The Flat Hat October 13 2020

Vol. 110, Iss. 8 | Tuesday, October 13, 2020

The Flat Hat The Weekly Student Newspaper

Examining Highland’s legacy

College’s ownership of James Monroe’s Highland sparks community discourse ALEXANDRA BYRNE // FLAT HAT CHIEF STAFF WRITER CHARLES COLEMAN // FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR COURTESY PHOTO / WM.EDU

of The College of William and Mary

J

ames Monroe’s Highland, the former plantation where the country’s fifth president lived and enslaved as many as 250 individuals, has become the center of debate regarding the College of William and Mary’s history with slavery. Highland, categorized as a present-day historic site, is located in Albemarle, Va. and has been owned and operated by the College since 1974.

After the murder of George Floyd in May and the growing national attention towards the Black Lives Matter Movement, students within the community began to reexamine the College’s relationship with racial injustice. As a result, questions were raised on how the College continues to uphold or disavow its racist past. The College’s support for Highland has now become a contentious debate about what role, if any, the College should play in running a historic plantation.

The recent controversy surrounding Highland began when Salli Sanfo ’22 created a petition in May titled “W&M: Stop Bankrolling a Plantation, Especially with Student Funds.” The petition gained 949 supporters before it was closed. In the petition, Sanfo argued that Highland is a forprofit plantation that holds weddings, events and tours, and pointed out how Highland operates from the College’s budget. She claimed the plantation loses upwards of $400,000 a year while minimizing slavery and glorifying Monroe.

Sanfo expressed her thoughts on the complexities behind the College owning Highland. She described the need for increased transparency with both the administration and the historic site.

“I personally feel that Highland can be an asset to the school as a historical space, I just feel like students aren’t told that much about it — there’s not much transparency there,” Sanfo said. “I understood both sides of it. I get why people would want to keep it and protect it — that’s your prerogative. I just wanted to increase transparency between William and Mary and Highland and know exactly where all these funds are going. I don’t have any strong feelings towards anyone about it, honestly.”

In response to the claims made in the petition, another group of students — Helena Boyd ’23, Olivia Gebreamlack ’23, John Ezzard ’23 and Alton Coston III ’23 — found the petition to be harmful.

The group asserted that the petition did not show the full picture of Highland’s work in addressing its history and role in supporting institutions of slavery. Ever since, the group has been organizing via group chats and FaceTime calls.

At the beginning of the summer, the students met with members of both Highland and the College’s administration to discuss how the College should proceed with the future of the site. Coston said that the group has met with Highland Executive Director Sara Bon-Harper and seeks to work with the Lemon Project in the future. The group has planned an Oct. 29 Lemon Project Porch Talk to discuss Highland.

At one point, Sanfo was also involved in the group’s conversations.

However, Sanfo decided to remove herself from the group’s work.

“I believe we’re past the initial phases regarding what needs to be done regarding transparency of Highland to students — that’s a given,” Coston said. “Everyone understands that there needs to be more transparency to truly educate and inform students of Highland’s role regarding the enslavement of Black and Brown students. Now, we’re tackling the issue of transparency rather than just addressing that that is an issue. We’ve passed the initial phases of addressing what the issue was — we’re now tackling the problem by doing more communityoriented events such as the Porch Talk.”

Highland was willed to the College, Monroe’s alma mater, in 1974 by philanthropist Jay Winston Johns. Known as Ash-Lawn Highland until 2016, the property is now a working farm and museum that includes a guest house, farmhouse and the quarters of the enslaved. Various archaeological projects have uncovered remains of a larger building that presumably housed the Monroes. Highland’s operations are supported in majority by the College, along with a number of private donors and forms of revenue, such as ticket sales and event hosting.

According to Highland’s website, Monroe enslaved dozens of individuals at a time while simultaneously calling for the abolition of slavery.

Bon-Harper described the goals of Highland as a historic site and explained how they are working to intertwine historic research and descendant engagement.

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“The way I see our meaning and our main purpose now is to combine three facets or areas of operation in a way that makes it a unique historic site,” Bon-Harper said. “One, of course, is that public teaching … We are pushing a bit on what the public is learning, we are working on an inclusive history that really looks as Highland as a property, in the threads of US history, and the people that go through Highland. One part is the academic piece, which involved research and William and Mary students, hopefully in an increasing number … for research on site in various kinds, not just historic … The third is the descendant engagement which kind of undergirds the practice of our operation.

This means that descendants contribute to the histories that are told about Highland and how they’re told.”

Highland is partially led by a council of descendant advisors, which is composed of 10 descendants of individuals who were enslaved by Monroe at Highland. The council is supported by a grant to the College from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. According to Highland’s website, the descendant advisory council is given “shared authority” on site reinterpretation. Currently, all members of the Highland executive staff are white.

The council was formed to ensure that Highland’s practices and decisions were accounting for the voices and stories of the enslaved people who were forced to spend their lives at the plantation. The council offers advice, opinions and recommendations for how Highland can work to tell a complete story of all the people it was home to: the Monroes, the known enslaved peoples and any other stories they have yet to discover.

Member of the Council of Descendants Jennifer Stacy spoke on her role with the council and what motivates her to participate in this group. Stacy described how she believes she can uplift the voices of the enslaved people, including her own ancestors who were at Highland.

“History is told in a one-sided way in our country,” Stacy said. “I stay involved to help give a voice to the voiceless. The enslaved there had no voice, they had no hope of ever getting their story out or ever being recognized, they were pretty much invisible. This brings them to the forefront, and gives them a say.”

A major point of contention between community members of the College has been on the appropriateness and implications of having private events such as weddings and celebrations take place at the historic site. Some students, including Sanfo, have raised concerns that these events ignore or distract from Highland’s status as a plantation that once was home to enslaved individuals. Many of these arguments have been seen within the widely used Facebook Group “Swampy Memes for Twampy Teens.” Sanfo spoke on the connotations of hosting events like these in former locations of slavery.

“The weddings section of Highland rubbed me wrong,” Sanfo said. “I think we have to talk about how we romanticize history in this country.”

College spokeswoman Suzanne Clavet said that Highland hosts events such as weddings to support itself financially.

“It’s important to note that Highland contributes to its own operating cost through grants, endowments and revenue generated by the property as a museum and event site,” Clavet said.

Boyd said that she has discussed with Bon-Harper the issue of balancing education and entertainment.

“The visitor base for Highland tends to be an older, more conservative audience,” Boyd said. “They have to cater to them and still explain the full story and explain the anger and injustice and revolutionary ideas without angering them and making them not come back. She explained to us that it’s a difficult balance to strike. They don’t want to drive away their main audience, but they still want to educate them.”

Bon-Harper described how she believes the use of the property for events is done respectfully, a belief she said is also shared by the descendant council.

“The criticism of holding celebratory private events at historic sites in landscapes of slavery has gotten lots of attention lately, and I understand that criticism,” Bon-Harper said. “In consultation with our council of descendant advisors Highland has decided that it is appropriate for Highland to continue that practice. It’s a respectful practice, it’s not antebellum themed events happening in the historic structures, it’s See HIGHLAND page 8

ATHLETICS

College ensures varsity cuts do not constitute Title IX infractions Bailey Glasser LLP’s potential class action lawsuit elicits response from College, reveals plans of further athletic equity AIDAN WHITE FLAT HAT STAFF WRITER

The College of William and Mary has laid out a plan which they say will ensure that the decision to cut the women’s gymnastics, volleyball and swimming teams is in compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. However, they may still be facing a class action lawsuit on behalf of female athletes.

Sept. 23, attorney Arthur Bryant sent College President Katherine Rowe a letter detailing the allegations concerning the College’s violation of the athletic regulations of Title IX. “I and my co-counsel have been retained by members of the women’s varsity gymnastics, volleyball, and swimming teams to prevent their teams’ elimination and, if necessary, pursue a class action lawsuit against William & Mary College for depriving women athletes and potential athletes of equal opportunities, athletic financial aid, and treatment in violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972,” Bryant said in the letter. “Please respond to this letter as soon as possible and, in any event, no later than next Wednesday, September 30, 2020.”

Bryant said that the College responded to his letter around 5 p.m. Sept. 30. In this letter, which was obtained by The Flat Hat through the Freedom of Information Act, University Counsel Carrie S. Nee claimed that the controversial decision to discontinue seven

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varsity sports teams was partially motivated by Title IX concerns.

“The decision to reduce sports offerings was necessitated in part by a recognized need to ensure that the overall athletic opportunities offered to men and women are substantially proportionate,” Nee said in the letter addressed to Bryant. “As you noted, the reduction of sports alone will not accomplish the goal of Title IX compliance.”

Nee also told Bryant in the letter that the College plans to move closer to Title IX equity by adding eight athletes to the women’s lacrosse team and 11 athletes to both the indoor and outdoor track teams, as well as pursuing more moderate expansions of the women’s basketball, field hockey and golf teams. Additionally, Nee said that the College plans to make reductions to the size of men’s athletic programs, but she only specifically mentioned football.

