The Flat Hat October 27 2020

Vol. 110, Iss. 9 | Tuesday, October 27, 2020

The Flat Hat The Weekly Student Newspaper

of The College of William and Mary

Flathatnews.com | Follow us:

D R A O B K L CHA COMMOTION Tribe for Life chalkboard drawings create controversy LULU DAWES // FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

M

onday night, Oct. 19, five members of Tribe for Life gathered at the chalkboard outside the Integrated Science Center to write antiabortion messages. Early the next morning, the group discovered their “Why I am Pro Life” statements had been erased and promptly posted a photo of the illegible board onto their Tribe for Life Instagram account. Only a few hours later, the post had garnered hundreds of comments and attracted the online attention of the College of William and Mary community, catapulting the chalkboard into the middle of the abortion rights debate.

Tribe for Life is a student-run organization at the College that advocates against abortion.

In the past, Tribe for Life has written similar messages on the chalkboard and around campus, though member of the group’s executive board Anne Whelan ’21 claims they have never received as much backlash as they did this week.

Much of this was due to the chalkboard’s original anti-abortion messages, which Tribe for Life had also posted on their Instagram account. Many students felt that these messages were harmful and that students had a right to erase them.

“We were disappointed to see that people chose to erase our work rather than to engage in constructive dialogue about the issue,” Whelan said in an email. “... I think that erasing our message could come down to intolerance of other views. The current political climate (by the way, we do not support any specific political candidate or party, and members of our group have a range of beliefs on other issues) is extremely polarized, and I think people get heated enough about certain issues that they want to completely delegitimize and erase the views of the other side. We believe that it is important to listen and critically evaluate views we do not agree with rather than shaming the people who hold them into silence.”

The original photo depicting the erased chalkboard on the Tribe for Life Instagram account held 414 likes and 775 comments as of Oct. 24. In comparison, a photo posted on Oct. 12 of members protesting in Washington D.C. in favor of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett has 83 likes and 26 comments.

Some of the messaging on the chalkboard included statements like “Destigmatize pregnancy”, “No v. Wade”, “The preborn are the most vulnerable” and “the right to choose should not involve hurting someone else #1860”.

Many of the top comments on the photo claim Tribe for Life was deleting previous, proabortion rights comments, and the commentators state this went against Tribe for Life’s caption

about wanting open dialogue on the subject. Tribe for Life maintained that they only deleted hateful comments but encouraged people to direct message them in order to have a conversation.

“Recently, when we’ve written something publicly about our beliefs or publicized our events, at least part of our message is vandalized,” Whelan said. “We will not try to track down whoever erased what we wrote on the board, but we are reporting social media comments to the school that target people in our group or threaten violence.”

Tribe for Life also claimed to have reserved the chalkboard from Oct. 19-26; However, many students have refuted this claim and stated that anyone is able to write or erase anything on the chalkboard at any time.

Julian Allison ’23 said he had never heard of a student reserving the board before, and asked Tribe for Life via Instagram direct message to provide him with the email of the person through which they had reserved the board. Tribe for Life responded the next day with Claudia Smith’s email address, who is the College’s chemistry department’s materials and fiscal manager.

“They were saying they reserved the chalkboard and that’s why it was bad that people erased their message,” Allison said. “... So, I emailed her, and she said that you can reserve it, but they only track that for big events to make sure they don’t conflict, and that anyone can use it at any time to do anything with it.”

Allison, who saw the pre-erased chalkboard on the Tribe for Life Instagram account, said he found the original chalkboard’s messages very hurtful and commented on the post in support of his friends who have had abortions.

“I thought some of them were very condescending, very like trying to tell people what to do,” Allison said. “Like the ‘women are better than abortions’ or ‘women don’t deserve abortions’ or whatever it was; that one was rude. The ‘no v. Wade’ one was very rude. There was one that was like ‘hashtag #1860’ and I was like, ‘that, you are going way too far.’ Like I thought a lot of the comments went way too far, past like decency. I don’t believe in pro-life at all, but there are ways to say it without being condescending and rude and making people ashamed about what they’ve done.”

W&M VOX, an on-campus organization affiliated with the state and national branches of See CHALKBOARD page 8

ATHLETICS

College reverses women’s sports cuts after Title IX inequity Interim Director Jeremy Martin announces continuation of Tribe women’s gymnastics, swim, volleyball as varsity programs LULU DAWES AND ZOE BEARDSLEY FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR AND FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR

Nearly two months after the College of William and Mary discontinued seven varsity sports, the College announced Oct. 19 that Tribe Athletics will reinstate womens’ gymnastics, women’s volleyball and women’s swimming. This announcement comes as a result of the potential class action lawsuit filed by Bailey & Glasser LLP, which stated that cutting these three women’s sports violated Title IX. This decision comes after Interim Athletic Director Jeremy Martin P.H.D. ’12, M.B.A. ’17 was appointed Oct. 6 after previous Athletic Director Samantha Huge resigned. Since his appointment, Martin and Tribe Athletics have been working with administration, alumni and student athletes to attempt to find a solution that solves the College’s athletics budget and Title IX problems. The reinstatement of the three women’s sports serves as at least a partial fix.

“So as we took a subsequent, in-depth review with the decisions that were made, we realized that we needed to take some action to make sure we hit the gender equity goals that we’ve established,” Martin said. “This regarded a moment in which we recognized that decisive action would advance our equity goals, so we took it and were able to provide greater clarity

INDEX News Insights Opinions Variety

Sports News

to some of the teams.”

In the initial letter announcing the discontinuation of the seven varsity sports, College President Katharine Rowe, College Provost Peggy Agouris and former Athletic Director Samantha Huge said gender equity was part of the reason the seven sports were cut in the first place. The letter said that these cuts assured Title IX compliance; however, some of the female athletes did not agree.

Members of the women’s varsity gymnastics, volleyball, and swimming teams decided to pursue a lawsuit against the College after the initial discontinuation. Attorney Arthur Bryant sent the first letter detailing the potential lawsuit to Rowe Sept. 23.

“Based on the information we had, we thought it was obvious that William and Mary was in violation of Title IX and that the elimination of these three women’s teams was going to make that even worse,” Bryant said. “But, William and Mary’s public announcement said these changes were going to bring it into compliance with Title IX. So, that made us wonder if there was information we did not understand. We wrote the letter both to make sure the University understood what we thought and had an opportunity to try to explain to us why we were wrong.”

Bryant explained that his firm found multiple striking problems with the College’s decision and ran an analysis that showed this decision did not put the College in compliance with

Inside Opinions 2 3-4 5-6 7 8

Title IX. The firm met several times with representatives from the College in order to explain their analysis that proved the College would violate federal law before they filed a lawsuit.

“So they’re publicly saying they’re in violation of a federal law and over the next five years they’re going to take some steps to get themselves less in violation of a federal law, which was just stunning,” Bryant said. “... And, to William and Mary’s great credit, when it took a hard look at things, it realized it was making a mistake, and it agreed to reinstate the three women’s teams … That is, they are going to be in compliance, they have committed, during the 2022-2023 academic year and future academic years. So that’s an extraordinary change that they deserve a lot of credit for.”

The threat of a potential lawsuit forced the College to reevaluate its Title IX compliance and rescind their decision regarding the three cut women’s teams.

“Gender equity was always the goal so the litigation risk prompted an additional, more thorough review as to what was far and fast enough,” Martin said. “That was behind the discovery that we needed to move further and faster, and that’s why we acted decisively to make sure we are pushing forward, pushing to build a foundation of equity for the department.”

Inside Variety

Separate spring break days raise health, safety concerns

Lucas Harsche ’23 says that the College’s spring 2021 calendar fails to address the potential for COVID-19 spread on campus. page 4

See WOMEN”S ATHLETICS page 8

Inside Sports

Penne for your Thoughts Matt Lowrie ‘22 showcases his four egg-stravagant strategies to avoid rushed breakfast scrambles, create delicious meals. page 5

Brady-Belichick split favors QB after move to Tampa Bay this season

When Tom Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Patriots fans didn’t know what side to choose. Now in Week 7 of the NFL season, it’s clear that talent follows Brady rather than Belichick. page 7

“

es

newsinsight “

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

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020 | Page 2

THE BUZZ

I do not expect trust to be given to me, but I hope that I will be given the opportunity to earn your trust. Our studentathletes are incredible people who have done everything expected of them to become a Division I athlete and represent William and Mary. It is energizing every day to get up and try to serve the people that are our student-athletes and coaches; they are some incredible folks and I’m grateful for the chance.”

