the largest backlash of the rise of the anti-gay conservative campaign. In 2011 the anti-LGBTQ+ education launched their first-ever anti-gay campaign named, ‘True Love Alliance,’ with the major objection to eliminating any themes of diversified sexual orientation from the formal education.

THIS WEEK IN FLAT HAT HISTORY November 23, 1954 — News Colonial Williamsburg begins initial construction of the Williamsburg Shopping Center, located at the Harwood Tract off of Richmond Road. Built to reduce congestion of the Duke of Gloucester shopping area, the Williamsburg Shopping Center would provide space for 11 new businesses, including two supermarkets, the State Alcoholic Beverage Control Board store, Casey’s furniture store among others.

November 20, 1981 — News Two sophomore members of the Sigma Pi fraternity are charged with vandalism and manufacture and use of a fire bomb after throwing a Molotov cocktail at the Sigma Chi fraternity house. The two culprits turned themselves in for the incident after fire bomb making materials were found at the Sigma Pi house and were released on a $2,000 bond.

November 22, 1996 — News: The College of William and Mary began a fundraising drive in an effort to expand Earl Gregg Swem Library. The College aimed to receive $35.8 million, of which $10 million was expected to come from private donations and the remainder from public funds.

November 21, 2008 — Sports: The College’s basketball team defeated Norfolk State, 74-58. The Tribe (1-2) received its first win of the season against Norfolk by establishing an early run in the game.

HISTORY BY KARINA VIZZONI AND SARAH GREENBERG / FLAT HAT NEWS ASSOC. EDITORS

A THOUSAND WORDS

CLAIRE HOGAN / THE FLAT HAT

CORRECTIONS An article in the Nov.ember 12 issue, “Black Panther Creator Discusses Diaspora,” incorrectly stated that Ta-Nehisi Coates was the creator of the Black Pather comic. Coates is the author of the comics.

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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Leading from UCLA to APIA

Francis Tanglao Aguas shares experiences mentoring students, honoring Asian Americans GAVIN AQUIN HERNÁNDEZ // FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR For professor Francis Tanglao Aguas, the journey to becoming the head of the Asian and Pacific Islander American studies department was not always clear.

Having lived in very diverse locations throughout his life — including Nigeria and California — coming to Virginia was a systemic shock. In Williamsburg, Aguas has created a space at the College of William and Mary that allows him to thrive and help students thrive, through his work in the theater, APIA studies and Africana studies departments.

“Helping to create APIA has been a life project,” Aguas said. “It has taken 15 years of my life — 15 years at William and Mary.

We became an official minor in 2016 and in May 2019 we became an official major concentration under global studies.”

In detailing the history of the creation of the APIA studies department, Aguas gives credit to professor Deenesh Sohoni, who initially pioneered Asian American studies at the College.

“The process has been successful, because as its faculty leader, I was the only one,” Aguas said. “In 2005, the only partner I could find was professor Deenesh Sohoni.

He was instrumental as an inspiration, because when he came two years earlier in 2003, he had the foresight and chutzpah to ask the department of sociology to implement a course in Asian American studies: Sociology 366.”

For most of Aguas’ time at the College, his instruction in APIA was relegated to leading independent studies for interested students. After years of accommodating these requests, by 2013 Aguas realized that continuing to do so was highly unsustainable.

“I had to teach classes and direct plays on top of independent studies, so I had to start turning students down,” Aguas said.

“I then told an interested student, ‘bring me five or 10 students for whom I will do an independent study.’ He came back with a Facebook group of 200 members and that’s where it all snowballed. That group is what eventually became Asian American Student Initiative.”

One of Aguas’ primary motivators for cultivating diversity projects at the College was to ensure that internationalization and diversification could help students and professors of color thrive at a predominantly white institution.

Coming from educational systems in California, Aguas had grown accustomed to living in diverse spaces. Living in Virginia ultimately complicated that preference.

“Because I’m educated internationally and from California — when someone says to me ‘English literature’ or ‘American literature,’ it is already diverse,” Aguas said. “We Californians don’t make a distinction between black and white literature because we are educated beyond the binary. Whereas in locations such as Virginia, people are first being educated about the binary to acknowledge the existence of the other.”

As a result of his international education, Aguas feels comfortable crossing intersectional lines and fostering collaborative understanding between communities. At the University of California, Los Angeles, he was trained in Asian-American, Latin-American, NativeAmerican and African-American theater.

Seeing his qualifications in theater, thenDirector of Black Studies Jacquelyn McLendon invited Aguas to join the core faculty of her department, where he stayed until 2016. As a theater professor working in black studies, Aguas helped to develop a course entitled “Sex and Race in Plays and Films.”

In 2012, the black studies and the African studies departments started to merge into the Africana studies department, which Aguas was selected to direct. Having inherited the legacy of both programs, Aguas worked to ensure the growth of Africana studies, in spite of every

bureaucratic hurdle.

“When I finished my four years as director of the program, we had 10 joint appointments,” Aguas said. “We also continued the struggle for space in Morton.

When I was director, we only had one office and I had to share it with our adjuncts. Now half of Morton first floor is now Africana studies — a request put in place since McClendon led the department. It took 20 years to get these six or so rooms.”

Likewise, Aguas warns students to avoid criticizing Morton Hall because of its role in the College’s diverse and growing landscape. According to Aguas, a lot of the groundbreaking, important academic departments call the hall their home.

“Morton Hall is a hallmark building at William and Mary,” Aguas said. “It is the home of gender, sexuality and women’s studies, it is the home of Africana studies and now it is the home of theater and APIA. It is likewise the home of film studies, the Studio for Teaching and Learning. The heart of what we do that is awesome and groundbreaking is at Morton Hall. Morton is the hip happening place. The building is not new or shiny, but the ideas are.”

Before finally settling down in Williamsburg and at the College, Aguas has lived in the Philippines, Nigeria and California. Coming from a family that dealt with sustained political and economic pressure to leave the Philippines during Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorship, Aguas’ family did not have the opportunity to settle comfortably in their home country, rather establishing themselves in Nigeria.

“My parents were white-collar migrant workers,” Aguas said. “I come from a family that was pressured politically and economically by the Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship in the Philippines. Because of that, my parents took on jobs abroad. My aunt and uncle were medical doctors in Nigeria, so we pursued the ‘African dream.’”

Due to the fact that the Nigerian government possessed a great deal of oil wealth and needed educated employees after the British left without establishing an infrastructure for self-governance, Aguas’ family was able to find opportunity in the nascent Nigerian capital of Abuja.

“My parents saved up money to buy plane tickets for more siblings,” Aguas said. “My father brought my mother, and then they eventually brought me. There was no promise of a job — just like moving to any Western country. They would drive for 20 hours from Southeast Nigeria to Abuja, and they were fortunate enough to get a job during the time that the government was moving its capital from deeply congested Lagos to Abuja in the early ‘80s. We had no time for the American dream because the African dream promised more prosperity.”

After directing “Our Lady of 121st Street” last year, Aguas is taking a break from directing shows at the College. Rather, his efforts have been focused on selecting a

strong, diverse set of shows for the next four seasons. This process has involved chairing the selection committee, reading over 100 plays, and surveying 600 people to gauge preferences. The theater department has planned far enough ahead to ensure a smooth transition back to Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall.

For Aguas, his two favorite shows revolve around the Asian experience as portrayed in Western theater, which he considers fraught with problematic stereotypes.

“For me, two plays are life changing,” Aguas said. “One is ‘Miss Saigon’ and the other is ‘M. Butterfly.’ ‘Miss Saigon’ made me believe that I could be on Broadway because Lea Salonga — a Filipina — was the lead. Likewise, ‘M. Butterfly’ taught me that I wouldn’t want to be in ‘Miss Saigon’ because of how it portrays my community and the message it sends to Asian girls who want to be on Broadway, that the best lead for them is to be a prostitute who kills themselves for the love of a Westerner.”

In addition to his professorial commitments, Aguas also sponsors the Freeman Intern Fellowship, a Collegesponsored grant program that grants stipends to students pursuing summer internship opportunities in Southeast Asia. Aguas sees the fellowship as a pivotal way for students to get involved, and urges students to consider applying so they can broaden their horizons in diverse environments.

“The Freeman intern fellowship program is important to me because I am able to share the joy and transformative power of being in diverse spaces with students so that they too can experience the magic that can come from living with the majority of people who are so unlike you which of course has been my experience wherever I go outside my home country of the Philippines,” Aguas said.

GAVIN AQUIN HERNÁNDEZ / THE FLAT HAT

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The Flat Hat

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

CAMPUS

Forum examines the future of AI, data science

Vanderbilt professor discusses evolutions within modern programming Friday, Nov. 15, McGlothlin-Street Hall at the College of William and Mary was packed as students and faculty members gathered to listen to Jesse Spencer-Smith, chief data scientist at Vanderbilt University’s Data Science Institute. Before this position, Spencer-Smith previously worked as the director of enterprise data science for HCA Healthcare, both roles that he elaborated on during his talk.

In his discussion, Spencer-Smith reflected on the ability for artificial intelligence to generate reasonable text and explained how artificial intelligence has become a recent and wide-reaching phenomenon.

OpenAI, the organization that created this particular type of AI, has not released its entire text-generating algorithm because of the inherent danger it poses in creating spam messages and bots on Twitter.

“Well, imagine you have something like this now, that can be far more convincing, and can write something that’s far longer, so it’s not just a tweet,” Spencer-Smith said. “It can generate a blog post. It could generate a posting on Facebook, be believable, and take whatever particular viewpoint with whatever information you care to include.”

Spencer-Smith defined deep solutions in the context of GPT-2, the new text-generating software, and discussed how it has far-reaching consequences that cannot be stopped easily.

“So these are deep solutions, meaning they can do one kind of thing really well, sometimes remarkably well, though what it is not is a general intelligence,” Spencer-Smith said. “So what you will see, if you let this go on long enough, GPT-2 will begin to contradict itself. It will say things that are a little bit nonsensical. It’s getting the concepts right, but it doesn’t have a sense of the full narrative, nor does it know how to end.

It never stops.”

GPT-2 developed its language model on its own after training on 10 million documents gathered from links that came from posts to Reddit with karma three or higher. The network was trained to guess the next word of documents after going through the document. Essentially, the network was trained on what was coming next in a series, and it became capable of examining where it saw words and phrases that were similar to the ones provided. Grammar can be acquired through this learning

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Well, imagine you have something like this now, that can be far more convincing, and can write something that's far longer, so it's not just a tweet; it can generate a blog post. It could generate a posting on Facebook, be believable.

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DOUNIA ANSARY THE FLAT HAT

— Jesse Spencer-Smith

process, as well as broader concepts through which words are related.

The algorithm demonstrates how a pretrained network can solve complex problems. In the context of data science, this is a new approach.

Spencer-Smith then shifted to explaining the history of AI. AI has been around since the 1950s with the creation of the general problem solver. After this initial advancement came the perceptron, an artificial neutral network of a single neutron, and supplementary expert systems.

“I think the definition of AI is: what is the hardest thing that we’re working on right now that has to do with cognition or cogitation,” Spencer-Smith said.

In the 2000s, machine learning became reality, but data must be prepared in a specific way for the machine to learn. The concept of

deep learning gradually became able to answer previously unsolved problems, fixing problems through training rather than programming.