Included in Nee’s letter was a spreadsheet detailing the College’s projected 2021-22 athletic participation broken down by sex. According to this spreadsheet, the College expects athletic participation to be 56.81 percent female and 43.19 percent male by the 2021-22 season. The College’s undergraduate enrollment for the 2019-20 academic year was 58.07 percent female and 41.93 percent male, so Nee said in the letter that the projected athletic participation numbers are “substantially proportionate” to enrollment numbers, as legally required by Title IX. “Although preliminary data indicate that there will be no significant movement in the enrollment rate for the 2020-21

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year, William & Mary is prepared to make further participation adjustments if needed to achieve Title IX compliance,” Nee said in the letter.

In addition to the Sept. 30 letter, Nee met with Bryant and Senior Associate Athletics Director for Student Services Tiffany Christian Oct. 7 to discuss the Title IX implications of the team athletics cuts.

Bryant said in a phone interview that it was a productive meeting but that he is planning to collect more information before deciding if he needs to sue.

“We have to do our due diligence and make sure what the facts are before we can decide for sure whether to sue or not,” Bryant said.

“So, all we’re doing right now is finding out the facts to determine for sure whether we believe William & Mary is in compliance, as it’s telling us.”

Bryant also emphasized that he hopes this matter can be resolved without litigation, but that his decision on whether to sue will be largely dependent on the school reinstating the women’s gymnastics, volleyball and swimming teams.

“To be clear, we are going to try to resolve this out of court, because we are asking the school to reinstate the three women’s teams,” Bryant said. “But if it doesn’t, we are still thinking we’re going to have to go to court.”

Bryant said that he is expecting to reach a decision on litigation early this week.

Inside Variety

VP debate surpasses low standard of presidential debate Elaine Godwin ’22 praises the recent Vice Presidential debate as a modest step forward for decorum on the campaign trail. page 4

Inside Sports

TikTok on the Clock

Students at the College navigate TikTok notoriety and their experiences with the platform’s content personalisation algorithms. page 5

Martin named Interim AD after Huge resigns

Oct. 6, College President Katherine Rowe announced that Athletics Director Samantha Huge had resigned effective immediately. Rowe’s chief of staff Jeremy Martin will serve as the Interim Athletic Director for the foreseeable future. page 7

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newsinsight “

News Editor Charles Coleman News Editor Lulu Dawes News Editor Carmen Honker fhnews@gmail.com

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2020 | Page 2

THE BUZZ

As ugly as slavery was, it is the beginning of my family’s story here in America that we know about. That’s where the Monroes started, with James Monroe. That’s the most we have right now. To have that, and to have the story told in an authentic way, to have the world know about it, that’d be wonderful.”

— Member of Highland’s Descendant Council Jennifer Stacy

FLAT HAT POLITICAL BRIEF Candidates discuss issues at Vice Presidential Debate Wednesday, Oct. 7, Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris sat down — divided by plexiglass — to debate the key issues of the upcoming presidential election and make their case for why they should be elected as vice president of the United States. From the start, the tone of this debate was entirely different than the Sept. 29 debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, where interruption and insults defined the night.

Some key issues discussed include police brutality and racism in America, the future of Roe v. Wade within the Supreme Court, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.

In regards to the handling of the pandemic, Harris came down hard on the Vice President, criticizing the current administration’s lackluster response and general rhetoric surrounding the virus.

Pence regarded these critiques of the administration as insults against the American people, who have continuously made sacrifices throughout the past few months. Heated words about the pandemic were exchanged, yet neither candidate went into depth about their plans for handling the virus once in office.

On the issue of police brutality and racism in America, Pence dismissed any notion of systemic racism or implicit bias among police forces when pressed about the issue. When discussing Harris’s professional record, the Vice President noted the disproportionate rate of Black men arrested during her time as the District Attorney of San Francisco.

“I’m a former career prosecutor, I know what I’m talking about bad cops are bad for good cops,” Harris said. “We need reform of our policing in America and our criminal justice system.”

The final presidential debate is currently scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 22 at 9 p.m. EST, but the details of this debate are not finalized. To stay up to date with the debate details, visit the Commission on Presidential Debates website.

BRIEF BY MAGGIE MANSON / FLAT HAT POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

A THOUSAND WORDS

LULU DAWES / THE FLAT HAT

CORRECTIONS The Flat Hat wishes to correct any fact printed incorrectly.

Corrections may be submitted in email to the editor of the section in which the incorrect information was printed. Requests for corrections will be accepted at any time.

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COURTESY PHOTO / KURT WILLIAMSON

Kurt Williamson is an associate biology professor who openly criticized the College’s response plan for the fall 2020 reopening in the wake of COVID-19.

From laboratories to letters

Biology professor Kurt Williamson leads virology studies, encourages COVID-19 safety AIDAN WHITE // FLAT HAT STAFF WRITER From unapologetic geekiness, to dry humor and the hand-painted mural on the walls of his lab, biology professor Kurt Williamson draws students to his classroom each semester. But the long and winding road which brought Williamson to the College of William and Mary was anything but traditional.

“I don’t want to pretend like I had a plan,” Williamson said. “None of this stuff has been a straight shot.”

Williamson grew up in the small city of Newark, Del. As a graduate of the University of Delaware, Williamson is proud of his heritage, but he’s also quick to joke about the public perception of his tiny home state.

“I’m from the great state of Delaware, which gets a lot of traction because of Joe Biden,” Williamson said. “My joke with students is that we still have dinosaurs there … but yeah, sure, we’ll take Biden.”

Williamson traces his love of biology back to his former professor Steve Skopik, who taught an introductory biology course at the University of Delaware. Williamson said that Skopik’s selfconfidence and passion for the material had a major impact on him.

“He really fostered curiosity and embraced who he was as a nerd who loved biology,” Williamson said. “And it kind of showed me you could be that way. You could unabashedly love what you do.”

Williamson said it wasn’t until near the end of his sophomore year of college that he started considering education as a career path. He realized that he wanted to show other people how to ask the right questions in an everchanging world.

“As we all know from “Hitchhiker’s Guide,” if your question is too nebulous, you get an answer that’s nebulous,” Williamson said. “I thought, ‘wow, wouldn’t it be great to do that?’

To sort of be that person who helps other people figure this stuff out.”

After his four-and-a-half-year undergraduate career, Williamson spent some time working odd jobs while trying to figure out what he wanted to do next. He painted houses, he washed dishes at Friendly’s, he applied for the Peace Corps and he worked at a video rental store.

“Not Blockbuster,” Williamson said. “You know, one of those independent shops with a seedy adult room in the back. That had some stories.

Working at that joint was a whole exercise in human behavior and psychology. It was fascinating.”

Afterhispost-graduate gap year, Williamson started applying to graduate programs in engineering and bioremediation.

Unfortunately, his low GRE scores got in the way.

“As if a person can be encapsulated in one number,”

Williamson said.

Williamson found his break through Mark Radosevich, a graduate advisor at the University of Delaware who agreed to waive the GRE requirements and offered Williamson a spot in his bioremediation graduate program. That was when Williamson started to become interested in virology, the study of viruses.

“Mark had some crazy ideas about using viruses as a genetic engineering tool for delivering specific gene sets to in situ bacteria,” Williamson said. “That idea was never really going to get to the application phase, but it forced us to take some steps back and say, ‘well, how do viruses interact with their hosts in soils, in a natural setting?’

Before you start trying to manipulate the system, what actually happens there?”

Virology is now Williamson’s academic specialty. In fact, he is the only virologist employed by the College. But he never intended to work at the College. He almost didn’t even apply.

“I applied for the job mostly because my graduate advisor pushed me to,” Williamson said. “I thought it was too early, like I thought I wasn’t ready and that I wouldn’t get the position.

So, I put my best foot forward, but in my mind, it was practice. That partly enabled me to get through the interview. I think if I really thought it was going to happen, if I was too attached to the outcome, I probably would have been super nervous and flubbed everything.”

When Paul Heideman, who was the chair of the biology department at the time, offered Williamson the job, he was really surprised.

In fact, Williamson’s surprise stemmed from a concept that many college students face throughout their academic career — the idea of feeling like an imposter.

“I think a lot of us are like that in terms of this so-called imposter syndrome,” Williamson said. “You get to a stage of your career and you have some level of expertise and probably some respect from your peers and even people outside

your field, but inside I’m still just that kid who is kind of goofing around and enjoying learning new things. ‘How could I possibly be regarded as an authority?’”

Back in June, Williamson made local headlines when the William & Mary Workers’ Union published an open letter to College President Katherine Rowe written by Williamson criticizing the College’s decision to reopen amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

“While I commend the College for its determination to explore its options, it is clear that there is only one safe way forward this coming fall, and that is to keep classes online and students off campus as much as possible,” Williamson said in the letter.

