The Flat Hat October 22 2019

Vol. 109, Iss. 16 | Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The Flat Hat The Weekly Student Newspaper

of The College of William and Mary

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Analyzing war and peace Global Research Institute launches two new project teams on human rights violations, nuclear proliferation DAISY GARNER / / FLAT HAT STAFF WRITER

T

his fall, the College of William and Mary’s Global Research Institute introduced two new undergraduate research labs. Professor Jeffrey Kaplow’s NukeLab will address different aspects of international nuclear proliferation and Kelebogile Zvobgo’s International Justice Lab will focus on global human rights and justice issues.

Both labs will place an emphasis on joint student-faculty research and strive to provide students pursuing international relations with new opportunities for academic enrichment.

The International Justice Lab will be the Global Research Institute’s first lab focusing solely on human rights institutions, and NukeLab will be the first lab focusing on nuclear security.

NukeLab’s three core projects focus on various aspects of nuclear proliferation, and all projects are ultimately designed to formulate answers to policy problems.

In NukeLab’s first project on assessing proliferation risks, researchers will focus on analyzing which countries are the most likely to seek out nuclear weapons. Researchers will use data that they obtain to develop a proliferation risk score.

Part of the funding for this project comes

GRAPHIC BY EMMA FORD AND NATHAN SEIDEL / THE FLAT HAT

from a federal grant from the Air Force Academy and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, which looks at global nuclear threats and weapons of mass destruction.

Mapping nuclear nonproliferation regimes will be NukeLab’s second project.

Student researchers will focus on analyzing how membership in the nuclear nonproliferation regime affects the policy choices regarding nuclear proliferation that a country ultimately makes.

This project will analyze institutions and agreements and treaties that hinder countries from obtaining nuclear weapons. By using tools featuring participation patterns, the project will produce a dataset of country membership in the

nonproliferation regime.

NukeLab’s third project, which analyzes the past and future of nuclear proliferation, will focus on the evolution of motivating factors behind nuclear proliferation over time, and will attempt to determined what nuclear proliferation will look like in the future.

Kaplow discussed his desire to bring social science tools into his lab’s focus on policy.

“One of my real interests is in trying to do good social science work that can also be relevant to the policy world,” Kaplow said. “And that is one of the goals at NukeLab, is to bring these social science tools to bear on important policy problems that we face in the nuclear security community.”

The International Justice Lab will be the Global Research Institute’s first lab focusing solely on human rights institutions but will mirror existing GRI initiatives including the American Bosnian Collaboration Project and ongoing African development projects.

Within the International Justice Lab, Zvobgo will continue research collaboration with the Security and Political Economy Lab, her former researcher lab at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the National Science Foundation.

The International Justice Lab’s three core projects focus on international human rights, transitional justice and international laws and courts. The first project focuses on public opinion on human rights and how these ideas correspond with national interests. It will also focus on other accountability mechanisms, which provide relief and redress to communities harmed by development projects.

Transitional justice, including widespread and systematic human rights violations and the legacies of it, as well as tools countries can adopt to deal with human rights violations, will be the International Justice Lab’s second project.

Lab researchers are currently focused on truth commissions, which promote accountability on human rights violations through narratives on political violence.

The International Justice Lab’s third project focuses on international laws and courts.

It focuses on how governments respond to See GRI page 3

CAMPUS

Coaching with confidence from the sidelines

Jill Ellis discusses World Cup wins, empowering her players, spearheading female leadership MARY TRIMBLE THE FLAT HAT

A packed Commonwealth Auditorium greeted Jill Ellis, ’88, L.H.D. ’16 and College of William and Mary President Katherine Rowe Saturday, Oct. 19 as they sat down for a conversation about leadership, athletics and the role of women and girls in those fields.

Ellis, who returned to the College for Homecoming and Reunion Weekend, led the U. S. Women’s National Soccer Team to two FIFA Women’s World Cup victories in 2015 and 2019 before stepping down as the USWNT manager in July.

Ellis and Rowe were introduced by Samantha Huge, the College’s athletics director. Rowe expressed in her opening remarks how grateful she was to welcome Ellis back to campus because of her joyful and hard-working approach to leadership.

Their conversation centered largely on Ellis’s brand of leadership and investigated how that leadership style empowered her while handling the scrutiny accompanying coaching a highprofile and successful athletics team. Ellis came under fire in 2017 for a widely publicized shake-up of the team roster, when she removed many veteran players from the starting lineup.

Ellis characterized 2017 as one of the hardest years of her career because she faced criticism from many public figures.

“Ignore them,” Ellis said. “The cornerstones of success are hardship and struggle.”

Ellis said a critical aspect of her team’s unique culture relies on appreciating the steps that led them to success,

Index Profile News Opinions Variety

Sports

EMELY AVALOS / THE FLAT HAT

Ellis shared with Rowe her approach to leadership, female empowerment.

but also on recognizing what steps can be taken to improve themselves further.

“Excellence is a moving target,” Ellis said. “Even if we are on the right track, if we sit there, we’ll get run over.”

Zoe Doughty ’23, who plays on the College’s women’s soccer team, said she appreciated how practical Ellis’ advice was.

“The connection of playing soccer here after her and finally getting to see her in person was amazing,” Doughty said. “Some of the things that she was saying we actually bring into our team environment. It’s really cool to see that what we are working

Inside Opinions 2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10

See JILL ELLIS page 4

Inside Variety

College health insurance policy incurs excessive fees

Rainy High 73, Low 52

on and trying to implement in our team culture actually works, and you get to see the success of it and know that it’s not just something you talk about but it’s something that’s really useful.”

Rowe directed the conversation towards a broader discussion of women in sports, both as athletes and as leaders. Rowe noted that as a devoted Ultimate Frisbee player and coach, it was special to talk to a woman who had done so much to alter women’s sports for the better and who embodied what it meant to be an alumna of the College.

Ellis responded to a question from Rowe about where the next generation of female coaches will come from and laid a framework for how these leaders can be cultivated.

“We have to create an environment that people want to be in,” Ellis said. “If we want more females in coaching, we need to clean up the environment. We need more leadership willing to give earned opportunity to women.”

Rowe then opened the floor to questions from the audience.

One audience member, who stated that she played soccer as a forward and defender on the Tribe’s team, asked what Ellis looked for in a player.

Ellis stressed the importance of self-belief and confidence, both of which were themes that she had touched upon earlier in her conversation with Rowe.

“It is not my job to instill confidence,” Ellis said. “There has to be an ownership on confidence.”

Ellis also commented on the importance of persistence, a

Anna Burns ’21 says that College’s lack of transparency regarding the insurance waiver policy has negative repercussions for many students. page 6

Showtime at the College

AMP’s Homecoming comedy show featured entertaining standup sets from Shapel Lacey and Trevor Wallace. Both comedians took risks with their jokes, addressing normally off-limits topics. page 7

The Flat Hat

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newsinsight “

News Editor Heather Baier News Editor Leslie Davis News Editor Emma Ford fhnews@gmail.com | Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019 | Page 2

THE BUZZ

I do think that appreciating the complexity of the Greek world is an important move in our attempt to get away from the kind of simplistic stereotypes and narratives that I criticized at the beginning of my talk.

— Classics Professor Dimitri Nakassis

THIS WEEK IN FLAT HAT HISTORY October 26, 1962 — News Police investigate the assault of Chief of Campus Police Richard Goode. Goode was brutally beaten the prior Saturday morning outside of Chandler Hall by five unknown youths.

Though his injuries were not life-threatening, he was sent to the Community Hospital where he received 25 stitches.

October 25, 1985 — Sports Jill Ellis ’88 wrote about Tribe men’s soccer and their defeat over American University. After three losses, the varsity team got back on track with a three game undefeated streak, including a win over nationally ranked American University, pulling them up to 13-3-2.

October 26, 2001 — News Faculty Assembly passes an updated ‘amorous relations’ proposal to be submitted to the Board of Visitors, calling for the prohibition of amorous relationships between faculty members and all undergraduate students. The former policy only advised against romantic relations between faculty and the students enrolled in their classes or they otherwise evaluate, grade or supervise. A formal change in policy was prompted by the publishing of former writer-in-residence Sam Kashner’s Gentlemen’s Quarterly essay describing his alleged amorous relationships with students.

October 23, 2009 — Sports The College’s football team lost to their CAA opponent, Villanova.

The 63-24 loss was attributed to the College’s inability to rebound from Villanova’s touchdowns. The Tribe was again defeated by Villanova this past weekend at home.

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

A THOUSAND WORDS

Learning Lao, Cultivating Change Suzie Bae ’20 pursues passions in international relations, student-run Conduct Council ETHAN BROWN // FLAT HAT MANAGING EDITOR

EMMA FORD / 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 / SUZIE BAE

Bae took on leadership roles in the International Relations Club at the College, managing over one hundred staff members at the club’s collegiate conference last spring.

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Through summer internships in Southeast Asia and several extracurricular involvements on campus, Suzie Bae ’20 has spent three years at the College of William and Mary branching out and exploring a diverse set of professional and personal opportunities. Now, as she stands on the precipice of her impending graduation in May 2020, Bae is eager to translate her experiences in Williamsburg and abroad to the next chapter of her life.

In addition to being an active member of the College’s International Relations Club and a student representative on the Conduct Council, Bae’s coursework in international relations has propelled her to multiple unique experiences, including an internship in Laos, where she worked on research and communications for Village Focus International, a Laotian non-profit organization.

VFI facilitates the empowerment of rural villages throughout Laos, and the organization employs interns from the College each summer through the auspices of the Freeman Fellowship. Although Bae found out about VFI coincidentally, the initiative piqued her interest, and its work was compelling enough that she decided to apply for the fellowship as a first-year student.

“I found out about the fellowship through a class that I was taking, in GRI with David Trichler, and the TA at the time became a really good mentor and adviser of mine and she recommended I apply for the fellowship,” Bae said. “After she talked a little bit about the work that was being done at VFI, I decided to apply, and then I obviously found out that I got in, and that’s where it went from there.”

While Bae does not plan to work in either research or communications post-

graduation, her work at VFI provided her with valuable skills and experiences that she has since incorporated into her personal and professional lives.

One of her fondest memories in Laos was born from an early obstacle. Many of her coworkers spoke little English, and since they predominantly spoke Lao in the workplace, Bae eventually sought out individualized tutoring to strengthen her communicative abilities. Her tutor — a middle-aged woman born in Laos who wanted to become an English teacher — ultimately became a pivotal relationship that allowed her to forge closer relationships with her co-workers.

“The most surprising part of the fellowship experience was that I had not expected for the majority of the organization to speak only Lao, so I wasn’t prepared for it at all going in, but after experiencing it for a few days I decided to find private tutoring lessons,” Bae said. “ … We met every week and just did casual Lao lessons.”