Deep learning does not stop learning with large amounts of data, instead, it can learn off unstructured data through learning on its own and can learn instantaneously.

Spencer-Smith described some of the innovations that led to progress in AI technology. Computing power was enhanced through GPUs, which allowed opportunity for larger artificial neutral networks.

Image recognition tasks were improved with convolutional neutral networks, an accomplishment made through copying the human visual cortex.

The practice of data science has shifted, since deep learning solutions will be increasingly used to solve problems.

“Because with pretrained networks, you can solve problems with a lot less training data,” Spencer-Smith said.” “And you just saw the example with GPT-2 doing what’s called zero-shot learning, which means you don’t need to give it any training whatsoever.”

There will be less programming, and it will be more important to choose the right pretrained network. Data science projects will be faster. Spencer-Smith also indicated that there will be a vast effects on the tools data science can create.

Spencer-Smith also discussed the skills that data scientists need.

Deep learning has become important, with machine learning secondary. Experience is needed with deep learning, and SpencerSmith encouraged the audience to try out pretraining on their own.

“It used to be that programming was enough, but now you have to be thinking at the higher conceptual level. What kind of problem is this? What kind of analogy can I make?”

Natalie Larsen ’21 said she enjoyed the talk because it provided an opportunity to learn more about AI. “I’m interested in data science as a career, so it was cool to see where it was headed and learn more about AI,” Larsen said.

Keely Copperthite ’20 also found the event interesting.

“I have taken a few computer science classes but never anything in data science, so it was interesting to learn more about not only the practical applications, but the skills you need to learn more about the subject,” Copperthite said.

CAMPUS

Computer science program grant creates new opportunities $1.3 million yearly grant allows for expansion of CS program, new faculty hires commonwealth, including at Amazon, helping boost our economy and quality of life in every corner of Virginia.”

The plan calls for a 75 percent increase in the number of computer science graduates across the state, with an increase of anywhere between 25,000 and 31,000 new computer science majors graduating from state universities over the next 20 years. To achieve the goals for the College specifically, the grant will be allocated towards expanding the number of faculty teaching the subject in hopes of increasing the number of students who ultimately pursue degrees in the field.

“The Tech Talent program creates clear pathways for Virginia students to obtain high-wage jobs by equipping them with the necessary skills to succeed in high-demand fields,” Virginia Secretary

“

Our target is to increase the number of CS majors graduating each year to 121 in 10 years.

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GRANT from page 1

— Michael Lewis

of Education Atif Qarni said in a written statement.

“This agreement with many of our public higher education institutions will support business and industry in Virginia while preparing our students to enter the 21st-century workforce.”

Currently, the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics estimates that thousands of new programming jobs across the country will be created over the next couple of years, making it an extremely fast-growing industry. In addition to being highly in demand, computer science positions are also highly paid, making computer science a very marketable major.

According to the Office of the Provost, computer science department chair Michael Lewis and Vice Provost for Research and Professional Studies Dennis Manos were instrumental in ensuring the College’s participation in the initiative.

“The money will primarily go hiring new faculty,” chair of the College’s computer science department

Michael Lewis said. “Our target is to increase the number of CS majors graduating each year to 121 in ten years. With more faculty, we can offer more classes and a broader variety of classes. For instance, it could make it possible for us to offer more COLL classes.”

Lewis said he is excited about what the department can do with the added funding.

“The department will become larger and broader,” Lewis said. “It’s premature to say what other changes may result, but we have already begun looking into a number of options to increase participation in computer science. I am excited by some of the ideas we are kicking around.”

Lewis also said he thinks the College will be a key player, thanks to the new initiative.

“I won’t speak for the entire state, I believe we will be successful at W and M … We’re ready to make sure the university is a key player,” Lewis said.

CAMPUS

Special Collections finds records of first person of color at the College Researchers express need for further investigation on history, experiences of racial, ethnic minorities on campus APIA from page 1

the 1923 yearbook and discussed what she was aiming to discover.

“For the front lobby case, the first two exhibits that were in the glass cases as you walk into Swem had to be associated with the COLL 300 theme Movements and Migrations. … This exhibit I wanted to highlight international students,” Gutcho said. “While the Reves Center is amazing and they’re great, they’re not really in my opinion hyped up to the level they should be with essentially 60 percent of students studying abroad at some point in their collegiate career here at William and Mary.

So I wanted to highlight them and try to find the first international student of nonEuropean descent, and through all the records it came out as Ming Pan, but then I decided to look back further and I found PuKoa Chen.”

Gutcho was unsure if there would be anything worth finding when she decided to look further back through the College’s yearbooks and historical records. However, her search uncovered a new narrative concerning the College’s history and the attendance of students of color.

Jacob Hopkins ’18 works alongside Gutcho in Swem’s Special Collections, and shared what details he found regarding Chen’s time here at the College. Hopkins explained how he came across an old copy of The Flat Hat, which helped to expand upon and provide context to some of the stories present at the College contemporaneously.

“I was looking to see if we had any other mention of Pu-Koa Chen anywhere, and this copy of The Flat Hat came out in May 1923, and it had a small article about William and Mary’s largest graduating class in history and included there is Pu-Koa Chen,” Hopkins said. “I think that’s probably significant too, that it was the largest graduating class in history at the time, and it’s also to the best of our knowledge so far the first class to include international students as well.”

Chen’s short and descriptive biography beneath his picture in the Colonial Echo displays the attitudes towards minority students during his time at the College. It describes him as having “come from the land of ‘blue gowns’” and being a “shark in the books.” The brief biography ends by wishing Chen luck with travels back to China and encouraging him to assist with its reconstruction. Pan’s biography, which was found in a later copy of the Colonial Echo, relied on similar language.

Gutcho spoke on the statements these biographies made on Chen’s and Pan’s acceptance at the time, and what these old yearbooks can reveal about the culture and tensions occurring both at the College and nationally.

“After Pu-Koa Chen, there was Ming Pan and they both graduated with Bachelors of Arts,” Gutcho said. “His bio is similar to PuKoa’s and both used very outdated language that we would not use today. They really highlight that they are not welcome to stay past their time here at the College.”

Gutcho reemphasized the importance

of Matsu and Pan’s overlapping times at the College, and detailed how unusual the scenario was in relation to broader social conditions in Virginia and throughout the United States.

“It is significant that Ming Pan and Art Matsu overlapped here at William & Mary,” Gutcho shared in an email. “While there may be no record showing them interacting, two men of color attending a historically white institution during 1923 speaks volumes in itself.”

Gutcho continued to describe how the legacies of Chen, Pan and Matsu build upon each other, and the importance of understanding and validating all of their stories. She mentioned the College’s troubled history with minority groups and ways to continue to progress in the future.

“I never want to devalue Art Matsu, he is especially important because he is the first Asian-American student, but to label him as the first POC student — that’s just inaccurate,” Gutcho said. “That erases PuKoa Chen and that erases Ming Pan. The worst thing you can do to anyone is erase their history. William and Mary historically has not done a great job when it comes to different minority populations, and is on the path to reconciliation … so in order to fully reconcile, you have to have the full and true history.”

Director of the Asian and Pacific Islander American Program Francis Tangloa Aguas shared why this discovery is such an important piece of the College’s story. Aguas emphasized why students such as Chen and

Matsu played an important role in defining how the College evolved in its relationship with students of color. Aguas believes that the College should continue to discover not only students like Chen, but also how exactly they were perceived by other students at the College and how they perceived them.

“It is crucial to note that we are not necessarily interested in exceptionalism by establishing who came first but instead our focus is on discovering what it was like to be a POC student at W&M in the early days,” Aguas said in an email. “How did the other students interact with students like PuKau Chen ‘23, Ming Pan ‘25, Art Matsu ‘24, Asgnar Ali ‘52 and others during those days?

How did these Asian or Asian American students feel or think about the fact that no other people of color were allowed to enroll, specifically African American students?”

Aguas also shared how research on other early students of color in the College’s history has shown that students such as Matsu and Yamasaki were actively involved with social justice and advocacy during their time on campus. According to Aguas, these students understood the injustice so prevalent in their times, and Aguas believes it is vital to find out how they understood and thought about their own situations against the other discriminations seen for other minorities.

“Our research on Art Matsu and Hatsuye Yamasaki '37 shows that they were active student leaders,” Aguas said. “In fact, in the 1970s, Art Matsu wrote a scathing letter to the Alumni Association when he heard talks that the 13 Society, of which he was a

member, was shut down. In the letter, Matsu spoke about how the society was a vehicle for speaking truth to power, specifically W&M’s administration Yamasaki was on the Judicial Council and the Sophomore Women’s Tribunal so she was dealing with issues of justice, so it would be important to find out what she thought of or did regarding segregation and Jim Crow laws.”

Although the discovery of Chen’s record provides better historical context regarding students of color at the College, Hopkins still emphasizes how much more needs to be done when looking at these early students who attended the College. According to Hopkins, it is unclear how exactly Chen was viewed by his classmates or how he viewed them, but Chen remains a crucial piece of the College’s history today.

Hopkins expressed his hopes for the College to continue uncovering its past and encouraged members of the community to seek out this information.

He spoke on how the College’s history can become more inclusive and why its preservation is important.

“I think the university archive should be a representative and inclusive space where anyone can learn the history of the College and have the right to be included in that history as well,” Hopkins said.

“What I hope the student body sees is that the university values them in their time here. We want to continue to explore our history and continue to preserve the history happening right now.”

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Page 4

CAMPUS

Theft, suspicious activity spike on campus

Reports of crime inspire pushes for increased dorm, student security SARAH GREENBERG FLAT HAT NEWS ASSOC. EDITOR

In previous weeks at the College of William and Mary, College officials, the William and Mary Police Department and individuals in Facebook groups have announced crime increases and suspicion of human trafficking on campus. Although claims of trafficking resulted in no viable threat, this incident, alongside more frequent instances of theft, contribute to ongoing security concerns at the College.

WMPD has received several reports of burglaries in residence halls, some of which they are still investigating. Increased theft across campus is affecting more than just undergraduates.

In response to these incidences, the WMPD has increased police patrols in residence halls across campus and assigned additional staff members to work on any currently outstanding or future theft cases.

Police have also been collaborating with Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Director of Residence Life Maggie Evans to reinforce and improve the College community’s long- and shortterm safety practices. This included a recent meeting between Evans, Chief of Police Deborah Cheesebro and representatives from the Residence Hall Council to review residence hall security measures and respond to student concerns.

Although the WMPD is working hard to maintain safety across campus, College spokesperson Suzanne Clavet advised that students can support their efforts by taking initiative and responsibility for their own safety.

“To be proactive, students can certainly be sure to lock their individual rooms and to make sure that when they swipe into the main doors, that only they enter the residence hall,” Clavet said in an email. “And certainly if anyone observes anything unusual, they should report it immediately to WMPD.” Cheesebro echoed these sentiments, encouraging students to take an active role in promoting a safe campus environment by contacting the WMPD directly.

“It is critically important for the community to work together

in preventing and solving these types of thefts,” Cheesebro said in a statement.

According to Class of 2021 President Aria Austin ’21, the College’s Student Assembly has been made aware of these issues and is doing their best to assist the WMPD in any way possible to ensure campuswide safety.