Williamson explained that it was not originally intended to be an open letter. He had written it and sent it to the administration earlier in the summer as other schools started announcing their fall semester plans.

“As the weeks went on, I started to get nervous,” Williamson said. “I’m seeing other institutions essentially coming up with reasons to reopen. And I became really worried that that was going to be what happened with us.”

When the Workers’ Union found out that Rowe’s administration had not consulted the College’s only viral disease expert while developing the reopening plan, they reached out to Williamson and he gave the union his permission to publish the letter online. Now, Williamson is feeling a little bit more hopeful about how the College has handled the pandemic.

“I have to say I’m impressed,” he said.

“Especially when the dominoes started falling in other places. I mean, UNC? Boom!

JMU? Boom!”

He said that he even thinks that the College might make it to the end of the semester without being forced to shut down again.

“We’ve made it this far,” Williamson said. “I feel like if we were going to run into trouble, it was going to be in those first crucial weeks, probably the first four weeks, which we’re through now. If anything, it’s about keeping it up. Because it’s easy to get complacent.”Williamson’s story is full of twists and turns that even he did not always see coming, but it serves as a lesson to college students that the right path does not always have to be the clear one.

“I don’t know what kind of example I am for students,” Williamson said.

“I wouldn’t say it’s anything to hold up. Bur for students who are wondering …, ‘what if I don’t have my sh-t together? What if I don’t know what I want to do?’

Personally, I only had vague ideas.”

COURTESY PHOTO / KURT WILLIAMSON

opinions

Opinions Editor Chloe Folmar Opinions Editor Lucas Harsche Opinions Editor Alyssa Slovin fhopinions@gmail.com // @theflathat

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, October 13, 2020 | Page 3

STAFF COLUMN

STAFF COLUMN

Rain diminishes student life, creates unwelcome difficulties in navigating College campus

Alyssa Slovin

FLAT HAT OPINIONS EDITOR

As someone who hates the rain, the College of William and Mary may have been a questionable choice of colleges. As a junior, I have taught myself the best ways to adapt to this dreaded weather, between wearing loose clothes in the rain, investing in rain boots that don’t totally look like rain boots and walking through dorm and classroom buildings along my route as much as I can — or at least I did pre-COVID-19.

The best part of living in Jefferson Hall during my freshman and sophomore year was walking through Barrett Hall, Chandler Hall and Landrum Hall via the covered brick paths between the buildings on the way to Sadler Center or new campus. I guess I didn’t hate the rain as much then as I do now, since it was somewhat avoidable. I currently live in Landrum, and I would be lying if I said that I did not consider the amazing rain coverage in that decision because I despise the rain that strongly. Now, on rainy days, I yearn for the time when I could enter whatever dorm that I wanted with my campus ID card. I’m sure that many Barrett residents thought that I actually lived there based on how frequently I walked through the first floor.

But the one thing that I hate more than rain is when people say that rain is their favorite type of weather. No, it’s not.

Stop pretending like it is. It doesn’t make you quirky to like something that no one else in their right mind enjoys. I know that originality is great and all, but what did a sunny day ever do to you? Are you Edward Cullen? Are you only able to hide your vampiric identity while away from direct sunlight due to your glittery skin?

I didn’t think so.

The one thing that I hate more than rain is when people say that rain is their favorite type of weather. No, it’s not. Stop pretending like it is. It doesn’t make you quirky to like something that no one else in their right mind enjoys.

In sunny weather, students have full access to the campus.

Nothing is off limits or undesirable. Not only does rain discourage students from being outside due to the general unpleasant experience of being rained on, but the College is not exactly equipped with the best drainage system. Certain walkways across campus quite literally turn into the rushing rapids if there is enough water, and walking to dinner can be a dangerous excursion. Then, add the occasional missing brick on a sidewalk, which is easy enough to avoid in the sunlight, but when it fills with three inches of rainwater, is suddenly impossible to identify. I hope you like twisted ankles and soggy socks.

Especially during COVID-19, rain ruins any potential that the day could have had. We cannot visit friends in their dorms; inside hang-out spots such as Lodge 1 limit one person per table, and all campus buildings lock far earlier than before, so there’s little to do during inclement weather but take cover in our own beds and waste the day away.

What is there to love about the rain? I cannot think of a single thing. Do you love frizzy hair, rain spattered glasses and muddy shoes? What about gloomy moods, loneliness and soggy food that you have to trudge through campus to eat due to dining restrictions? Rain only makes life more inconvenient. Although I don’t always complete tasks in the most efficient manner, even I can recognize the ways that rain interferes with my life. Maybe, if they made windshield wipers for glasses, I could give rain a chance, but alas, they do not.

My neck pain from looking down during every rainfall in order to maintain some vision does not thank any of the peculiar rain-lovers who most definitely perform their rain dances in order to relieve their semester stresses before bed.

Of course, I am happy that people are finding pleasure in the simple joys here at the College — for example, maybe they enjoy what is basically free water park access — but I beg of you: find a new love and spare any splashing of your fellow students.

Email Alyssa Slovin at amslovin@email.wm.edu.

Carbon tax provides effective, bipartisan climate solution agreeable to both sides of political aisle from around the world. In an insightful move to humor the state’s favorite pastime while also playing to the market’s THE FLAT HAT strengths, free of the government’s bureaucratic slog, there has been steadily-rising bipartisan support for a budgetCapitalism is a machine, and like many machines, it neutral and border-adjustable carbon tax. The idea behind possesses a variety of knobs that we can turn to improve this policy is simple. Corporations pollute and pollution performance or mitigate dangers. Capitalism is an excellent is bad. Corporations only care about profit. Therefore, we tool for production. No other economic system in the world should turn the knobs of our economic machine and make — excluding those that only exist on the dusty pages of an it unprofitable to pollute. The tax would be scaled and old red book — has eliminated absolute poverty, generated based on how much carbon any specific producer outputs. immense wealth, Emissions are easily measurable and, sparked laborconsequently, the policy costs very little saving innovative to enforce. Since corporations loathe technologies or taxation — taxation which we can otherwise uplifted increase if they are not being responsive mankind from enough — they would therefore have material destitution a very strong incentive to pursue as much as free carbon-saving practices, innovate green enterprise has. production models and otherwise do However, as many their very best to avoid having their rightly note, so much profits shaved into by the absolutely production has some rapacious Uncle Sam. Since there is very negative side effects. little administrative complexity to such One of the most a policy, and every major corporation troubling byproducts would feel its pressure, there would is industry’s be few loopholes to exploit as was the contribution to the case with Obama-era administrative climate crisis. Unlike regulations and subsidies. In fact, unlike many unsavory what we see with often-unreachable aspects of business, subsidies, financial incentives to “go these harmful green” would be constant, fair and implications are universal. Once producers begin to entirely external, find ways to limit their emissions while meaning that remaining productive, thus retaining industrialists have American jobs, their tax burden little financial would automatically be lessened and incentive to mitigate shareholders would stop screaming into what would always be the ears of their Chief Executive Officers negative externalities. to find a way to reduce the profit-killing Industry, in the effect of the tax.

GRAPHIC BY RIEL WHITTLE AND HEADSHOT BY KAYLA PAYNE / THE FLAT HAT natural pursuit of It gets even better for both liberals growth, will continue to pollute our Earth, not because and conservatives alike. Such a tax could be made budgetindustrialists are evil, but because they lack something which neutral, meaning that the state does not use this revenue to every human being operates by: incentive. further bloat itself. Instead, these funds can be given to the We’ve realized this for a long time now, and, in line with people in the form of dividends, tax breaks or even universal modern American tradition, there were many attempts basic income, further shielding the working-class from any to use only the government to solve our problems. Initial temporary corporate attempt to raise prices in response to attempts to create an incentive for producers to “go green” the tax. As such, this policy would aid the poor, retain our involved mountains of jargonistic administrative regulations jobs, curb against government expansion and otherwise and mandates, drenched in so much legalese that only ensure that the American people do not have to suffer either a specialized environmental lawyer could ever make the pollutive self-interest of corporations or the characteristic sense of the madness, all courtesy of the Environmental ineptitude of government and its labyrinthine regulatory Protection Agency. Inevitably, legal loopholes and the relative efforts. This policy combines the best of both worlds: utilizing inefficiency of these state enforcement mechanisms, even both the capacity for innovation present within the free during the Obama-era where the EPA received a massive enterprise system and the stern, yet flexible, guidance of boost in funding, ultimately proved ineffective and often Uncle Sam to produce an outcome that works for everyone killed American jobs via harsh regulatory burdens. With except for insistently pollutive mega-corporations. these regulations proving to be more trouble than they were Incentives are everything. We are inherently selfworth, the next idea was to simply subsidize innovators of interested creatures, and humanity’s aptitude for green energy by providing conditional financial rewards. capitalism — and, as history has shown, only capitalism However, these incentives were often handed out in an — is evidence of this fundamental fact. Rather than arbitrary and confusing fashion. Once more, the labyrinth of attempting to destroy the machine which powers our paperwork regarding the qualifications for these subsidies economy or leave it completely unsupervised to the point dissuaded all but the largest gurus — armed with their of burning out of control, we should instead simply turn legions of well-dressed lawyers — to take advantage of these the knobs in a way that internalizes negative externalities, subsidies. Thus, these attempts at green corporate welfare promotes environmental progress, all while protecting stifled competition amongst innovators, leaving us with little ourselves from the unintentional side-effects of an evergain and plenty of taxpayer money wasted, all on the part of enlarging state. As seen in the Canadian province of British the government’s own incomprehensible apparatus which Columbia, where this policy has already been implemented guarded well-intentioned incentives behind endless red tape with great success, corporations will responsively and to the point of unattainability. It is not surprising that the responsibly take measures to reduce their environmental same entity which controls the Department of Motor Vehicles impact: if not for the sake of Mother Earth, then certainly cannot also expeditiously control corporate behavior. for their quarterly reports.

