SPORTS >> PAGE 8
VARIETY >> PAGE 5
Senior tight end Bo Revell reminds fans of the ever-present chance of injury.
Nude models as the College discuss baring all in front of their peers.
When the season ends early
In the nude
The Flat Hat
Vol. 104, Iss. 16 | Friday, October 31, 2014
The Twice-Weekly Student Newspaper
of The College of William and Mary
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Student Life
WCWM radio goes digital
(Not)
paying
CDs, records cataloged online Quentin Paleo THE FLAT HAT
our tour guides
would take it less seriously if it weren’t a job. I think it’s so sad they’re not paying them at William and Mary.” While Clegg is only expected to give one tour a week, many universities pay their tour guides to complete office work as well. Although tour guides at the College are not paid during the academic year, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions employs senior interviewers over the summer to perform this work, according to Interim Associate Provost and Dean of Admission Timothy Wolfe ‘95, MEd. ‘01. “There are a number of institutions where the role of a campus tour guide is a work study position or general student employment position … so often all you think of is the tour guides, but there are so many students that are helping in others ways like Tribe ambassadors. Beyond the tour guides, we have such a great group of students helping in so many different
With an estimated 400,000 CDs, 200,000 twelve-inch vinyl records and 10,000 seveninch vinyl records dating as far back as the early 1960s, WCWM, the College of William and Mary’s radio station, will begin cataloging and electronically storing its extensive collection with help from Earl Gregg Swem Library and a roughly $1,000 grant from the Media Council. WCWM’s goal is to make the radio station’s extensive collection more accessible to the student body. “We’ve had a catalog for [about] five years, but it’s extremely flawed,” Sarah Henry ’16, the station director for WCWM, said. “You just entered [information] onto an Excel spreadsheet, [but] you couldn’t access the Henry Excel spreadsheet, so [then] you were just entering [the records] into nothing. So when I became station manager in the spring, I was like, ‘This is something I really want to do because we have so much here and a lot of it people don’t know [about].’” With the help of Swem and Discogs, a website and database of information about audio recordings, the cataloging process has been streamlined and simplified. CDs are cataloged through QR codes and vinyl records are inputted by hand. Henry said the station plans to make the cataloged records available for the student body to listen to online. She also said the station is starting by cataloging their more valuable and vulnerable vinyl records that date as far back as the early 1960s. Many of these records were originally given to the station for temporary promotional use. “We’re starting off with [those records] because these are all promotional copies,” Henry said. “The promotional companies weren’t expecting us to keep them forever, which we did because they’re amazing, [but] a lot of that paper [they used to cover those records] is acidic.” The station’s cataloging efforts have been
See TOURS page 3
See Vinyl page 3
CAROL PENG / THE FLAT HAT
College finds volunteers whilst other schools pay
“
I honestly think the lack of pay keeps the integrity of the tour guide service alive.” — Ross Anderson ’16
KJ MORAN THE FLAT HAT
Walking backwards for over an hour with up to 50 people following closely behind, Ross Anderson ‘16 spends one day a week shouting over excitable groups of prospective applicants and their families in hopes of convincing them to apply to the College of William and Mary. And he does it all for free. “I give tours because I honestly do love William and Mary,” Anderson said. “As I tell people on my tours, I was definitely in the opposite side [when I came on the tour] — my whole family has come here, so I didn’t want to come, but it was my tour guide that changed everything for me.” Across the country, more and more universities are paying their student ambassadors and tour guides for their work. While the College and the University of Virginia do not pay their tour guides, other competitive schools across the country
do, including the University of California at Berkeley, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Bowdoin College. Many schools across the Commonwealth of Virginia, including public universities such as Virginia Commonwealth Arts, Christopher Newport University and Radford University, have also started to pay their student ambassadors. Critics, including Anderson, question whether this negatively affects the truthfulness of the tour. 600 miles away, at Saint Michael’s College in Vermont, Emily Clegg leads a tour every Wednesday at 10:30, but she receives $9.50 an hour for her work. “If it was a volunteer thing, I wouldn’t do it if I wasn’t going to do a good job. It is a job, and I want to give students the best tour possible,” Clegg said. “A lot of that is going to meetings and staying current on campus news so that I know all that’s going on on campus, but I don’t think I would go above and beyond like that because I
CRIME
Student Life
Vandalism in Tucker Adderall use throughout campus discussed Janitorial staff finds feces inside building AMELIA LUCAS THE FLAT HAT