Although uncertain of what may be motivating this recent increase in crime, Austin encouraged students to be proactive regarding the security of both themselves and their belongings.

“I couldn’t tell you why there has been an increase in reports of theft on campus, but I think it is very important for us as students to be mindful of our actions regarding our property,” Austin said.

“Lock your door when you leave your room. Make sure you lock your bike. Never leave your belongings alone in a common area. It may be tedious, but it is necessary.”

In addition to reports of increased theft, rumors of a potential trafficking incident have recently ruminated around campus. Early last week, several members of the College’s community called the WMPD with reports of suspicious behavior regarding the presence of three females on campus, all of whom were unaffiliated with the College. These women reportedly approached students to inform them about their religious group and persuade them to join by promoting their female-centric interpretation of the Bible.

Several students found these women’s presence on campus and their encounters with them suspiciously reminiscent of behaviors tied to human trafficking group tactics. Following an investigation, WMPD found that the event was not tied to human trafficking efforts. There have been several allegations across the United States of women approaching lone females, encouraging them to join their “God the Mother” Bible studies to lure them into a sex trafficking scheme. Concerned students posted in the “Overheard at William and Mary II: Electric Boogaloo” Facebook group warning other students on campus about the women.

Sabina Valery ’20 was approached by two of these women while walking near the Integrated Science Center on her way to Lake Matoaka. Although nonreligious, Valery listened to the women’s

promotion of their Bible study group, which they claimed featured unique Christian interpretations of what the bible “actually” says, specifically referencing the ‘God is the Mother’ passage. Valery left after politely rejecting their offer to join their Bible study.

“I guess they were supposed to prove they were different from Christian groups,” Valery said. “They were like ‘do you think this would be something that would be interesting to you’ and I was like, ‘No, I’m sorry’ and then I just left because that was a weird five minutes of my life that I just, I didn’t really need.”

Although she found the encounter odd, Valery did not feel uncomfortable during her interaction with the two women.

“They were really earnest about the message they were sharing, so I felt bad interrupting her,” Valery said. “I just let her say her piece because she seemed really convinced about the whole thing, but it was just weird.”

After investigating these reports, the WMPD identified the women and confirmed that they were affiliated with a legitimate church group and demonstrated no relation to human trafficking schemes.

“Our officers did an excellent job of identifying these individuals and conducting extensive research into their motives,” Cheesebro said in a statement. “Again, there is no nexus to human trafficking. They are interested in recruiting for their church. Students can feel comfortable making individual choices about whether they want to engage in contact with them or not, without fear of safety concerns.”

Upon hearing of this issue, SA also approached WMPD, which assured them that that the campus was safe in response to these trafficking claims. Austin was understanding of students’ concern and emphasized that although in this instance there was no danger, there will often be persons unaffiliated with the College on campus and it is important for students to come forward and report any situation in which they feel uncomfortable or in danger.

“It is essential for students to raise their voices when they feel unsafe and I’m really glad that they did,” Austin said. “Raising your voice lets us as student body representatives know what issues need answers and how to best serve our constituents. That is what we are here for and aim to do every day.”

CAMPUS

Lecture discusses Taiwanese same-sex marriage laws Guest professor Ying-Chao Kao examines civil rights, anti-LGBTQ+ forces in Taiwanese politics FREDA DENG THE FLAT HAT

Thursday, Nov. 14, Virginia Commonwealth University assistant professor Ying-Chao Kao gave an informative speech about same-sex marriage laws in Taiwan and elaborated upon the transnational influence of conservative groups.

Kao received his Ph.D. in sociology from Rogers University in 2018, specializing in sexuality, masculinity, global religions and inequality. In his current research, he focuses on Christian conservative activism around the world and strives to analyze the influence of Taiwanese and American pro-family family groups on the rights of Taiwanese LGBTQ+ individuals.

Kao opened the speech by discussing Taiwan’s newly passed law permitting same-sex marriage, which made it the first country in Asia to legalize the practice. Over five hundred same-sex couples got married May 17, the first day of legal same sex marriage; however, many months later, sexual conservatism perpetuated throughout the country and influences Taiwanese social and political spheres, Kao said.

Kao mentioned that conservative activists in Taiwan want to use recently amended referendum laws as a mechanism for potentially outlawing the Taiwanese Supreme Court’s decision on samesex marriage bill, which allowed legalization to take place.

“This may sound weird in some American people’s ears since the Supreme Court should have a final say with the decision,” Kao said. “But consider the case that Taiwan is a young democracy so that the last generations still have an unclear recognition about constitutional decisions.”

Kao then discussed the legalization process of same-sex marriage. He specified Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party’s effort in this

movement and detailed how the party interacted with different citizen perspectives on legalization throughout the past several years. Kao further illustrated that Taiwan may see conservative backlash to the decision in its upcoming presidential election in January 2020.

Kao showed a video clip from CNN which was was meant to debunk common Western perceptions about same-sex marriage in Taiwan.

Kao first affirmed Taiwan’s leading role in LGBTQ+ movements in Asia and added that the influence of these movements is not limited in same-sexmarriage but also extends to Taiwan’s presence in the international community.

“Not being Rainbow washed or pink-washed by the homonationalism,” Kao said. “As a sociologist, I want to contextualize our studies to international organizations against LGBT groups.”

Kao then displayed a map of global LGBTQ+ rights, which depicted varying levels of societal and political acceptance of the community. In the global map of LGBTQ+ rights, Taiwan was presented as the only colored dot in Asia, signifying its relevant tolerance compared to other countries in the region. Kao illustrated that though most of the colored countries on the map were located in North America and Europe and indicated that Taiwan’s openness reveals a bold statement: gay rights are not only Western, they can be found in Asia as well.

Kao then explained the meaning of the prolonged acronym for LGBTQ+, which is “LGBTQQIAA”, standing for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual and Allies.

He also illustrated the Chinese term “Tongzhi”, and how it transformed from the meaning of “comrade” to the modern synonym of “gay”.

“In fact, ‘Love Slogan’ was strategically and evidentially selected,” Kao said. “Because the marriage equality campaign in Taiwan did use big

data and social surveys to look for what kinds of keywords can mobilize the most Taiwanese people to vote for marriage equality.”

Kao continued by explaining the faults in the differing slang used to represent LGBTQ+ people and how they failed to overcome the oppositions argument.

“Ironically, they found those queer words, such as human rights, social justice, etc. — they didn’t work,” Kao said. “But love, family, values, the protection of our children by constitutional laws — they work a lot.”

Kao then presented the second video clip named “Granny Chuntao’s Tips for Marriage” as an example to show that family consists of an important element in the marriage equality advocation.

The talk then transitioned to discuss more nuance of the situation in Taiwan. Kao mentioned the non-negligible resistance from Taiwan’s conservative groups as a key opponent to social change.

“Beyond the celebration of gay marriage, Taiwan witnessed the largest backlash of the rise of the anti-gay, conservative campaign,” Kao said. “In 2011, the anti-LGBTQ+ education launched their first-ever anti-gay campaign named ‘True Love Alliance’ with the major objection to eliminating any themes related to diversified sexual orientation from the formal education. The first anti-LGBT bill was sent to the Legislative Yuan in Taiwan. In 2015, one year after the Presbyterians voted to allow same-sex marriage in America, the Taiwan branch of the church reaffirmed the definition of marriage to happen between ‘a man and woman.’”

Through this background, Kao attempted to develop a solution for the conservative’s resistance to marriage equality. He traced back to one common thought of homophobic communities, namely that some conservatives fear that gender diversified

education will lead to more LGBTQ+ children.

Kao said that this false theory of indoctrination first originated in the United States, but it persists throughout conservative groups globally.

At the end of his speech, Kao gave key takeaways to the audience, including the importance of not demeaning sexual conservatives’ power since it can prove influential.

In a question and answer session following Kao’s prepared remarks, one student asked about the reason for the effectiveness of religion towards LGBTQ+ rights movements. Kao listed several reasons, including abundant resources and the impressive penetration of some extreme conservative groups, in explaining how religion can impact social rights movements.

Cassandra Brackett ’21 enjoyed Kao’s speech and thought he did well at illustrating the complexities of same-sex marriage in Taiwan.

“He made it very clear and he also made a lot of good points,” Brackett said. “I feel like there’s a lot of points he skipped over, and I’m sure I’ll shoot him an email to ask for more.”

William Liu ’22 commented on the main points of Koa’s talk and discussed what the takeaways were.

“In this 80-minute talk, Professor Kao gave an exhaustive description toward a very complex subject--homosexual marriage,” Liu said. “The legitimization of homosexual marriage in Taiwan filled co-workers aiming for equal marriage in Asia and Middle East countries with hope.

However, just as he pointed out, we should not be over-optimistic. Just as the transnational support, there is also the existence of transnational antiLGBTQ. Also, just as he stated, the acceptance from the Supreme Court doesn’t mean the passage of the Equal Marriage Act. The way ahead will not be easy, and many challenges and setbacks along the way.”

CAMPUS

Members of the community gather to speak on state of DACA policy UndocuTribe hosts vigil in support of immigrants facing uncertanties regarding evolving DACA status DACA from page 1

everyone’s stressed out. I have students telling me about all the stuff that they’ve got going on. And you could be anywhere else, but you chose to come here. I don’t want to dismiss that. I want to make that palpable and real.”

Riofrio then connected the gathering to Veterans Day, which occurred the day before the UndocuTribe event. He recognized a forgotten population of immigrants with green cards and DACA status who fought for the United States only to later be denied citizenship.

“Yesterday was Veteran’s Day,” Riofrio said. “By being here, we honor all of those veterans, undocumented, who have

served our country. Many of whom were later rejected, some deported. This is not a new story either. We’ve done that with our African American soldiers, we’ve done that with our Chicano soldiers, we’ve done that with our Asian American soldiers. So, a huge part of what we’re doing here is standing up for a certain set of values.”

Campos spoke one more time at the end of the gathering. She thanked everyone for their attendance and for sharing their experiences.

“It really means a lot to see all of you here, to hear everything everyone has to offer, to know there are students, faculty and community members here on campus that are willing to publicly state their support,” Campos said.

AVERILL MEININGER / THE FLAT HAT

Students met in the foyer of Andrews Hall to listen to speakers discuss their stories with DACA.

As the proceedings of the Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the University of California — the case concerning DACA — continue, UndocuTribe will prioritize creating a community of support for those members of the College community whose futures are uncertain because of the case. In summarizing the purpose of the event, Riofrio ended his speech with a pertinent statement.

“This is a quiet, potent, powerful declaration of who we are as a people,” Riofrio said. “We don’t separate families from children. We don’t disregard the humanity of someone because of legislative decisions. We support one another. We belong.”

opinions STAFF COLUMN

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

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, November 19. 2019 | Page 5

STAFF COLUMN

Lack of campus composting White nationalist incidents options harms student body require campus response Alexandra Byrne THE FLAT HAT

The College of William and Mary prides itself for its composting program, which was established in 2010 and is one of the first among universities in Virginia. The program was the initiative of three sustainability student interns in collaboration with the College’s Dining Services with the intent to eliminate 40 percent of dining hall waste. This waste is picked up by Natural Organic Processes Enterprise and is transported to a facility in Waverly, Virginia for composting. In the years since, this effort has been continued with the help of the Sustainable Dining Interns and other administrative support.