Thankfully, there is a third option — an option endorsed Email Lance Lawson at by numerous economists and politicians of all backgrounds lelawson@email.wm.edu.

Lance Lawson

INDEPENDENT GRAPHIC

Wearing a mask prevents the spread of COVID-19 GRAPHIC BY ARIANNA STEWART / THE FLAT HAT

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

STAFF COLUMN

First presidential debate lacks substance, candidates fail to maintain decorum unproductive commentary, responding to Trump’s attacks with comments such as “It’s hard to get any word in with THE FLAT HAT this clown.” No matter which candidate you personally agree with, these kinds of attacks undermine the integrity of both I was not anticipating stellar performances from President candidates. Trump and Biden did not need to engage in this Donald Trump or former Vice President Joe Biden in the first uncalled-for rhetoric. Instead, they should have focused on presidential debate. Unfortunately, both of them surpassed their plans to improve the country. my expectations for how poorly they could debate, if you Third, when making an argument, do include valid could even call what I watched a debate. evidence and sound logic.

I watched the debate from my dorm’s lounge with other Do not make claims involving baseless information. students. Even with low expectations, it was hard to believe Throughout the evening, Trump made numerous inaccurate what we were seeing. claims. At one point, he said that “they’re losing 30 and 40 We are all first-time voters, and we could not find percent” of ballots, a false assertion intended to undermine the any substance in the many topics discussed due to election results if Trump loses. constant insults and interruptions. For students at He also claimed that Biden the College who did not have the pleasure “agreed with Bernie Sanders’s of witnessing this frankly bizarre far left on the manifesto, debate — as well as those who we call it. … And that hope for a future career in gives you socialized politics — here are some medicine.” However, suggestions for what you Biden has not proposed should and should not do any socialized health during a debate. care plan.

To begin, do exercise Similarly, Trump some decorum. Do not claimed that Biden interrupt the person you are supports defunding debating or the moderator. the police, despite Both candidates were Biden’s repeat guilty on many occasions clarifications that of failing to remember this he does not support simple rule. According to the idea. Now, like the Washington Post, Trump many who watched interrupted either the the debate, I am moderator, Chris Wallace, pondering this or Biden 71 times in the question: was it 90-minute debate. Biden even worth watching interrupted 22 times. These this ridiculous interruptions include every train wreck?

GRAPHIC BY SKYLER FOLEY AND HEADSHOT BY time Wallace had given the After significant ANGELA VASISHTA / THE FLAT HAT floor to the other opponent deliberation, I’ve or when a candidate interrupted Wallace before he finished decided that it was — because it should serve as a wake-up asking a question. The interruptions made the debate a chaotic call for our country. It should not be too much to expect mess that was nearly impossible to follow. common decency and respect for the real issues that Second, do have respect and courtesy. Do not partake everyday Americans care about. in ad hominem attacks. Not only is this kind of attack in That’s what we should be able to focus on. We should bad taste, but it’s also completely useless in making a solid ask for and expect more from our candidates. As the argument. On multiple occasions, both candidates did not future generation of leaders, we should never allow this to focus on the issues, but instead attacked one another. Trump happen again. at one point went after Biden with a personal attack on his Email Caitlin Noe at son. But Biden sure wasn’t helping when he added in his own cjnoe@email.wm.edu.

Page 4

STAFF COLUMN

Vice presidential debate surpasses low standard set by presidential debate

Caitlin Noe

STAFF COLUMN

Judge Amy Coney Barrett fails to respect Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s political legacy Molly Parks THE FLAT HAT

I first heard the news of the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg outside Yates Hall, where I was finishing up some homework with a friend. When she received the text from her dad who works for a United States Senator, we talked for a while with tears in our eyes, reflecting on the crazy year that 2020 has been. When I walked inside, I was surprised to see sports instead of the news on the common room TV. The boys watching the basketball game said they were too upset to watch the news coverage. There were girls sobbing in our hall, mourning the death of a role model. Many students at the College of William and Mary were grieving the death of Ginsburg, as was almost every citizen who respects the highest court in the nation.

Friday, Sept. 18, around 7 p.m., Ginsburg died after her long battle with pancreatic cancer. According to her granddaughter, before she passed, Justice Ginsburg dictated, “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.” Just over a week later, Sept. 26, President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill this new vacancy on the Supreme Court. Not only did Trump disregard Ginsburg’s final wish, but he also nominated a conservative, pro-life justice who stands for almost everything Ginsburg fought against. Some Americans may perceive Trump nominating a female justice as a symbol of “honoring Ginsburg’s legacy.” However, this act diminishes her legacy, as it seems Trump sees her as a unidimensional female, rather than a staunch liberal justice. Ultimately, I see it as a sexist move, as Trump seems to see women as interchangeable and dismisses them as independent thinkers.

As her past record shows, Judge Barrett has worked to limit a woman’s access to abortion, strip away public health care, and support a literal interpretation of the Second Amendment. These are all ideological opposites of Ginsburg’s political views.

Mallory Quigley, the vice president of communications for the anti-abortion political group the Susan B. Anthony List, stated, “The reason we love Amy Barrett is she is known to the grassroots, she has already been vetted”.

GRAPHIC BY HABLO TYLER / THE FLAT HAT

Ginsburg would be offended if someone had told her Judge Barrett’s nomination was a way of honoring her legacy. The American public and American presidents need to stop associating a Judge’s demographic identity with their political legacy.

Though she is a woman, Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination does not honor Ginsburg: it erases everything Ginsburg stood for.

President George H. W. Bush made a similar political chess move with his

nomination of Justice Clarence Thomas.

Bush nominated Thomas to be the second Black Supreme Court justice, replacing the first, Justice Thurgood Marshall. This may have been a way of honoring Marshall’s identity as a Black man, but the nomination of Clarence Thomas certainly did not respect Marshall’s thinking on the law.

Clarence Thomas is on the complete opposite side of the political spectrum of Marshall — he is currently the most conservative justice, whereas Marshall was a dedicated liberal. This precedent of honoring a judge based on their demographic identity rather than their ideology is dangerous, as it poses a threat to the balance of the Supreme Court and its status as an apolitical body.

Chief Justice John Roberts has been moving increasingly more to the center of the political spectrum throughout Donald Trump’s presidency. Judicial scholars see this as Roberts’s way of balancing the court, as Trump continues to nominate more conservative justices and tip its scale to the right. This underscores the importance of a relatively centrist equilibrium on the court.

In 2016, former President Barack Obama was faced with the task of nominating a justice to fill an open space on the Supreme Court after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. Obama took into account the ideological legacy of Scalia as an ultra-conservative justice and nominated a moderate, Merrick Garland, to fill his seat. Presidents should follow this method and make sure to consider the beliefs of the preceding justice in order to preserve the ideological balance of the court.

Email Molly Parks at mmparks01@email.wm.edu.

Elaine Godwin

FLAT HAT OPINIONS ASSOC. EDITOR

As America saw Sept. 29, the first presidential debate of this election year was quite frankly a complete disaster and chaotic mess. Chris Wallace did his best to moderate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Biden, but despite his valiant efforts, viewers across the nation saw two children bickering.

This week, however, with Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris behind the podiums, we had the opportunity to focus less on the adolescent argumentation and more on the policy differences of their platforms. Pence and Harris of course took jabs at each other’s credibility, but overall, they set the stage for how a national debate should proceed, especially considering the tumultuous nature of today’s political arena.

Pence and Harris of course had their jabs at each other’s credibility, but overall, they set the stage for how a national debate should proceed.

The year 2020 has been most marked by the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic, which has resulted in social upheaval and a great loss of life. As a result, both the presidential and vice-presidential debates have examined the nation’s response and discussed possibilities for the future, especially if the development of a working vaccine is still far ahead of us. Pence was adamant that he and President Trump were on the best possible course, and criticized the Biden-Harris administration’s proposed plan, accusing them of plagiarism.