Returning to Williamsburg with a renewed passion for hard work and the basics of Lao under her belt, Bae immersed herself further in International Relations Club and served as the chief of staff for the club’s competitive collegiate conference in April 2019. This job required her to adeptly manage the needs of the conference’s over 100 person staff, and she ensured that everything went smoothly throughout the conference’s four days. Bae viewed working closely alongside the rest of the conference’s executive Secretariat as a vital exercise in teamwork and leadership, specifically when handling such complicated, multi-faceted conferences.

“Since the Secretariat is comprised of people who are specializing in parts of the conference … being able to communicate with people who are unique in their focuses but who are coming in with different skillsets and experiences in the club helps a lot with the teamwork aspect and of course, ties in with the communication aspect too,” Bae said.

While working in International Relations Club has showcased her agile communicative skills, Bae indicated that the community of the club has been an important component of her life on campus, specifically because of the ability to deliver an impressive final product on conference weekend.

“Recognizing that all of us are trying to make conference weekend a great one is a similar goal that we share, and it’s something that drove a lot of that teamwork and communication process,” Bae said.

These commitments have been personally significant for Bae, but reflecting upon a distinguished record of involvement at the College, she views her time on the studentrun Conduct Council as her most important contribution to the campus community.

“I confidently say that Conduct Council is my only involvement at William and Mary where I feel like my participation in

the organization is directly making campus change,” Bae said.

Since the College’s Community Values and Restorative Practices office gives such a high degree of autonomy in decisionmaking to student representatives on the Conduct Council, Bae said her involvement is a consistent, tangible reminder of the trust inherent in the College’s community.

Among the initiatives of the Conduct Council that intend on fostering this culture, she specifically mentioned ongoing drug overdose/drunk driving education campaigns, which she hopes will further add to openness and educational improvements on campus.

Bae’s participation in IR Club, Conduct Council and other extracurricular activities has cemented her passion for active involvement.

She is eager to take on yet another responsibility this Thursday, Oct. 24, when Bae will take the oath to become an American citizen as the final step of her family’s five-year long process of obtaining U.S. citizenship.

Bae has called the United States home for nearly 17 years and, after filing for citizenship years ago, heard back about her status in August. She is thrilled to become an American citizen so she can become even more involved in the country’s political decision making and finally cast her vote in federal and state elections.

“It’s definitely an emotional process … it makes Thursday so incredibly important to me,” Bae said. “… I’m finally a citizen; I can actively participate in democratic processes that I’ve not been left out of, but that I’ve felt distant from, so voting for me is really big.”

Josh Rigby contributed reporting for this article.

COURTESY PHOTOS / SUZIE BAE

Bae spent the summer in Laos working for the non-profit Village Focus International, where she worked on research and communications for rural villages.

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The Flat Hat

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

CAMPUS

Talk examines anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination

Eskridge, Wilson discuss LGBTQ+ barriers to employment

Friday, Oct. 18, the College of William and Mary’s Marshall-Wythe School of Law Studies hosted a talk featuring Yale University law professor William Eskridge and University of Illinois law professor Robin Wilson to discuss the human costs of anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination.

Eskridge and Wilson centered their discussion around findings from their joint book titled “Religious Liberty, LGBT Rights, and the Search for Common Ground.” The pair was invited to Williamsburg to speak in conjunction with the Public Discourse Initiative, Equality Alliance, American Constitution Society and the Law School’s Christian Legal Society.

Both professors discussed the issues that legislators frequently face when passing anti-discrimination legislation designed to protect LGBTQ+ individuals in states with highly conservative, religiously devout populations.

In these culturally conservative states, Eskridge indicated that there is more historical discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, and he discussed job discrimination as a predominant issue facing communities in Virginia.

“In a lot of states, especially Virginia, [there is] a lot of job discrimination and even denial of professional licenses,” Eskridge said. “Some of the examples are now on appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court ... even if it decides those cases in favor of the gay and transgender plaintiffs, in my opinion there is still a lot of need for legislation at the state level.”

Wilson explained that new initiatives and movements are being set in motion to pass legislation protecting LGBTQ+ individuals. These regional endeavors include the Inclusive Midwest Initiative, which is a multi-state project focused on passing anti-discrimination laws within the states of Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Wilson illustrated that in the case of the Inclusive Midwest Initiative, members associated with the project form partnerships with large companies to incentivize legislators to pass supportive legislation in exchange for increased business. For example, the initiative has previously contacted Amazon and encouraged them to offer protections to the LGTBQ+ community and has subsequently asked them to add pressure to these states to offer the same LGBTQ+ protections before the companies can be formally incorporated within state boundaries. Wilson noted that this practice has been effective in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.

“A boycott works with bad things, but what we haven’t seen corporations do is be partners in seeing affirmative positive changes,” Wilson said. “I think there is some real promise in having large corporations push our lawmakers to get these anti-discrimination laws in place.”

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The goal is for everybody to walk in and get treated with respect at the desk. The business is regulated but not the individuals inside of it. That is the way forward.

— Robin Wilson

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ASHANTI JONES THE FLAT HAT

Some attendees questioned whether it is moral for corporations to weigh in on legislation regarding LGBTQ+ Americans. In response, Eskridge explained that corporations can play an important role as positive role models within states where they operate.

“Corporations can also be a model,” Eskridge said. “The corporations all have their own anti-discrimination policies. That’s positive role modeling.

It provides very persuasive arguments. Legislators say, ‘Well how much is this going to cost,’ and the corporations says, ‘It does not cost very much, we actually think it makes it more efficient.’ This particularly helps when you have to persuade people who are not already true believers.”

Wilson further explained that companies can act as catalysts for broader social change on complicated issues of public opinion like LGBTQ+ rights. However, the first step for these broad social changes is legislators formulating ways to pass supportive laws in highly conservative religious areas, and Wilson conveyed that corporations can aid legislators during this policy-creating stage.

The talk also focused on the refusal of services towards LGBTQ+ individuals. Wilson touched upon this issue and noted that this discrimination is often justified through religious contexts. She also brought up the difficulty of applying anti-discrimination laws to privately-owned businesses, and elaborated how this tenuous situation is an ongoing problem for many LGBTQ+ individuals.

“The goal is for everybody to walk in and get treated with respect at the desk,” Wilson said. “The business is regulated but not the individuals inside of it. That is the way forward.”

One attendee asked if the pair thought that the LGBTQ+ community would be settling for indignity if they continued to suffer through legal mistreatment.

“Dignity is an evolving process where undignified treatment to you today might be a situation for education on future dignified treatment,” Eskridge said. “Honestly, in America today, you are not going to avoid undignified treatment whether you’re a religious fundamentalist or a gay person or a person of color.”

Jacqueline de Leeuu J.D ’23 said that she found the talk informative and expressed surprise with the significant role that companies play in passing state legislation.

“I thought that it was interesting their emphasis on compromise,” Leeuu said. “I guess their argument that you can’t get ahead in real life without compromise was very true.”

Another law student, Ariana Cheng J.D. ’21, attended the talk because she is interested in the intersection of religion and sexual orientation in policy-making environments.

“I think we should all strive for compromise, but the hard part is figuring out who has to give up what values,” Cheng said. “It is kind of difficult when you’re trying to please both sides, for example people who are LGBT but also involved in religious practices. In politics are we going to value people who are religious and exclude those who are in LGBTQ community? It’s very difficult to balance that.”

CAMPUS

Lecture explores Nigerian healthcare infrastructure Isaac Adewole discusses experiences as former Minister of Health for Nigeria Students and staff members at the College of William and Mary gathered in Andrews Hall Friday, Oct. 18, to listen to professor Isaac Adewole speak about his experiences as a former Nigerian minister of health. The event constituted part of the College’s ongoing Global Health Speaker Series, which is sponsored by the Wendy and Emery Reves Center for International Studies and the Center for African Development.

Adewole was named minister of health in November 2015 by Nigerian President Muhammad Buhari and served until May 2019. He is also a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at his alma mater, the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan in western Nigeria, where he has been involved in multiple research projects related to cancer and HIV/AIDS. He is currently an adjunct professor of medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.

Adewole’s talk centered around the past experiences of and potential opportunities within Nigeria’s healthcare infrastructure, particularly regarding the recent effort to eradicate poliomyelitis, or polio, as an endemic disease in the country.

He began his talk by describing Nigeria’s importance in sub-Saharan Africa, as it is home to the continent’s largest population and economy.

“It’s a country of contrast,” Adewole said. “Whatever you want, you will find in Nigeria. When things go well in Nigeria, it goes well in Africa. When it doesn’t, then potentially there could be problems.”

Adewole then outlined the Nigerian healthcare system and illustrated the country’s three tiers of coverage.

According to Adewole, primary care is quickly accessible to Nigerian residents. Secondary care involves larger, more comprehensive hospitals, and tertiary care consists of teaching hospitals. Adewole ultimately predicted that the future of Nigerian healthcare will rest more on investment in preventative healthcare rather than in curative care, particularly as the Nigerian population is projected to increase by 146 percent by 2050 — at which

“

[Nigeria] is a country of contrast.

Whatever you want, you will find in Nigeria. When things go well in Nigeria, it goes well in Africa. When it doesn’t, then potentially there could be problems.

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MAGGIE MARKON THE FLAT HAT

— Isaac Adewole

New labs develop on campus Labs focus promote diversity, provide mentorship GRI from page 1

obligations in law, how the public views international courts and how international courts can change the view of their legitimacy.

Zvobgo said she is committed to fostering undergraduate research to encourage diversity among those who graduate school and academia.

“At present, women, firstgeneration students and students of color are disproportionately likely to exit and not pursue graduate studies in this area, and that then shapes the candidate pool for jobs which then shapes what the professor looks like, which then shapes the types of questions we ask, the ways we teach, the views and experiences that are represented and not

represented,” Zvobgo said. “This is part of why I am so committed to having undergraduate research experience through my lab.”

Bilen Zerie ’23 said she appreciated Zvobgo’s efforts to promote diversity in the International Justice Lab. “I really appreciate professor Zvobgo’s emphasis on recruiting and promoting diversity not only in the IJL lab, but in IR research as a whole,” Zerie said. “For me, it is inspiring and encouraging to see a female immigrant from Africa like myself succeed in starting a new, groundbreaking lab, and her mentorship is truly invaluable.”

Zerie said she is specializing in evaluating the usage of truth commissions.

“Alex, the other freshman on the team, and I are compiling research

on the role that children play in truth commissions, which are quasi-judicial bodies established to investigate a series of human rights violations committed and to promote reconciliation,” Zerie said.

Both Kaplow and Zvobgo envision their labs forming connections to other universities, allowing students to work with colleagues beyond the College.