In March 2019, AMP collaborated with the Sustainable Dining Interns to produce an event in which students were encouraged to bring recycled jars and transform them into dorm-friendly composting jars. More recently, there has been a push to further incorporate composting into the sustainable practices of the College, including a revamp of public composting bins behind the Sadler Center. The catering services of the College also allow organizers to request composting for events held on campus. And, of course, for those who frequent Marketplace, sorting trash into the various bins — composting included — is a ritual at the end of every meal. All these attempts aside, the question that should always be asked is, has enough been done to promote and ensure composting at the College? When the health of the environment is in question, the answer is almost always ‘no.’

Nonetheless, the work of the Sustainable Dining Interns and the College’s Dining Services must be commended. Instilling sustainable practices and values now will carry with students for the rest of their lives. Active involvement by large portions of the student population, even if small, is vital to the creation of a sustainable campus culture. Sorting through trash, for example, to separate out compostable components is an everyday task that forces students to consider the implications of consumption.

So, how can the College improve upon this positive momentum? Putting composting at the forefront of any meal and incorporating it into students’ daily lives subconsciously increases its pertinence. Furthermore,

collaborations among Dining Sustainability and other branches of the College — as with the aforementioned AMP event — can make composting an interdisciplinary phenomenon. Composting is not innately separate from all other aspects of life, so it is time to treat it as such, rather than a separate event.

Expanding accessibility and visibility of composting on campus is another basic step that can be improved campus-wide. For those who are aware of the College’s composting efforts, it is easy to participate. However, many students may be unaware for reasons as simple as a lack of information.

Presenting information such as where composting bins are available, what materials are composted on campus, and how students can get involved can expand interest, awareness and involvement. As of this writing, only two truly public compost bins are available on campus. If composting is to become a truly priority across campus, more compost bins must be placed where students are able to access and use them frequently.

Placing bins near dorms and encouraging students to empty compost as they empty trash or recycling can decrease the compostable material that ends up in landfills.

Additionally, for the school-year of 2019-2020, each student paid $21.50 as a Green Fee — an initiative started by the College in 2008 to provide financial support to campus sustainability initiatives, student research and a sustainability endowment. Compost bins would fall under improvements that can be made using this Green Fee, and adding more bins would not be a significant financial burden.

With the tools, financial support and passion available, the College’s composting program can only progress forward. In the Sustainability Plan for the fiscal years 2019-2024, the College committed to expanding upon current initiatives. Two commitments made were to explore a pizza box initiative for the campus composting program by 2019 and divert consumable food and compostable waste from the landfill by 2022. In the Address from the President that was included in the plan, President Rowe highlighted the composting process as one way in which sustainability is “woven into the fabric of our university.”

It is time that the College proves it is ready to face the challenge. It must not let progress stall at a time when environmental initiatives are most needed. It takes the commitment of all students and faculty to ensure that composting is a reality for years to come.

Email Alexandra Byrne at ambyrne01@email.wm.edu.

GRAPHICS BY CAITLIN MCCLAINE AND HEADSHOTS BY KAYLA PAYNE / THE FLAT HAT

Claire Hogan

FLAT HAT ONLINE EDITOR

I venture into the cesspool of 4chan a few times a year, usually when white nationalism is on the rise. Whenever I see white supremacist posters on campus, or hear rumors of white nationalists organizing in Virginia, I do a quick search through the 4chan boards, looking for clues. Why? Because sometimes I find something relevant.

Last semester, I produced a video for The Flat Hat about hate speech on college campuses, in which we featured some white nationalist postings at the College of William and Mary. That particular video was not actually spurred by white nationalism, but rather by a set of homophobic flyers that threatened religious violence against members of the LGBTQ+ community. Those flyers were homemade, typed up using language I had never heard before, and emblazoned with skull and crossbones. After seeing an image of the flyers, I decided to google some of the phrases that stuck out to me as odd. Immediately, a post from 4chan popped up. It was the creator of the flyers, who admitted that he was a “far-right, traditional Catholic” student who created the flyers to “write down [his] thoughts in an open letter to the cucks and libtards of [his] generation.” He posted “verification images” of the flyer, one including his rosary lying on top, an allusion to his Catholicism.

When I found this post, I immediately sent it to WMPD. 4chan’s anonymity’s hid the poster’s identity, it did prove that the flyers were made by a student, not some outsider like many were claiming. I got no response. I’m not sure if WMPD saw my email, even though I called in advance saying I sent them a tip. Maybe they saw it and deemed it unimportant. Either way, I was not aware of any action on their part.

As Flat Hat Online Editor, I made the tough decision to exclude the 4chan post from our hate speech video. At its core, it was an unsubstantiated claim made by an anonymous source on the internet. Despite the verification images, I couldn’t accuse anyone without hard evidence. This decision still weighs heavily on me, because I think my lack of action is partially to blame for the rise in white nationalist postings on campus. If I had spoken out more vehemently, maybe this wouldn’t keep happening. If I had kept calling WMPD, maybe they would have investigated further. My inaction mirrored the inaction of the administration, who swept the incident under the rug.

Earlier this month, students found white nationalist flyers posted on light poles around

campus. Printed in black ink on plain paper, they had a simple message: “It’s ok to be white.”

Potentially harmless, these flyers become more insidious when you dive beneath the surface. Once again, I looked to 4chan. The truth is, these flyers were part of a larger movement, started on 4chan, to camouflage white nationalist propaganda as “innocuous white pride.” As I read through pages of gag-inducing posts, I began to understand their intent. These flyers are meant to make you question yourself, to make you think, “white people are really being persecuted,” when nothing could be further from the truth. When students take them down, these white supremacists, munching on Doritos from behind their computer screens, can say “look at these triggered liberals,” or “so it’s NOT ok to be white?” as if they’re proving some kind of point.

Oftentimes, our gut reaction is to deny this behavior. When the last round of flyers went up, I kept hearing the same thing: we don’t know if it was a student, maybe it was a stranger passing through. The 4chan post I found proved that wrong.

It was a member of the College community. And so is the person who put up this new wave of white nationalist posters. We have hatred on our campus, and we can’t stand idly by and let it happen.

In a world where white-supremacist violence is on the rise, failing to combat this ideology is frankly dangerous. According to the AntiDefamation League, white supremacists were directly responsible for 39 deaths in 2018, up from 18 in 2017. These incidents show a sharp increase in violence due to white nationalist propaganda, the same type of messages we find on light poles on campus. Without investigating the source of this propaganda, without finding the student(s) responsible, we are creating the potential for violence on our campus.

To the administration: you disappoint me.

Failing to act, given the circumstances, is cowardly and foolish. Either out of laziness or disregard for the seriousness of the situation, you took no action whatsoever in the face of blatant whitesupremacist propaganda on campus. This is simply unacceptable and betrays a startling lack of awareness.

To students: don’t make my mistake. If you find something online, or hear something in person, don’t just report it, follow through and make sure something is done. I reported the 4chan post to WMPD, but as far as I know, nobody took any action. I should have gone further, perhaps alerting the campus Catholic community of the far-right ideology in their ranks and making sure it was addressed. If the administration or police refuse to act, we have the responsibility to root out hatred on our campus. If your friend makes a racist joke, don’t laugh it off. If you hear rumors of bigotry, don’t look the other way. If you see white supremacist flyers, tear them down. And maybe check 4chan to look for clues.

Email Claire Hogan at cahogan@email.wm.edu.

GUEST COLUMN

Members of Student Assembly lack key accountability, hinder accessibility for students Rory Federochko FLAT HAT GUEST WRITER

The College of William and Mary’s Student Assembly has failed to commit to transparency.

Many students don’t know what SA does. They’ve told me as much, but it’s not just a personal experience. Former SA President Brendan Boylan ’19 noted that “I have been asked many times: What is Student Assembly?” In a class-wide email, Class of 2022 President Suhas Suddala ’22 noted that in a survey “many of you mentioned that you have no idea what we work on in Student Assembly and expressed an interest in learning more about it.”

Not everybody is going to care about SA. I think we all know that.

But enough students took the time out of their day to respond to that survey and put that they wanted to know more. Should we blame the students for not being informed enough, or should we blame SA for not transparent enough? I argue the latter.

I decided to look at some emails and the “Student Assembly” page on the College’s website to see if my argument was sound. Since I can’t go to SA meetings, it seemed like the best place to start.

I looked at SA President Kelsey Vita’s November emails. One reminded me that it was Election Day, which they figured I had forgotten about despite obscene amounts of paper on campus telling me to “VOTE.” The other one was the November newsletter; it had a statement condemning racist flyers, an ad for three events, a “Meet the Cabinet” bit and a kitten video. Besides “Meet the Cabinet” and the statement, there’s not much to glean from this email.

I then looked at the emails from Suddala. The entire fall 2018 semester had three emails, spring 2019 had nine, but for fall 2019 there have been only three. We have only three weeks of classes left, including Thanksgiving. That’s not good.

I looked at the fall 2019 emails more in-depth. The first was decent; it had a survey, some info about food and mental wellness, a hilarious, poorly-aged hurricane comment, a Coke ad and a mention of office

hours for 2022 senators, but no mention of where to meet them.

The second email contained advertisements for homecoming shirts, a dog video, a mention of free sexually transmitted infection testing, and, best of all, a spotlight on SA working with the Counseling Center. That was included because people wanted transparency in the survey. Suddala wisely promises to have a spotlight for every email … but the next email didn’t have a spotlight. Instead, it has an advertisement for Impact Week, a financial literacy workshop, s’mores event and a TikTok video.

Now moving onto the website. It looks like someone gave up making the Senate page. The class of 2023 tab has “Elections coming soon!” Elections were in September. Former Sen. Liam Watson ’20 has resigned from office, but he’s still on the website. Several senators lack profile pictures, and, most importantly, contact information. It’s not just the Senate page; the Executive Board only has the emails of the President, Vice President and Chief of Staff. Tellingly, the Review Board, which I had never heard of, has no contact information. How do you expect us to contact our SA representatives if you can’t even provide an email? Democracies don’t work like this.

I have no idea where to find their passed bills, agendas or budgets. The contact info for people who should know this is sometimes hidden, and their website is outdated.

The website isn’t totally useless. There is a page called “This Week With Student Assembly.” It was the most helpful list of SA’s recent actions, but its lack of an archive limits its usefulness. I can’t find what SA did last week.

I go to the “Meetings & Minutes” and click on “Annual Student Activities Fee Allocation (Budgets)” link, and I am whisked away to a “cascade.wm.edu” login page. Surely my login will let me, a student at the College, see the budget for student activities budget? Nope. It is hidden away from the common man.

There are two budgets for previous years. One is extensive, but it is from 2015-2016, when last year’s seniors were freshmen. The 20162017 budget is a confusing single page.

There is a link “2019 Senate and Committee Meeting Minutes.” It loads up to Google Drive, displaying three subfolders: Senate, Passed Bills and Committees. The link says 2019, which means someone changed it, but the Drive hasn’t been updated in years. The last activity was May 1, 2017. I can’t tell if it’s extreme incompetence or laziness, but it’s embarrassing.

Being in SA is an honor and a nice resume-booster, but this is the best they can do? Frankly, this is unacceptable for an institution that claims to represent students, for an institution that claims to represent the College. I expect better, and you should too. I am disappointed.