— Interim Athletic Director Jeremy Martin

FLAT HAT POLITICAL BRIEF Final presidential debate lacks foreign policy discourse The final presidential debate took place last Thursday, Oct. 27 at Belmont University where the tone was much more civil and the issue stances were far more clear. With a chaotic first debate full of interruptions and the second debate being canceled due to President Donald Trump’s refusal to do the debate virtually after his COVID-19 diagnosis, this debate was an important opportunity for the candidates to make their final appeals to the voters.

Some of the key topics discussed during the debate were the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare, immigration, institutional racism and foreign policy. While all of these topics are of great interest to voters, foreign policy discussions failed to highlight candidates’ stances.

While the debate surrounding foreign policy was lacking in substance on topics such as the South China Sea, Trump’s trade war with China and foreign interference in our elections, the candidates did go head-to-head on the issue of North Korea. Former Vice President Joe Biden was criticized for doing little to prevent North Korea from building up its nuclear arsenal during the Obama presidency. Meanwhile, Trump was condemned for his sometimes tense, yet seemingly tight relationship with Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un as Biden criticized Trump’s appeasement of the dictator.

The general lack of in-depth foreign policy discourse during the debates, as well as on the campaign trail signifies a greater focus on domestic policy issues for both candidates and their bases. While Americans have been able to observe Trump’s foreign policymaking and priorities these past four years, it is still somewhat unclear how a Biden administration would manage international affairs. It will be interesting to see what issues the candidates focus on in the final days of the election because a clear foreign policy vision is still lacking from both campaigns.

BRIEF BY MAGGIE MANSON / FLAT HAT POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

A THOUSAND WORDS

KATE O’CONNELL / 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.

The Flat Hat ‘STABILITAS ET FIDES’ | ESTABLISHED OCT. 3, 1911

25 Campus Center, The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Va. 23185 Editor flathat.editor@gmail.com Managing flathat.managing@gmail.com Executive flathat.executive@gmail.com Magazine editor@flathatmagazine.com News fhnews@gmail.com Sports flathatsports@gmail.com Copy flathatcopy@gmail.com

Opinions fhopinions@gmail.com Variety flathat.variety@gmail.com Photos flathatphotos@gmail.com Online flathatonline@gmail.com Advertising flathatads@gmail.com Graphics flathat.art@gmail.com Blogs fhnews.blogs@gmail.com

Ethan Brown Editor-in-Chief Emma Ford Managing Editor Adithi Ramakrishnan Executive Editor Claire Hogan Digital Media Editor Leslie Davis Data Editor Gavin Aquin Hernández Magazine Editor-in-Chief Maddie Douglas Business Manager Amelia Sandhovel Business Manager

Anna Boustany Operations Coordinator Andrés Bencomo Magaña Webmaster

Charles Coleman News Editor Alyssa Slovin Opinions Editor Lulu Dawes News Editor Becca Klinger Social Media Editor Carmen Honker News Editor Lizzie Brown Copy Chief Gavin Aquin Hernández Variety Editor Cana Clark Copy Chief Matthew Kortan Variety Editor Zoe Connell Copy Chief Zoe Beardsley Sports Editor Lillian Parr Copy Chief Nathan Seidel Sports Editor Jamie Holt Photos Editor Chloe Folmar Opinons Editor Alexandra Byrne Chief Staff Writer Lucas Harsche Opinions Editor Averill Meininger Chief Staff Writer Angela Vasishta Graphics Editor Sarah Greenberg News Assoc. Editor Kim Lores News Assoc. Editor Philip Schueler News Assoc. Editor Georgia Thoms News Assoc. Editor Mary Trimble News Assoc. Editor Karina Vizzoni News Assoc. Editor

Ashanti Jones Variety Assoc. Editor Grace Olsen Variety Assoc. Editor Elaine Godwin Opinions Assoc. Editor Collin Anderson Sports Assoc. Editor Lexie Hiestand Sports Assoc. Editor Matt Lowrie Data Assoc. Editor

COURTESY PHOTO / SAMI SORID

Founding her own non-profit organization, Sami Sorid hosted her Move for Mental Health bike ride events in the summer of 2017 and summer of 2019.

Peddling for progress Student forms her own non-profit organization to increase mental health awareness KATE O’CONNELL // THE FLAT HAT Three years ago, Sami Sorid ’22 became the founder of the nonprofit Move for Mental Health, an organization dedicated to increasing awareness for those in need of mental health resources by raising money through physical activity. In addition to leading this mission, Sorid is president of Active Minds on the College of William and Mary’s campus, a member of Delta Gamma sorority and researches for the psychology department.

Based in New Jersey, Move for Mental Health kicked off in 2017 with their first bike ride event, inspired by Sorid’s love for cycling. Volunteers and members gathered to cycle, walk and raise awareness for mental health causes. There were various route options available to allow for cyclists of all skill levels to take part. In total, the event garnered over 250 participants.

Sorid realized her passion for cycling six years ago while participating in team charity rides for the American Cancer Society and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. However, she didn’t find an organization that connected her passions for cycling and mental health, so she decided to create her own.

“I really felt that there was a need for something for mental health,” Sorid said.

“Because I just had always also had a passion for mental health, and I wanted to kind of bring those two things together.”

To fill this gap, Sorid began creating the structure of Move for Mental Health with the help of her family. Since their first event, the nonprofit has hosted a second bike ride in summer 2019 and planned to host a third bike ride event this past summer but had to cancel due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re planning things like movie screenings, other awareness initiatives during the pandemic,” Sorid said. “We did a letter-writing campaign where we sent out stamps and letters, and people c o u l d write a letter to somebody that they thought could use one.”

A c t i v e M i n d s , another organization

with which Sorid is involved, is currently running a week-long t-shirt sale until Oct. 30. The proceeds will go to the Loveland Foundation, a non-profit organization that raises money to cover therapy and mental health service costs for Black women and girls.

“It’s a way to raise awareness and get that conversation started on campus,” Sorid said.

The primary mission statement of Move for Mental Health focuses on awareness.

Sorid emphasized the importance of this in discussing her own struggles with mental health.

“I was diagnosed with OCD when I was about three years old — Obsessive Compulsive Disorder — and it had impacted my life a ton when I was little, and it was super noticeable,” Sorid said.

“I was, you know, stopped from doing a lot of things, and as I grew up, my parents helped me find an amazing psychologist.”

The impact of professional help on her life could not be understated.

“I learned ways to cope and take care of

COURTESY PHOTO / SAMI SORID

myself,” Sorid said. “I once thought I wouldn’t even be able to maybe even attend college. Now, I’m able to go to William and Mary and be able to do the stuff that I would love to do.”

Sorid understands the barriers that many people face in seeking help and treatment. She wants to help others in need who may not be able to receive the same kind of help that she had.

“Some people go for so long either not knowing that they are struggling with a mental illness or knowing, but not being able to access healthcare or therapy or things like,” Sorid said. “And I realized that there was a need for awareness.

That’s, like, the first step, because of the stigma that’s unfortunately attached to mental health.”

By creating a dialogue in her community at home and on the College’s campus, Sorid hopes to break these stigmas, as well as the barriers that accompany them. Sorid’s work with Active Minds and Move for Mental Health has brought her a stronger sense of connection and community.

“I got to talk to so many people there,” Sorid said. “That was my favorite part, that they would come up to me and open up and say, ‘You know, I haven’t really said this to anybody, but I feel really comfortable because of, you know, the mission that the organization is doing.’”

Sorid hopes that Move for Mental Health will remain available as a resource for those in need and a vehicle to normalize the conversation about mental health.

She hopes that more people would join and get involved with Active Minds and Move for Mental Health in order to create a community of awareness and compassion.

Sorid spoke on the importance of people seeking help when struggling through a mental illness and the value that comes from talking about it.