A member of the janitorial staff of the College of William and Mary discovered Oct. 16 that someone vandalized the interior of St. George Tucker Hall with feces the previous night. The reason behind the actions is still unknown. William and Mary Police Captain Edgar Schardein said this criminal incident strays from the normal respectful attitude that most College students exhibit. “[In] the spring 2014 semester and this semester to date, we have had only this incident of vandalism to an academic building,” Schardein said in an email. “There have been nine vandalisms in residence halls, four to
Index News Insight News News Opinions Variety Variety Sports
vehicles, and one to a bench on the grounds.” This is, however, the third vandalism incident reported to William and Mary Police in four years that targeted Tucker Hall specifically. In October 2010 the exterior was vandalized with graffiti, and in September 2013 an exterior door was damaged. Schardein said that in his five years with the College, he could not recall another case of feces being used for vandalism. The incident occurred three days before Homecoming, but Schardein said the William and Mary Police will not know whether there is a connection between Homecoming and the vandalism until they are able
Today’s Weather 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
See TUCKER page 3
Ritalin, other prescription drug abuse affects over 10 percent of students at College
CAROLINE NUTTER THE FLAT HAT
The College of William and Mary, recently ranked the third smartest public school in the country according to Business Insider, is home to rigorous academics. In such an ambitious environment, some students may use “study drugs” like Adderall or Ritalin as common aids. Some students who want to concentrate for long periods of time abuse Adderall, a drug developed as a helpful tool in combating attention disorders. Adderall, an amphetamine, can increase alertness and energy, but abusers run the risk of becoming psychologically and physically addicted to it, according to WebMD. Adverse effects include dangerously high body temperature, increased risk of cardiovascular failure and seizures; longterm abuse can lead to anxiety, paranoia
three years. As an RA, he said he has never had to directly deal with a case of Adderall abuse. However, he said that this does not necessarily mean it is not an issue in the College’s community, since Adderall abuse can be harder to identify and regulate than See ADDERALL page 3
COURTESY PHOTO / JIM PECSOK
The College’s ambitious atmosphere pushes some to use Adderall or Ritalin in order to study.
Inside VARIETY
Inside Opinions
Stop wrongly denying women
Partly cloudy High 64, Low 47
and hostility, WebMD says. According to the Office of Health Promotion, Adderall and other prescription drug abuse affect a little over 10 percent of students at the College. While use is relatively uncommon, about one in ten students are affected. Brian Gelston ’15 has been an RA for
Though more women apply, the College attempts to have an equal gender student population. page 4
Off-campus R+R Spas in Williamsburg offer relaxation services and student discounts. page 6
newsinsight “
The Flat Hat | Friday, October 31, 2014 | Page 2
THE BUZZ
One of the great things about the reason why we don’t pay them is that they have a little bit more credibility with our visitors.
— Senior Assistant Dean of Admission Justine Okerson MEd ’10 on not paying tour guides
Now it’s easier than ever to stay upto-date on all on-campus news.
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News Editor Áine Cain News Editor Rohan Desai fhnews@gmail.com
THE DIGITAL DAY
Snapchats from Students
The Flat Hat
In this issue’s Snapchats from Students, College of William and Mary students are keeping themselves busy. Whether they’re pledging fealty to a certain ornithologist, spending quality time with a few geriatric caucasians, or questioning the motives of a particularly costumed tour group, students at the College are remaining occupied in the days leading up to the Day of the Dead. As ever, be sure to share your days with The Flat Hat by snapping The Flat Chat. Chosen student snaps will appear in upcoming issues. Check out all student snaps on Facebook.
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“Flat Hat Sports Talk”
A THOUSAND WORDS
Flat Hat study abroad blogger Matt Heffernan shares a series of short vignettes detailing his previous week in St Andrews. To read the full blog post, and all other Stories from Abroad, visit www.FlatHatNews.com. “If St Andrews upholds one thing, it’s tradition. These traditions range from the wearing of red academic gowns to walks along the pier, but most importantly, these traditions include something called ‘Raisin.’ Raisin is an annual event stemming from the tradition of Academic Parents, where third year students ‘adopt’ first years (or exchange students), similar to sororities’ and fraternities’ bigs and littles. Raisin itself is a weekend devoted to the welcoming of the Academic Children to St Andrews by their Academic Parents (each student has an Academic Mother and an Academic Father). Many people have become familiar with the events of Raisin by its most prolific and widely shared component, which is the shaving foam fight. Both the tradition of Raisin Weekend and the name derive from a much older time when the parents were both social and academic mentors for the bejants/bejantines (first-year students at St Andrews).”
Hosted by The Flat Hat Sports Desk Flat Hat Sports Editors Mick Sloan and Chris Weber host The Flat Hat’s newest podcast, “Flat Hat Sports Talk.” This weekly podcast will cover anything and everything related to the Tribe. This week, they debate whether Tribe football can come back to make the football championship subdivision playoffs. Check out The Flat Hat’s Facebook page and soundcloud.com/flat-hatonline to hear the first episode.