Kaplow and Zvobgo also both anticipate that their student researchers take on more challenging tasks as the labs mature.

Kaplow will also teach a class in the spring on nuclear politics issues and Zvobgo, who has been hired as an assistant professor in the government department, hopes to teach a class about transitional justice when she begins teaching.

point it will rival the United States’ population.

He then discussed ongoing efforts to achieve universal health coverage in Nigeria, and referenced weak primary healthcare systems, financial barriers and poor collaboration between the three tiers of coverage as primary obstacles to its successful implementation.

According to Adewole, an integrated, multi-sectoral approach emphasizing primary care investment is necessary to attain universal health coverage.

Transitioning to his experiences with polio and his country’s efforts to eradicate the disease, Adewole looked back on the fateful day that presented his greatest challenge as a healthcare official.

“One evening in July 2016, I got a phone call [from the World Health Organization],” Adewole said. “They said, ‘Honorable Minister, I have bad news for you. ... We have a polio case in the northeast.’ And that was my worst night as a minister. By that time, we were programmed to be certified polio-free within two years.”

Adewole then briefly provided an overview of poliomyelitis and described its expansive history affecting countries throughout the international community. While 70 percent of those infected by poliovirus do not exhibit symptoms, severe cases may suffer from meningitis or paralysis. The disease is especially prevalent in children.

Polio is still endemic in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria, but Nigeria has yet to record any new cases this year. Adewole attributed this achievement to the concerted vaccination effort that involved the Nigerian government, military and religious leaders in Borno State, where the 2016 outbreak first occurred. Because residents of Borno have insufficient access to medical care due to regional political instability, the federal

government took extensive measures to vaccinate children against polio. Adewole described their use of the Nigerian military to deliver vaccines in the area, coupled with support from local religious leaders and innovative monitoring technology.

For Monica Dibley ’23, the talk proved to be an enlightening glimpse into infectious disease control in Nigeria.

“Honestly, I didn’t know too much about the polio outbreak in Nigeria or in Pakistan and Afghanistan, so it was really surprising to learn about it and [how it has] been more or less eradicated in Nigeria,” Dibley said.

Anton Sheridan-Kuchmek ’23 was especially intrigued by how Adewole and his colleagues handled the precarious situation.

“The most interesting thing was how they worked with the religious leaders in the northeast to coordinate everything and bridge the gap between cultural and government disparities, since it’s such a diverse nation,” Sheridan-Kuchmek said.

Adewole lastly touched on the “endgame strategy” to eliminate polio in Nigeria. He said the combined use of inactivated polio vaccine and oral polio vaccine are key in strengthening routine immunization. Furthermore, security challenges that impede access to vaccination and supervision remain, and political action is needed to mitigate these existential conflicts.

Adewole finished his talk by reflecting on the lessons he learned from his work to eradicate polio in Nigeria.

He cautioned others from declaring Nigeria polio-free without proper scientific documentation and in closing, encouraged the partnership of public health officials and political, traditional and religious leaders to continue vital vaccination efforts.

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Page 4

CAMPUS

Professor reimagines Bronze Age history Nakassis argues for dynamic analysis of Mycenanean society Thursday, Oct. 17, the classical studies department of the College of William and Mary welcomed Dr. Dimitri Nakassis for the 2019 Lee Lecture.

His presentation, “The World Before Odysseus: Rethinking the History of Late Bronze Age Greece,” analyzed prior scholarship on the topic and argued for a more dynamic understanding of Mycenaean society.

Nakassis is a classics professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder. His research examines the material and textual production of early Greek communities.

Nakassis was introduced by Dr. Georgia Irby, a classical studies professor at the College, who emphasized Nakassis’ achievements and contributions to the field.

“Dr. Nakassis’ innovative prosopography shows that Mycenaean society was far more socially dynamic than previously thought,” Irby said.

Nakassis began his lecture by arguing that the dominant framework for interpreting early Greek history and the Late Bronze Age is deeply flawed and strived to convince his audience that both eras were more dynamic than many conventional scholars suggest.

“The dominant model claims that the Late Bronze Age is a period characterized by monarchical systems centered on Near Eastern-style palaces, that these palaces monopolized activities, that they were fundamentally un-Greek and that their collapse paved the way for the development of the classical period,” Nakassis said. “But I hope to convince you by the end of the lecture that, at the very least, the Late Bronze Age isn’t as boring or as monolithic as people would have you believe.”

Nakassis examined earlier scholarship on Late Bronze Age Greece. He discussed the work of Moses Finley, who argued that the Mycenaeans were not Greek due to their ties to the Near East.

Nakassis stated that Finley’s perspective on the Mycenaeans influenced the work of later scholars, including Paul Cartledge, Edith Hall and Victor Davis Hanson — but also critiqued the perspective for being excessively narrow.

“This kind of thinking is remarkably simplistic,” Nakassis said.

“It plays into a series of Orientalist stereotypes. The idea behind these stereotypes is that Europe and the West are dynamic, historical, individualistic and freedom loving, right? And the Orient — or what we would call the ancient Near East and the modern-day East, for that matter — is static, rigid and despotic.

This way of thinking really does dominate the way people talk about the Mycenaeans today.”

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Especially now, we do have this ideal notion of Greece in our head. This whitewashed view of the classical world when it isn’t really representative of Greece.

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ANNA BURNS THE FLAT HAT

— Morgan Blackwelder

To refute Finley’s claims, Nakassis examined a series of Linear B tablets with English translations. He argued that these texts contradict the theory of a collectivized Mycenean economy.

While the palaces could tax agricultural goods, the tablets reveal that the people administered the land themselves. Most land was controlled by small communities rather than palaces.

Nakassis also argued that there was a thriving private sector in the Mycenaean economy that was free from monarchical control.

Nakassis continued by demonstrating how the tablets

challenge the stratified characterization of Mycenaean society.

Although he conceded that women are underrepresented in the texts, Nakassis emphasized how the people described in the tablets were often commoners who lacked royal or official titles.

“The old image isn’t accurate,” Nakassis said. “Empirical work shows that the palatial economy was not this all-powerful system. The palace was a powerful economic institution, but it was a complex structure that interfaced in many different ways with private economic actors. The palace wasn’t some kind of bureaucratic machine that was ruled by an all-powerful monarch, either.”

Nakassis’ lecture emphasized the many facets of Mycenaean society. According to Nakassis, the arguments of scholars like Moses Finley are grounded in ethnic bias and are therefore inadequate scholastic explanations of Mycenaean life.

Rather than being strictly centralized and stratified, Mycenaean society possessed nuanced socioeconomic structures that frequently go unacknowledged.

After listening to Nakassis’ speech, Sydney Kennedy ’22 expressed her thoughts on the lecture and remarked that the talk touched on classical studies’ Eurocentrism problem.

“That’s kind of what I took away the most, that we really need to work harder to move away from these kinds of Near Eastern stereotypes,” Kennedy said.

Morgan Blackwelder ’21 also commented on the dominant narrative when talking about the classical world.

“Especially now, we do have this ideal notion of Greece in our head,” Blackwelder said. “This whitewashed view of the classical world when it isn’t really representative of Greece.”

In his final statements, Nakassis acknowledged that there are limitations in the textual evidence. He also expressed a need for further archaeological evidence, especially from smaller Mycenaean villages. Nakassis concluded by proposing the creation of a more flexible historical model that integrates textual and material evidence.

“I do think that appreciating the complexity of the Greek world is an important move in our attempt to get away from the kind of simplistic stereotypes and narratives that I criticized at the beginning of my talk,” Nakassis said.

CAMPUS

Tiananmen Square activist describes need for global democracy Dr. Wang Dan advocates for political reform, commitment to education in campus event Monday, Oct. 7, Dr. Wang Dan, a Tiananmen dissident, spoke about his role in the 1989 prodemocracy demonstrations that resulted in the Tiananmen Square massacre June 4, 1989.

The forum was sponsored by the College of William and Mary’s government department, the Wendy and Emery Reves Center for International Studies and the Global Research Institute.

Sophia Hart, visiting assistant professor of government, moderated the discussion.

Hart started the panel with a brief introduction to China’s history of dabbling with authoritarian leadership and its interest in democracy throughout the 19th century.

“China has pursued tremendously successful economic modernization policy,” Hart said.

“However, the economic form has not been matched by political reform. New problems created by corruption and inflation led to price reform advocated by hardline politicos who wanted China to have a more traditional orthodox centrally planned economy. This was the situation in April 1989.”

Economic reform in China has produced some unintended consequences socially and politically, and the Tiananmen Square Massacre was the most unintended consequence of economic reform. The sudden death of former Party Secretary Hu Yaobang, an advocate of liberal economic reform, transformed a studentled demonstration tribute in honor of Hu’s passing into a mass anti-government protest.

The demonstration attracted millions of workers, ordinary citizens and students.

In the late 1980s, Dan was a history student at Peking University. He participated and organized the 1989 democracy movement and participated in a hunger strike. After the Tiananmen crackdown, Dan became a wanted fugitive by the Chinese government.

He was ultimately imprisoned by the Chinese authorities for seven years before eventually

being granted medical parole and exiled to the United States.

Since fleeing China, Dan has pursued education as well as political activism. In exile, he studied at Harvard University and received an M.A. and Ph.D. in history, then went on to teach at Oxford University and several universities in Taiwan.

After returning to the United States, Dan launched “Dialogue China,” a think tank in Washington D.C. dedicated to connecting people that have faith in the future of Chinese democracy.

“After spending tens years in America, I gradually realized democracy is not simple,” Dan said. “Democracy is not only about some political changes, but it also means the change of men.

Therefore, I think the most important thing for democracy is education. This is why I chose to teach in Taiwan for several years and hope that one day I could be back to my (alma mater) Peking University to continue teaching democracy.”

Dan shared with the audience some of his interesting insights into the future of Chinese democracy during the question and answer session.

The Tiananmen Square Protests have been described as the Chinese version of the Poland Solidarity Movement. After being asked if the collapse of one-party communist rule in East Central Europe may also be replicated in China, Dan replied such effort cannot be achieved over a night, especially being in a country like China.

Rather than making sweeping structural changes, Dan suggests that the Chinese government take baby steps towards allowing greater flexibility pertaining to political expression.

“What I want a democratization in China is not to do something but is to let us start doing something as a first step of democratization in China,” Dan said. “For example, Liu Xiaobo who is a Chinese writer, literary critic, human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate is

known by many people. He wrote some articles criticizing the government even not inside (mainland) China, but he was incarcerated for 11 years just because of his disagreement with the CCP. The current administration led by President Xi Jinping is intellectually interested in maintaining control rather than expressing the possibility of Chinese democracy or expanding human rights.”

“

Democracy is not only about some political changes, but it also means the change of men. Therefore, I think the most important thing for democracy is education.