Harris, by distinction, implicitly affirmed that yes, some aspects — namely testing protocols and vaccine creation — were similar, although the Democratic candidates seek to uphold the importance of masks and social distancing.

Indeed, almost all of the debate topics incorporated the topic of the pandemic, including health care. As is well known, the Trump administration would like to strike down the Affordable Care Act, as they believe that it is not helping enough Americans and that it has the possibility of being cheaper. Biden, as President Barack Obama’s secondhand man during the creation of the landmark health care legislation, has and continues to be one of its supporters.

Harris reaffirmed this support, noting that a large portion of the population would be affected by any proposed changes by the Trump administration, and a great number of people could lose their only opportunity for affordable and adequate coverage. Understandably, candidates avoided certain topics when prompted by their opponent, and both Pence and Harris dodged policy questions as well. Much of the backlash Harris faces is due to her long and complicated past with “locking up” Black Americans in her capacity as prosecutor and District Attorney. Given the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement to the Democratic party’s agenda, it comes as no surprise that many leftists are reluctant to support the tough-on-crime Harris.

In light of President Trump’s recent COVID-19 diagnosis, along with the stunning revelations of the New York Times’ investigation into Trump’s tax payments, Pence used a portion of his speaking time to protect the president, although he was less verbose concerning Trump’s health. All of this comes, of course, at a time in which the nation has waited in earnest for news about the state of the president’s health, as well as answers to the questions raised about Trump’s tax history.

Since his diagnosis, there has been a lack of transparency with regard to aspects of his condition, and critics, including Harris, have been quick to point this out.

The debate could have gone a lot better, but this is true for any election debate. Tensions are high and the standards are rather low. Harris and Pence raised the standard for their respective counterparts for the remaining presidential debates, although it is uncertain whether they will be online or remain in-person.

The American public would prefer if candidates spent more time answering the actual questions chosen and posed by the moderators rather than spewing their own agendas and circumventing hard topics, but we live in an imperfect world.

The best one may hope for is that the upcoming moderators are of strong stock, and are able to wrangle the presidential candidates better than Chris Wallace, however impossible finding such a person may seem.

Email Elaine Godwin at sgodwin@email.wm.edu.

variety

Variety Editor Gavin Aquin Hernández Variety Editor Matthew Kortan flathat.variety@gmail.com

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, October 13, 2020 | Page 5

T I K TO K on the Clock Students navigate TikTok notoriety, explore platform's content personalization algorithms ALLYSON LOWE // THE FLAT HAT

TikTok is the app many have credited with curing pandemic boredom. Not only does the platform present users with hours of free entertainment, but it is also a means of achieving fame. With such a versatile app, the variety of content a user can create is large, as is the number of views an individual can accumulate. With the significant rise in TikTok’s popularity this year, the College of William and Mar y’s student body has taken part in the phenomenon: campus is home to several students who have risen to fame on TikTok. “TikTok fame,” as it is most commonly referred to, includes having clout, influence and bragging rights.

Andrew Guo ’24 is one such student TikToker. Guo explained that he joined TikTok in its infancy, hoping to find memes and other humorous content.

“I really just created it because some of my friends had the app,” Guo said.

A common theme among new TikTok users is following suit after their friends.

No one enjoys being “left out of the loop.”

In fact, TikTok’s users strive for “the perfect loop” when making their content. Salli Sanfo ’22 created an account so she too could produce the 'same cute videos' as her friends.

Aside from fostering a sense of togetherness among social groups, Tre Diemer ’23 cited the app as a place for marketability.

“It seems like a really good opportunity to market yourself and market your brand,” Diemer said.

TikTok hosts numerous genres, such as the cosplaying community, of which Lily Grant ’24 is a member.

When asked about their most viral TikToks, Grant and Sanfo agreed that the algorithm is random in which videos it decides to promote. Sanfo’s more popular TikToks are comedic, documenting how badly men interact with women on the dating app Tinder.

“The ones that go big are the ones I don’t expect to go viral,” Sanfo said. “The ones I put work into and I put heart into — nothing. The ones that I’m like, ‘haha here’s this stupid thing,’ ever yone is like, ‘wow, this is the one.’”

Grant’s most popular video is of her dressed in cosplay and accidentally spraying herself in the face with a Sprite.

“I thought it was a really funny blooper, so I uploaded it,” Grant said. “It blew up, and I was really shocked.”

Guo’s most popular video received over ten million views and roughly two million likes. He credits its popularity to the way he edited the clip, layering sad audio over an image of a Chromebook not being charged over the summer.

When discussing their content, the students all spoke of how they created videos they found interesting, not for the algorithm. Diemer explained that his most viral TikTok initially garnered hate due to its subject matter, documenting the struggles of being a teenage boy in high school. Sanfo also alleged that she was 'shadowbanned' for discussing politics, meaning the app was purposely not promoting her content.

Diemer discussed how his viral TikTok affected his work ethic on the app.

“Honestly, it motivated me to keep working harder,” Diemer said.

Others referenced the algorithm when talking about their virality, such as Sanfo, who laughed when asked if she thought of herself as famous.

"Just post what you want, and the views will come, is what I personally believe in" –Lily Grant '24

“The goal was to never be here. Like, okay, we’re here,” Sanfo said. “It’s a ver y niche app; be yourself.”

Grant shared similar sentiments about being herself on social media and not worr ying about the algorithm and metrics.

“Just post what you want, and the views will come, is what I personally believe in,” Grant said.

The infamous TikTok algorithm determines which video will make its round on others’ “For You” pages, but there is some method to the madness. The more

interaction a clip receives, the more likely that the ser vice will publicize a clip on the “For You” page — taking into account likes, shares, views and accounts a user already follows. However, there is an undeniably random component. Guo believes that “anyone can become famous on TikTok,” though a person’s success largely depends on if the algorithm favors them.

As the TikTok craze has hit the College, so too has the likelihood for the now-viral student TikTokers to be recognized as such on campus. Sanfo has been recognized by fellow students, as have Grant and Diemer. Diemer said he recently had a girl ask to take a picture with him, and Sanfo has had friends of friends mention that she appeared on their “For You” pages. Although she panders to a selfdescribed “niched, nerdy audience,” Grant has been recognized a couple of times on campus, unknowingly interacting with her followers.

“I will say, I did have one person, or, like, a few people, where I gave my cosplay or TikTok to them, and they’re like, ‘I follow you,’” Grant said. “And I’m like, ‘You what?’”

It would be hard to not be noticed, though ; combined, Sanfo, Grant, Guo and Diemer have a combined 100000 followers and over 4.4 million likes.

Despite the joy it has brought to its users, TikTok has recently become a source of animosity between the United States and China.

President Donald Trump attempted to have the app banned in September because he believed that it posed a threat to national security. The ban was avoided when the companies Walmart and Oracle purchased the app.

Sanfo, a government major, believes that President Trump was not concerned over American data being sold, but instead cared more about what companies were profiting from it.

Guo similarly expressed disdain about the possibility of a TikTok ban, but noted that it would not prevent him from migrating to a new social media service to share memes.

“From what I knew, I was a bit sad,” Guo said.

“If it happened, it happened.”

With the TikTok ban having been narrowly avoided, students who have become accustomed to expressing themselves on the app were able to retain the social support networks built through the platform. The app has helped many new college students remain connected to their friends in high school as they transition to life as a college student. As for whether or not the concept of twamp TikTok will develop as the semester progresses? That’s up to student content creators.

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Page 6

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

COURTESY IMAGE / CAGLE.COM

THE EDGE OF

GLORY Student finds solace in taboo sex practice on campus, takes unconventional approach to safe intimacy during COVID-19 pandemic THE HOLETARIAT // BEHIND CLOSED DOORS COLUMNIST “I’ll meet you on the third floor.”

I kept staring at this message that I didn’t quite recall sending to David as I paced back and forth on the Sunken Garden. I felt butterflies in my stomach. Could this be real romance? Am I finally going to find my college boyfriend?

I’m used to getting lots of attention on Grindr; after all, I’m a Scorpio rising and a “Chromatica” gay. But something was missing. I didn’t quite know what to expect from this mysterious man. As an older guy, David could have wanted anything from me. It didn’t matter. I wasn’t even convinced David was a real person — but rather that he was the fictional profile of a bored townie looking to score some freshman tail.

Regardless, I had nothing better to do on a Friday night.

Enough dilly-dallying, I tell myself; it’s time to swipe my card and walk in. I make my way up the stairwell, not really knowing what to expect. At the landing, I see a tall guy -- wavy blonde hair, brown eyes and a deep voice, matching the photo that I saw on Grindr. What a relief. He motions for me to follow. Intrigued, I do so, all the way to the bathroom. Oh? I wasn’t nervous. In fact, I prepared for any possibility.

Water in, water out, they say.

“It would be hotter if I took you through the stall,” he said to me.

I entered the stall, disrobing myself, pressing my backside against the cold eggshell colored wall.