CAMPUS POLICE BEAT
Oct. 28
CAROL PENG / THE FLAT HAT
CORRECTIONS The Flat Hat wishes to correct any facts printed incorrectly. Corrections may be submitted by 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
1
Tuesday, Oct. 28 — A commercial business was robbed on Richmond Road.
2
Tuesday, Oct. 28 — An individual was arrested for fraud on Scotland Sreet.
3
Tuesday, Oct. 28 — An individual was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol on Jamestown Road.
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NEWS IN BRIEF Diplomacy Lab heads new projects
Massey named Botetourt winner
New ship joining ferry fleet
The Diplomacy Lab, a partnership between the College, the U.S. State Department, and the University of Virginia, will continue this year with several major projects. The projects, sponsored by the Institute for the Theory and Practice of International Relations, include the Project of International Peace and Security, AidData, Reform Incentives, and the Center for African Development. The purpose of the Diplomacy Lab, which was founded in 2013, is to provide students with policy experience and to expand research on international issues.
The College named E. Morgan Massey as this year’s recipient of the Lord Botetourt Award for his service to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. This award is given out by the College and honors non-alumni members of the community. Massey is the chairman of Evan Energy Company. He serves as founding director and president emeritus of the VIMS Foundation, where he has recruited marine scholars and supported research on the restoration of Chesapeake Bay. Through his leadership, 34 VIMS students received scholarships this year.
According to the WilliamsburgYorktown Daily, the Virginia Department of Transportation selected a company to design a new ferryboat for the JamestownScotland Ferry. The Ferry shuttles people from near the Jamestown Settlement in James City County to Scotland in Surry County. The new vessel is scheduled to begin operating in 2018, and will be able to accommodate 70 cars, thus reducing maintenance downtime and wait times for drivers. The boat will be replacing the “Virginia,” a 28-car vessel that has been operating since 1936.
Friday, October 31, 2014
The Flat Hat
Page 3
STUDENT ASSEMBLY
Council discusses misscommunication at Homecoming Lack of publicity by Alumni Association, Council leads to lack of participation at parade The College of William and Mary’s Undergraduate Council met Oct. 28 to review the effectiveness of Homecoming activities and to discuss upcoming class initiatives. In past years, the Undergraduate Council planned many aspects of Homecoming, but this year the Alumni Association took over the majority of preparations. Senior class president Joe Foster ’15 said there was miscommunication between the Alumni Association and the student body during Homecoming planning. As the main intermediary between the Alumni Association and the student body, Foster said
there should have been stronger options up for discussion. “Having only one person in the line of communication between the entire student body and the Alumni Association doesn’t seem like a great thing,” Foster said. Foster also said that many students did not know when the pep rally was happening, as it was m a i n l y Foster adve r tis e d to alumni. “If you’re having Homecoming, it’s not really for alum[ni]. It’s for current students also,” Foster said. Giorgio Caterini ’17, chairman of the Undergraduate Council,
pointed out an additional issue with Homecoming events, namely the lack of council members at the parade. Caterini had hoped members would attend the parade to allow students to meet their class representatives. “I wish there had been more people there,” Caterini said. “We need to make the Homecoming parade something students, especially freshmen, go to.” In addition to discussing Homecoming, the College’s four class councils shared ideas for upcoming events. Sophomore class president Phoebe Galt ’17 discussed three event proposals designed to give back to the College. Galt’s goals for the proposed events are to support the staff at
the College, offer philanthropic donations, and increase awareness about Road to Richmond, a program in which students visit the Capitol to ensure issues they care about are heard. To meet these goals, Galt said she hopes to increase student participation in existing events that support the staff. She also hopes to host an educational
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programming event clarifying what philanthropy is and to offer a program designed to teach students how to utilize Road to Richmond. Freshman class president Jose Acuna ’18 also shared several ideas, including Warm Wednesdays, an event with free hot cider, hot chocolate and cookies, and a “reverse” program
in which students serve food to the Sadler Center and Commons Dining Hall workers. Foster’s debriefing focused on helping seniors prepare for life after college through Career Readiness Night Nov. 19. The event, co-sponsored by the Career Center, will include information sessions about topics such as LinkedIn and networking.
