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Animal lover Ric Moss and his Jedi goats take over DoG Street.
College struggles on both sides of the ball, falls 34-20 on the road.
Maine rolls over Tribe
May the goats be with you
The Twice-Weekly Student Newspaper
RESIDENCE LIFE
of The College of William and Mary
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ACADEMICS
Fire inspections continue in halls
Women in science
Rooms, equipment checked BY ELEANOR LAMB FLAT HAT ASSOC. NEWS EDITOR
The fire safety inspectors have been going through campus residence halls since Sept. 30, and will continue to do so until Nov. 1. The inspections are an annual procedure mandated by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Many students are familiar with these inspections, which ensure there are no open flame devices or extension cords in the room as well as that the smoke detectors are working. Director of Housing Operations for Residence Life Chris Durden, who accompanies Steve Lindsblad, the representative from the State Fire Marshal Office, to all the dorms, reported that inspections have gone relatively well thus far. The most common infraction for rooms, which are inspected at random, is that students own extension cords instead of resettable power strips. When students have a violation, Durden cites it and notifies the College of William and Mary. The student is then notified and has 30 days to correct the violation. Durden says he always makes sure students understand the problem so that it can be fixed correctly. “We don’t hold it against students. It’s more educational,” Durden said. The two inspectors do not just check dorm rooms. They make sure the fire safety equipment, such as smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and sprinklers, are up to date. They also make sure stairways and hallways are clear and unobstructed by objects. Finally, they check that all mechanical spaces and maintenance rooms meet fire code standards. Along with the fire safety inspections have come an increased number of fire drills, which make sure all the alarm systems are working properly and that students know where to go in the event of an evacuation. The evacuation practice is also helped by students who unintentionally set off smoke alarms as they get used to their living spaces. Durden and his fellow fire inspector, who are moving on to New Campus after have finished Old Campus, revealed that most of the false alarms are due to cooking-related incidents. “[Students are coming to] the realization that popcorn doesn’t take five minutes to cook. The heat requirements for the smoke detectors are very, very fine,” Durden said. “If you take a shower and steam rolls out, it may trip the smoke detectors.” One dorm that has experienced numerous alarm See FIRES page 3
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In light of a recent study showing fewer females in science-related fields, professors discuss potential reasons behind gender biases
BY JERUSALEM DEMSAS THE FLAT HAT
Yale University recently conducted a study indicating that fewer females go into science. The science community at the College of William and Mary has different opinions on what causes this disparity. Professor David Armstrong, chair of the physics department, points to everything from innate biases to overt discrimination. “A lot of it seems to be a problem in the pipeline,” Armstrong said. The study also states “physicists, chemists and biologists are likely to view a young male scientist more favorably than a woman with the same qualifications. … Female scientists were as biased as their male counterparts.” The New York Times reports that the gender gap appears to be a cultural issue that tells girls at a young age that math and the sciences are not for them. Citing personal stories from female
STUDENT LIFE
science students at various high schools, Eileen Pollack, the article’s author, describes various ways in which women are sometimes discouraged from pursuing science-related fields. “In one physics class, the teacher announced that the boys would be graded on the ‘boy curve,’ while the one girl would be graded on the ‘girl curve’; when asked why, the teacher explained that he couldn’t reasonably expect a girl to compete in physics on equal terms with boys,” Pollack wrote. Physics professor Irina Novikova believes there is a contrast in how women and men view failure in both the classroom and the workplace. “Women tend to be way more critical of themselves than men,” Novikova said. In Novikova’s opinion, when a female student or scientist finds herself not excelling, she will blame herself and her See SCIENCE page 3
FEATURE PHOTOS
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It’s important for faculty to understand that there are often subtle, unintentional biases against certain groups [in order to] avoid treating people differently.
“
Vol. 103, Iss. 15 | Tuesday, October 22, 2013
The Flat Hat
— Professor David Armstrong, Chair of the Physics Department
New LGBT-rights club hosts Mason Candidate believes society is becoming more accepting BY zach hardy FLAT HAT CHIEF STAFF WRITER
In a casual meet and greet hosted by newly formed LGBT group William and Larry, state congressional candidate and College of William and Mary alumnus Monty Mason ’89 spoke to students about gay rights issues Oct. 19. Mason, a Democrat, is currently running against incumbent Republican Mike Watson for the 93rd Congressional district. Mason graduated with a bachelor’s degree in government and has since remained involved with the College and its community. He currently serves as chairman of the Williamsburg Economic Development Authority and as a member of the Challenge One Strategic Planning Committee at the College. During his talk, Mason emphatically defended LGBT rights and criticized its opponents as being antiquated and intolerant. Mason said that it is paradoxical to run on platforms of job-creation and free market strategy without also believing in same-sex
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benefits for LGBT employees. “Over 50 percent of Fortune 500 companies grant benefits to same-sex partners. If we want Virginia to be an open, positive place to come live and work, then same-sex equality is a critical next step,” Mason said. He criticized his opponent Watson as being too conservative to represent a state as diverse as Virginia, as well as other politicians like gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli. Although he argued the Virginian government has become very conservative in recent years, Mason said gay rights shouldn’t be considered a Republican-Democrat issue, but a question of basic human rights. He said he feels optimistic about the movement toward equality. “People are realizing that they’re our cousins, our friends, our co-workers, our acquaintances. They’re real people,” Mason said. After giving his prepared talk, Mason opened the floor up for a casual discussion on gay rights See MASON page 3
Inside opinions
Inside SPORTS
Keep religion out of public universities
Cloudy High 73, Low 52
AUDREY KRIVA / THE FLAT HAT
The Muslim Students Association celebrated Eid-al-Adha Thursday, Oct. 17 at the Sadler Center at the College of William and Mary. The event featured Turkish catering and performances by various cultural groups.
Religion-focused on-campus housing is just another example of the growing trend of problematic inclusivity. page 4
Women’s soccer unbeaten streak snapped at 12 games
UNC-W downs Tribe 3-0 in its first loss since season opener Aug. 23 as College vies for positioning. page 8