“I would say that, definitely, like, an emphasis point is that it’s okay to reach out for help, especially during this time,” Sorid said. “Like, I’ve heard so many stories and, you know, experienced this myself with the, you know, just the general anxiety and stress that this time period has brought to a lot of students and a lot of people. And, I think it’s so important to just be aware of that and reach out to a friend. Reach out to the counseling center.

Reach out to Active Minds.”

opinions

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

The Flat Hat

| Tuesday, October 27, 2020 | Page 3

GUEST COLUMN

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: AN ALUMNI DONOR’S PERSPECTIVE ON THE PATH FORWARD

William and Mary should take a mulligan. Reinstate the four male athletic programs and put a plan in place to add two women’s sports: softball and rowing.

These decisions would solve many of William and Mary Athletics’ systemic problems by strengthening Title IX compliance, increasing the donor pool, and increasing competitive success. William and Mary must always keep the focus on individuals when making decisions. We are One Tribe for a reason. Our student athletes are more than that. They are scholar athletes. Increasing the number of the highest-quality scholars should be the top priority of the college. If a varsity sport is not offered, then the college cannot even compete for those scholars.

Much of the leadership and character building that makes student athletes so successful in life comes from the adversity unique to varsity athletics.

Adversity builds leaders. I see it every day as an Army officer. Club sports are simply not the same developmental experience.

Increasing the number of athletic opportunities is financially advantageous because varsity athletic alumni are shown to donate far more than their peers. The 2015 athletic report states that William and Mary’s athletic alumni were 50 percent more likely to donate and that their gifts were 45 percent larger; they are 12 percent of alumni, but contribute 29 percent of undergraduate gifts. It also points out that 96 percent of senior women executives in America were student athletes. The 2006 report states that the participation rate for athletic alumni was 50 percent, compared to only 23 percent for their peers. The 2018 report stated that in 2016-17, 33 percent of student athletes gave to athletics and the amount of giving increased by 23 percent over the decade.

Almost half of their donations are going to nonathletic causes. Eliminating 15 percent of all future giving opportunities seems shortsighted, particularly given that those teams represent less than 10 percent of annual expenses. This decision may have a chilling effect on giving. As someone who has established an endowed scholarship for a surviving sport, I am apprehensive about making additional contributions to it.

I have made a paradigm shift on my definition of competitive success. When I watched my niece and nephew play Division 1 Softball and Baseball, I saw winning as the only measure of success. The cancellation of my nephew’s baseball season last spring from COVID-19 has changed my view of what is competitive success. How can you win if there is no team to compete on? William and Mary Athletics is competitively successful if measured both quantitatively (number of athletes) and qualitatively (wins). William and Mary has always chosen to emphasize the quantitative approach because that is who we are. One Tribe.

In a conversation I had with athletic director John Randolph for the 1993 task force on student athletic fees, he lamented the fact that he could not fill the Hall for basketball. He was convinced it would solve all his funding issues. William and Mary has been throwing money at this problem since Kaplan Arena opened 50 years ago. It needs to be bold and change playbooks.

Do not use Title IX as the reason for eliminating 81 male athletes’ opportunities in 2021. The Women’s Sports Foundation reports that only five percent of colleges currently offer athletic opportunities that are proportionate to their student population. When I co-chaired the task force in 1992-93, I worked with this organization to understand Title IX. That report strongly recommended increasing women’s opportunities. This is a critical problem to solve after the pandemic is over. But do not use it as the reason to eliminate programs now. I am certain the women athletes do not want their male colleagues to lose their opportunities this way.

The long-term solution to Title IX issues is to increase the number of women’s sports. The average number of roster slots for women’s rowing is 47 and it is allocated 20 scholarships by the NCAA. Softball has 25 roster spots and 12 scholarships. Ensure proportionality in scholarship funds within two years and then resolve the overall proportionality issue on a defined time line.William and Mary uses the same old playbook to cut men’s Olympic sports while it protects football. Football currently has 30 percent (102) of all male roster spots. The proposed 2021-22 participation roster gives football 47 percent (95) of male roster spots. It has 24 percent of the assistant coaches in the department. Women currently hold 54 percent of non-football roster spots. In 2021-22, that will rise to 66 percent. Although I do not favor it, eliminating the football program would substantially solve the Title IX and financial problems.

The Title IX and financial problems must be solved together. President Kennedy said “a rising tide raises all boats.” Every athletic program needs to be on deck to succeed. Start by reinstating the four men’s programs to rebuild trust with donors. Tighten the operating belt across the board. Temporarily lower the number of assistant coaches or require some to coach an additional sport. Temporarily reduce the number of roster spots on all male sports.

Read more online at flathatnews.com.

Brad Davis ‘91, MAEd. ‘93 wm2uva1@gmail.com

Students should implore professors to cancel live classes on Election Day schedule, and also not fall behind in their courses.

SA’s letter was well received by both the provost and FLAT HAT GUEST WRITER College President Katherine Rowe. Agouris has passed along our letter to the Faculty Assembly and the deans of At our Sept. 1 meeting, the Student Assembly Senate passed both the undergraduate and graduate schools. Though the “No Class on Election Day Resolution” sponsored by Sen. many of the deans have been extremely receptive to the Patrick Salsburg ‘21 and myself, in which SA called for the objectives of our letter, the decision to either cancel or College of William and Mary to cancel all classes and move all make class asynchronous is largely being left in the hands assignments due on Election Day, Nov. 3, this year and in all of individual professors. future years.

Over the course of the next week, your professor may We did so with one primary objective in mind: that ask your class for their thoughts on the idea of making academics should never be a reason that any student or staff class asynchronous Tuesday, Nov. 3. If they do so, we in SA member is unable to exercise their right to vote. strongly encourage you to support this. Though you may However, as we all know, this semester is unlike any other have already voted, either by mail ballot or early in-person we’ve faced before. Though some argued that we should wait at the Williamsburg Registrar’s Office, this is not the case for to pass the resolution, as we are operating under a shortened many students. semester and cancelling a full day of class could add stress For some, due to course load and class delivery type, their to an already tight schedule, the unique semester we find other professors may have already decided not to deliver class ourselves in only strengthened our urgency to pass the asynchronously. For those students, that one class might resolution this year. mean their entire day is dedicated to work and could make the We are facing extraordinary circumstances such as the difference in whether or not they exercise their right to vote in need for young people to serve as poll workers in the midst what is arguably the most important election of our lifetime. of the COVID-19 pandemic, which disproportionately As we stated in our letter to the administration, the College, affects the elderly, who comprise much of with its unique history of educating the founders of the local poll working staff, as well as our country’s democracy who established undermined confidence in the the right to vote, has an unparalleled efficiency of the United States responsibility to uphold the importance Postal Service. It was in part of these practices. In recent decades, due to these circumstances students at the College have been at that we decided to pass the the forefront of the efforts to expand resolution immediately. voting rights to college students After a month with little throughout the state, and we to no development on the cannot stop now. part of the administration, We in SA are not content until our partners in SA’s 100 percent of students are voting Department of Academic in elections. Not holding classes Affairs drafted a letter to on Election Day will encourage College Provost Peggy Agouris more students to vote. We must, with an updated demand: the at a minimum, ensure that a busy asynchronous delivery of classes academic schedule is not an obstacle on Election Day this year, with the to voting. Even if these efforts help just encouragement of making Election Day one more student cast a vote next week, it a school holiday in future years.

GRAPHIC BY ANGELA VASISHTA / will have been worth it.

The asynchronous delivery option allows For that reason, we implore you as fellow THE FLAT HAT a solid middle ground for the primary objectives of students to speak up during class time or communicate with the resolution to be executed, without adding unnecessary your professor to ask that if at all possible, class is delivered stress to students and professors’ schedules. Now, professors asynchronously Tuesday, Nov. 3. can choose to assign work without a set class meeting time, Email Owen Williams at allowing students to get to the polls on Nov. 3 with a less busy orwilliams@email.wm.edu.

Owen Williams

INDEPENDENT GRAPHIC

Mask-wearing tends to fall along partisan lines in Williamsburg GRAPHIC BY ZOË SMITH / THE FLAT HAT

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

STAFF COLUMN

Zoom sorority recruitment alleviates social pressures of in-person Open House Day problem: there would be thirty to forty people talking at the same time. On Zoom, however, meeting individual members in breakout THE FLAT HAT rooms better simulated an atmosphere where I could really get to know someone and gauge whether I could see myself in their sorority.