I wish there had been more people there. We need to make the Homecoming parade something students, especially freshmen, go to. —Giorgio Caterini ’17 on Homecoming issues
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MEILAN SOLLY the flat hat
Tour guides unpaid Students, College specialists discuss Adderall use TOURS from page 1
employment position … so often all you think of is the tour guides, but there are so many students that are helping in others ways like Tribe ambassadors. Beyond the tour guides, we have such a great group of students helping in so many different ways.” Additionally, the admissions office strives to maintain honesty in their tours by not paying their guides. “One of the great things about the reason why we don’t pay them is that they have a little bit more credibility with our visitors — people really enjoy the fact that people are not only doing this out of the goodness of their hearts, but because they love William and Mary,” Senior Assistant Dean of Admission Justine Okerson M.Ed ’10 said. “That does ring true with them … people like that it’s not a canned spiel — you can go on the tour four, five, seven times and you’re going to get a completely different experience every time. I think that makes our program more unique and helps students identify the community we do have on campus.” Anderson added that no pay adds to the integrity of the job. “I honestly think the lack of pay keeps the integrity of the tour guide service alive … some people, if we were paid, would do it for a reason other than loving William and Mary. I think the lack of pay keeps people honest and means people really do have to love school to participate in the program,” Anderson said. Despite this, there are pitfalls to the job. When over 25,000 people visit the College each year, there can be up to 80 people on one tour during the busy seasons, which sometimes puts a strain on tour guides. Their only form of payment is being named “Tour Guide of the Week.” The reward for the honor is a free Cheese Shop sandwich , which is presented to one tour guide each week. “It does seem a little scant in my opinion,” Anderson said. “But ultimately, I feel like I do agree with the lack of pay because a commitment to the school has to be there. Our position is not about getting money, but getting people to love William and Mary the same way we do.”
ADDERALL from page 1
increased focus and for recreational use. “The Office of Health Promotion advises [Health Outreach Peer Educators],” Menefee said in an email. “HOPE has done several campaigns [about] prescription drug misuse. In one campaign, they placed empty prescription pill bottles around campus with facts about prescription drug misuse written on them.”
HOPE generally focuses on alcohol and tobacco abuse, but other programs — for example, seminars during first-year orientation — place more emphasis on problems related to the abuse of “study drugs.” The College provides resources besides HOPE for students experiencing difficulty with substances, including the Student Health Center, the Counseling Center and the Office
abuse of other substances. “Just because you don’t catch people doing something, [it] doesn’t mean there isn’t a problem,” Gelston said. “It’s not like alcohol or marijuana, where you can smell it in the hallway. It’s not like we can go through people’s prescription bottles in their room. It’s something that’s very easy to get away with, because there’s really no way to check for or control it.” Gelston also mentioned that abuse of Adderall sometimes does not produce the desired effect students hope for — “study drugs” heighten concentration, but not necessarily productivity. “Students will take Adderall thinking they’re going to focus hard on an essay, but instead [they] stay up all night cleaning their room,” he said. Tim Murphy ’18 said he has never personally experienced the problem of Adderall abuse during his time at the College, but said he sees the drug as desired mostly for academic reasons. “I would guess that around ten percent of people take Adderall,” he said. “But I think it would be more prevalent around midterms or finals, since it’s more for study purposes.” Health promotion specialist Sarah Menefee said that the College has taken steps GRAPHIC BY ELLEN WEXLER / THE FLAT HAT to reduce the abuse of prescription drugs for Students at the College often turn to prescription drugs to enhance study methods and habits.
Tucker Hall experiences another round of vandalism TUCKER from page 1
to identify and question the vandal. According to department of English chair Adam Potkay, the William and Mary Police possess video evidence of the incident taken from the monitor cameras in Tucker Hall to aid them in catching the culprit. The vandal’s motives are still a mystery, but because of his chosen technique, any humorous value was lost on students who frequent the building. “It’s mortifying,” Jordan Ingram ’16 said. “Since I’m getting ready to touch the doors, it’s gross.”
Ingram added that this is the second incident of vandalism that she can remember in her time at the College; the first took place in her residence hall. Vandalism is a crime punishable by Virginia law and College policy. “The crime reported in this incident is a Class 1 misdemeanor, which is punishable by up to twelve months in jail, a $2,500 fine, either or both,” Schardein said. Vandalism also violates Section III, Article B of the William and Mary Student Code of Conduct, which addresses damaging the College’s property. The Student Conduct Council issued 63
charges of damage to property during the 20122013 academic year. “Our code allows for the panel to sanction a student with a formal warning all the way up to permanent dismissal,” Student Conduct Council co-chair Ryan Polk ’15 said in an email. “This includes probation, probation with loss of privileges and suspensions.” Polk said the council considers aggravating factors, which could include the particular method of vandalism, when deciding on sanctions. Additionally, the panel can issue secondary sanctions, such as restitution or community service with the janitorial staff.