I have no idea where to find their passed bills, agendas or budgets.

The contact info for people who should know this is sometimes hidden, and their website is outdated. SA might be amazing, or grossly incompetent. I really can’t tell.

I urge SA to take steps to be more transparent. Not everyone can go to the meetings, but the current structure makes it the only way to be “in the know.” That shouldn’t be the case. Instead of putting mildly amusing videos in emails, send us a list of bills. Send us the budget.

Send us meetings minutes. Advertise more in the Student Happenings.

Update your website. Talk to us. Let us talk to you.

I know people in student government. They’re my friends, my classmates. I don’t want to make other people feel bad, especially people I care about. But it needs to be said: get your act together; it’s for the best of the College.

And I know, as students at the College, they’re capable of it.

So, what’s stopping them?

Email Rory Federochko at rjfederochko@email.wm.edu.

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

STAFF COLUMN

Page 6

STAFF COLUMN

Further recognition of U.S. Veterans Day would benefit Williamsburg community

Lucas Harsche THE FLAT HAT

Nov. 11 each year, the United States honors its brave veterans who fought for their country in a holiday known in the U.S. as Veterans Day. As an institution which predates the country itself, the College of William and Mary has educated and commemorated veterans from practically every war in the nation’s history, as testified by the several memorials to veterans from various wars located within the halls of the Sir Christopher Wren Building to this very day. Indeed, the College continued its trend of honoring our nation’s veterans in a variety of appreciative gestures this year, from the breakfast for veterans hosted by the Office of First Year Experience on Veterans Day itself, to a flagraising ceremony Nov. 13, to a Military Appreciation Football Game Nov. 16, complete with a free tailgate for ROTC and veteran students.

All of which is wonderful, and well-deserved by our veterans who participate. Nevertheless, there is still a major problem with the College’s observance of Veterans Day: the College itself is not closed for the day in observance.

Closing the College for Veterans day is quite logical. After all, with around 65 percent of the College’s undergraduate population originating from Virginia as per its state college status, it is reasonable to assume that many of those students’ families, and therefore any veterans in the family, live within the state as well.

Nevertheless, with the general appreciation for veterans which can be found throughout the Williamsburg community, as well as the outstanding record of community service for which the College is rightfully proud, there is no reason to question whether such an event is worth undertaking to commemorate those who protected the United States.

What would be a better place to spend Veterans Day with the family than Williamsburg, a city with such a strong historical atmosphere within the locations of Colonial Williamsburg and even the College itself?

Furthermore, with a sizeable veteran student population on campus and approximately 1,024 veterans living in Williamsburg, according to the United States Census Bureau, why is there not a break from the day-to-day grind of student activities in order for a wider Veterans Day event to be held for the city, maybe even one hosted by students of the College itself as a volunteer event?

This event could further benefit the veteran family members of those in-state students mentioned earlier, and could be a great volunteer opportunity for the non-veteran students of the College in order to give back to the men and women who risked everything, including their lives, for the nation’s security and prosperity. As per the volunteer nature of this proposed event, not all students would be forced to participate; however disagreeable it may seem to some, the freedom to make such a choice is one of those for which our veterans bravely fought.

Nevertheless, with the general appreciation for veterans which can be found throughout the Williamsburg community, as well as the outstanding record of community service for which the College is rightfully proud, there is no reason to question whether such an event is worth undertaking to commemorate those who protected the United States.

So, what will it be? A parade? A great feast? A community cider run to Colonial Williamsburg? The author gifts this proposition to the public for debate, and extends his belated gratitude to the veterans of the United States, and hopes that the College will close for future Veterans Days to allow more opportunity to honor veterans.

Email Lucas Harsche at lmharsche@email.wm.edu.

Thanksgiving presents occasion to remember America’s difficult past violent oppression of indigenous peoples into a punchline.

Second, and more importantly, disregard for historical hardships faced by native people has paved the way for new struggles in the present. American Indian communities are plagued by poverty, alcoholism, mental illness and neglect. Centuries of white settlers forcing tribes away from their homes caused all of this, and refusal to acknowledge the truth about American history allows these issues to go unsolved with little to no help from the world outside the reservations.

The traditional celebration of Thanksgiving encompasses all of this to a horrifying degree. American children perform Thanksgiving pageants that perpetuate long-debunked myths about white settlers living in friendship with American Indians. They come home wearing crude headdresses made out of construction paper and Crayola markers, reducing centuries of rich history and culture to a ten-minute craft.

THE FLAT HAT The famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is led by two pilgrims.

Perhaps this is appropriate, considering the fact that white Anglo-Saxon Next week, people across the United States will celebrate Protestants always seem to be at the front of the line in American life Thanksgiving, one of the world’s most distinctly American traditions. while those whose oppression they rode to power on are treated as Families will reunite, parades will be watched, turkey trots will be run and nothing more than footnotes in mainstream tales of American history. an ungodly amount of pumpkin pie will be consumed. But along with all But this doesn’t mean we should stop celebrating Thanksgiving the harmless fun and unforgettable memories that Thanksgiving brings, altogether. We simply need to change how we celebrate it. We must it also perpetuates another less harmless but still unmistakably American shift the focus of the holiday away from its white supremacist roots custom: the erasure of genocidal atrocities inflicted on American Indians and instead fully embrace the ideals that make Thanksgiving such a

by European colonizers. popular holiday. Modern This erasure is certainly not specific celebrations of Thanksgiving to Thanksgiving. It permeates American need to become celebrations culture all year round. Take, for example, of gratitude. They must be the way we are taught about Christopher celebrations of family, love, Columbus. We are told that he wanted and pumpkin pie. Stop to prove the Earth was round and that putting children in misleading when he first arrived in the Caribbean, pageants, and instead put he thought he was in India. How wacky. them in an environment of What we are not taught is that humility and kindness. Stop Columbus and his army used bloody, letting pilgrims lead the parade, inhumane violence to force the Arawak and instead lead the way with people into slavery. We are not taught acceptance, understanding, that Arawaks who did not retrieve and truth. Of course, this will enough gold for the colonizers would not remedy the oppression lose their limbs and sometimes their of native people nor will it heads. We are not taught about the end their continued suffering. unspeakable cruelty which Arawak To do that, we must remain women and young girls faced at the cognizant year-round of how hands of Columbus’s men. many American institutions, In American schools, we are taught including the College of William all sorts of things about European and Mary, were built on the interactions with indigenous people backs of indigenous tribes. that are either misleading or completely We must speak truth to untrue. We are taught anecdotes that power and fight to dismantle humanize the European invaders to those power structures. It is on distract us from the brutal truth and us as young people to right the strengthen the white supremacy that wrongs of older generations, created American culture. though a bit of help from our GRAPHIC BY SUNNY AHN This mythology has led to a number elders wouldn’t hurt.

AND HEADSHOTS BY KAYLA PAYNE / THE FLAT HAT of major issues. First, American pop And in the middle of that culture runs rampant with disrespect for Native American history and fight, it’s okay to take a breather to spend time with loved ones and eat culture. Remember when Kylie Jenner wore a white parka hood and way too much pumpkin pie as long as you don’t do it in the name of said she was dressed up as an “eskimo,” or when John Legend put on colonialism. By spreading the spirit of togetherness that Thanksgiving a cowboy hat and Chrissy Teigen donned a stereotypical feathered has come to represent and rejecting the colonial ideas of dominance and headdress for Halloween? Movies like “The Ridiculous Six” and “The exclusion, we will be one step closer to winning the fight.

Lone Ranger” feature white actors portraying deeply offensive American Email Aidan White at Indian stereotypes, while TV shows like “Parks and Recreation” turn the amwhite02@email.wm.edu.

Aidan White

STAFF COLUMN

Short story dispenser in Swem Library incorporates literature into daily life

Anhthu Cung THE FLAT HAT

Upon entering Earl Gregg Swem Library, most of us head straight to our favorite work areas, in a rush to either secure a table on the first floor for meetings or more casual studying, or to claim a desk on the second and third floors for a quieter study session. No matter the case, in our focused frenzies, we tend to miss the short story dispenser situated to the left of the library entrance along the elevator wall.

The little machine, with its backlit panel and dark base, prints short stories from a wide range of genres onto receipt-like slips of paper after readers have selected their preferred length of story, either one, three or five minutes long. A clothespin line hanging next to the machine showcases a sample of these stories. This little dispenser may stand small compared to the library’s large bookshelves offering scholarly research and may be overlooked as we go about our busy days, but the dispenser provides an important opportunity for students to incorporate snippets of literature into their lives and reminds us to connect with others.

The short story dispenser made its debut

in the library March 1 of this year and ran out of paper its first night since so many students were eager to read the stories. Associate Dean for Research and Public Services Lisa Nickel led the initiative to install the dispenser after she first learned about it at the American Library Association Conference in summer 2018.

The short story dispenser is produced

by Short Edition, a French company that specializes in publishing short stories and making them accessible to the public through its many dispensers. By combining the timeless act of storytelling with contemporary technology, the dispensers reflect the company’s primary mission: to integrate literature into the modern world. Short Edition’s stories are printed on BPA free, FSC certified and eco-friendly paper and do not require ink or cartridges to print.

Readers choose the time they would like to spend on the stories, but the genre of the stories are randomized, ranging from poetry to classic literature to children’s stories.

Short Edition connects writers and readers from all over the world. Any writer, established

or emerging, can join the current 9,000 contributing authors by submitting their work to the website. For free, people can read short stories at train stations, libraries, cafes, airports and hotels, at dispensers in France, China, Australia, the United States and more.

As college students, we may not have the time to read as much or as often as we’d like to, but we can’t forget about the power of reading and its ability to connect us with others.

The short story dispenser gives us a glimpse into the lives of others through its diverse characters and stories, but also connects us to a community of local and international readers and writers. The next time you are in Swem, perhaps before you begin studying or maybe when you need a break, give the short story dispenser a visit. Enjoy the story and think about the other readers, who may be waiting for their flights or for their food in other parts of the world but may be smiling because of the same story you are reading.

Email Anhthu Cung at atcung@email.wm.edu.

variety

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

Syndi-Sins scintillates

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

Syndicate awes audience with showcase centered around seven deadly sins

GAVIN AQUIN HERNÁNDEZ // FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR

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hursday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m., the Syndicate Hip Hop Dance Team at the College of William and Mary had its fall showcase entitled “Syndi-Sins” in Commonwealth Auditorium.

Based off the Seven Deadly Sins, the hip-hop dance squad wowed Commonwealth with an hour and a half of popping, locking and jaw-dropping performances inspired by modern hits.

Introducing the show, Syndicate executives Danielle Brown ’20 and Ellie King ’20 hoped to rile up the audience in preparation for the first set.

“Syndicate is a student-run, student-choreographed hip-hop dance team on campus,” Brown said. “For those who haven’t been to a show, we have a few rules.”

“Be loud and get hype. Cheer for your friends,” King said. “We love when people cheer for their friends.”

As the show started, Syndicate’s newer members entered from stage right to perform “The Original Sin,” biting an apple. Choreographed by Salimata Sanfo ’22, the piece, despite being performed by beginners, impressed the audience and showed just how accessible hip-hop can be for newer dancers — like new member Alyssa Brocker ’22.