“

HARPER TANG THE FLAT HAT

— Wang Dan

Moreover, Dan emphasized the ongoing challenges to creating a strong Chinese civil society. Dan stressed that widespread activism among ordinary people is

necessary, and that placing excessive hopes on political elites to change civil society is a fruitless venture. Furthermore, according to Dan, current U.S. diplomatic engagement has failed to bolster civil society’s attempts to bring democracy to China.

“There are two levels of China — the state and the society,” Dan said. “Among American politicians, they actually do not want a Chinese regime change because they are afraid of a proceeding regime crisis which could destroy the established diplomatic relations and some quid pro quos. Therefore, they only have dialogue with state officials who represent today’s China.

But, if they also conduct conversations with the people who are active units in Chinese civil society, they will have a dialogue with tomorrow’s China.”

Leah Griffith ’20 appreciated how Dan discussed Chinese democracy.

“I thought it was very interesting to get Dr. Wang Dan’s opinion on the future of Chinese democracy and hear his view of the current PRC government,” Griffith said. “As my capstone is Chinese Revolutions, it was cool to make connections from class with things he spoke about.”

Irene Zhang ’22 asked Dan if he studied abroad as a historian scholar to learn to overthrow the authoritarian regime like the first peasant uprising in Chinese history.

“I studied abroad to learn democracy,” Dan said. “I hope the younger generation study abroad not only to learn those Western thoughts, but also the dignity of human beings.”

In his additional remarks, Dan reiterated his views on dialogue and democracy.

“Darkness before the dawn is democracy,” Dan said. “Although government is not giving space to freely express opinion, we need to be prepared for new opportunities, such as having dialogues about concrete policies and solutions.

This can be another effort of the Tiananmen generation and younger generation who have bright expectations for the future.”

Rowe, Ellis discuss women in sports, demonstrate persistence Former coach of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team recollects journey to two World Cup wins JILL ELLIS from page 1

Ellis also commented on the importance of persistence, a quality she looks for in players. “Persistence is the mother of all virtues in my book,” Ellis said. “A player must be willing to persist through the struggle.”

John Haley ’67 said he was inspired by Ellis’ story and perspective at the talk.

“This was a very inspirational, well-spent hour, to get to spend an hour listening to a world-class athletic coach,” Haley said. “To see the connection between our own experience and hers and to listen to thoughtful and insightful questions on the part of the new president was a really fun experience at a homecoming.”

The timing of the event — during

Homecoming Weekend — was not lost on Ellis, who emphasized the role that her time at the College played in setting her up for success.

She highlighted the friends she made and noted that the connections with professors here were ultimately inspiring.

“Collaboration was a big lesson I learned here,” Ellis said. “The other

valuable lesson I learned is that there are a lot more people who are a lot smarter than me. In my leadership, I recognize the value of having smart people who are experts at what they do and as a leader bringing them together and tapping in to that.”

The conversation wrapped up with a note on the importance of scholarships.

As a scholarship beneficiary herself,

Ellis spoke at length about paying it forward to others.

“There are so many brilliant people out there who don’t have the benefit of a high level income to afford certain things,” Ellis said. “This school sets you up for success. That’s why I come back.

It’s important for me to stay connected to my alma mater because it was a platform for me to achieve the things I have.”

opinions

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

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, October 22 , 2019

| Page 5

GUEST COLUMN

GUEST COLUMN

Student Assembly makes empty promises regarding mental health on campus Liam Watson

FLAT HAT GUEST WRITER

Recently, I resigned from my position as a class of 2020 senator in the College of William and Mary’s Student Assembly. With a genuine heart for public service, this was a painful decision to make. I’m writing this because I believe, for the good of the student body, that we must examine the culture we have created for ourselves.

Many of the SA senators who I worked with found electoral success by promising to dramatically improve the resources available to those who have struggled with mental illness.

Although their interest in such improvements may be guileless, their results have been little more than bromides for the everpresent ills that plague much of the student body. Despite the well-meaning, yet futile, efforts of both SA and the College’s administration, students still struggle to find the community and the belonging which they rightly anticipated and desired when they decided to attend the College. As I reflect on the work of SA and of the College’s administration, I’m reminded of Don Quixote, wishing to joust with giants to “remove a foul brood” from the earth — while only tilting at windmills.

We often turn our blame for the student body’s endemic struggles with mental illness towards insufficient campus resources or demanding professors. The former is honestly inadequate, while the latter remains a consequence of our predilection for the education provided by a Public Ivy. But the broader solution-oriented dialogue is still missing a critical element in improving mental health on our campus: ourselves.

There is a magnanimous strength found in the ability to treat one another with kindness, compassion and understanding. When we tear each other down, we erode the work we attempt to do to make our campus and our world a better place.

A large portion of our perceived worth is inherently derived from our interactions with others. My time in SA was marred by the sight of vindictiveness, dysfunction and the furtive denigration of our peers — and these factors fueled my decision to leave. Sadly, such behavior is not limited to the Senate.

An education at this school has become a comparative and competitive exercise. Not only do individuals measure themselves against others, which already cultivates an insalubrious climate, but folks try to actively demean each other — through maligned bavardage, social media musings and the seemingly benignant choice to dismiss the labor of our peers who make a sincere effort. There is a magnanimous strength found in the ability to treat one another with kindness, compassion and understanding. When we tear each other down, we erode the work we attempt to do to make our campus and our world a better place. We have the power to dramatically improve our collective mental health by working humbly and indefatigably to remind each other of our own individual value.

As Fred Rogers said, “some days, ‘doing the best we can’ may still fall short of what we wish we were able to do ... but doing what we can with what we have is the most we should expect of ourselves or anyone else.” In the bivouac of college life, saying “you are enough” is a banal platitude. Helping others know they are enough is a true service.

Email Liam Watson at ljwatson@email.wm.edu.

College neglects accessible parking a reasonable distance to their destination. On days where student parking is usurped for events, students are told to FLAT HAT GUEST WRITER move themselves far, far away, and no accommodations are made for them. Ludwell Apartments, the campusParking on campus is a problem. This really shouldn’t sponsored apartments that the administration dares to need to be said, and yet the administration seems starkly call “on-campus” accommodations, is just as far a walk silent. Whether they don’t realize it’s a problem or are to Old Campus as many other off-campus houses. An apt choosing to just not do anything about it is anyone’s guess — comparison would be to the Graduate Complex, yet Ludwell though it’s obviously the latter, since not even their reserved is lumped in with residents, draining the students living parking spaces are enough to drown out the myriad of there of an ability to drive to school. The administration, on complaints. There are a few ways to address the issue. First the other hand, appears to need order. That’s the best and is a question of priorities, next is a question of need and last only way to describe their actions. A system of haphazard is a question of fairness. and wanton fines. They certainly do not need the money The priorities of the College of William and Mary’s from their tickets. Yet the order their system demands is administration have always been a bit confusing and never insufficient. Students don’t stop parking out of their assigned seem aimed to help students. Do we need to better fund places. Nor do fines thin out the overcrowded lots. Clearly, the Counseling Center, or can we just give them a nicer the needs of the students are not being met, and the needs building? Do we need to renovate dorms to make them of the administration are never in line with what is best for habitable, or can we just trade spaces? The list goes on and students. never gets better.

Last is the question of fairness, which is just a single For transportation, at least as long as I’ve been here, gripe that underpins parking has never really been their top priority. The head of the entire the College’s Parking and Transportation Services is Bill manipulative Horacio. From a quick glance at Horacio’s professional and selfprofile, anyone can tell that where the man’s priorities serving lie: biking. Evidently, structure these priorities have that is been realized. parking Biking conditions services: have been made we safer over his already tenure, and must pay bikers will never $400 for a want for space good that’s so long as in serious fences remain shortage. Charging in vogue. students more for parking out Bikes can fit of place is an atrocity. We should just about expect when we shell out such a pricy anywhere, amount that we’ll at least be receiving and aside from a satisfactory good, but when that a few questions expectation is not met, and we are of blocking forced to make the best of a bad accessibility, situation, they have the they can be audacity to ask us to locked up pay more money? anywhere And to ask faculty too. Biking and staff to was never do the same, under the when many stresses of them are that afflict already given parking. Cars are big, such meager they need a lot of space and can only be parked in areas GRAPHIC BY ANGELA VASISHTA / THE FLAT HAT salaries? It’s that are made for parking. No matter how much we do for astonishing bikers, there will always be a significant demand for driving. the level of authoritarian insecurity that must go into Carpool spaces, which I’ve never actually seen used, take willfully being part of that force. up spaces that could be beneficial to people who need The lack of parking is just a smaller piece of a much them. Nonetheless, I’ve heard nary a word from Parking bigger issue about the College that’s been made clear in and Transportation about efforts to improve conditions for recent years: the administration does not care about its drivers. Clearly, the administration does not prioritize the students. This is one of the most obvious reasons that the parking side of their parking and transportation. school has plummeted in the rankings in recent years.

The question of needs reflects both the needs of the We’d rather buy an anatomically correct statue or add administration and the needs of drivers. Obviously, drivers an unneeded addition to the Alumni House than care need space to park. Commuters are lucky to find a space for the issues that afflict students. They care more about within a 10-minute walk of their class, and residents the importance of an ampersand, which I’ve been very might as well not even try. Faculty and staff, who pay careful to not use in this piece, than the importance of for their passes just like us, are stuck in these problems the people who live here every day. No, this school hasn’t as well. Students and staff who choose to drive because cared about what students need for a long time, and the walking would risk them being late find themselves late day they do is a long way off. So, until that day comes, I anyways as they search for space. Students and staff who posit that we park wherever we damn well please. can’t walk are faced with a limited number of handicap Email Abe Winterscheidt spots and are just as lucky to find any other space within at ajwinterscheid@email.wm.edu

Abe Winterscheidt

INDEPENDENT GRAPHIC

Returning home made difficult by NOVA GRAPHIC BY JORGE CONDA / THE FLAT HAT

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

STAFF COLUMN

Independence causes in Hong Kong, Catalonia deserve acknowledgement to appease a brutal totalitarian regime across the Pacific — and certainly Hong Kong isn’t the only victim. Tibetans and Uyghurs know too much about the Chinese government’s cruelty.

On the list of offending entities now include many American behemoths: Apple, the National Basketball Association, Activision Blizzard and even Google. China even got Italian fashion icon Donatella Versace to apologise for daring to break with Chinese political orthodoxy.

As distressing as Hong Kong’s developments are, one must not delude themselves into thinking that freedom is even a given guarantee in the West. Spain is a beautiful country, one that possesses untold diversity and is plagued with economic problems. However, it’s easy to forget that it suffered a military dictatorship until the 1970s, during which minority ethnolinguistic groups were repressed under the guise of Spanish popular unity under FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR Francisco Franco’s platform of “una, grande y libre.”