Radio station moves forward in large digital catalog process VINYL from page 1
greatly helped by the music librarian at Swem, Kathleen DeLaurenti, and Swem’s special collections, which have instructed the station on how to preserve its vinyl records. “[DeLaurenti] has
helped me decide what we needed to get and research what we needed. Some of her volunteer hours have been helping me [catalog],” Henry said. “So she has been a really big asset in helping me figure out what I need. [Also], I met with people from Swem in the spring
and [spoke with] special collections [about] how they preserve the[ir] vinyl collection. They use the Library of Congress guidelines, so that’s what we’re going to use.” Henry said she expects the project to take the station an estimated two years to complete.
ALL PHOTOS BY ROHAN DESAI / THE FLAT HAT
The College’s radio station, WCWM, plans to digitize its more than 400,000 CDs, 200,000 twelve-inch vinyl records and 10,000 seven-inch vinyl records.
Page 4
Friday, October 31, 2014
The Flat Hat
Student Assembly
Senators pass GetOutTheVote Act, review budget SA allocates money to print election flyers, brochures; introduces Interfaith Speaker Act of 2014 MADELINE BIELSKI FLAT HAT ASSOC. NEWS EDITOR
In their shortest meeting of the semester thus far, senators passed the GOTV (GetOutTheVote) Act, sponsored by Sen. Emily Thomas ’17. The bill allocates $168 to print 2,800 election flyers and $24 to print 200 brochures containing non-partisan information about the candidates. The bill requests less funding this year than it has in years past. The bill also received positive unanimous recommendations from the Senate’s Public Affairs, Finance and Policy committees. Lorenzen The bill estimates that 400 new students at the College of William and Mary registered to vote. President of the Class of 2017 Phoebe Galt raised concerns that mixed messages would be sent to
Started at $169,879.19 Ended September with $150,079.19 Ended October with $111,029.19
the student body if the SA did not collaborate with other student organizations’ voter registration efforts. Thomas explained that the SA does coordinate with Virginia 21, a non-partisan organization that works to support and educate young voters. Secretary of Public Affairs Scott Caravello ’15 explained, however, that the SA does not partner with organizations like College Republicans or Young Democrats because they are partisan groups. “Virginia 21 is a big one that we are partnering with,” Caravello said. “There have been some other organizations that we have spoken to, but we have made the decision not to partner with them. We feel that [not partnering with those organizations] is actually avoiding mixed messages.” Sen. Yohance Whitaker ’16 voiced his support for the GOTV efforts. “I feel it’s really important that we encourage students to vote, especially since SA is first a student advocacy group. So we want [to] make sure
Student Assembly Financial Update
Ended September with $28,395 Ended October with $21,464 Activities and Events Fund
MSA came to me because they were working on putting together a speaker event,” SA Vice President Kendall Lorenzen ’15 said. “The speaker kind of specializes on interfaith topics, and [the MSA is] hoping to bring him here and … co-sponsor it with the Student Assembly.” Ackerman assigned the Interfaith Speaker Act of 2014 to the student life, finance, outreach and public affairs committees. The senate approved the nomination of Graham Connors ’18 to the position of undersecretary for voter registration. Connors highlighted his previous experience with voter registration, as well as a six-month internship he completed at the US Senate while in high school. Thomas voiced her support for Connors. “There’s no reason I feel not to approve Graham,” Thomas said. “As Scott kind of touched on, this is a time-sensitive role. We have elections coming up in the next week … We’ve already started GetOutTheVote efforts, and Graham’s already done a great job stepping into the Public Affairs Department. He’s already a great fit.” The Senate received budget updates from secretary of finance Thomas Obermeier ’15. The beginning balance of the budget was $169,879.19 and is currently $123,029.19. In total, 27.5 percent of the budget has been spent.
Graph by MEREDITH RAMEY / THE FLAT HAT
Started at $30,000
Student Assembly Reserve
… student voices are heard at the College, but also at our state and federal elections,” Whitaker said. The GOTV 2014 Act passed unanimously. Whitaker introduced the Debt Limit Crisis of 2014 Act under new business. The bill postpones the deadline for the budget to be presented to the president of the SA. The deadline is being pushed back because the College’s winter break is longer this year than in years past. The Code dictates that the Executive Appropriations Committee presents the budget to the president by Feb. 1. However, that deadline does not give the EAC enough time to meet with all the different organizations that apply for funding between the end of winter break and Feb. 1. The Debt Limit Crisis of 2014 Act will edit the Code to extend the deadline. Chairman of the Senate Daniel Ackerman ’16 assigned the bill to the finance and policy committees. The Interfaith Speaker Act of 2014 was also introduced at Tuesday’s Senate meeting. The bill funds a speaker coming to campus to address interfaith topics. The event is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 17. The College’s Muslim Student Association approached the SA with the idea for the event. “The president of MSA … and the members of
Started at $24,137 Has remained at $9,992.89 Ended October with $11,329
Conference Fund
Competition Fund
MEREDITH RAMEY / THE FLAT HAT
The College of William and Mary’s Student Assembly met Tuesday to discuss the GOTV Act, as well as the SA’s involvement with Virginia 21. They also reviewed the budget’s balance.