When I told my friend that I rushed a sorority this fall, his first Despite the occasional glitch and “wait, can you hear me,” I overcame reaction was, “So, did you get hazed?” the awkwardness soon enough, and most of the chapters were It was a bad joke, and I didn’t get hazed, of course. prepared to guide the conversations smoothly.

At the College of William and Mary, the Fraternity and Sorority Life Another fact of Zoom that I’m sure most people can appreciate scene is relatively low-key and tame. Still, my friend’s comment was is the casualness. Feeling comfortable is the key to successful relevant to a fact of recruitment that looms over the heads of potential conversations during recruitment. Whereas new members: sorority recruitment can be confusing, typically, there is a “dress code” on the stressful and intimidating. Formal recruitment is a different recruitment days, it didn’t matter ritualized process that relies heavily on face-to-face what you were wearing on Zoom — interactions, as that is how potential new members especially when some of the members are supposed to find their “fit.” When the COVIDwere chatting with me on their beds.

19 pandemic forced everything to move online, One could argue that in-person surely, the experience would feel similar to recruitment is very much about online classes: tedious, glitchy, exhausting “pitching” yourself to be accepted and unexciting. Contrary to my hit-or-miss into a social group. relationship with Zoom learning, I emerged The awkward and unrefined from recruitment with a distinct sense of nature of a Zoom call made appreciation for Zoom recruitment — so me worry less, throw my much that I think the Panhellenic Council head back in laughter more should consider permanently moving some and treat each conversation parts of recruitment online. as just that — a chance to For starters, the introductory videos know someone. Although, during Open House Day were a fantastic way I must add that back-to-back for the chapters to show PNMs what they’re Zoom calls certainly took a toll all about. Chapter presidents usually deliver on my well-being by the end of the short speeches with anecdotes and mission week. That was a big downside. statements, which are sufficient on their Now that I’m in a sorority, I’ve own, but the “wow” factor is missing without admittedly returned to hating multimedia to spruce it up.

Zoom. By the same token, I wouldn’t have even been able to participate the more special events like in recruitment had it been in person, as I am a Sisterhood Day and Preference remote student. I cannot begin to describe the sheer Night still necessitate in-person GRAPHIC BY ANGELA difficulty of forming meaningful connections with interactions. Preference Night is VASISHTA / THE FLAT HAT peers via my computer screen. Recruitment alleviated my the time where senior members talk struggle as it gathered hundreds of women with a shared purpose — to about how much they love their chapter and, well, cry. It’s incredibly find community — who were eager to learn more about me. uncomfortable to watch someone cry on Zoom and not be able to Even if there aren’t remote students next year, the sheer time comfort them — almost like I’m barging in on a private ceremony. commitment may be prohibitive for non-traditional students. This year, To be sure, no video conferencing platform will replace a the process was spread out over a week, whereas it usually would be conversation in-person. But formal recruitment places a significant crammed into two weekends, leaving little leisure time. Weekends are burden on both PNMs and active members. It can feel like a for students to focus on personal goals or work a part-time job — not competition to stand out in the crowd. The members, meanwhile, throw themselves into successive conversations with strangers and try have to undergo recruitment preparation months beforehand. All to determine who they want as their “sisters” for their college years. of this stress is entirely unnecessary, and we have now tested and A member of my sorority told me that in typical times, in the first confirmed a viable alternative. few rounds, PNMs would stand in the lobby of a house and chat with Email Linda Li at someone for a few minutes before moving to someone else. The yli76@email.wm.edu.

Linda Li

STAFF COLUMN

Separate spring break days raise health, safety concerns everyone remains in Williamsburg during that time.

The point is that a spring break, in whatever form the College deems fit, is absolutely vital for the upcoming semester. No reasonable person going through this fall semester would suggest leaving out a break again, especially given how it was compounded with the ludicrous FLAT HAT OPINIONS EDITOR idea of requiring professors to teach the same amount of content in a The College of William and Mary compressed semester. And if both of has just released its calendar plan for the above plans would fail to prevent the spring semester with the largest the spread of COVID-19, then this announcement consisting of the new plan of six scattered days of decision to keep the semester at the spring break is what we’ve got to work same length, as well as provide six with ... but that’s not enough to curb nonconsecutive spring break days. my skepticism, and I’m sure that I’m Wait, what? not alone.

Yes, it is true that the College According to the College, no cannot send everyone home over classes will meet on these assigned spring break as they would in any spring break days which — with the “normal” semester. Already, we’re exception of two back-to-back days seeing COVID-19 cases rising once in April, which I’ll get back to — are again across the country, and the all approximately two to three weeks idea of sending students out to whoapart. Additionally, no assignments knows-where for a week only to are due on these days and no exams bring them right back is definitely a are scheduled. So, what’s to stop a recipe for disaster. At first, I thought professor from scheduling an exam of the idea of the College simply on the very next day? What’s to holding a week of no classes prevent an assignment on campus itself, but there from requiring is no surefire method submission at of ensuring that midnight the night before one of these spring break days?

Alright, alright, maybe such accusations are a little unfair to our professors. After all, they’ve witnessed firsthand the difficulties faced by students trying to learn in the brave new world of COVID19. Well, unless the administration is willing to extend the no-fly zone for deadlines by at least two days on either side of these spring break days, there really is nothing to GRAPHIC BY SOPHIE CASSIDY AND HEADHOT BY KAYLA guarantee that these days PAYNE / THE FLAT HAT for students “to simply

Lucas Harsche

unplug and rest” will not just turn into disguised “Procrastination Sundays” to which we are all accustomed. If there is even a possibility of professors holding exams and due dates for assignments the days before and following these breaks, then their entire purpose is compromised at the cost of chances for students to relieve themselves of building stress and anxiety. The stakes are high to accept anything less than certainty this time.

Let’s get back to those two backto-back days in April, April 6 and 7: a Tuesday and a Wednesday. These days almost immediately follow the weekend of Easter Sunday, a major holiday observed by many students on campus. With only a day of insurance in between Easter weekend and these two consecutive break days, does the College truly believe that some students will not simply suffer the absence on Monday to spend up to five days with their families at home during a major holiday? If the College truly wishes to prevent the possibility of extended student travel, then this is a major flaw in the plan that requires immediate attention.

I believe that the above corrections to the College’s current plans for spring break are crucial, and I encourage those who agree to forward these changes to however many people necessary until they are put in place. I have seen too many friends and colleagues suffer from a lack of any meaningful breaks this fall semester, and if six non-consecutive days are the safest way to ensure a break next spring, then so be it.

However, these days will amount to almost nothing if meaningful safeguards are not placed to prevent student anxiety and prevent neglect of the Healthy Together commitment from those who would risk the spread of COVID-19 to the College. If the College wishes to truly serve as an advocate for its students’ mental health, then these are the tools, and now is the time.

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

Page 4

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: RESPONSE FROM CHINESE STUDENT AND SCHOLARS ASSOCIATION ABOUT OPINION PIECE TITLED: “GENOCIDE DEMANDS ACTION, ATTENTION” I am very disappointed to see that The Flat Hat is now publishing racist conspiracy theories without an ounce of logic just to gain some kind of moral high ground by appealing to the mainstream political culture on our campus. Here I do not speak of your internal affairs, but of Sinophobia, which, since the start of this year, has risen to new heights. It is now politically correct to hate the Chinese government and anything the CPC does and anyone who defends them. Unfortunately I, like many Chinese students, gave up on pushing back against these sentiments months ago and chose to keep quiet, thinking that if we ignored it, it would not affect us, but now the threat is real and very directly harms our interests, our needs, and our collective reputation.

Sept. 8th, The Flat Hat published a manifesto from a guest columnist basically accusing Chinese students of assisting in genocide and calling for the administration to ban and remove the Chinese Students and Scholars Association because, according to the author, it is allegedly controlling rhetoric and harassing those who disagree with the CPC. No evidence was given for any of these accusations, nor was there any logical reasoning for why banning CSSA would solve human rights abuse. The method of argumentation was emotional screaming and broad appeals at ideology. Had the author written this article for a grade, I would hope that any professor with some sense of scholarly integrity would give him an “F.” What exactly is CSSA and what does it do?