“Are you ready?” he said.

"I felt butterflies in my stomach. Could this be real romance? Am I finally going to find my college boyfriend?"

“Yes, just put it in,” I responded posthaste.

Similarly to how I could feel myself opening and constricting with his movements, I felt my newfound feelings for David rushing up inside me, ready to explode. But I didn’t.

Not yet, at least.

Satisfying the bestial hunger that he had, David asked if I was sufficiently prepared to take all of his might inside of me. After a thoroughly satisfying appetizer, I was ready for my

main course. I exclaimed my approval. I’ve never fashioned myself a size-queen, but what I subsequently experienced definitely shattered my expectations. I felt like my a—s could be a new water ride at Busch Gardens after David’s primal levels of salivation.

" I raise this issue to you all

today because I want us to ponder safe sex during an international pandemic.

COVID-19 may be getting in the way of some people’s hookups, but not mine ."

Never did the walls of the stall feel colder than when David’s tongue pulled away from the entrance. Though he was in the stall over, it felt like his presence was worlds away.

Going through the motions of thrusting, David grunted my name under his breath, signalling his satisfaction. Feeling the pangs of passion, I couldn’t contain the shockwaves of pleasure from within.

With an immense rush I felt a momentous explosion, akin to a supernova. I cleaned myself up from that whole ordeal, having been filled with liquid anew.

According to my Apple Watch’s activity tracker, 23 minutes is my lucky number, but I’ll spare you the details of my heart rate tracker.

I raise this issue to you all today because I want us to ponder safe sex during an international pandemic.

COVID-19 may be getting in the way of some people’s hookups, but not mine. Sex via glory hole is 100 percent safe, and the government of British Columbia actually recommended it to its citizens. The FDA, too, attests that there is no proof of COVID-19 transmission via food or consumption.

The twamp in me wants to reference Shakespeare, so here I go. If you don’t trust government figures, what has Billy Shakes ever done to break your trust? In the year 1600, his play “Midsummer Night’s Dream” adapts a comedic version of the star-crossed love of Pyramus and Thisbe. They are separated by a wall but that does not get in the way of their everlasting desire. Whether this is fortunate or unfortunate, you can decide for yourself.

The man playing the wall holds up two fingers to signify

that glorious hole. Pyramus cries, “And thou, O wall, O sweet, O lovely wall,” and Thisbe announces that she kisses, “the wall’s hole, not your lips at all.”

Just as forbidden love does not stop Pyramus and Thisbe, a global pandemic will not stop my quest for love and satisfaction. Not only will it not stop me, and not only do I suggest that it not stop anyone else, but I also declare it as the only safe and moral method of lovemaking.

Anyone who continues to randomly hook up with strange, beautifully crafted men with low hanging fruit without the protection that comes along with holes in bathroom stalls is incredibly irresponsible.

If you cannot find a pre-made hole that suits your fancy, the tools are right there on Amazon.com to buy at affordable prices.

They could even arrive within 24 hours, maybe within 72 hours if you are going through the College of William and Mary’s post office. What’s more irresponsible: defacing school bathrooms or contracting COVID-19?

For one, I wished that I had one of these devices during my time with David, so we could’ve held hands through that bespoken wall.

As I left the stall, I expected to see David in all of his rockhard glory, but instead the only man that I could see was the mess reflected in the mirror. I was alone. But fulfilled. Though I’m not going to receive any post-coital cuddle time, I’m at ease knowing that I have been shepherded into this wayword world of bathroom gloryhole sex by the magnificient “David.”

"Just as forbidden love does not stop Pyramus and Thisbe, a global pandemic will not stop my quest for love and satisfaction. " I grabbed my phone and turned on my favorite Spotify playlist. “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” emanated throughout my ears, as I reconsidered my life and my emotional state. As they say in the hit NBC television show “The West Wing”: what’s next?

The Holetariat wants you to consider spicing up your love life with glory holes during this global pandemic, even if it ends in heartbreak.

sports

Sports Editor Zoe Beardsley Sports Editor Nathan Seidel flathatsports@gmail.com @FlatHatSports

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, October 13, 2020 | Page 7

NEWS

Martin named Interim AD after Huge resigns

Announcement comes five weeks after controversial decision to cut seven varsity sports

ZOE BEARDSLEY FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR Tuesday Oct. 6, College of William and Mary President Katherine Rowe sent an email to the College of William and Mary community announcing that Athletics Director Samantha Huge had resigned effective immediately, and that Rowe’s chief of staff Jeremy Martin Ph.D. ’12 M.B.A. ’17 would be assuming the role as Interim Athletic Director for the foreseeable future.

“Director Huge and I have mutually agreed that it is best to part ways so the university can focus on the critical questions facing W&M Athletics,” Rowe said in the letter. “I accept this step with a heavy heart and with great respect for Samantha Huge and her leadership.”

The decision comes after Huge and Tribe Athletics as a whole have been embroiled in controversy following the decision to discontinue seven varsity sports Sept. 3. Many current and former students were angered by how Tribe Athletics handled the news, which prompted a barrage of fundraisers and petitions aimed at the administration.

While the anger of the Tribe community was not directed at Huge alone, she caused even more controversy when it was discovered that the letter she wrote to address the discontinuation of the seven sports at the College had portions that were almost verbatim from a letter published by Stanford University when Stanford announced the suspension of some of its varsity sports.

In a Sept. 18 statement about the letter, Huge admitted to the mistake.

“Our goal was to emulate best practices, not imitate,” Huge said.

“We clearly fell short of the William & Mary community’s standards.

Upon reflection, we should have taken more care with the review of the materials we shared with our community. At the end of the day, regardless of the drafting process, I take responsibility and we will do better.”

After Huge’s resignation, all of the focus has now shifted onto Interim Director Jeremy Martin.

With the myriad of issues that Tribe Athletics is facing, Martin has had to quickly transition into the new role. Thursday, Oct. 8, two days after his appointment, Martin gave a 30-minute video address where he discussed his backgroundand and illustrated the path ahead for Tribe Athletics.

In the video, Martin outlined that due to reduced revenue, Tribe Athletics has experienced a $2.87 million shortfall during this fiscal year. This deficit was covered by Tribe Club reserves, but Martin made it clear that these reserves have been declining steadily for years.

Martin also addressed the ways to counteract this budget deficit.

“We can reduce the number of games; we can reduce travel; we can take some personnel actions; we can launch fundraising initiatives and we can try to increase sponsorships, all of which we’ve done,” Martin said. “We did not choose to affect the sport budgets, so many of which are already below the median in the conference. That left us with two possible decisions, and thinking that we needed to reduce student athlete participants and reduce sports sponsorships.”

Many in the College community have been calling on Tribe Athletics to reinstate the seven discontinued sports, but Martin made it clear in the video that any possible solutions that Tribe Athletics would agree to would have to meet certain requirements.

“If an affected sport would like to be reinstated, it has to be able to do so with Title IX compliance, with provided ongoing budget stability — not in the near term, ongoing long-term budget stability, and it has to do so within a Division One

identity,” Martin said.

For many in the College community, Martin is not a well-known name. Prior to being named Rowe’s chief of staff in 2017, Martin has worked at the College since 2009 and holds a master’s degree in sports administration. He has worked as an assistant women’s basketball coach and assistant sports information director at Emory University but has never been an athletic director before.

Despite this lack of experience, Martin believes that he has the skills necessary to be successful while also uplifting those working around him.

“I do think I know how to build up teams and let people be the professional experts in their spheres,” Martin said.

“One of the stories I shared COURTESY PHOTO / WM.EDU in the first all-staff meeting was … I’m keenly aware of my Martin has a master’s in sports administration as well as a Ph. D .at the college and was named President Rowe’s chief of staff talent level and its limitations, and I have spent my entire career trying to be around people who “Dr. Wells — she’s our chief medical officer for the athletics are more talented than me, and create the space in which they department — is on the public health advisory group; she’s an can be great, and I hope to able to do that at this moment for our immunology and an infectious disease expert, and so the immediate athletics department.” communication to the entire department was that Dr. Wells is in Martin emphasized the importance of communication between charge and whatever she says goes,” Martin said. “We work with the administration, students, alumni and athletes. a fairly extensive list of protocols in athletics to make sure those “I hope to be present for people,” Martin said. “The reality in activities are safe, and it’s absolutely vital that beyond those spaces trying to be present is I can’t be everywhere at once, but one of the we create for athletic practices that everyone in our community is pieces of immediate feedback was ‘be present, know our names, say following the Healthy Together commitment.” hello to us in the hall,’ things like that … I want to be connected to No punishments have been announced, but Martin also made and present for both the student-athletes and staff. In any moment sure to affirm that athletes would be subject to the same standards like this, they’re incredibly difficult.” as everyone else at the College under Healthy Together.