opinions
Opinions Editor Daria Grastara fhopinions@gmail.com // @theflathat
The Flat Hat | Friday, October 31, 2014 | Page 5
EDITORIAL CARTOON
STAFF EDITORIAL
Council critiques
I
BY BRIAN KAO, FLAT HAT GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Admissions: End the gender divide begin their careers. While we are moving toward a more equal workplace for men and women in the U.S., millennial women beginning their careers recognize that they will most likely receive lower salaries and will find it harder to serve in top executive positions as their careers progress, according to a December 2013 study by Pew Research. If it is understood that a gender divide exists in the workplace, why is the College perpetuating gender inequality through its acceptance process? What does it say to women looking toward FLAT HAT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF their college years — and only four years away from entering their careers — that gender discrimination hits them before they sign Women are admitted at a rate 12 points lower than men under their first contract, let alone send in their intention to attend a the College of William and Mary’s current acceptance policies. In university? 2013, women constituted 63.7 percent of applicants, but only 28.8 In comparison, Harvard, Princeton, Johns Hopkins and Duke percent were accepted. In comparison, 40.8 percent of 5,150 male admit men and women at equal rates, according to a Washington applicants were accepted — or 36.7 percent of the applicant pool. Post study. These are notable institutions and, while their higher With the future class of 2019 working on their application essays place on the biblical US News and World Report rankings cannot and taking the SATs one last time, the College should take a critical be directly attributed to accepting both genders at equal rates, look at these acceptance trends and consider what they are saying there is nothing to say that there is no correlation. to female high school and college students. With these comparisons in mind, would it really hurt the Yes, men and women are reviewed by more than their genders College to match Harvard and Duke’s admissions policies and — they have leadership positions, SAT scores, GPAs and entrance accept women at the same rate as men? Yes, pushing closer essays that need to be analyzed, measured and ranked. But if to the dreaded 60/40 gender divide is a dangerous thing, but women are being denied entrance into women make up 57 percent of college the College solely because of their gender The College is reinforcing the students in the U.S. Why deny qualified — a gender that, while moving steadily women the privilege of attending school gender divide and denying toward equality, is still a historically in Williamsburg solely because of their women deserved seats in a marginalized group — it raises more than gender? If more women want to attend the classroom at the College. a little concern. College — as numbers indicate — and they Some argue that women are moving are more qualified to do so than some of ahead in their careers and are reaching for equality in the their male applicants, why deny them? Admitting men and women workplace, whether that has to do with pay, positions or parenting. at equal rates may even result in raising the College’s rankings. There are books (such as “Lean In” by Sheryl Sandberg) and In continuing its current admissions policies, the College is university and company programs dedicated to helping women reinforcing the gender divide and denying women deserved maximize their potential and reach the same levels of success seats in a classroom at the College and, in doing so, harming their as men. The College has similar programs, especially within the career potential. Wrongly denied women lose the alumni network, Cohen Career Center, including the upcoming Jeffries Women on resources, educational opportunities and campus community that Wall Street event and last year’s discussion of the arguments in they deserve. The College is falling into the sway of national trends “Lean In” by Deloitte-employed alumni. In addition, while female rather than taking a stand and saying ‘to hell’ to those who fear a salaries continue to fall short of male salaries across the board, female-dominated community. they are improving. Pew Research found that young women make In the end, if attracting the best and the brightest is the College’s 93 percent of what young men make — compared to the overall goal, accepting the best and brightest should be as well — 16 point divide between male and female salaries across the U.S. regardless of gender. Young women are working to narrow the gender pay gap as they Email Meredith Ramey at maramey@email.wm.edu.