CSSA is an organization whose only purpose is to serve the needs of Chinese international students. It is a bridge between students and the Chinese embassy, which communicates necessary consular information through CSSA, protects our rights in the US, and funds cultural activities. This year, CSSA was responsible for handing out medical supplies and protective gear from the embassy to not just Chinese students, but also any other citizens of China within the community. Saying that CSSA is dispensable would be like saying that foreign embassies are dispensable. Each university’s CSSA is entirely autonomous and run by students. The claim that CSSA is a foreign government plant is an extremely harmful conspiracy theory, just like Trump’s claim that all Chinese students are spies. Sorry to disappoint, but we are too busy agonizing over our health and safety and how to get a balanced meal to spy on you and harass those who don’t like our government.

By the way, dismissing people who point out that anti-Chinese propaganda is discriminatory by saying things like “I don’t hate Chinese people, I just hate the Chinese government” is extremely ignorant. It is hurtful too, because it essentially carries the message of also hating Chinese people who support their government (aka “brainwashed CPC trolls.”) Perhaps you don’t understand the relationship between the Chinese people and our government — we don’t applaud everything they do, but in general the majority are satisfied with their services and the progress of our nation’s development.

A lot of people even feel an emotional bond. Why are we here if we support our own government? (This is something that I have actually been asked before.) Well, disregarding how disgusting and ridiculous that question is, we actually happen to also respect and tolerate American political culture and values. Can you do that too? I’m simply asking that you respect our values and listen to our side of the story. It’s not hard. Humanitarianism is fine, but throwing around conspiracy theories and attacking Chinese students for dispelling rumors or having different opinions is not.

Chinese international students at William & Mary, or perhaps anywhere, are not known for being a particularly vocal group.

Perhaps you have met a few of us in your classes or in clubs, but as a group it is true that we are not fond of engaging the rest of the student body. That which concerns our common interests are discussed internally, and organized events are often only known within our circles. Know that your words, your groundless accusations, have infuriated all of us, and that you can be reported for libel, fabrication, and discriminatory rhetoric.

It is fortunate that the original article was not widely read or acknowledged, but similar rhetoric has been found on smaller platforms all year. As a public platform with some influence on campus, The Flat Hat has the responsibility to consider the consequences of what they publish, especially if it potentially breeds a hostile environment. I hope that my words will have some effect on the way people are thinking about and treating Chinese students and that our relationship can be ameliorated.

Artemis Fang artemisbunnymaster@hotmail.com

variety THE COLLEGE OF WILLIAM

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

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, October 27, 2020 | Page 5

CONFUSION CORNER

AND SCARY Students unveil College’s frightening ghost tales, unravel haunting historical anecdotes from campus lore on eve of Halloween It’s hard to believe that spooky season is already upon us. While traditional Halloween activities like Busch Gardens’ Howl-O-Scream and costume parties are not possible due to COVID-19, ghost stories are still an option. The College of William and Mary, according to campus lore, is home to many ghosts — some even consider the College one of the most haunted schools in the nation.

Of all of the College’s buildings, the Sir Christopher Wren Building is perhaps most consistently cited as haunted, which makes sense, given its age and history. Not only is the Wren Building the College’s oldest building, but it’s also the oldest surviving college building in the United States. Many have traced the building’s haunting all the way back to the American Revolution Revolutionary War when it was converted into a hospital for wounded French soldiers. Later, during the Civil War, it would again be

JR HERMAN // THE FLAT HAT

converted into a makeshift hospital. As is the case during times of war, many soldiers who came to the Wren Building for treatment never made it out, having died of painful wounds or infections. Some claim the ghosts of these men still roam the building, particularly at night — spooky figures, some in uniform, have been seen wandering the corridors. Those who report seeing these specteres say the ghostly figures vanish without a trace, before any identifying information can be gathered.

Others have heard mysterious footsteps when no one else is around. To add a second layer of spookiness, there may be another source of haunting — in the crypts below the chapel, where many notable Virginians, including Peyton Randolph and Lord Botetourt, were buried. Perhaps the spirits of these early colonists are no longer at rest, having been awakened by fraternity pledges who supposedly used the underground steam tunnels decades ago to access the crypts and stole bones as part of an initiation rite. Some theorize that the often-heard mysterious footsteps could be those of Christopher Wren himself, the architect of the building, walking around and admiring the restoration of his legacy.

COURTESY IMAGES / ZACH LUTZKY

Hunt Hall, now a freshman dorm, was once a hospital;, and like many buildings that were former hospitals, Hunt too has ghost lore associated with it. Some students claim they have seen the ghost of a female nurse in uniform wandering the halls at night, while others have seen an odd shadow in the room. Accounts of moving furniture as well as inexplicable creakings at night further add to the lore of Hunt’s haunting.

Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall is said to be home to the ghost of a former student of the College who was supposed to play the lead role in a theatre production but died tragically in a car accident before the play’s opening night. According to legend, an the understudy, practicing one night, claims to have seen a dress walking around without anyone wearing in it. Some students while practicing their lines, or playing the piano, have heard unidentifiable noises, and others report seeing the figure of a woman wearing a dress. Some have only heard her voice. Supposedly, late-night rehearsals have been canceled due to ghost fears.

Colonial Williamsburg also has its fair share of hauntings, most notably the Peyton Randolph House on Nicholson Street, which is considered by some to be one of the most haunted houses in America, due to the number of reported paranormal encounters as well as the house’s history of tragedy. The first of many deaths that occurred in the house was that of John Randolph, the original owner of the house, who is said to have died a painful death of stomach cancer after having been “treated” for months with painful bleedings and other archaicterrible eighteenth-century attempts at medical treatmentine. The next owner of the house was his son, Peyton Randolph, one of the most influential men in Virginia of his time, having served as the President of the First Continental Congress and the Speaker of the House of Burgesses. A smallpox epidemic claimed the lives of several residents in the mid-1700s. Some suspect these victims haunt the house.

The most famous campus ghost story may be St. George Tucker Hall’s third floor. Supposedly, a ghost will approach a student studying alone, but only if the student is pulling an all-nighter studying for an exam. The ghost is said to approach the student and kindly inquire how the studying is going. For those who complain about how terribly the studying is going, how much they have left to do and how they’re probably going to fail, the ghost is compassionate and tries to console the student, sometimes recommending the student quit studying for the night. Those who reply that the studying is going well and that they feel confident about their progress report being accosted by the ghost, who, in a jealous rage, moves their books and papers around, n effect forcing them to leave.

Students have also reported seeing ghostly figures, particularly the figures of children, running through the Sunken Garden at night. Others claim to have heard mysterious footsteps and the sound of drums. According to campus lore, the ghosts are those of young Native American boys who in the early 18th century attended the Indian School housed in the Brafferton Building. The boys, at night, supposedly would run around the land that is now the Sunken Garden, and even today, continue their play, especially on dark, foggy nights.

The Marquis de Lafayette, the famous French general during the American Revolution, visited the Peyton Randolph House in 1824. Lafayette claimed a cold hand gripped his shoulder in the dead of night; he also said he heard mysterious voices. Other visitors to the house who stayed the night corroborated his claims. Some suspect that the spirits of Union and Confederate soldiers injured during the Battle of Williamsburg who were treated and eventually died in the Randolph House when it was converted into a makeshift hospital in 1862 still roam the halls in permanent agony. In the late 1800s, a young boy is said to have died after falling out of one of the property’s trees, and a young girl also died after falling out of a second-story window of the house, leading some to suggest malevolent spirits are at work in the home.

Two men staying at the house also supposedly killed each other after an argument quickly escalated. Many visitors to the house claim to have heard moans, knocking sounds, giggling children and moving furniture, and supposedly, a security guard once even claimed to have been held down by a paranormal force. Others have claimed to see strange orbs. Given its violent, tragic past, it certainly seems to deserve its title as one of the most haunted buildings in America.

Some say the George Wythe House is haunted by George Wythe himself, after his vicious murder at the hands of his grandnephew. However, legend also claims there is a second haunting by a woman named Lady Ann Skipwith, who visited George Wythe with her husband. There are two possible theories regarding her death.