“The reception of new people into Syndicate is something unlike I’ve ever seen before,” Brocker said. “We are so hyped up; we are so loved; we are so taken care of. I am so seamlessly integrated into the group that I feel like I’ve been here forever.”

Following the newbie dance, “Daddy” was met with roars from the audience, as countless spectators yelled “yes Daddy” at the dancers on stage. Like other songs performed in the showcase, “Daddy” had a narrative that the dancers conveyed to the audience — following the theme of scandalous sins, this set told the story of the femme fatale. After corrupting an innocent, the dancers encircled a fur-clad man meant to symbolize the cultural phenomenon of the “sugar daddy.” As the lights turn off and back on, we see the man on the ground, hinting at his death as the dancers blew kisses to the audience.

Also notable was a performance choreographed by Delaney Busching ’20 entitled “Idol Worship.”

The piece was set to the tune of “God is a Woman” by Ariana Grande.

“It was so sassy, sexy and fun, and it was very empowering,” Angela Yost ’20, a dancer for the set, said. “Delaney is an amazing choreographer, so I loved being in that dance.”

“Productive Wrath” set to the music of “Desperado” by Rihanna featured angular, aggressive dancing along with notable wardrobe choices by dancers. Jared Bergen ’20 gained a lot of attention for his Dining Services crop-top, eliciting cheers and questions from the audience.

“Remember when they had that survey you could take for Dining Services last fall?” Bergen asked. “I won that t-shirt reward and I just had to crop it to make it a fun-time t-shirt. It’s definitely a peachy story.”

Surprising audience members by entering from the back of Commonwealth, Syndicate dancers

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rushed down to the stage holding cups as the music for “Got Water?” began. Ultimately, dancers hoped that the audience would embrace their thirst, whatever they may be thirsty for.

“I really loved ‘Got Water?,’” Brocker said. “I knew it was going to be a challenging song for me and I could feel myself grow as a dancer doing it. The message of the song was definitely that we were just thirsty hoes. We had to send in submissions for what ‘thirsty’ meant for us, and it was great. Thirsty for me is when you go so far as to stalk their mom’s Facebook page.”

For many of Syndicate’s dancers, the concept of hip-hop can mean a multitude of things.

“Syndicate has definitely changed my perception of hip-hop,” Brocker said. “It has widened my definition. This kind of hip-hop is more expressive. People are breaking boundaries, telling stories and all around just having fun. Hip-hop is an outlet to shed all of the anxiety that college gives you.”

Likewise, Aria Austin ’21 and Yost had their own takes on the definition and power of hip-hop.

“Hip-hop is a form of expression that I really enjoy,” Austin said. “It’s a lot of hard movements, having fun and spending quality time with members of my group. For me, it’s just having a good time and really getting to express myself.”

“For me, being able to fully express myself on stage is important,” Yost said. “There are so many different flavors of hip-hop, and before last semester, I never did any dancing. Yet, I am still able to express my feelings and my whole personality in a dance.”

For each showcase, Syndicate prepares months in advance — whether it’s deciding on a theme, choosing songs, choreographing sets and even selecting dancers for each set. Austin remarked on the process that goes into each showcase.

“We pick the theme and then choreograph songs throughout the semester,” Austin said, “Anyone can choreograph as long as you’re not a newbie. The work you put into it depends on how many dances you’re in. You have to be in at least one as a returning member along with the finale. It’s definitely a lot of high-energy work. I rehearsed three to five hours a week in preparation. It’s a great group of people and I wouldn’t want to do this with anybody else.”

Bergen commented on the hard work that went into the performances.

“For most of the dances, we start rehearsing at the beginning of the semester, so anyone who wants to join a piece can try out and join,” Bergen said. “For my dances, anyone and everyone is welcome to join. Some dances have more of a story, a narrative, the choreographers are trying to do and those are fun because you feel like you’re taking on a character. But for others, you just need an excuse to just break it out and bust it down.”

For students at the College who enjoy hip-hop, Yost imparted some advice.

“Come to showcase in the spring,” Yost said. “Also, come try out for Syndicate — no experience is needed.”

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Page 8

MEMORY DOWN

Psychology Professor Pamela Hunt models fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in zebrafish

ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN // FLAT HAT VARIETY EDITOR

LANE

Pamela Hunt, professor of psychological sciences, gave the presentation of her life when she was two steps from throwing up.

On the day she was scheduled to give a major presentation at the International Society of Developmental Psychobiology’s annual conference, Hunt woke up feeling nauseous from a meal she’d had the night before. Nerves for the presentation compounded her physical sickness, and when she stepped up to the podium to speak, she warned the audience that she might have to step down for a second to hurl.

“I said, ‘I’m sick, and so if I have to leave the podium, you’ll understand why,’” Hunt said. “I got up, and I gave this talk, and I didn’t remember anything that I said because I just felt so miserable.”

Despite Hunt having no recollection of it, the presentation ended up a resounding success.

“I had one of the most important people in my field come up to me and say, ‘Pam, you should give a talk every time you’re sick, because it was the best talk you’ve ever given,’” Hunt said. “So just don’t worry about it, and get sick before your talks, and it’ll turn out to be good.”

Hunt began teaching at the College of William and Mary in 1997 and set up her research laboratory in August of that year. She has been doing research at the College for 22 years and has had students in her lab since her first semester as a professor. Hunt’s research focuses mainly on memory development in the context of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, and how alcohol consumption by pregnant mothers can affect cognitive function in their children.

To model human fetal reactions to alcohol exposure, Hunt’s lab conducts memory-testing tasks on zebrafish. Zebrafish have simpler nervous systems with a smaller number of neurons, but their brain cells develop and form connections in ways that are very similar to the human nervous system. It is challenging to look at memory at a cellular level in human brains because of the limitations of imaging technology, but it is possible to do so with zebrafish.

When investigating how best to test memory in the zebrafish, Hunt looked at previously-published papers to see if their procedures could work in her lab. However, there were very few studies conducted with zebrafish as the model organism, and the studies that did exist were not replicable. Hunt’s

lab repeated the procedures from several previous studies, but she was unable to get the same results.

“We spent several years trying to replicate other people’s findings, and couldn’t do it,” Hunt said.

“We just decided after years of having difficulties to develop our own procedures.”

The lab is currently working on finalizing procedures for two different tasks meant to test memory in zebrafish. The first task involves showing the zebrafish an image on a screen — for example, a red square on a black background — and then showing the fish a video of other zebrafish swimming.

“Zebrafish are social fish; they don’t like to be alone,” Hunt said. “When you present this video of other fish, our test fish swims right over to the monitor and starts swimming up and down as if they are swimming with the other fish.”

The goal of the task is to pair the image of the red square with the video of the other fish swimming; after training, the zebrafish swim to the monitor when the red square is presented, anticipating the video of their friends on the monitor. This is an example of delay conditioning, where the zebrafish are taught to pair a stimulus — in this case, the red square — with a response — swimming up and down with the video of other fish.

To test the zebrafish’s short-term memory, Hunt also uses trace conditioning. Trace conditioning involves the same basic steps with the red square and the video, but with a time delay: The red square flashes on the screen, then disappears, and after a specified time interval, the video of zebrafish swimming plays. With this type of conditioning, the zebrafish learn not only the association between the square and the video, but also must retain the memory of the square during the time delay.

The second task Hunt’s lab is developing for the zebrafish tests a concept known as object recognition. The fish are placed in a tank that contains two identical objects — for example, two beads. They swim around in the tank for a while, acclimating to the environment. Then, after either 24 or 48 hours, the fish are placed in the same tank, which now contains one of the original beads and a new bead.

“If I show you an object, and then later on, I come and I give you a choice of two objects, do you know which one you’ve seen before?” Hunt said.

ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN / THE FLAT HAT

“Can you point to the novel object? We’re asking the fish that question.”

Zebrafish, like human infants, are more attracted to new objects and experiences, so they tend to swim towards the newer object, spending more time on the side of the tank with the newer bead. Hunt’s lab can measure the time spent by the zebrafish on each side of the tank to see if the fish remember which object they’ve seen before.

Hunt’s lab has collected data for their first task and is currently writing it up for publication; by the end of this year, the lab will finish collecting data on the second task. In February and March, they plan to finish testing their second task, and use the memory tasks to compare cognitive deficits in fish with and without alcohol exposure in their early developmental stages.

“These are tasks that are variations on tasks that we know kids with fetal alcohol exposure have trouble with,” Hunt said. “They have trouble with memory, and they have trouble with spatial locations, so we’re trying to model that in fish.”

Zebrafish go through early development over

a time period of five days, which is significantly different from the nine-month human developmental period. This short time span allows Hunt to keep track of the fish’s neural development and see how alcohol exposure affects the fish at specific stages of brain growth. Hunt hopes to develop and finalize procedures for the memory tasks in her lab to begin experimenting with alcohol exposure. One of the big questions she wants to answer has to do with potential interventions for pregnant mothers who consume alcohol; it isn’t possible to stop all pregnant mothers from drinking, but it might be possible to help the developing children overcome the brain damage done by the alcohol.

“If you can get women to abstain for a short period of time — they’re not going to completely abstain for nine months — but maybe you could get them to abstain for a week here, or a week there,” Hunt said. “Are there critical periods of time that would help the outcome of the offspring?

Could we do something to help the kids overcome the alcohol deficit?”

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Vanderbilt Chief Data Scientist Jesse Spencer-Smith hosts workshop discussing technology’s assets to creative expression ASHANTI JONES // THE FLAT HAT

Thursday Nov. 14, Chief Data Scientist at Vanderbilt University Jesse Spencer-Smith visited the College of William and Mary to host a workshop titled “A.I. for Artists.”

Spencer-Smith’s workshop focused on exploring the basics of artificial intelligence and various methods of integration of artificial intelligence with art and music.

Spencer-Smith began the workshop by explaining the differences between

how people and artificial intelligence — which he often referred to as deep learning networks — learn new information. Spencer-Smith contrasted how people and AIs learn concepts such as language: people begin with the basics and progressively learn more difficult concepts, while AIs learn the basic concepts through learning the difficult concepts first, known as back propagation.

“The first thing data scientists talk

ASHANTI JONES / THE FLAT HAT

about is how deep learning networks actually learn language,” SpencerSmith said. “The second thing is the way we learn languages. We arrive at our understanding of language very differently. We take a class, we get the context, we practice speaking with other people, we learn from top-down almost, but deep learning networks learn bottom-up through a process called back propagation.”

Spencer-Smith discussed how despite these differences in the method of learning, both people and AIs retain the same amount of information on subjects, such as language, at very similar rates.

“What is really interesting is that back propagation looks nothing like the way we learn,” Spencer-Smith said. “It is completely different.

But yet, when we compare what an AI learns from language and what we learn from language, we are beginning to meet in the middle.

The capabilities we are beginning to see with AI are on par with what we get.”

Spencer-Smith explained various ways AIs can be used for creative purposes, such as in writing, composing music or creating artworks. He presented AIs as helpers in the creative process, a tool that can be used to generate new ideas for existing projects.

“Deep learning networks can help us be creative in different ways,” Spencer-Smith said. “We get to interact with a computer in a new way. If you want to write something

right now, you type it and you type it letter by letter and it becomes words. What you can do now is to type a sentence, start in a particular direction and ask a deep learning network to continue writing for you.