“Visca Catalunya lliure. Liberate Hong Kong.”

Even though Spain now guarantees that the Catalans can govern Over the past few months, and especially recently, I have seen these themselves and speak in Catalan, Madrid’s crackdown on any sort of chants all over the internet. Surely, it would be easy to retreat to my American independence is too reminiscent of what Catalans under the fascist Franco bubble and pretend that nothing outside the borders of our country exists. dictatorship can remember.

But I’m not here to do that. I am very lucky to have grown up in the United As a Mexican-American in the United States with Catalan descent, States of America — especially considering that Freedom House estimates Catalan and Basque calls for independence remind me of the famed Grito that 55 percent of the world’s 7.5 billion people live in “not-free” or only “partde Dolores, the famous cry of Miguel Hidalgo in the pueblo of Dolores that free” conditions. Instead, I’m here to tell you that you, a student at the College called for the end of 300 years of colonialism in Mexico. This eventually of William and Mary, should be paying very close attention to the political sparked the Mexican War of Independence, during which indigenous and developments in Hong Kong and Catalonia, especially in relation to the mixed Mexicans found it in them to take up the struggle and march to countries of the People’s Republic of China and the Kingdom of Spain.

Mexico City. The Catalans, as a distinct people from rest of Spain, would like How did we get here? Great question. a similar divorce from Spain after a long In Hong Kong’s case: once upon a time, the history of being denied autonomy United Kingdom colonized an island at and having their language the mouth of the Pearl River and turned stripped of them. it into a prosperous — but still colonized For Hispanic/ — port city and a European gateway to Latino/a/x China. That is at least while China was weak. identifying students By the 1990s, China was able to strong-arm at the College, this the United Kingdom to hand over the territory sentiment should be very in 1997 under the promise that it would not be familiar. Though Castile has integrated into the People’s Republic in earnest for 50 years — and it would changed its face and its name have its own political and economic systems during this half century. to Spain, it is still the entity responsible for in 1492 Spoiler alert: this promise has been broken countless times. The result? expelling the Jewish population from Iberia, for colonising the Mass demonstrations — most notably in 2014 with the Umbrella Revolution Americas, exploiting Amerindians and Africans and for imposing over reforms to the electoral system and in 2019 with renewed outrage over the Castilian language and culture on the Americas and the rest a law that would allow extradition of political dissidents to the Mainland. of Iberia, at the expense of languages such as Catalan, Basque, Essentially, China is eating away at the freedoms agreed upon for Hong Nahuatl and Quechua.

Kongers when Britain ceded the territory.

So, back to us. What can we do? Consciously uncouple Why does this matter to us? I mean, we don’t live in Hong Kong. yourself from companies that don’t respect freedom. If That’s a completely valid question to ask. The bigger issue that does you can stomach it, don’t buy the iPhone 11. Spread actually concern a lot of students here that are American citizens is awareness. Do your research and think more closely GRAPHIC BY in terms of our already tenuous relationship with China. Let’s face about your actions. Are you supporting imperialism?

ANNA BOUSTANY it — we all use Chinese products all the time. However, lately, Maybe you shouldn’t.

AND HEADSHOTS BY American companies have been kowtowing to Chinese dictator Email Gavin Aquin-Hernández at KAYLA PAYNE Xi Jinping and sacrificing our First Amendment rights in order gaaquin@email.wm.edu. / THE FLAT HAT

Gavin Aquin-Hernández

STAFF COLUMN

College health insurance policy incurs excessive fees, fails to allow sufficient healthcare options

Anna Burns THE FLAT HAT

For the past four years, my family and I have used a healthcare sharing program rather than a standard insurance plan, which we decided to do based on financial reasons.

Because of this, I have submitted a student insurance waiver request to the College of William and Mary every year. My requests had always been accepted, so this procedure was protocol rather than a source of concern. However, in July, I received an email from the College reminding me to submit my waiver. The message referred to itself as “a general reminder” that might not apply to everyone, so I ignored it. After all, my waiver request had already been granted in June.

My mother, however, contacted the Student Health Insurance Office to confirm that my waiver was still acceptable. She received a reply July 24, one week after she sent her initial inquiry.

The message informed her that the insurance waiver guidelines for the College had been updated. Suddenly, my healthcare program no longer qualified, so I was given seven days to enroll in the College’s Student Health Insurance Plan. My family and I had to pay $1,041 up front. Due to the late notice, I was unable to cancel my other healthcare program ahead of

time, so I still had to pay for the month of August.

The College requires all full-time students to have health insurance coverage. To meet this standard, students have to enroll in the Student Health Insurance Plan or successfully waive out of it. For the 2019-2020 academic year, the student plan costs a full $2,490.

contacting my family and I directly, we received a mass reminder email. Had my mother chosen to ignore the email like I did, the situation might have been worse.

Yet there is a more troubling aspect to this issue. On its website, the College cites the extremely high cost of healthcare as the reason for the Student Insurance Requirement.

However, this requirement and the College’s conduct are not accommodating to students who struggle financially. If a student lacks adequate coverage, it is likely that they cannot afford it.

Forcing this student to pay for the Student Health Insurance Plan is not a true solution. While it provides them with insurance, it also adds an extra financial burden.

My family and I happened to have enough money in our savings to finance the cost of the fall coverage period. Plenty of families would not have been able to do this, especially on such short notice. While there is a payment plan available, there is an additional fee for this option.

If the high cost of healthcare is truly a concern for the College, then it should provide more accommodating and affordable options for students who do not have healthcare.

Email Anna Burns at acburns01@email.wm.edu.

This requirement and the College’s conduct are not accommodating to students who struggle financially.

The College’s conduct in handling my case was unfair. I was forced to either change my healthcare provider or enroll in a different school. Because I am a junior and I was only given a week to make this decision, the latter was not an option. Also, I lost money because of the way they handled this issue; I had to pay for a month of a healthcare program that the College refused to accept. Finally, rather than

Page 6

STAFF COLUMN

Brevity of fall break burdens students with excessive work and stress

Alexandra Byrne THE FLAT HAT

Greyhounds and Amtrak and Tribe Rides, oh my. As students at the College of William and Mary returned from our fall break this past week, for some, it seemed all too ephemeral.

On the morning of the last day of break, I boarded a Greyhound bus in Raleigh, North Carolina that was headed to Richmond. What is by car a three-hour drive turned into a seven-hour excursion with a two-hour stopover in the Richmond bus terminal, during which I sat and read as other students of the College slowly filtered in and filled the seats around me.

It is easy to force ourselves to push through without stopping to think about other aspects of life, but it never truly hurts to take a step back from the grind we are on and take a breath.

Public transportation from the Triangle region of North Carolina to Williamsburg is certainly not convenient. While I was charmed by my realization that perhaps our world does not move quite as quickly as it often may seem, I longed for efficient public transportation. My “Songs for Playing on a Greyhound” playlist on Spotify soon began to repeat. The day was persisting on, and I was impatiently ready to be home.

My day in transit felt like a waste of time. Without functioning Wi-Fi, I was unable to study for my impending midterms. I ate a cereal bar for lunch.

With no one to talk to, I was mostly just alone with my thoughts — what an unfortunate way to end such a short break. A day of travel was somewhat inevitable, but it felt as though for each day I spent with my family and friends, I spent another consigned to the road. I would not have minded so much if only I had a few extra days.

Increasingly, universities across the nation are designating longer fall breaks, some as long as a week.

Here at the College, students would undeniably benefit from a little bit more time — time for travel, family, or for some, studying. Midterms are undeniably stressful. A week of home cooked meals and visiting friends can help alleviate some of that stress.

Given the current length, fall break felt almost like an added burden for me. I was overjoyed to sleep in my own bed and sit down to dinner with my family, but it felt as though once I had just gotten settled, it was time to pack up and turn around again, spending the day on the bus.

Fall break naturally means something different to each student — some choose to go home, some choose to remain at school, and others visit friends at other colleges and universities. Many out-of-state students find it difficult or financially burdensome to return home due to long or expensive flights.

Others return home despite this burden, yet find it difficult to return to their normal schedules following long days of travel.

Additionally, with several holidays taking place during fall break this year — including Indigenous Peoples’ Day, the Jewish Holiday of Sukkot, and for my family, Canadian Thanksgiving — many students could have benefited from a few extra days to celebrate or observe these holidays.

Fall break comes at a pivotal time for many students at the College, particularly freshmen, many of whom may be leaving campus for the first time.

While a major interruption in classes could hinder the groove of some students, it is also important to remind ourselves of the balance life requires. It is easy to force ourselves to push through without stopping to think about other aspects of life, but it never truly hurts to take a step back from the grind we are on and take a breath.

Fall break can be a welcome respite from our normal routines and can be an opportunity to offer us that breath we so desperately need, if only I did not have to spend half of it wishing home was easily accessible by high-speed train.

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

variety Showtime at William and Mary

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

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, October, 22 2019 | Page 7

JAMIE HOLT/ THE FLAT HAT

Alma Mater Productions brings two entertaining comedians to perform in annual homecoming show GAVIN AQUIN-HERNÁNDEZ // FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR Laughing out loud? Certainly, students at the College of William and Mary had their funny bones tickled October 18 when Alma Matter Productions brought two visiting comedians, Shapel Lacey and headliner Trevor Wallace.

For these two comedy kings, it seemed like no topic was off limits — especially when it came to poking fun of Williamsburg and the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity at the College. The Sadler Center experienced a “raunchfest” hitherto unseen this academic year — at least by me.

Opening for Wallace, Lacey warmed up the audience with his astute observational humor.

Coming from white — dominated Mesa, Arizona — Lacey did not shy away from joking about the uber-sensitive topics of race and sexuality in our modern society. Most notable were his jokes about his adopted parents’ whiteness especially in contrast to his blackness — principally in the fact that he grew up not knowing black American culture. Having moved to Los Angeles, Lacey met his first black friend and he joked about his outsider-status caused by liking the white things that he grew up around — making him feel like he doesn’t even have access to the “n-word card.”

Spoiler alert: Lacey came to realize that he does, in fact, have access to that card.

One anecdote that stuck out as strong, relevant yet still irreverent humor was Lacey making light of the heteronormative, masculine behavior expected of straight men — and completely and unapologetically throwing it out of the window.

“Prior to moving to Los Angeles, for the longest time, I was living with my best friend and his husband — yeah, I said that right,” Lacey said over roaring laughter. “I know what went on in that house. … A lot of my straight friends act like we can’t be straight males and be best friends with gay gentlemen. They say things like ‘Your best friend, he’s hitting on you, huh…’ I just want to slap the s--- out of them for saying that because of course he was hitting on me. Come on, look at all this sexual chocolate walking around this house. My homie knows how to give complements and I take that. He’s my ride or die.”