Meredith Ramey
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n light of Homecoming activities, it is clear that the College of William and Mary’s Undergraduate Council did not accomplish its job of acting as an informative liaison for the student body. Although Homecoming was an overall success, turnout for events such as the pep rally and the parade were hurt by the Council’s lack of communication and involvement. Homecoming is the third-largest event that the Undergraduate Council works on during the school year; it is only slightly smaller than the senior class gift initiative and organizing the King and Queen’s Ball. The Council collaborates with the Alumni Association for Homecoming, but this year the Alumni Association took on the majority of planning for the sprawl of events. Although the Alumni Association geared most of its efforts toward alumni turnout, this isn’t an excuse for the lack of communication to the students about the time and place of Homecoming events. Senior Class President Joe Foster ’15 may be the only direct line between the Alumni Association and the student body, but she is not solely responsible for conveying every piece of information to the entire undergraduate student body. The members of the Undergraduate Council are elected for that purpose and this time they failed to step up. It is concerning that a job that could have been accomplished with a simple email from each class representative became such a communication failure. We have yet to see any serious issues arise from the Undergraduate Council’s actions, or lack thereof. However, this small problem, which could have easily been mitigated, is an indicator of potential future problems, including more serious issues which simply have not been brought to the student body’s attention. If the Undergraduate Council could not manage to do something as simple as communicating when and where certain Homecoming activities were taking place, it is not hard to imagine that problems will arise when it is dealing with more complicated responsibilities. Also concerning is the Undergraduate Council’s lack of involvement with Homecoming in the first place — a probable source of this communication failure. Undergraduate Council chairman Giorgio Caterini ’17 expressed disappointment with the lack of Council members who came to the parade. As members elected to a council that specifically plans this event, their lack of involvement is unacceptable they can, at the very least, play nice for two hours and attend the event they’ve planned. By not going to the parade, Council members not only showed disinterest in an event for which they seek to promote turnout, but also became inaccessible to the student body for informational purposes. Going forward, these problems can be easily fixed. The Undergraduate Council needs to increase its efforts in distributing information to the student body. As an elected body, the Council should be expected to fill the gap between all types of communications with students, whether that is between the Alumni Association, the administration or any other involved group. This can be as simple as sending out informative emails. Moreover, it should be held accountable for not doing so, as in the case of Homecoming. The Council cannot just step backward and allow the Alumni Association to take off running with Homecoming preparations and not attempt to follow suit. Both organizations should be working together so alumni and students alike receive the same information about events. The Council also needs to lead by example and have its members show interest and involvement in the events it plans. Otherwise, it has no reason to expect good turnout from the general student body. It has been proposed before that the Undergraduate Council be disbanded due to its members’ lack of direction and its lack of efficiency, and this Homecoming attests to such suggestions. If the Council is to maintain any sort of recognition, it needs to correct these issues. The staff editorial represents the opinion of The Flat Hat. The editorial board, which is elected by The Flat Hat’s section editors and executive staff, consists of Abby Boyle, Matt Camarda, Zachary Frank, Meredith Ramey and Ellen Wexler. The Flat Hat welcomes submissions to the Opinions section. Limit letters to 250 words and columns to 650 words. Letters, columns, graphics and cartoons reflect the view of the author only. Email submissions to fhopinions@gmail.com.
The bipartisan perspective on Virginia’s 2014 Senate race
Sumner Higginbotham FLAT HAT OPINIONS COLUMNIST
Virginia should be proud to host a Senate race between two serious candidates — Democratic incumbent Mark Warner and Republican Ed Gillespie — both of whom are willing to go across the aisle to solve issues. But this fact makes the political season’s array of misleading ads even more of a travesty. The Warner campaign has made an effort to write Gillespie off as a run-of-the-mill partisan. Consider this line from an ad: “[Gillespie] specialized with dirty tricks as a partisan operative.” Rather than alluding to former KGB service, this comment referred to Gillespie’s lobbyist firm having Enron as a client. Lobbyists certainly aren’t the most popular people in the public eye, but lobbyist for Enron is an exceptionally unappealing profession to hold prior to running for office. The connection, however, is overblown. “The Washington Post” noted in an Oct. 22 article that Enron fooled an entire industry of finance experts, as well as the majority of people working in Enron. With no evidence against
Gillespie and his indirect connection, it’s hard to believe that he had any knowledge of the accounting fraud. Most people working for Enron were clueless. Of course, Enron isn’t the former client you want listed on your resume, but Gillespie was more like an outsourced janitor on the Death Star than Emperor Palpatine. Another ad ties Gillespie to Ivory Coast dictator Laurant Gbago, as his lobbying firm worked on behalf of the Ivory Coast. Although Gillespie was a joint owner of the lobbyist company, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, he was not in charge of the deal, nor did he participate in it. There isn’t even a signature linking Gillespie to the deal with the Ivory Coast dictator. Yet the Warner campaign stated, “The facts of the ad are accurate.” Not really. The dirt thrown by the Gillespie campaign has an issue or two as well. With the Virginia Senate at a 20-20 split, Democratic State Senator Phillip Puckett decided to resign so that his daughter could become a juvenile court judge. Virginia law bans judges from having familial relations with sitting senators. Warner and Governor McAuliffe spoke to Puckett privately, trying to convince him to return to state office. Later in the conversation, Warner and Puckett talked about potential career paths for Puckett’s daughter. Warner made suggestions but no explicit job offers. While I don’t like senators talking to state senators about how the latter really should stay in office — and then in the same conversation
mentioning job possibilities for family members — we have to presume innocence. Gillespie, sensing the public wasn’t thrilled at the news, launched an ad that involved the word “bribe.” Except bribery never really happened. On the bipartisan, non-advertising front, Gillespie and Warner are actually close competitors. Warner has worked on student loan legislation with Republican Marco Rubio, while Gillespie is in favor of over-thecounter contraceptives. Warner worked with Republican Robert Whitman on a Chesapeake Bay Accountability Act, and Gillespie advocates keeping veteran co-pays for healthcare low. Gillespie also offers an alternative healthcare plan, something the Republican Party has struggled to do. While Warner has the advantage of a voting record, he also holds the disadvantage of a voting record. According to Politifact, Warner voted with Obama on 97 percent of issues. While some votes were likely meaningless procedure, Warner did cast the deciding vote in Obamacare, and it’s hard to dispute that he has shifted away from the center more frequently during his time as senator than his time as governor. Contrary to popular wisdom, this race isn’t a surefire Democrat against a lockstep Republican. It’s a race between two candidates who are capable of compromise, which is something Virginians should appreciate. Don’t let the ads mislead you. Email Sumner Higginbotham at sshigginbotham@email.wm.edu.