He also acknowledged that his appointment as Interim Athletic The looming issues of Tribe Athletics aside, Martin said that Director does not come at the calmest or steadiest moment for Tribe before a search for a new Athletic Director starts, the athletics Athletics, but that he wants to focus on the critical problems at hand. department has a lot of work to do.

“The first thing we really have to do is to get the ground stable “What we need to do in this moment is to get William and Mary underneath us so that we can move forward,” Martin said. “I think well and in as good a shape as we can get so that we can ultimately be that’s true for everybody … for the student athletes, for the coaches attractive to someone who will permanently lead the department,” and staff and for the alumni and friends who care so much about Martin said.

William and Mary. What I hope we are able to do is to say ‘here’s the To get the College and its athletics department into better problem we face,’ and have everybody concretely aware of what that shape, Martin is determined to explore every possible solution. is, and then we can channel our energy into trying to figure out if “I am listening,” Martin said. “We may never reach full agreement there are viable alternatives that we might pursue.” in this moment and if there are any viable possibilities that we can One of the most pressing issues that has involved Tribe Athletics pursue going forward, I will do everything I can to make sure that is the COVID-19 outbreak among those associated with the athletics we pursue them fully. My commitment to the student athletes and department. After 12 athletes and staff tested positive, the College to the alumni has been that if we reach the end of this process paused all athletic activities and practices Oct. 7. and the end of this year and it turns out to be the final season of No specifics about how the virus spread have been released, but competition in a respective sport, I do expect to be able to look Martin expressed his confidence in the safety procedures set up by folks in the eye and say ‘we tried everything we could to see if there the athletics department. was a viable alternative.’”

OUT OF BOUNDS

Witnesses for a fourth time: James, Lakers win asterisk-free title

Historic NBA bubble avoids COVID-19 cases, LA’s dominant Game six win adds fuel to MJ-LeBron ‘GOAT’ debate NATHAN SEIDEL FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR Sunday, Oct. 11 marked an extremely anticlimactic conclusion to one of the most competitive NBA playoffs in recent memory as LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, as predicted by my co-editor Zoe Beardsley ’22, captured the 2020 NBA championship and James’ fourth title with a 106-93 win over the Miami Heat.

The routine nature of the game was by no means representative of the gravity of both James’ fourth title and the unprecedented conclusion to a season that many labeled doomed mere months ago. After the COVID-19 pandemic forced the season to relocate to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fl. to create a bubble environment, as well as the protests of widespread social injustice around the county, the mental toughness of the players cannot be underestimated. James’ title did not have an asterisk next to it. One could argue that, if anything, this Larry O’Brien trophy was one of the hardest to capture in the modern era.

However, the title means even more than that and is far more important than simply a team winning a championship. In a year where we seem to hear the word “unprecedented” in every other sentence, this Finals made one player’s career just that.

One of the most frequently debated and exhausted topics in sports is the ‘greatest of all time’ debate, especially in basketball. This typically takes the form of two talk show hosts endlessly bickering over whether Michael Jordan’s six rings or LeBron James’ perpetual dominance is more important, who was more clutch, etc. And among the many stats and

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accolades James amassed in 2020 (champion, Finals MVP and runner-up to the league MVP), he entered a class all his own Sunday, becoming the first NBA player ever to win a Finals MVP with three different teams.

This will undoubtedly send daytime sports TV into a frenzy as everyone under the sun hypothesizes whether this means James surpassed Michael Jordan, who won all six of his titles and Finals MVP’s with the Chicago Bulls.

2020 has made the debate even more salient still, as sports fans in quarantine were glued to their TVs for the highly anticipated April docuseries The Last Dance, which chronicled Jordan’s final championship team

and introduced basketball fans of the younger generation to a legend they really didn’t know all that well, save a few grainy highlights on ESPN Classic. Then, hoops fans were treated to a display of present-day greatness, as we were all witnesses once again to LeBron James putting up numbers that have become commonplace for him but simultaneously out of this world to 95 percent of the league.

The kid from Akron, Ohio versus his idol, the increasingly blurred line as apprentice reaches master.

But this debate will never be solved. These are two players that never went head-tohead and played in completely different eras made up of evolving rules and differential

physicality. They were both simply so great that they just cannot be ranked, save the improbability that LeBron James grabs two more titles as he approaches 20 years in the league. So in a world where sports discourse is increasingly given attention regardless of whether someone is a “stan” or just a hater, would it be too much to ask to take a step back, appreciate the incredible theatre that was these NBA playoffs and appreciate the greatness in front of us as well as the joy it brought to a tumultuous year?

These playoffs felt like the most glorified American Athletic Union tournament of all time, with teams playing in a centralized location and players even running into each other on the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando after down-to-the-wire games and posting videos on Snapchat. It gave us exciting new stars like Bam Adebayo and Jamal Murray, buzzer beaters, new chances to laugh at the Clippers and many evenings in which Netflix wasn’t the primary entertainment option.

So yes, this result does fuel the fire of the ‘GOAT’ debate, but it should also be appreciated for what it was — a sports oasis in the desert, a bright spot in a tough year.

The players and staff at Disney World deserve praise for providing entertainment amidst pandemic turbulence.

Jordan and James will never be statistically analyzed to the point of determining a winner. However, this does not mean we can afford to overlook greatness before our eyes in the present. James is especially right about one thing he said after the win: He deserves, as he said in his postgame interview, “his damn respect.”

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Page 8

The Flat Hat

CAMPUS

College faces RA shortage amid hiring freeze Dorms struggle with untraditional arrangements after students pursue remote fall semesters MOLLY PARKS THE FLAT HAT

The College of William and Mary is currently facing a shortage of resident assistants in on-campus housing for the fall 2020 semester. This shortage is one of the many difficulties the College has faced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In April 2020, the College announced a hiring freeze across campus for the remainder of the fiscal year. The College’s Communications Specialist Nathan Warters explained that the hiring freeze was part of the College’s efforts to minimize long-term fiscal deficits due to the pandemic.

“The university has instituted a hiring freeze, filling only positions that are required to maintain continuity of operations,” Warters said in a statement with William & Mary News and Media.

In particular, the hiring freeze affected Residence Life as the College faced not only staffing complications due to the hiring freeze, but also had to deal with previously selected RAs choosing to remain remote for the fall 2020 semester.

Assistant Director for Residence Life Taylor Locks explained that the campus only has 120 RAs on campus this year, as opposed to 134 and 137 in prior years. Even though the shortage of staff is evident, it is important to note that the College has fewer students as well.

“We continue to assess staffing levels across campus based on our occupancy rates and residential needs,” Locks said in a written statement. “Our residence halls are currently at approximately 72% occupancy and our current staffing level is at 88%. We will continue to monitor our occupancy rates across campus and apply for a waiver to the hiring freeze as appropriate.”

The RA shortage has left a number of halls and students with untraditional RA arrangements. This can be seen in halls like DuPont and Yates, where many students have an RA who lives multiple floors above them.

Katherine Glynn ’24 spoke about the experience of living on a floor without an RA. “All the people in my hall do a good job of maintaining COVID regulations in the residence halls by themselves even though our RA doesn’t live on our floor.” Glynn said.

Tsion Hagos ’21 was an RA for Taliaferro Hall during the 2019-20 school year. Hagos served as one of two RAs in her building and had around 20 freshman residents in her hall. She explained that the RAs for the fall 2020 semester were hired before the hiring freeze, and the shortage occurred because many RAs, like other students, elected to complete the semester virtually.

Hagos spoke on potential difficulties current RAs may be facing, and how the shortage could affect community development within the residence halls.

“I think there could be a certain level of pressure, especially if you are a freshman RA,” Hagos said. “As a freshman RA you are meant to take a lot of time to get to know your residents and foster a sense of community, and if your residents are split between two halls that could be a bit of an issue.”

However, Hagos did note that because of COVID-19 restrictions, RAs are not allowed to do many of the in-person activities that they normally organize. Having two separate floors would be more challenging if there were more in-person activities; however, those activities cannot happen now anyway.

Highland creates discussion regarding College’s ownership Student-run group seeks to educate community, increase transparency on James Monroe’s former plantation HIGHLAND from page 1

respectful, it’s an appropriate way we feel, to invite people to appreciate a historic site for its natural beauty.”

Stacy also shared her own thoughts on whether or not it is appropriate to hold private events on land which formerly housed hundreds of enslaved people.

“I think they are misinformed, and when I say misinformed, it’s not in a disrespectful way,” Stacy said. “We all have our own minds, we all have our own opinions. But the one thing that’s important is before you form an opinion do your research, before you act on your opinion do your research, and before you let others’ opinions influence do your own research, and in the end do your own thinking … The fact that there is this beautiful property that sits in Albemarle County, and it has these beautiful spaces that people have the opportunity to use as a wedding venue or not, they have a choice, is something that I believe is separate from the work that’s going on there ... A majority of people know slavery existed and were in the South so its almost like do the math. However, it is not the complete story that is going on at Highland. I think about the educational value about the relationship between Highland and William and Mary, it is a wonderful opportunity for the students to learn about this part of history, that is in the middle of the culture at William and Mary. James Monroe went there, yes, he owned slaves, but that’s not his whole story. Neither is the fact I’m a descendant of the enslaved, their story didn’t end there either — I’m evidence of that.”