Pivoting to his childhood, Lacey made sure to let everyone know his true feelings for tuna noodle casserole.

“White people get so excited like ‘this is our dish.’ and I’m like ‘you can keep it.’” Lacey said.

“Who told y’all to do that? There can’t be a recipe for this s--- man. They even dressed it up with peas like it was doing something. Throw this away, we don’t need this. My adopted parents had me thinking for the longest time they were alcoholics, because you have to be f---ed up to make something like this.”

Despite Lacey’s relative newcomer status, his astuteness, self-confidence and his willingness to turn anything into a joke could possibly spell out a — dare I say it — auspicious career as a comic.

After Lacey’s wonderfully entertaining set, it was time for the headliner of the night, Trevor Wallace.

“You’re all probably thinking, that broke a-- is wearing the same sweater as in the flyer, isn’t he?” Wallace said as he took the stage.

Further introducing himself, Wallace took some deserved shots at Williamsburg.

“My tour schedule got f---ed up and I was supposed to be in L.A. right before this and things got mixed up, so I’ve been here since Wednesday,” Wallace said. “So, if you do your math, that’s approximately too … f---ing long okay? I know it’s too long since I went to Shorty’s for breakfast this morning and the hostess was like ‘oh, it’s you again.’ I gotta get out of here dude.”

Further down on Wallace’s hit-list was the Greek life system as an institution.

He wasted no time in making fun of the stereotypical way that fraternity brothers comport themselves: the way they dress and their abuse of nicotine and alcohol.

However, a few of Wallace’s punchlines fell flat, and it was not necessarily his fault. Rather, it’s just that segments of his stand up depended on the context of living in Los Angeles, which I quickly realized that only myself and a few other people “got.”

For example, I can’t exactly chastise William and Mary students for not knowing what Santa Monica or the Sunset Strip are.

In spite of this, it seemed as though Wallace picked up on the audience’s lack of enthusiasm for this kind of specific observational humor and tried making it more relevant to the College and Virginia. Likewise, another criticism of Wallace’s standup is that he makes observations that otherwise remain shallow without going too far deep into the subject matter.

However, in defense of Wallace: he is not exactly known for his sophisticated sense of humor. In fact, he is most notorious for the opposite — a very much whiteboy “fratty” style of telling jokes.

In a refreshing display, Wallace took a big risk on a college campus, dipping his pinkie toe into politics — one wrong move could have resulted in a riot, however, he managed to get the whole audience laughing with a relatable joke.

“I was never really offended by politics,” Wallace said. “I’m not gonna get political. …

I know where I am. But one thing I do appreciate about Trump is his s--- talking skills.

Impeccable. So good. Trump talks s--- like he spends every morning hanging out with 13-year olds on Xbox Live, you know? He’s too good. I think he’s got ghost writers.”

Overall, Lacey and Wallace were great choices for AMP to have brought to the College during Homecoming.

Based on audience engagement and the absurdly long lines in the subsequent meet-and-greet, I can confidently say that it seems they were very well received. If AMP can continue to bring up and coming names in comedy — especially ones that are actually funny — certainly it would make the amount invested in this program worth it.

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Page 8

HOP, SKIP and

STOMP Black Student Organization’s annual Stompfest creates cultural unity through step competition

LUCAS HARSCHE // THE FLAT HAT Saturday, Oct. 19, the Black Student Organization at the College of William and Mary hosted its annual Stompfest, an event held during each year’s homecoming in which different groups representing the historically African-American fraternities and sororities of the National PanHellenic Council come together to compete in a collegiate step show experience.

This year’s Stompfest was held in the Sadler Center’s Commonwealth Auditorium, featuring four of the member organizations of the NPHC: the College’s own chapters of the Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta Sigma Theta sororities, as well as the Alpha Phi Alpha chapter of James Madison University and Iota Phi Theta chapter of Hampton University, with a $1,000 total prize promised to both one of the competing fraternities and one of the competing sororities ($750 of which would go to their chapter, while the other $250 would go to a charity of the group’s choice).

The winners of this year’s Stompfest were DST and APA, who will be donating their $250 to UNICEF and the March of Dimes Foundation, respectively.

BSO President Jeremy Simmons ’20 elaborated on the role of Stompfest in uniting the local black community.

“StompFest is important to me because it brings our community (African Americans) together to celebrate our identity that we have

COURTESY PHOTOS / BLACK STUDENT ORGANIZATION

solidified through our Divine Nine Greek organizations as well as the cultural aspect of being surrounded by people that want to celebrate you,” Simmons wrote in an email.

The event started right off the bat with a roll call of all the NPHC chapters in attendance, followed by the main event of the night, featuring a variety of step performances. AKA’s performance demonstrated the power of teamwork, while IPT showed that even a shovel could be used to kick off a beat.

“The energy in the room as the show progresses is indescribable,” APA sister Jasmine Garnes ’21 wrote in an email. “It is an experience that is overwhelming and incredibly rewarding.”

Those expecting silence during and in between amazing performances would have been in for quite a shock at Stompfest. The event’s audience was so eager, in fact, that singing and stepping along to the lively groups onstage was basic routine, and exuberant cheers and standing ovations were not at all out of the ordinary to demonstrate approval.

However, despite the competitive structure of the event, the atmosphere is not one of tense rivalries but rather, in the words of BSO Secretary Asia Prentiss ’21, one of “thanksgiving.”

“It’s not really a competitive event,” Prentiss said. “It’s more just like, these people are amazing, and they all did great at the end

of the day.”

The supportive and collaborative environment created by Stompfest can be attributed to the cultural aspect of the event. Stompfest was born alongside the College’s BSO in the early 1970s, and according to Simmons, has evolved over time.

“StompFest has changed to reflect our growing culture here at William & Mary,” Simmons said.

“Every year we get more new faces and more old faces that come out and the excitement and anticipation behind the event grows every year.”

For members of the College’s AfricanAmerican community, Stompfest is one of the largest and most important events of the year.

“Stompfest is important to me because it gives NPHC on and off campus a chance to showcase a tradition, stepping, which is a part of the culture and history of black Greek letter organizations,” DST Financial Secretary Shi Randolph ’21 said in an email.

Garnes emphasized Stompfest’s ability to create a productive and celebratory space for people of color on campus.

“As a person of color attending a predominantly white institution, it is important for POCs to have safe spaces on campus and spaces where they feel included and valued as individuals,” Garnes said. “I believe Stompfest does just that. It creates a space for community

and love. It creates a space for mindless fun, friendship, and a good time.”

The sense of community was evident among predominantly African-American attendees at Stompfest, attesting to a shared experience as students of color in a higher education system which continues to be predominantly white.

“When you think about Homecoming, you have all these different classes that are centered mostly around the white community,” Prentiss said. “With Stompfest, this is an event where minorities, particularly African American and Latinx, can gather together.”

Despite the primary significance of the event to the College’s African American community, the BSO hosts emphasize the openness of Stompfest to the entire College community as a whole.

“Everyone is welcome here,” Prentiss said.

This year’s Stompfest showcased complex and moving stories told not through speech or pens, but through fluid choreography, synchronization and rhythm.

These components allow the event to hold a special place in the hearts of the College’s African American community.

“Stompfest is an event I look forward to every year and it is a big reason that I will come back for homecoming in the years to come,” Garnes said.

COURTESY PHOTO / HUNTER MAIN

SPEAKING UP

Charles Center, Reves Center host poetry, performance event featuring alumna Irene Mathieu ’09 LULU DAWES // THE FLAT HAT Returning 10 years after her graduation, Irene Mathieu ‘09 stood in front of a small audience packed with students and alumni. The room’s noise level suddenly changed; a still silence arose as Mathieu followed the College of William and Mary Russian Music Ensemble’s resounding performance. The loud instruments and voices had been amplified around the tall brick walls of Blow Memorial Hall, but now it was just Mathieu and her two books of poems.

Oct. 18, the Roy R. Charles Center for Academic Excellence and the Wendy and Emery Reves Center for International Studies presented the first I-MIC — a homecoming event centered around the three words international, intersectional and interdisciplinary.

Organized and hosted by Teresa Longo, the director of the Charles Center, I-MIC strove to celebrate these three ideas through Mathieu’s poetry and 11 featured student performances.

“At the Charles Center, we focus on mentored student research and

interdisciplinary study,” Longo said.

“The interdisciplinary piece, it’s about acknowledging the complexity around us; it’s about generating knowledge and ideas from many directions. Poets are really good at this. And, if we really want to embrace complexity, global perspectives are also critical: the Reves Center for International Studies was an ideal collaborator for this event.”

As the main feature of the event, Mathieu opened her performance by admitting that the three words international, intersectional and interdisciplinary have described her poetry and life up to this point.

“William and Mary alumni are accomplished in so many ways,” Longo said. “As a physician, a researcher and a poet, Irene Mathieu is a shining example of what is possible. I wanted to bring her together with current students who are also creative, smart and engaged.”

Mathieu majored in international relations at the College and gained an interest in international public health,

leading to her to pursue her M.D. at Vanderbilt University’s medical school.

Currently working as a pediatrician and public health researcher, Mathieu has written three poetry books: “The Galaxy of Origins,” “Orogeny” and “Grand Hommage,” the last of which was recently published in March 2019.

“As a poet and a pediatrician, I consider myself a very disciplinary minded person,” Mathieu said. “I’m really focused on how we can use poetry to teach doctors and help them be better doctors, but also how medical in and of itself is a kind of poetry, and the way that the body manifests disease and how our patients speak.”

Combining her love of international relations, medicine and poetry, Mathieu cites her success in these varying fields to the College’s liberal arts education.

Many of her poems revolve around her experiences the College provided and her professional life as a doctor.

“I’m very grateful,” Mathieu said. “I think coming here was a really smart decision on many levels, but every time

I come back from Williamsburg I’m reminded that one of the really cool aspects of the College is the accessibility of really interesting experiences — whether they be international experiences and all of the studying abroad.”

Mathieu recited five poems from her 2014 book “Orogeny,” their subjects ranging from breakups, the Hippocratic Oath, stray dogs and her experience working abroad in the Dominican Republic under a medical fellowship.

After, Mathieu introduced her new book, “Grand Hommage,” which was inspired by her paternal grandma, and recited four poems. Her closer, “Soil,” was dedicated to her partner whom she met at the College.

“I think my experiences have the interdisciplinary and intersectional connections, because understanding power dynamics is really critical to my work in medicine and public health,” Mathieu said. “And without a good understanding of gender, race, nationality, documentation and sexuality, you can’t really fully understand our neighbors and

our friends and patients. So, they’re all really interwoven through my work.”