The more historically accepted, and less dramatic, story is that she died of a miscarriage, yet some claim she actually died by suicide after discovering her husband was having an affair with her younger sister. This theory is supported by the fact that her husband did, in fact, marry her younger sister less than a year after her death. Those who claim to have seen her ghost say that she wears the ball gown she supposedly wore when she discovered her husband’s affair, as well as one red shoe and lavender perfume.

Hopefully this can serve as a starting guide for those curious about possible haunted sites, but it is by no means an exhaustive list of the College’s and the City’s ghosts. The next time you see someone not wearing a mask and forgetting to social distance, it may not be an annoying tourist or a forgetful student — it could be one of Williamsburg’s renowned famous spirits making its way to the millinery shop to inquire about the latest mask trend. Happy Halloween!

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Page 6

MATT LOWRIE / THE FLAT HAT

PENNE FOR YOUR THOUGHTS:

F E eeling

A

ggstitential

nguish

Four eggstravagant strategies to avoid rushed breakfast scrambles, hatch delicious meals MATT LOWRIE // FLAT HAT DATA ASSOC. EDITOR

What came first, the chicken or the egg? I don’t care because we’re talking about cooking eggs and not chicken. The art of cooking delicious eggs is an intimate and accessible experience for anyone willing to spend the time to get it right.

Sure, you can go ahead and throw an egg in a hot pan with a little bit of shell and salt and call it fried. While you crunch through your rubbery egg and think, “Wow I’m so independent. Life will be easy, and I don’t need to learn anything else,” you see that a food porn account you follow on Instagram posted a photo of a runny yolk cascading over avocado toast and suddenly feel self-conscious about your single, sad, burnt mess. “Why doesn’t my egg look like that? I did everything right. I put the pan on the stove and the egg in the pan…so what’s the difference?” you think to yourself. So much is different.

Take my hand and let’s take a journey through Eggland together. The best wisdom I can impart upon you before our four-dish journey is this: be creative and be patient.

The Scrambled Boy Before you even think about scrambled eggs, I want you to recite this mantra out loud 10 times : low and slow. Scrambled eggs should not be done diner-style where they’re all dry and chewy. In their best form, scrambled eggs are fluffy, light, fatty, salty and maybe even cheesy.

First, get your eggs. I usually use two eggs for one person, but if you’re on a budget one large egg works fine. While you’re preparing the eggs, you should have a pan heating up on the stove.

Make sure the heat is set to low — remember, low and slow — and that you’ve put a touch of oil and a little slice of butter in the pan. The oil will keep the butter from burning and the butter gives the eggs flavor. Butter is your best friend, so treat him well and he’ll take you to Flavortown. Always crack your eggs into a bowl first, not the pan. This is to make sure there’s no shell and so that you can mix it all together. Add some salt, pepper or whatever herbs and spices you like. If you want to get creative, experiment with different spices or even different oils — basil oil adds a lovely flavor that you can pair with roasted tomatoes. Whatever you do, don’t put sugar in your eggs. Don’t do that. Don’t.

This is a savory dish, not a cake. Whip those bad boys up with a fork. You want the yolk and the whites homogenized as much as possible.

Once your pan is heated up — I recommend a non-stick pan (even the ones you buy on T V are pretty good) — pour the eggs in. Don’t touch them for a little bit until you notice the bottom is starting to get somewhat solid. Using a rubber spatula, make long strokes through the eggs for

long scrambled strands. Once they’re cooked to your liking — I like them somewhat soft — take them off the stove and put them directly into your mouth.

Fried Slap a bunch of oil or butter into that fancy non-stick pan you have and crank that heat up.

We’re frying an egg and there’s nothing you can do about it. Strap in. You want the pan hot so the oil gets hot, so your egg gets fried, so you can eat it, so you can get on with your day, so you can repeat this whole nightmare tomorrow and wonder why every day is blending into the last, and ultimately wonder if you should just go ahead and shave your entire body just to add a little spice to your life. Crack your egg into a bowl, but do not mix it up. You’re not some peasant making scrambled eggs — this is a masterclass in lipid-powered induction cooking. Slip that fowl’s ovum into the pan and listen to that glorious sizzle. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on top — or don’t, I don’t care. For a runny yolk and a fried bottom, I put a lid on the pan so the top of the egg cooks as well as the bottom. You can also flip the egg, but that involves more work. Gross.

Once it looks done it should be done. Take it out

of the pan using a spatula.

Soft boiled A soft-boiled egg is a poor man’s poached egg and a rushed man’s hard-boiled egg. Put a whole, uncracked egg into boiling water for 6 minutes.

Take it out and put it into an ice bath to stop the cooking. That’s it. Peel and eat like a shrimp.

Poached Boil some water, put some salt in there, and let’s get crackin’. Once the water is boiling, take a stirring utensil and stir the water into a whirlpool.

Crack your egg into the center of the vortex and watch it whiten up. After a few minutes take it out with a slotted spoon and put it on that avocado toast you saw earlier. If you can afford it, that is.

Ya know, the economy and stuff.

Now that you’ve mastered the ways of the egg, feel free to play around and find what you like.

Some sinners enjoy an overcooked fried egg with a hard yolk, though normal people do not. Your next step is to open a greasy spoon diner and name it something appetizing yet mildly upsetting. No puns. This is a business, not a Pinterest board.

Go make some eggs and get on with your day. It’s not that deep.

Egg assistance provided by Ethan Brown.

sports

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

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, October 27, 2020 | Page 7

JAMIE HOLT / THE FLAT HAT

College announces reinstatement of women’s varsity sports Women’s swimming, track and field, volleyball brought back following Title IX concerns

WOMEN’S ATHLETICS from page 1 However, many of the female athletes on the three teams that have been reinstated say that bringing back just the women’s teams is not enough.

The Women’s Track and Field team is taking more direct action by publishing an open letter Oct. 24 addressed to the College’s administration and Board of Visitors. The letter outlines their demand that all seven discontinued sports be reinstated and threatens action if this demand is not met.

“We will begin a campaign of passive resistance to the unfair practices and policies of the College’s administration, including the dishonest manner in which these decisions were arrived at,” the letter states. “As such, you can expect to see us front and center voicing our concerns about these issues; you can expect us to take our argument to our student body, to our faculty, and to our alumni; what you should not expect is for us to show up in uniform, representing this institution, until this matter is resolved.”

Women’s track athlete Liv Paxton ’21 described why the team committed to boycotting their season.

“We feel like it’s kind of a slap in the face to not bring back the men’s team, and for them to expect us to still compete and represent the school when they only brought back a few women’s sports,” Paxton said. “It made us feel like as female athletes we are just being seen as a number to be Title IX compliant, they don’t actually care about us because they’ve taken away our teammates and humiliated us on a national scale.”

Swimmer Rebecca Rodgers ’22 said that the women’s swimming team will be meeting later this week to discuss the

possibility of joining women’s track and field in boycotting their season. She also expressed her frustration with the College and Tribe Athletics.

“They did not reinstate our team, they reinstated half of it,” Rodgers said in an email. “It’s heartbreaking and frustrating to know that the school simply reinstated our teams not because they were in the wrong but because they wanted to fight a potential lawsuit. They do not care about us, they care about the image of this institution.”

As a result of the College’s decision, many female and male athletes have considered transferring and committing to other schools for their respective sports.

Class of 2023 President Conor Sokolowsky ’23 is one of the only student-athletes in SA. Sokolowksy was instrumental in creating the For the Bold Resolution in which SA demanded more transparency in decisions with input from students, donors, faculty and alumni, a live and recorded Q&A session, the seven sports team reinstated and the university to reevaluate the athletics department’s role and long-term goals.

Sokolowsky says that many of his female and male swimming teammates have begun opening the transfer portal to look at their options.

“It’s a family, and so our women’s team is super distraught,” Sokolowsky said. “I know some of them are still going to be transferring, or even just stopping the sport just because we don’t have the guys team as well. Even if the guys were to stay on campus it just isn’t worth it to them anymore. Because they might as well just be losing half of their team.”

While male and female athletes are working to have all seven teams reinstated, Bryant says this will not put the College into a further Title IX violation as the three-part test determining a school’s Title IX compliance does not look into male athletic participation rates at all.

“The school could get into compliance with part three of this threepart test and say ‘we now have a program that fully and effectively accommodates the interests and abilities of the women here,’” Bryant said. “And so we’re in compliance that way, it doesn’t matter what we do with men.”