See what direction it goes and see what ideas come out. It can often be a really fun way of expressing yourself. The same can be done with music and art.”

Spencer-Smith then explained another way AIs can be used in art.

He described a method of using AIs to create new art in a particular artistic style. For example, SpencerSmith used an AI to produce various paintings of a photo of poppies he took inspired by historic artistic styles, such as impressionism, postimpressionism and ukiyo-e.

“Let’s say you have an artist you really like and want to create art in that style but different,” SpencerSmith said. “One way to do this is to take two deep learning networks and put them one against the other. One network is designed to discriminate between real and fake.

The other network is designed to generate ‘good fakes.’ This process is called generative adversarial networks. Over time, one network learns how to generate artwork in the style of a particular artist.”

Spencer-Smith demonstrated the capabilities of deep learning networks on two websites, http:// talktotransformer.com and a program called “MuseNet” on http://openai.com. He explained

the functions and uses for both AIs. The first website is an AI trained on language designed to finish writing based of words the user. The second website is an AI trained on sound and music designed to compose a piece of music in either a particular artist’s style or a particular genre.

He then encouraged attendees at the workshop to experiment with the software for themselves.

Spencer-Smith also addressed the moral dilemma of ownership when using AIs to produce various forms of art. He challenged attendees by asking if art created using an AI based on a particular artist belongs to the artist the art was inspired by, the user of the AI, or the AI itself.

Campbell Scheverman ’20, responded that the art’s ownership belongs to the user of the AI. “I think that someone could look at a certain portfolio of an artist’s work and do the same thing by hand,” Scheverman said. “So, I do not think there is much of a difference in using an AI to copy versus copying yourself.”

Joshua Otten ’23 enjoyed working with the AIs and plans on implementing them within his own artwork.

“I am very interested in new technologies, especially artificial intelligence,” Otten said. “I wanted to see more about how it worked and what the potential in it was for the future. I enjoy writing music and painting, and I think using AI could potentially help me in fleshing out ideas in the future.”

sportsinside

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, November 19, 2019 | Page 9

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Still undefeated, Tribe hammers Hampton

Big contributions from Barnes, Van Vliet carry College to victory despite slow start from Knight NATHAN SEIDEL FLAT HAT ASSOC. SPORTS EDITOR

Four double-digit scorers propelled William and Mary (4-0) to its fourth straight victory on the season Friday, Nov. 15, knocking off Hampton (2-1), 78-65, in its first home game of the year. This victory means the College remains undefeated so far this season.

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I thought the

biggest thing we did was take care of the ball ... we just took the shots that we want to take and that allowed us to set our defense.

JAMIE HOLT / THE FLAT HAT

­—Head coach Dane Fischer The teams traded baskets early, with a dunk, and layup from senior forward Andy Van Vliet earning a 9-7 Tribe advantage after the first three minutes. A three from the right corner from sophomore guard Luke Loewe and a driving layup from graduate transfer Bryce Barnes extended the lead to 14-7. An electrifying andone dunk from Barnes energized the well-filled Kaplan Arena and put the College up 17-9.

The Pirates fought back to 17-15 with a transition layup and tied it with a long two from senior guard Jermaine Marrow. A jump-hook from Pirate redshirt sophomore forward Ben Stanley took the lead for Hampton, but a Van

Senior center Nathan Knight contributed fifteen points and thirteen rebounds to help the Tribe to it’s home-opener win.

Vliet layup and three from sophomore guard Thornton Scott retook the lead for the College as the clock ticked under 10 minutes to play in the half.

The Tribe pulled ahead over the following few minutes, but a 6-0 Pirate run tied the game until a layup from senior forward Nathan Knight put the College ahead 30-28 with 3 minutes, six seconds to go in the first. Barnes then nailed a midrange jumper, a layup, and a three as the buzzer sounded to reach 14 points on the night and earn the Tribe a 39-32 halftime advantage.

The College shot 57 percent in the first half and made 4-of-9 threes. Hampton struggled from the floor, making only 37 percent, but attempted 13 more field goals and amassed

nine offensive rebounds to the College’s two.

Barnes shot a perfect 7-for-7 from the floor in the half and Marrow scored 11 for Hampton on 5-for-13 shooting.

An and-one from Stanley cut the Tribe advantage to three early in the second half, but a long triple from Scott put the Tribe back up seven until Marrow drew Loewe’s third foul on a drive to pull the Pirates back within three. Two free throws from Pirate junior forward Edward Oliver-Hampton made it 47-46, but Scott’s third three of the night put the College back up four.

Two buckets from Van Vliet on succeeding possessions and another corner three from Scott gave the Tribe its largest lead of the night, 57-47, with under 12 minutes to play. A Knight

layup extended the advantage to 12, where it remained until two Marrow free throws made it 61-51.

On the following possession, Knight grabbed a Marrow miss to secure his fourth doubledouble of the season in as many games. Van Vliet swished a three from the right corner and Marrow countered with a layup to eclipse 20 points on the night.

Van Vliet nailed another three to make it 7055 and Barnes made a layup to tie his career high in points with 19. He made two free throws to set a new career high and the Tribe went on to win, 78-65.

Barnes finished with 21 points and seven assists. After the game, he attributed his stellar effort to a free mental state.

“I just didn’t think,” Barnes said. “Usually I’m in my head sometimes; I just came out and had confidence in myself, I was confident that I had really good guys around me so I had nothing to worry about, just play my game and got really good results.”

Van Vliet led the Tribe with 22 points and added 12 rebounds. After being sidelined the past year due to National Collegiate Athletic Association transfer protocols, he relished the opportunity to get back out there.

“It feels so good,” Van Vliet said. “This is what I came here for. I’m so happy to finally be playing; I sat out super long. To finally be able to play and have the confidence from Coach Fischer like that and the rest of the coaching staff feels amazing. All I got to do out there is perform and it makes my job easier, you know?

Feels really good.”

Head coach Dane Fischer noted that shot selection and ball security were the key components that allowed the Tribe to pull away after the back-and-forth first half.

“I thought the biggest thing we did was take care of the ball,” Fischer said. “I thought there were a couple times when we could push it out, and I thought we either took a tough shot, not a great shot, or turned it over and allowed them to get an easy one back the other way. I thought when we finally pushed it out, we just took the shots that we want to take and that allowed us to set our defense.”

Knight also contributed 15 points and 13 rebounds and Scott added 12 points. Marrow carried the Pirates with 30 points and six dimes and Stanley added 20 with nine boards.

The Tribe will return to action Nov. 18 when

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

College retains 3-0 record with road victory

Key offensive plays from sophomore guard Eva Hodgson give head coach Ed Swanson his 498th career win CAMERON BRAY THE FLAT HAT

Coming off two-straight wins last week, William and Mary (3-0) kept its early momentum going and beat East Carolina (1-2) decisively Tuesday, Nov. 12, in Greenville, North Carolina. With an impressive 76-68 win, the Tribe earned its first 3-0 start since 1987-88.

During the game, the Tribe took advantage of an explosive third quarter to seal a win against its former rival in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Tribe shot 10-for-14 from the field in the pivotal third quarter, while the Pirates shot only 7-for-20, and it increased its three-point lead at the beginning of the period to as much as 12 points, staying ahead the entire fourth quarter to win the game.

Pounding the Pirates on offense, four Tribe players scored in double figures.

Sophomore guard Eva Hodgson led the Tribe with a game-high 18 points and added a career-high eight rebounds and six assists. The Tribe’s leading scorer in all three games so far, Hodgson has shot perfect from the free-throw line this year (17-of-17). Meanwhile, senior forward Victoria Reynolds earned her first doubledouble of the season, her third overall in her career, as she finished with 17 points, 12 rebounds and six steals. Coming off the bench, sophomore guard Sydney Wagner, a transfer from Stetson, scored 14 points and junior forward Bailey Eichner put up 11 points, three rebounds and three assists.

With Tuesday’s win against ECU, head coach Ed Swanson moved just two games

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shy of winning his 500th career victory. In his 498th career win, he moved one step closer to becoming the 69th D-I coach to achieve that mark.

The game began with the Tribe committing many turnovers but staying tied with the Pirates, During the first quarter, the Tribe turned the ball over 10 times — including five ECU steals — while the Pirates turned it over only four times, twice from steals.

The Tribe and the Pirates were tied 1111 midway through the first quarter, but the Pirates tore off a six-point scoring run to take their largest lead of the game. They brought the score to 17-11 with almost two minutes left in the first quarter, but the Tribe responded with buckets by Hodgson, Wagner and Eichner to tie it back again, 21-21.

In the second quarter, the Tribe kept much better control of the ball,

committing far fewer turnovers and making many more steals. The Tribe made five steals and had five turnovers, while the Pirates made four steals and had seven turnovers.

The second quarter opened promisingly for the Tribe with a threepointer by Wagner, bringing the score to 24-21, but the Pirates fought back hard.

The lead changed three times before a timeout, with the Pirates tying the Tribe twice, but the Tribe brought the score to 32-30 with a jumper by Reynolds. After the timeout, the Pirates briefly pulled ahead of the Tribe by two, but the Tribe went on a 9-4 scoring run to take the lead, 41-35.

Ending the second quarter on a bang, ECU guard LaShonda Monk sank a desperate 3-pointer over two Tribe defenders from near half court. A buzzerbeater, it cut the Tribe’s lead down to 41-

38 at halftime.

During the third quarter, the Tribe wreaked havoc on the Pirates and took control of the game. Scoring the first seven points of the third quarter, the Tribe pushed its lead to double digits for the first time. Junior center Gabby Rogers started the run with a layup in transition, then Reynolds swished a rightwing three-pointer and Hodgson sank a jumper, giving the Tribe a healthy 48-38 lead before a timeout.

After the timeout, the Tribe kept its lead well ahead of the Pirates and made several nice plays. Following a drive and a jumper by ECU guard Taniyah Thompson, Wagner made a reverse layup to bring the score to 57-46. Next, Reynolds spun around Monk and sank a jumper, 59-46. Lastly, freshman forward Bre Bellamy put up a right-hand floater to cap off the Tribe’s scoring, 67-52. A

jumper and a free throw by the Pirates brought the score to 67-55 to end of the third quarter.

The fourth quarter opened with a bucket by the Pirates, but the Tribe rattled off six points in a row and put the game almost beyond hope for ECU. Hodgson started the run with two free throws before junior guard Nyla Pollard added one of her own.

Then Bellamy sank a beautiful threepointer to make it 73-57 with 5:34 left in regulation. On that particular play, Hodgson drove to the basket, drawing the Pirate defenders, then kicked the ball out to Eichner, and Eichner passed the ball to Bellamy, who drained an open shot from three-point range.

The Pirates pushed the Tribe to a single-digit lead twice in the final two minutes of the game, but they ran short on time. First, they sent Wagner to the free-throw line, then they fouled Hodgson to stop the clock, a desperate move given Hodgson’s perfect free-throw record. Wagner went 1-of-2 at the freethrow line and Hodgson went 2-of-2, ensuring victory. The Tribe won the game by double digits, 78-68.

The Tribe shot a season-best 53.8 percent (28-for-52) from the floor against ECU including 71.4 percent (10-for-14) in the pivotal third quarter. They outmatched the Pirates in rebounds 35-34, and they forced them into 21 turnovers, including six steals from Reynolds.