After Mathieu’s 30-minute performance, Longo introduced 11 student performers whose brief pieces celebrated international, intersectional and interdisciplinary ideals — seven of which were performed in different languages. Lucy Greenman ’22 performed a song on guitar and taught the crowd the chorus so that they could sing along.

“I chose a song called ‘Peace,’ which was written by a friend of mine, because I didn’t have a particular international connection, and I thought this would relate to many countries and cultures,” Greenman said.

The event ended with a raffle, where Longo randomly selected names of the audience members to win a copy of Mathieu’s books. Longo then randomly choose two of the performers to win a dinner with Mathieu and herself.

“I wanted to add an extra dose of creativity to this year’s homecoming events,” Longo said.

sportsinside

The Flat Hat

FIELD HOCKEY

Tight spot against Leopards pays off

| Tuesday, October 22, 2019 | Page 9

MEN’S SOCCER

College narrowly outlasted by Pride, loses 3-1 at home

CAA record falls to 2-2-1 SETH HODGES THE FLAT HAT

JAMIE HOLT / THE FLAT HAT

Despite a slow start, the College made a comeback as the game wound down, with senior forward Cata Days tying things up at two with just three minutes on the clock.

Win streak extended to six games after overtime victory BELLA SMALL FLAT HAT STAFF WRITER Sunday, Oct. 20, William and Mary faced off against Lafayette at Rappolt Field in Easton, Pa. The Tribe (9-5) was on a dominant five-game winning streak coming off a 3-2 victory over Colonial Athletic Association rival Drexel two days prior. The run continued, as the Tribe defeated the Leopards (9-6) on their senior night in a 3-2 overtime victory.

In the first period, the Tribe came out playing aggressively against the Leopards.

In the first two minutes, Tribe junior defender Haley Hopkins had two shots on goal, though both were saved by the Leopards. After this quick start, both teams began to take their time picking up momentum. Each team had quite a few substitutions during the first ten minutes as they got into the groove of the game. At 12 minutes 36 seconds, Tribe senior midfielder Annie Snead drew the first corner of the game for the Tribe. On this scoring attempt, Hopkins’ shot went wide, and at the end of the period, the score remained 0-0.

Early in the second quarter, the Leopards got their first shot on goal of the game when Leopard defender Lisa van der Geest had a scoring attempt that was ultimately blocked. At 26 minutes 40 seconds, the Leopards were awarded their first penalty corner of the game, drawn by Leopard midfielder Mary

Gould. However, this corner did not result in a goal for the Leopards. After the corner, the Tribe slowly turned the tide in its favor. Again, Hopkins was a key player for the Tribe when she had two shots on goal, though both were saved by Leopard goalkeeper Sarah Park. As the quarter came to a close, both teams had failed to establish a lead, and heading into the half the score remained 0-0.

In the third period, the Leopards came out of the half with a new power.

Within two minutes, Leopard midfielder Anna Steps drew a penalty corner. On this corner, Leopard midfielder Audrey Sawers assisted van der Geest for her fifth goal of the season and the first goal of the game. Down by one, the Tribe needed a scoring opportunity to come back. At 36 minutes 33 seconds, Snead drew her second penalty corner of the game for the Tribe on which Hopkins again had a shot on goal that was again saved by Park.

Five minutes later, Snead drew another penalty corner on which Tribe senior forward Woodard Hooper’s original shot hit the post. Snead got the rebound and shot it again, though her shot went wide.

With multiple close calls on scoring opportunities for the Tribe, the Leopards took advantage of the Tribe’s weakened morale. At 44 minutes 11 seconds, Steps drew a penalty corner on which she scored her third goal of the season, assisted by van der Geest. The period ended with the Tribe trailing by two, and their chances of

a win grew slimmer as time ticked down.

Two minutes into the fourth quarter, Snead drew her fourth penalty corner of the game for the Tribe. On this corner, the College began the comeback it needed when senior midfielder Cassidy Goodwin was assisted by senior midfielder Christie van de Kamp to score her sixth goal of the season and the Tribe’s first goal of the game. Now 2-1, the Tribe came out stronger than ever. With five shots on goal in the eight minutes following the goal, the Tribe was desperate to score an equalizer before the game ended. Then, with three minutes left in the game, Tribe freshman midfielder Grace Cornbrooks assisted senior forward Cata Days for her first goal of the season. Regular time ended 2-2, and the Tribe and the Leopards went into a sudden death overtime.

In overtime, the College came out powerful, with Goodwin having a shot on goal just two minutes into the period. On this attempt, Goodwin shot past Park to score the game winner for the Tribe. The game ended with an overtime victory, the Leopards falling to the Tribe 3-2.

Ultimately, the College prevailed, despite the fact that the Leopards came into the game with a 6-1 record at home.

For its part, the Tribe is now on a sixgame winning streak.

Going into the next match, the Tribe will try to keep this win streak alive when it plays Louisville Oct. 24 at Busch Field in Williamsburg at 6 p.m.

William and Mary (4-7-2, 2-2-1 CAA) lost 3-1 to Hofstra (6-6-1, 3-2-1 CAA) Saturday night at Martin Family Stadium in a Colonial Athletic Association matchup. The loss extended the Tribe’s losing streak to three-straight.

The Pride got off to a strong start and went ahead in the 21st minute when Pride midfielder George O’Malley sent a cross across the face of the goal. His service was deflected into the goal by a diving header from midfielder Stefan Mason.

The College went into the halftime break a goal down. However, the beginning of the second half saw a momentum shift in favor of the Tribe. Thirteen minutes into the period, senior winger Julian Ngoh found an equalizer for the College.

Freshman midfielder Marcus Villeda fired a pass to fellow freshman midfielder Nathan Messer, who subsequently flicked the ball first-time into the path of Ngoh. He burst into the penalty box and finished a low shot into the bottom right side of the goal. The goal was Ngoh’s third of the season and moved him to second in goals scored for the Tribe thus far.

The Tribe’s offensive push did not end there — it produced several additional scoring opportunities over the following 10 minutes.

Freshman midfielder Alfredo Bozalongo’s free kick in the 60th minute forced a leaping save out of Pride goalkeeper Alex Ashton. The resulting corner kick saw another opportunity for the Tribe. Ngoh flicked a header to the near post that was also saved by Ashton.

In the 67th minute, freshman striker Diba Nwegbo won the ball in the Tribe’s attacking half and charged toward goal. He slipped a pass to Messer in the penalty area, but his shot attempt sailed mere inches over the crossbar, forfeiting the opportunity for a goal.

The College came to rue its missed opportunities when the Pride pulled ahead in the 80th minute. Pride midfielder Lennart Seufert saw his long-range effort ricochet off the post, but midfielder Jesse Schleeper pounced on the rebound and turned the ball in from short distance.

Just five minutes after the Pride had gone ahead, they sealed the win through midfielder Petter Soelberg’s goal.

Pride midfielder Storm Strongin’s cross was deflected right to the feet of Soelberg. He smashed the ball home to put the nail in the coffin for the Tribe.

After fighting to level the score and then having several more chances, a lapse in the last 10 minutes cost the College the game. Tribe head coach Chris Norris wasn’t pleased with his team’s effort particularly late in the game.

“I’m disappointed with our overall performance tonight,” Norris said. “I think this was a good opportunity for us to try to create some separation … and put one foot in the conference tournament possibly, and we didn’t have the kind of performance we wanted tonight.

Hofstra’s a difficult opponent ... they’re always going to make sure they’re putting balls in you defensive third, and we didn’t deal with that particularly well.”

The Tribe face another CAA foe Tuesday night, taking on Delaware at Martin Family Stadium in the final home matchup of the season. The contest should prove to be a bright spot for the Tribe, as the Blue Hens are in the middle of a three-game losing streak.

VOLLEYBALL

Tribe sinks lower in CAA as Elon takes match in four sets

Dedrick, Farrell lead scoring but otherwise timid, error-prone offense unable to follow suit

AVERY LACKNER FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR William and Mary (6-13, 2-6 CAA) once again found itself on the wrong side of a Colonial Athletic Association matchup, falling to Elon (11-11, 5-3 CAA) in just four sets on the road Sunday, Oct. 20.

The College showed promise in the first frame of the match, taking an early 8-6 lead over the Phoenix.

However, complacency soon led to two ties, at eight and 10 points, respectively. Despite a kill from junior opposite hitter Kate Dedrick, who tallied 16 total put-downs on the match, the Phoenix put together a four-point run that DEDRICK/FARRELL earned them a 16-14 lead. More ties ensued at 17 and 18 points, as the Tribe clawed its way AT TACK PCT : back, eventually taking a narrow 21-20 lead off the strength of Dedrick’s 200th kill of the season. Sophomore outside hitter Claire Farrell KILLS: then found the floor with her only kill of the set, which sealed a 25-23 win for the College.

The second set saw Farrell come alive, with ERRORS: a quick kill and two crucial blocks pushing the Tribe to a 4-3 lead right out of the gate. Several early lead changes made for a contentious second set, and the College’s unforced errors ultimately gave the Phoenix an 18-14 lead heading into the final points of the game. However, Farrell and Dedrick, who carried the offense throughout the afternoon, recorded a kill and an ace respectively that put the Tribe right back in it at 18-17. The rest of the team, however, failed to dig in, and the Phoenix took five of the final six points, coasting to a rather uncontested 25-21 victory.

“I’m disappointed with the loss considering we failed to capitalize on the momentum we generated after winning a close first set and didn’t respond well to how the match evolved,” head coach Tim Doyle said.

Doyle’s emphasis on the lack of well-distributed scoring was understandable, considering that Dedrick and Farrell continued to carry the team in the third and fourth frames. The Tribe hung around in both sets, swapping the lead with the Phoenix a few times, but its complete inability to string together more than three or four points hurt the chances of victory greatly, and the team ultimately lost the match after dropping the third set 25-22 and the fourth 25-14.

“We must adapt more quickly and stay in it mentally, which I think we got tripped up on today,” Doyle said.

“We couldn’t get enough contributions. … Our serve receive faltered, giving up some free points and helping TEAM their offense stay in system.”

Whether this outing simply represented an off day AT TACK PCT : for the team or was the result of its season-long descent from mediocrity into all-out complacency is unclear.

However, this defeat marks the first one of the season in KILLS: which the Tribe won the first game but lost the match.

Previously, the College enjoyed a 6-0 record in matches in which it won the first set. Additionally, the loss to the ERRORS: Phoenix is unique in that the Tribe found itself outhit by its opponent, an occurrence that is surprisingly rare so far this season. The Phoenix put down 59 kills, compared to 45 for the College, and the Phoenix also earned a .223 hitting percentage on the match, while the Tribe hit just .156.

The College will have some much-needed time for reflection this week as its only game, a road match at Hofstra, is set to occur Saturday, Oct. 26, followed by a faceoff against Northeastern Oct. 28 before returning home for a three-game stretch.