Interim Athletic Director Jeremy Martin P.h.D. ’12, MBA ’17 is determined to continue the dialogue between the administration and student athletes but says that there is no simple solution to reinstating the men’s teams.

“We’re continuing conversations and are committed to fulfilling the process that we laid out in terms of discussing what pathways there could be,” Martin said. “What we know after yesterday’s announcement is that our equity goals are the most concrete. We do know that there’s no easy pathway and so we’re trying to be as right as we can in the process while still engaging in creative options when they emerge.”

Martin expressed his commitment to working for the College and its student athletes to find an answer to the problem.

“I do not expect trust to be given to me, but I hope that I will be given the opportunity to earn your trust,” Martin said. “Our student-athletes are incredible people who have done everything expected of them to become a Division I athlete and represent William and Mary. It is energizing every day to get up and try to serve the people that are our student-athletes and coaches; they are some incredible folks and I’m grateful for the chance.”

OUT OF BOUNDS

Brady-Belichick split favors QB after move to Tampa Bay this season Buccaneers (5-2) surging after addition of controversial WR Antonio Brown while Patriots fall to 2-4 JAKE FORBES THE FLAT HAT When Tom Brady announced he was taking his talents to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, all of New England was devastated. We told ourselves that it was for the better. Brady was past his prime and we needed a fresh start after an embarrassing loss in the AFC Divisional Round last season. However, not only had we lost our Hall of Fame starting quarterback of 20 years, but we were without a franchise QB. In the last several years, we also lost Jimmy Garropolo and Jacoby Brissett, who both went on to become starting QBs for other franchises.

All of a sudden, our QB1 was either Brian Hoyer or Jarrett Stidham- downgrade to say the least.

Brady’s move to Tampa Bay was the first of many dominoes to fall. The Patriots lost several key defensive players to free agency, including Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins and Nate Ebner.

Many key players also opted out this season because of COVID-19, including Marcus Cannon, Dont’a Hightower, Patrick Chung and Brandon Bolden.

However, morale turned around in New England when former league MVP Cam Newton announced he would be signing with the Patriots.

Though a polarizing figure, Newton’s signing breathed new life into Patriot Nation and the fan base became re-energized for the season.

Many questions still remained unanswered ahead of Week 1, including the skill level of the Patriots’ receiving core and Newton’s ability to run the ball. However, a dominant Week 1 victory over Miami put fans’ fear to rest.

Although Newton only threw for 155 yards, he made up for it with 75 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.

Meanwhile in New Orleans, Brady and the Buccaneers lost their first game of the season, making Patriots fans feel a lot better about

themselves.

But after Week 1 the script flipped. Though they beat the Raiders, a competitive team, the Patriots are 1-3 since their Week 2 defeat at Seattle. The Patriots have been limited in practices because of multiple COVID-19 concerns and have looked flat on both sides of the ball. Since returning from his positive COVID-19 case and subsequent isolation, Newton has thrown seven interceptions and no touchdowns.

The Buccaneers, on the other hand, have gone 5-1 in the last six weeks, with their only loss being a one-point defeat to the 5-1 Chicago Bears.

Since Week 2, Brady has been on a roll. He is averaging 278.5 passing yards, 2.66 touchdowns and just 0.33 interceptions per game. Several of Tampa Bay’s victories were against impressive teams, including Green Bay and Las Vegas the past two weeks.

Last season, Tampa Bay ranked third in offensive yards per game (397.9) and first in passing yards per game (302.8). Their success can be attributed to a talented receiving core and bold decision-making. However, their starting QB at the time Jameis Winston led the league with 30 interceptions (rookie Baker Mayfield threw the second-most interceptions with 21).

And so Brady walked into a Buccaneers locker room that had lots of talent on the offensive side of the ball. His receiving core includes Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, two of the premier receivers in the league. Despite suffering an injury towards the start of the season, Godwin is averaging 88 receiving yards and half a touchdown per game. Evans’ stats have been disappointing so far this season but his presence on the field opens things up for other receivers.

The Buccaneers’ run game has also improved

TALE OF TWO STAT LINES

LAST THREE GAMES

TOM BRADY

263 PASS YPG 8 TD 106 PASSER RTG

CAM NEWTON

139 PASS YPG 2 TD 40.7 RUSH YPG

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

GRAPHIC BY NATHAN SEIDEL / THE FLAT HAT

this season. Former Jaguars tailback Leonard Fournette joined the team this offseason and has helped Tampa Bay achieve 105 rushing yards per game.

Like Evans, Fournette’s stats have not been impressive thus farbut his addition, coupled with Brady’s play-calling, has given the Buccaneers much more versatility on the field.

Now seven weeks into the season, we have all been reminded of why Tom Brady is the greatest QB of all time. It is not just his athletic ability, but the enthusiasm that comes with it and the players that follow.

Tight end Rob Gronkowski made an unexpected early retirement following the 2018 season, but many experts expected him to rejoin the league, most likely with the Patriots several years later. However, once Brady

announced he was moving to Tampa Bay, it was inevitable for Gronkowski to join the team. Florida’s laid-back atmosphere suited Gronkowski’s adventurous lifestyle better than the strict Patriot model under head coach Bill Belichick.

Now, former Pittsburgh Steeler and New England Patriot wide receiver Antonio Brown has signed with Tampa Bay, and the Buccaneers are turning into a “super team.”

Similar to his time in New England, Brady’s talents have attracted the interest of other high-profile players.

Brady has made it clear. He is still in his prime and contending for another Lombardi trophy. Patriots fans need to understand that and acknowledge that his magnificent 20-year Patriots run is over.

Page 8

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

CAMPUS

Government professors discuss election dynamics

Faculty converse about upcoming presidential contest, predict policy ramifications

AVERILL MEININGER FLAT HAT CHIEF STAFF WRITER

of engagement from the public. Meanwhile, Israel-Trummel offered that early voting and mail in ballots bolster pandemic safety efforts by reducing crowding at the polls on election day.

“

Part of what we’re seeing here is a remarkably high level of interest in this campaign. The number of people who are indicating a likelihood of voting suggests that we’re going to see record turnout.

We’re already seeing it in early voting.

— John McGlennon

“

Tuesday, Oct. 20, in a virtual homecoming event titled ‘Untangling the Train Wreck,’ the College of William and Mary government department convened a panel of professors to discuss the dynamics of the upcoming presidential election. The webinarstyle event garnered the attention of over 300 attendees, consisting of alumni, faculty and students.

Panelists included government professors John McGlennon and Mackenzie Israel-Trummel and the Global Research Institute Co-Director Michael Tierney ’87. Scholar of American political behavior Jaime Settle moderated the dialogue.

Government department chair Sue Peterson welcomed alumni to the homecoming event and expressed her appreciation for their flexibility.

“Like so many other things in 2020, this is probably not the homecoming that you imagined, but we’re glad that you’re making us a part of your homecoming regardless,” Peterson said.

The 90-minute discussion took on a wide range of questions and analyses regarding movement within the electorate, international implications of the election and early voting.

Settle opened the floor by asking the panelists to explore the circumstances of the race.

“Think about a snapshot of the race on Oct. 20,” Settle said.

“This has been an election that has changed so rapidly, and there are so many things going on that I think it’s important to establish what the state of the race is at this moment.”

McGlennon responded first by commenting on the lack of change within the electorate in spite of continuous developments in the race and condition of the country moving through a pandemic.

“The thing that stands out to me most about this election, and as you’ve noted I’ve been around for a fair number of these, is that amidst of all this chaos, the electorate has been remarkably stable,” McGlennon said. “People’s minds are made up. They are in almost every case indicating that they have already made up their mind.

They are not likely to be swayed by any changes. Efforts to generate controversy seem to fall flat.”

A consistent and growing lead in polls for former Vice President Joe Biden and underwater presidential approval ratings led IsraelTrummel to comment on the interesting context of the race.

She remarked on President Donald Trump’s position as an incumbent during the COVID-19 pandemic, the administration’s response to a national emergency and the economic ramifications of the past 10 months.

“Since about April, we’ve had a majority of Americans who have not thought that the administration has handled the crisis appropriately, and that’s a really bad spot to be in for an incumbent candidate,” Israel-Trummel said.