After Tuesday’s win, the College will hit the road to face Richmond (2-1) Wednesday, Nov. 20.

sports

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

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, November 19, 2019 | Page 10

FOOTBALL

Tigers pounce on Tribe to win 31-10

JAMIE HOLT / THE FLAT HAT

Tribe offense falters after first posession. Freshman quarterback Hollis Mathis could not generate the same type of spark that junior wide receiver Burdick did on the previous drive. Mathis suffered a sack as the first quarter clock deteriorated. to zero.

Tigers’ star quarterback Flacco picks apart Tribe defense in dominant win MATTHEW KORTAN FLAT HAT STAFF WRITER With Veterans Day still large in the rearview mirror, William and Mary (47, 2-5 CAA) welcomed the United States armed forces to Zable Stadium to celebrate the final home game of the 2019 season against Colonial Athletic Association foe Towson (7-4, 4-3 CAA). On the field, the performance fell far short of heroic. Tribe fans cheered as a cannon was ignited prior to the 1 p.m. kickoff. What they didn’t know was that there would be little explosiveness to clamor over for the rest of the afternoon. The Tribe will have to wait another year for another shot to win in front of its home crowd; it faltered 31-10.

The Tigers began with an offensive surge behind the thundering attack of running back Yeedee Thaenrat. The Tribe defense parted on a 51-yard push from Thaenrat to set himself up for a three-yard dive on the subsequent play. But the Tribe responded with a massive gain of their own. In an act of beautiful deception, junior wide receiver Zach Burdick launched the ball deep to a fellow receiver, freshman Kane Everson. The 62-yard pick up would help the Tribe cut into their deficit when senior kicker Kris Hooper sent the ball sailing between the uprights. After each taking a turn at the wheel, Towson claimed a 7-3 edge.

Towson quarterback Tom Flacco — little brother of long-time Baltimore Ravens quarterback and current Denver Bronco Joe Flacco — kept the Tribe defense on its heels on the next drive. Overcoming a seven-yard sack by Tribe senior nose tackle Bill Murray, Flacco picked apart his opponent with a series of quick, short passes. The Tigers took their businesslike strut all the way to the end zone. Tailback Adrian Feliz-Platt picked up his first rushing touchdown of the season, punching it in from one yard out. The Tribe reclaimed possession buried in a 14-3 hole.

Freshman quarterback Hollis Mathis, who earned the start after an electrifying performance last Saturday, couldn’t generate the same type of spark that Burdick had on the previous drive. Mathis suffered a sack as the first quarter clock fell to zero.

Towson reeled in a Tribe punt to begin quarter number two. The Tigers returned to the ground game and Thaenrat. However, the offense didn’t take off like it had on the previous two possessions. They would pick up a lone first down before calling on the punt team. Luckily for the Tigers, the Tribe mirrored them with an offensively inept drive of their own by going three and out. Feliz-Platt harnessed his elusiveness as a runner, ducking between feeble attempts at bringing him down on a 14-yard gain. Flacco would take it from there. He located his receiver Shane Leatherbury on multiple occasions, threading the needle for a six-yard score.

Now trailing 21-3, and in search of rejuvenation, Mathis locked onto

Burdick as his target. A play that could have spurred a Tribe comeback ended in tragedy. Mathis didn’t muster quite enough power for his heave and came down just shy of Burdick’s reach. The pass was more than within reach of the trailing Towson defender, who was able to get a big enough piece to send the ball ballooning up into the air. Gravity graciously allowed Tigers safety S.J. Brown enough time to run beneath the ball and secure an interception. With a tip of his hat to the defense, Flacco once again orchestrated a campaign to get within striking distance. At first, he found a wide-open Leatherbury for another six-yard touchdown, but the scoring play was negated by an offensive penalty. As a result, the Tigers would have to settle for a field goal before halftime. The score at the break was 24-3 Tigers.

The pep band buzzed around like bumblebees in their striped shirts in hopes of giving Tribe fans something to smile about. The cannon unexpectedly fired again and sent a collective shiver down the collective spine of the crowd.

Luckily, they had something to keep them on the edge of their seats for the second half. Perhaps the Tribe should have taken some inspiration from the cannon when they received the second half kickoff. Outside of an impressive scramble by Mathis for a first down, the offense face-planted and would be prompted to punt the ball away. The Tigers’ offense continued to operate under the moniker “slow and steady wins the race,” systematically eroding away the Tribe’s defense with dink-and-dunk passes and an abrasive rushing strafe. What felt like an eon after the Tribe’s third quarter commencing punt, the Tigers lined up for a first-and-goal. Flacco faded a screen pass for Leatherbury. Leatherbury snuck behind a few blockers plunged across the goal line for his second touchdown. Flacco picked up his 20th touchdown pass of the season; the Tigers extended their lead: 31-3.

Tribe head coach Mike London seemed to be in awe of the opposing quarterback at the postgame press conference.

“He’s as advertised,” London said. “He was the CAA preseason player of the year, and he’s a special player. When you have your guy like that that can make you go through the air, manage the game, make some throws. He’s a special player.”

Flacco finished with an efficient stat line: 20 of 29 passing for 191 yards and two touchdowns.

The Tribe offense churned to about midfield. Freshman running back and safety Bronson Yoder barreled up the middle for four yards on a fourth down to keep the drive alive. Four would prove to be an unlucky number for the Tribe, though. It hovered around midfield until fourth down inevitably came up again. Mathis forced a pass to a heavily shadowed Burdick. Tigers defensive back Coby Tippett knocked the feeble attempt to the ground. The fourth quarter began after a Tribe turnover on downs.

The coffin was all but nailed when the Tribe caught a glimmer of hope.

Freshman linebacker Isiah Jones forced Feliz-Pratt to lose control of the ball on an off-tackle rush. Senior linebacker Gavin Johnson scooped up the fumble at the William and Mary 46-yard line. For the first time that afternoon, the Tribe had a semblance of momentum to work with. The mistakes kept pouring in from the Tigers. A late hit out of bounds and holding were called against the defense on the same six-yard scramble by Mathis. The 25 total yards inflicted by the penalties pinned the Tigers against the wall for the first time since the initial quarter. While in the red zone, Yoder appeared to lose a fumble, except an official review revealed that he was down and the Tribe maintained possession. Then, at the culmination of this late penetration into Tiger territory, Mathis sought out Burdick double covered in the back corner of the end zone on fourth down. Burdick made an acrobatic catch over the pair of defenders. The problem for the Tribe was that he was just a step out of bounds. The ball was returned to the Tigers on downs.

Disregarding the defensive stand, the Tigers still looked about ready to wrap it up and head home. Backup quarterback Ryan Stover entered the game. He and the offense looked anemic in moving the ball to their own 34-yard line.

Then, in a shocking and long overdue twist for the Tribe, sophomore linebacker Trey Watkins poked the ball away from Stover. Junior linebacker Tyler Crist corralled the loose ball and raced for the endzone. He triumphantly raised the ball to the cloudy sky as he broke the plane of the goal line.

Crist humbly downplayed his role in the scoop-and-score and reflected praise onto his teammate Watkins when asked postgame about the Tribe’s highlight moment.

“I was just in the right place at the right time,” Crist said. “I give most of the credit to Trey, he stripped the ball out and he got the tackle. Coach Brown preaches just be where you need to be, fill in your gap, do your job.”

At long last, the Tribe had scored a touchdown. Just under 10 minutes remained on the clock; the Tigers still led comfortably by a 31-10 margin. The ROTC students had waited all afternoon for something to cheer for; now they had seen enough and filed toward the exits.

In their absence, the Tribe made another stretch for the endzone. This time it was the offense. Burdick made one more circus-style catch, this time inbounds, to bring another score within sniffing distance. But then the Tribe would return to the usual form they displayed all day. On the doorstep of the end zone, Mathis lost a fumble while reaching for pay dirt. The coffin was hammered shut. In a fitting end to the contest, the Tribe endured a 45yard penalty, enforced against three separate players, before the final snap.

A plastic bag levitated past the lopsided scoreboard as the clock struck zero.

The Tribe wraps up the 2019 season next Saturday on the road. It will travel to Richmond to face London’s alma mater with hopes of ending the season on a win in the Capital Classic.

CROSS COUNTRY

College performs well at Southeast Regional Championships

Tribe runners look to start indoor track season in January, hope for auspicious season COLLIN ANDERSON FLAT HAT ASSOC. SPORTS EDITOR Friday afternoon at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Southeast Region Championships, both William and Mary men’s and women’s teams improved upon pre-meet rankings to place 12th in the region and conclude the 2019 season. It was a perfect day to run, as the men took on 10 kilometers and the women ran six.

Coming off its most successful season in years which included an unprecedented 20th consecutive conference title, the men hoped to make a big splash at this meet. While the team has been strong, the individual performances of redshirt junior JP Trojan throughout the season have been the headline for this year’s squad. Trojan won the Panorama Farms Invitational, the Penn State National and was this year’s runner-up at the Colonial Athletic Association

Championships Nov. 2. He came into the meet as the College’s athlete with the best chance to qualify individually for the NCAA Championships next weekend in Terre Haute, Indiana.

The women’s team struggled in this race last year, finishing 19th, and hoped to improve upon that finish on Friday. The College has been building for this race all year long and been consistent in races thus far. All season, Emma Rogers has been the talk of the town.

The freshman from Roanoke, Virginia placed seventh overall two weeks ago at the CAA Championships.

Another key factor was junior Liv Paxton, who has led the way most races this season. Senior Charlotte Kowalk looked to make an impact as well by building on her 10th-place finish at the conference meet.

In the men’s competition, Trojan finished as the Tribe’s lead runner once again, finishing the year with a 52nd-place finish in 31 minutes and 15

seconds. Despite Trojan’s strong race, he missed the NCAA Championships cutoff. Once again, right behind him was junior Spencer Tsai, who has been the second finisher all year long. Sophomore Patrick Lynch moved up four spots in the second half of the race to place 61st overall in 31:31. Senior Cooper Leslie closed out his cross country career with a 98th place finish in 32:10. The Tribe was ranked 15th in the region entering the race. The College was sitting in 9th overall at the four-kilometer mark, but ultimately faded over the final six kilometers. Overall, the College improved upon last year’s finish as well, in which it finished 14th as a team.

On the women’s side, new and experienced runners joined forces to lead the Tribe in the race, as Kowalk and Rogers led the way in 51st and 52nd place, respectively. Rogers passed 29 runners in the final three kilometers of the race to snag 52nd.

Behind those two was junior Lauren Finikiotis in 86th place with a time of 22:01. Senior Rachel Snyder was a mere six spots behind Finikiotis to finish in 22:06. Paxton ran a tough, consistent race to finish in the top 100 with a time of 22:13. The Tribe finished with a total of 363 points just six points behind 11thplace High Point.

Friday afternoon capped off another successful season for the William and Mary cross country teams, with the men winning their 20th consecutive CAA title. All season, the Tribe dominated CAA opponents and kept pace with the NCAA contenders at larger meets.

The Tribe will look to continue its winning ways throughout the track season as well. While the crosscountry season is over, most of the runners will look ahead to the start of the indoor track season in January and the outdoor track season in March.