CARRYING THE TEAM .154

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sports

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

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, October 22, 2019 | Page 10

FOOTBALL

Dukes rule over Tribe

JAMIE HOLT / THE FLAT HAT

After leading over the Dukes in the first quarter with a field goal, interceptions and critical mistakes placed the Tribe quickly behind the Dukes. As a result, the Dukes and the Tribe played a punting game in the second quarter.

Offense crumbles against Dukes’ defense as interceptions, key tackles determine game MATTHEW KORTAN THE FLAT HAT William and Mary (2-5, 0-3 CAA) found itself in the midst of a brutally unforgiving stretch of games over the past three weeks. After nearly knocking off No. 5 Villanova at home Saturday, Oct. 5, the Tribe returned to action this Saturday, Oct. 19, with another round against a top five conference foe on hand: No. 2 James Madison (7-1, 4-0 CAA). The incendiary atmosphere that is characteristic of homecoming weekend and a defensive showing that limited the Dukes’ bruising rushing attack to a season low 126 yards were not enough for a Tribe victory. The Dukes prevailed with a score of 38-10.

Following the opening kickoff, the Dukes welcomed graduate transfer Kilton Anderson to his second consecutive start as quarterback with an unmerciful sack by Dukes defensive end John Daka on the game’s initial play. The takedown would prove indicative of the remainder of the first offensive series. The Tribe punted just three snaps after the sack. The Dukes took control near midfield.

Field position manifested itself as the downfall of the Tribe in this game. Dukes head coach Curt Cignetti put his team’s advantage in perspective after the final whistle.

“We had touchdown drives of 13 yards, 14 yards, 21 yards and 36 yards,” Cignetti said. “So, between the defense and the punt returns, the offense had some great field position.”

However, Cignetti did not remember his team’s first drive so fondly.

To halt a steady James Madison drive, senior defensive back Isaiah Laster snatched a dart from Dukes quarterback Ben DiNucci out of the sky and landed back in his own end zone with an interception.

The Tribe offense took advantage of the breath of new life from the turnover. Do-it-all freshman safety Bronson Yoder exploded through a gaping hole on a handoff for an electrifying 73-yard scamper. The run set up a field goal from Tribe sophomore kicker Jake Johnston to give the College an early three-point nod.

The Tribe defense maintained its tenacity into the next series and coerced the Dukes into a punt. After Anderson was yet again sacked on the next possession, the Tribe punted the ball away themselves.

Dukes punt return specialist D’Angelo Amos fielded the kick with a few flattening blockers leading the way. He tiptoed down the sideline, picking up 51 yards, but could not elude one final tackler at the 11-yard line. The Tribe’s early mount of momentum was erased three plays later when DiNucci rifled a pass to wide receiver Brandon Polk across the middle to put the Dukes on the board. The Tribe trailed 7-3 as the first quarter drew to a close.

The teams began the second quarter by trading punts. The Tribe got the ball back until a sequence of critical mistakes was set in motion. On the first play of the possession, Anderson misfired a pass into the waiting

hands of Dukes linebacker Wayne Davis, who promptly stepped out of bounds at the Tribe 14-yard line.

The Tribe defended its goal line like a brick wall, resulting in a James Madison 4th and goal from the three-yard line. Senior nose tackle Bill Murray appeared to make a tide-turning play when he sacked DiNucci for an 11-yard loss as the Zable Stadium grandstands erupted. However, the play was negated by an illegal substitution penalty. The Dukes replayed fourth down. Running back Percy Agyei-Obese refused to squander the new lease and bounced above his blockers to extend the lead to 14-3 Dukes as Tribe fans fell silent.

Upon regaining possession, the Tribe was powerless against the Dukes’ stranglehold. Anderson suffered two more sacks that would warrant yet another punt. The Dukes again set out from enemy territory, thanks again to their return ace Amos, who finished the game with 125 total punt return yards. DiNucci orchestrated a short march to the end zone, highlighted by an 18-yard dump-off to tailback Solomon Vanhorse to the one-yard line. On the next play, Agyei-Obese muscled through the line for his second touchdown of the tilt.

The dismal second quarter continued for the Tribe on the ensuing drive. The offense again failed to move the chains when freshman wide receiver Kane Everson lost eight yards on a 3rd and 6 pass from Anderson. Fourth down yielded another punt. The Dukes spent the second quarter pulling away, but the Tribe defense prevented them from putting a cherry on top, getting off the field after only five plays.

The Tribe offense was ineffective with less than a minute to operate and entered the locker room staring at a 21-3 deficit.

Once receiving the second half kickoff, the visitors ran two runs up the gut of the Tribe defense, which were swallowed for minimal gains. On third down, DiNucci dropped the ball into the flat to tight end Dylan Stapleton with room to run. Out of nowhere, sophomore safety Gage Herdman torpedoed the ball carrier with a resounding open field tackle to stop the Dukes short of a first down. The Tribe offense matched the defense’s sense of urgency coming from the break. Anderson tossed a pair of passes on the dime to junior wideout Zach Burdick for 15 and 27 yards, respectively.

Backed up to the red zone, the Dukes defense successfully bottled up a couple of direct-snap rushes by the lighting-like Yoder to tempt the Tribe field goal team out on fourth down. However, in an act of mesmerizing trickery, junior quarterback Ted Hefter, the holder on the field goal unit, grabbed the snap and floated a pass that seemed to dangle above the Dukes defense by a string before it dropped into the outreached arms of freshman linebacker Trey Zgombic for the Tribe’s lone touchdown of afternoon. The extra point was added with a kick

by Johnston and the scoreboard read 21-10. The Tribe looked revived.

On the Dukes’ following campaign, the College defense bent

without quite breaking. Tribe senior linebacker Nate Atkins applauded the efforts of his unit, despite finding themselves in less than favorable situations time and time again.

“As a defense we pride ourselves on being dependable and being able to pick up the offense if they struggle,” Atkins said. “Having so many guys that have been on this defense for a long time, we feel confident in our ability to go out there regardless of the situation.”

Facing 3rd and 11, Dinucci connected with Polk for 18 yards and a fresh set of downs. Agyei-Obese rushed for first downs on consecutive plays to advance the ball to the 15-yard line but was stifled for no gain on his third-straight carry. Then, DiNucci misfired while looking for Polk on both second and third down and the Dukes settled for a field goal. James Madison led 24-10.

An injured Anderson was replaced by Hefter at quarterback soon after his fake-field-goal heroics. However, he failed to lead a similar six-point surge while in command of the offense, lasting just three plays before punting. The Tribe suffered a roughing the passer penalty on first down of the next drive. The flag set up a flawless overthe-shoulder touchdown grab by Dukes receiver Kyndel Dean from 37 yards out. The Tribe got the ball back trailing 31-10 and the third quarter was history.

Hefter’s magic seemed to be all gone at the dawn of the final quarter. After guiding the offense across the Dukes’ side of the front, he was intercepted by the game’s other special teams standout Amos. The Dukes attempted to enlarge their lead to no avail; a 38yard field goal try missed wide right. With time winding down, Hefter and company were tasked with pulling off a miraculous comeback.

The Dukes deployed a two headed rushing attack of Agyei-Obese and Jawon Hamilton to run out the remaining minutes. In front of a backdrop of purple bleachers, the clock dwindled as the teams pinballed punts.

The Dukes ultimately delivered the knockout punch in the waning moments of the game. Hefter threw his second interception to Dukes safety Adam Smith. Just 20 yards away from a score, Hamilton carried the Dukes to the cusp of pay dirt one final time. Running back Latrele Palmer scored on a one-yard stampede. The game that started with a bang for the Tribe ended in a whimper.

Regardless of the palpable disappointment emanating from Saturday’s loss, Tribe head coach Mike London acknowledged a number of silver linings surrounding his program as it looks toward the future.

“This program will be at a level where we will compete at a high level, but it’s always tough at the building blocks in the beginning,” London said. “This team is not feeling sorry for itself … we will rise to the occasion of getting better as a team. … But it is disappointing to lose at home in your homecoming.”

The Tribe will hit the road next weekend for a date with Maine.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

College weathers Dragons’ firestorm, prevails for 2-1 victory in Philadelphia Despite falling behind in 11th minute, Tribe’s offensive efforts turn match around, break tie in overtime LEXIE HIESTAND THE FLAT HAT Saturday, Oct. 19, William and Mary (4-10-2, 2-4-1 CAA) met Drexel (5-7-4, 1-4-2 CAA) at Vidas Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Although it had trouble on the road earlier this season, the Tribe triumphed against the Dragons 2-1 in overtime to record its first away win of the year.

The Dragons opened scoring just 11 minutes into the first half. Dragons forward Melissa Lyon, on the first shot of the match, found the back of the net past Tribe senior goalkeeper Katelyn Briguglio. The Dragons’ aggressive play permeated the entire half. Not only did they lead the Tribe in goals, shots, corner kicks and saves, but they recorded eight fouls throughout the half to the Tribe’s three.

In the final five minutes of the half, the Tribe made a last-ditch effort to generate offense. Racing into Drexel’s half, the Tribe completed dangerous passes with their newfound possession. Junior forward Courtney Miles had a beautiful look, but her shot ultimately bounced high.

A minute later, Miles fouled the Dragons, pushing the Tribe back to its half of the field.

Briguglio faced two back-to-back shots from the Dragons but managed to finish the period

COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS

Entering the second half with renewed vigor, senior forward Sarah Segan and junior midfielder Colleen Norton took the game.

without further damage. She stayed calm and confident on the pitch, preventing the Dragons from another look at the back of the net.

The Tribe went into the second half with renewed vigor. It controlled play early, firing off five shots in the first 15 minutes of the period.

Redshirt senior forward Sarah Segan notched two threatening shots that went wide. That pressure eventually paid off when, in the 61st minute, Segan fired the ball into the top right netting after receiving a pass from Miles.

The Tribe kept the pressure on for the rest of the half, but the game eventually went into overtime. Miles continued to launch shots toward the goal, but the Tribe could not convert that dominant offense into a meaningful lead.

Dragon forward Megan Rees opened the shots for the overtime period with a rocket right to Briguglio.

The Tribe responded with a shot of its own, thanks to freshman midfielder Kayleigh Shackford.

Shackford’s shot gave the Tribe a push to use its momentum, dribbling past Dragon defenders and holding possession in the Dragon’s half.

Segan gave the ball to junior midfielder Colleen Norton, who shot and scored to end overtime. It was Segan’s first assist of the season and Norton’s third goal. The team rushed the field in celebration after ending its four-game loss streak.

Thursday, Oct. 24, the Tribe hopes to start a win streak at its next game against Charleston at Martin Family Stadium. The Cougars are only one game below the Tribe in the Colonial Athletic Association rankings.