As the panel turned to voting, McGlennon recognized the increased accessibility and opportunity for participation that comes with early voting that has coincided with impressive levels

“Part of what we’re seeing here is a remarkably high level of interest in this campaign,” McGlennon said. “The number of people who are indicating a likelihood of voting suggests that we’re going to see record turnout. We’re already seeing it in early voting.”

Subsequently, Tierney offered a foreign policy perspective on the race.

“Elections in the United States are rarely based on foreign policy, and not only is this election no exception, I think foreign policy is even less important in this election than in previous elections,” Tierney said. “Surveys suggest that foreign policy is even further down on people’s list of priorities this year.”

Tierney specified that scholars rarely believe individual leaders determine outcomes in the international arena. Instead, he pointed to shared norms, the balance of power and domestic institutions as indicators of foreign policy decisions.

Settle then asked the panel about their thoughts on election

interference by foreign actors and how the electorate will respond to either candidate winning. Tierney, with the use of survey data, explained that of China, Russia and Iran, scholars across the country see Russia as the largest threat, yet believe election meddling will have a minimal or ineffective impact on the election results.

Tierney also outlined what he believed to be the most concerning factor about the electorate. Following interference in the 2016 election, public confidence in the outcome of the presidential race will likely be at an all-time low. He disclosed his worry for what will happen if people do not believe election results.

“Here is where I think we are in uncharted territory,” Tierney said. “I don’t think we know what happens when large numbers of U.S. citizens don’t trust the outcome of the election. It’s a much more dire circumstance.”

Israel-Trummel spoke on the predictions forecasted by national and state polling leading up to the 2016 election. She emphasized that national polls were correct in their estimation of the national popular vote while state polls faced several issues in predicting who would win the state.

“One of the problems was late breaking undecideds,” IsraelTrummel said. “Historically, undecided voters have split pretty evenly between candidates at the last minute, and in 2016 they actually broke decisively for Trump. One of the second big problems with 2016 polls was under inclusion of people without a college degree. It turns out that white voters without a college degree were substantially more likely to vote for Donald Trump.”

She concluded that polls for the 2020 election will be more accurate because of fewer undecided voters but maintained that polls are just that; they serve to offer predictions which may prove wrong in states with closer races. Israel-Trummel also revealed that new research says as people become more certain about election outcomes, they become less likely to vote and this may actually affect those same predicted outcomes.

Further discussion continued as alumni submitted questions to Settle. Panelists shared what polls and election information they were following, and what a transition of power may look like if Biden takes office. They also considered how political events shape their own teaching at the College.

Finally, the panelists, as well as Settle, offered contrasting views of how the past four years may affect the future of the United States’ political culture. Settle explained that polarization has been mounting for years even without Trump’s presidency and will likely continue to grow, even if it is more muted with a Biden presidency.

Meanwhile, McGlennon chose to paint a more optimistic picture.

“Among young Republicans there is support for tolerance, for expansion of rights for underrepresented groups; there is support for climate action, and these may be consensus issues on which a President Biden may be able to move the country in a unified direction,” McGlennon said.

Tribe for Life chalkboard comments stir campus discourse Students describe anti-abortion messages as harmful following organization’s public advocacy campaign CHALKBOARD from page 1

Planned Parenthood, work to promote reproductive justice at the College. Willa Moffatt ’21 said in the past that students at the College have turned to the organization to speak out against triggering antiabortion messages.

Moffatt helped write a statement on behalf of W&M VOX condemning Tribe for Life’s statements and that the message spread misinformation and harm. W&M VOX’s statement was shared on their social media and was reposted and liked by over 200 students as of Oct. 25.

“There’s people on this campus who have had that experience, or have family or friends,” Moffatt said. “So to see something that, to me and I think to many others, who interpret that as ‘women are better than abortion,’ it’s saying that you’re not good enough or that you didn’t do the right thing, choosing for yourself to have an abortion. And that’s harmful, especially because people can be really, like, secure in their decision knowing it’s the right thing and still have a lot of like, kind of complicated emotions wrapped up in that. And so like, being constantly undercut, and being told, like ‘you were wrong,’ and ‘you’re bad,’ and all the things that go along with that, that can be tricky for people and sort of a roto at their sense of like, you know, ability to make their own choices.”

Much of the discourse surrounding the chalkboard also took place in the widely used Facebook group “Swampy Memes for Twampy Teens,” where multiple students shared memes regarding Tribe for Life.

Jordyn Hodge ’22 was first to post about the chalkboard into the Facebook group on Oct. 20. Her post — a screenshot of a satirical tweet comparing Tribe for Life’s reaction to forced Immigration and Customs Enforcement sterilization versus their reaction to their chalkboard being erased — received 665 reactions and 252 comments as of Oct. 25.

“The point of the post was that, besides just being insensitive, Tribe for life’s chalk message showed the lack of care the organization has for living people,” Hodge said in an email.

“They have made no statements on Black Lives Matter, no statements on children being separated from their families at the border and lost, no statement on the state of the US

foster care system, and, as stated in the twitter post, no statements on forced sterilization, the issue that, out of all of these, is the closest to their mission.”

Whelan describes this meme as “disingenuous” and “baseless,” and said that Tribe for Life condemns the practice of forced sterilization.

“Multiple members of our group spoke out, and we have members who spend a lot of time campaigning against forced sterilization practices in other countries,” Whelan said. “However, we have received genuine arguments from some people who seem to be interested in questioning and learning, as opposed to expressing hatred and anger.”

In response to Tribe for Life, Eliza Seigel ’23 brought together MATT LOWRIE / THE FLAT HAT members of the Botetourt Students talk with members of Tribe for Life who positioned themselves in front of the chalkboard they covered in anti-abortion rhetoric.

Squat — the College’s satirical newspaper — Oct. 22 to write pro- reportedly guarding their re-written messages. student regarding abortion. abortion rights messages onto the chalkboard.

Eventually, students who disagreed with the “Even if someone were to come here and write “I just texted in the Botetourt group chat messages sat with the group in front of the board terrible things, maybe racist things, sexist things, or because we had seen the day before a lot of and engaged in conversation with Tribe for Life. whatever, even if someone were to write that kinda pro-life messages from Tribe for Life pop up “I ended up sitting out there for like five hours thing on there, I certainly wouldn’t agree with it, on the chalkboard,” Seigel said. “... It’s a public or so and actually just like talking to them, to but if they had the chalkboard properly reserved, I chalkboard, if their opinions can be heard so can some members of Tribe for Life, with a bunch believe in the right to do that,” Zhang said. “I don’t ours. So, I just texted in the groupchat ‘hey I’m of other people,” Seigel said. “It was a very think being ‘triggering’ is a validation for erasure. gonna be there in 10 minutes, anybody wanna informative conversation…. It turns out there was a That’s just my position, my group, my organization come help me chalk up the whiteboard?’” miscommunication about the board. Tribe for Life we only have unity on the pro-life issue.”

However, the next morning, Tribe for Life had thought that by reserving the board that meant their On Twitter and Facebook, a video of Zhang, who erased the pro-abortion rights messages and messages were allowed to stay up for the whole was standing by the chalkboard and defending replaced them with anti-abortion statements. week, but actually reserving is just for scheduling his comparison of slavery in the United States “When I heard that they erased the stuff purposes … Once we got that out of the way, it was to abortion also drew a lot of attention from the the Botetourt Squat had written, and put their just a conversation about perspectives.” community, and Zhang was criticized online for own stuff up, my initial thought was ‘oh ugh I’m Harry Zhang ’23 was one of the Tribe for Life promoting a racist idea. gonna go through a lot of chalk this year,’” Seigel members who sat by the chalkboard and said he While Tribe for Life members were standing said. “Because I knew it was a public chalkboard wanted to engage in an open dialogue with other by the chalkboard, some students brought so people can write what they believe, but that students. Though Zhang said he experienced some cups of water to the board and began erasing means that I will as well.” hostile conversations with pro-abortion rights their messages.

Friday Oct. 23, members of Tribe for Life were students who accused him of bullying them on As of Saturday Oct. 24, all pro-abortion rights seen sitting by the chalkboard in the morning, Facebook, he said he would be willing to talk to any and anti-abortion statements have been erased.