Sanfo said that she does not mind that students have criticized her petition but also added that it was her petition and the resulting student engagement and conversation that led to the creation of the student group and more transparency between Highland and the College campus.

“At the end of the day, students have the right to disagree with me if they want to,” Sanfo said.

“They can do their own research … I want to make it clear — I don’t think the school should get rid of Highland. As a historical place, it can be very helpful. I told Director Bon Harper that and I apologized for the stress that this petition caused them. I meant that sincerely. However, I do think that when it comes to talking about these issues, I wish admin would do more in general.

I think this is a much bigger issue than just one section of the school. It needs to actually have a discussion and analyze why we’re just talking about this now. Because the reality is that the work the students are doing is a reaction to the petition. If the petition had never been written, this wouldn’t be happening right now. I think it’s very important to acknowledge that if this had not been written, they wouldn’t be pushing to have this transparency. Students have to push for all these things for them [admin] to talk about them. All the issues I wrote about should have been brought up by admin themselves.”

The group of students have criticized Sanfo’s petition for spreading misinformation about Highland.

“It’s a sensitive subject, so when you’re dealing with sensitive topics as such, you want to be as transparent and as truthful as possible to prevent any misleading information being spread to a large population,” Coston said.

“That’s the reason I joined. The particulars of the petition that were concerning were the skewed and subjective view of things. Rather than viewing things objectively, there were multiple instances that looked at things from a very slated and opinionated point of view, which is fine. However, when you put those things on a petition that you ultimately send out to hundreds of thousands of people, it’s spreading false information which could be detrimental to Highland and William and Mary.”

Though Sanfo has since closed the petition, she still believes that Highland and the College both need to do more to confront their pasts.

“This is bigger than the William and Mary student body,” Sanfo said. “A lot of people have very personal opinions on this topic. No amount of committee can really touch that — it’s way bigger than we’re all thinking. I am optimistic — I think this can lead to a much better rapport between students, Highland, and the administration. At the end of the day, higher up admin knew about this and they knew it exists, why are they not speaking on it? It needs to be more of a three-dimensional conversation that we’re having here.”

In discussing Highland itself, there is a discrepancy as to what it should be called. On its website, Highland is referred to as the “home of James Monroe.” In past publications by the College, it is called a “historic homestead” or an “estate,” but only rarely a plantation.

Bon-Harper spoke on the implications of referring to Highland as a plantation in the present day, and how they are working to acknowledge the history of the site, and grow from it.

“Highland was a plantation,” Bon-Harper said.

“Starting from a place of truth, you acknowledge, yes it was a plantation, yes Monroe was an enslaver, and you fully explore that then you move forward into the future. This of course was part of perhaps the imprecision of the student petition this summer. William and Mary is not funding a plantation. They’re funding a historic site that explores a historic plantation, and the legacies of those events moving into the future. There’s a little bit of a nuance in understanding yes it was a plantation, but we were not growing cotton.”

Sanfo argues that Highland should be recognized and called for what it actually was.

Sanfo described how refraining from calling it a plantation can minimize the legitimacy of the atrocities that took place there.

“I think it’s important that we don’t minimize certain aspects of history just because they make us uncomfortable,” Sanfo said. “A plantation is a plantation. Does it not function in that manner anymore? Yes. But it’s beginning was as a plantation. The man who owned it owned slaves. It’s a part of his legacy and his history.

You have to tackle that aspect of it. By saying it’s not a plantation, not only are you changing the way we think about Highland, but also the way we think about Monroe as a person. He was a slave owner and he did own people at the end of the day.”

An issue that both the student group and Sanfo agree upon is the fact that Highland operates under the College’s auxiliary budget.

The auxiliary budget includes services such as student housing, food services, student unions and athletics. Highland’s budget hovers around $1 million, roughly one percent of the total auxiliary budget. Highland was placed under the auxiliary budget as a transitional entity, but to date, no formal funding plan has been executed. Meanwhile, Highland remains the misfit of the auxiliary budget, being quite dissimilar from the rest of the services.

Clavet emphasized that because Highland generates a portion of its revenue, it is considered under the auxiliary budget and is only partially supported by the College. She said that funds from auxiliary fund balances are used for personnel and general operational support.

“The university regularly reviews all departmental budgets and funding sources, including opportunities to increase external funding (endowments and grants),” Clavet said.

“William & Mary will begin a process of strategic planning for Highland starting later this month.

Led by the Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs, strategic planning will consider both mission and sustainability.”

Boyd argued that Highland should not remain on the auxiliary budget and indicated

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James Monroe’s Highland, a former plantation, faced backlash from students due to the College funding its operations.

that the College seeks to find a more permanent budgetary solution. She also said that while the budget itself is an issue, the bigger issue is that Highland is not openly communicated about by the College.

“They’re going to do something to get Highland off the auxiliary budget so that it functions more like what it is because right now it’s this strange thing,” Boyd said. “It’s not an auxiliary service — it’s all the way in Charlottesville and students don’t know about it. I think it’s important that it gets off the auxiliary budget. The most important thing, however, is transparency. … Because this is a wonderful asset that the College should be proud of.”

Coston, who visited Highland over the summer, wants Highland to be introduced to students when they are incoming freshmen. He hopes to see expanded student research opportunities and increased student visits to Highland.

“The more money Highland can get for student research endeavors as opposed to just operations, the better,” Coston said. “I had an opportunity to go to Highland myself — the more we can do that for students and dispel any false narratives that have been placed in their heads by any misinformation, that’s amazing as well.”

In recent years Highland’s research has focused on uncovering the archeological truth of the property. There is a current emphasis on preserving oral history of the descendants of the enslaved who lived at Highland, and the council hopes to establish a database for anyone to come examine if their ancestral history has ties to Highland. However, the large focus is still directed towards archaeological work and the life of James Monroe.

In its 2019 report, The Lemon Project recommended that the College increase consistent research capacity at Highland. The report noted that, at the time, Highland had no staff whose primary role was research. Though the recommendation’s timeline was listed as “ongoing,” the robust interaction between the College’s main campus and Highland that the Lemon Project called for has not yet been fully realized. The Lemon Project’s recommendation that descendant communities be engaged, however, has seen more progress.

“William & Mary should assist Highland in actively seeking a diverse group of advisors in envisioning the museum experience and implementing that vision,” the report said.

“This should include museum professionals, public historians, and university stakeholders whose perspectives ensure that research and interpretation at Highland are inclusive and multivocal. Descendant communities should also be engaged in the visioning and implementation as stakeholders in the organization.”

Stacy spoke on how this ancestral research and emphasis on oral history is not only important to her and her family’s

understanding of their past, but how it also provides groundwork for similar spaces and sites to do the same.

“As ugly as slavery was, it is the beginning of my family’s story here in America that we know about,” Stacy said. “That’s where the Monroe’s started, with James Monroe, that’s the most we have right now. To have that, and to have the story told in an authentic way, to have the world know about it, that’d be wonderful. Not to mention the fact that we are living in a very pivotal time right now, the dialogue that we are having with Highland, we’re hoping that kind of sets a model for the rest of the country. Be bold, discuss this, listen, record, respect and project the whole story, not just the part that has been told for too long.”

Coston also noted that the descendants were able to speak recently to the Board of Visitors, particularly from George Monroe, one of the descendants of Highland. This conversation addressed the future of Highland and its relationship with the College.

“I’m truly elated that the descendant advisory committee had the opportunity to speak in front of the board and tell their truths,” Coston said. “That was one thing that George has been pressing upon — the fact that he did not have the opportunity to speak to the board, the very people who come up with the budget, regarding what Highland does and does not receive and speak his truth as a Black man who also happens to be a descendant of James Monroe, a person who enslaved the people who looked like him.

The complexity behind that and the fact that he got to speak directly to the board is a testament to just how much traction and power the student voice has.”

Stacy described what she hbelieves is the most important and positive impact the current work at Highland can have. She spoke on her hope for unheard voices to be uplifted, and why it is crucial to recognize them.

“If you open your mind and also do some research to understand what’s going on between Highland and the descendant community it has potential to change the world,” Stacy said. “In the way the world deals with descendant communities and gets the information out that many descendant communities have been holding in their families and not sharing because either no one wanted to know, or no one knew there was a story to know....

Now is the time to share these stories so that our generations can understand, they can understand there was a lot more going on than the limited story that we’ve been told. There is more to tell, and there’s so much rich history here, and so many opportunities to give voices to the voiceless and to may help this become part of the national conversation we should be having about slavery, to heal. Because if we don’t heal we will continue to have moments like we have had since this spring.

If you don’t know your history, you are destined to repeat it.”