GRAPHIC BY BRIAN KAO / THE FLAT HAT
variety
Variety Editor Tucker Higgins Variety Editor Devon Ivie flathat.variety@gmail.com // @theflathat
The Flat Hat
| Friday, October 31, 2014 | Page 6
SA RA H
TH OR ES EN
/T HE FL AT HA T
TJ SAYS RELAX
Local spas offer treatments catering to stressed out College students BY NICOLE WALSH THE FLAT HAT
If the massage chairs in Earl Gregg Swem Library aren’t doing enough for you, a trip to one of three Williamsburg spas may be able to do the trick instead. All located within close distance of the College of William and Mary, the Spa of Colonial Williamsburg, the Giving Tree Spa and the Williamsburg Salt Spa offer a diversity of services aimed at relaxation and rest. The spas supply an array of services and prices to fit the differing needs and budgets of students. Whereas the Spa of Colonial Williamsburg and the Giving Tree Spa offer traditional spa services, the Williamsburg Salt Spa provides breathing treatments fusing health and relaxation. The Spa of Colonial Williamsburg also includes salon services in its range of amenities. Both the Giving Tree Spa and the Williamsburg Salt Spa extend student discounts. Each location offers massages at fairly comparable prices that undercut the more costly services of the Spa of Colonial Williamsburg. The most economical option can be found in the Williamsburg Salt Spa’s breathing treatment services, which cost a student, at most, $22.50. The Spa of Colonial Williamsburg does not
extend a student discount at this time, but it provides a wide variety of traditional spa and salon services for both men and women. Services include massages, body treatments, facials, nails, hair, makeup and waxing. The spa also emphasizes health and wellness with various amenities including a full workout room, aerobic studio, two outdoor pools and an indoor lap pool. The spa’s director Denise Haddaway suggested that the spa’s hours would appeal to college students, who could then take advantage of a range of workout classes or a massage to de-stress. “I think a massage is always stress reducing,” Haddaway said. “Then focus on your head, because massaging your scalp and your pressure points or trigger points will actually take you to a deeper level of relaxation [and] will take you out of your head.” The signature experience of the Spa of Colonial Williamsburg borrows from treatments based on botanical remedies from different historical periods. According to the spa’s website, historians identified healing practices that Native American healers, apothecaries, doctors and scientists utilized. The Giving Tree Spa, like the Spa of Colonial Williamsburg, offers traditional spa services. These amenities include massages, facials and body treatments, as well as monthly specials
featuring a combination of a massage and facial or a single service accompanied by a price markdown. However, unlike the Spa of Colonial Williamsburg, the Giving Tree does not provide salon services. Spa director Dan Dunn said that students prefer the Giving Tree for its customer service and close location to the College’s campus — it’s at the Wyndham Governor’s Green Resort right off of Richmond Road. “The majority of the services requested from students are massages,” Dunn said in an email. “We see an average of 200 students per year, especially through our online booking option.” The Giving Tree also provides a 15 percent student discount on all services except for monthly specials. For alternative relaxation therapy, students can look to the Williamsburg Salt Spa. The spa, which opened in 2008, provides massage and breathing treatments and incorporates salt into all forms of therapy. For example, massages take place in a room containing salt rocks. They include salt pillows to alleviate muscle pain or ache and sometimes utilize hot salt rocks as an alternative to a hot stone massage. Agnieszka Drygala, the spa’s owner, emphasized the health benefits of salt breathing treatments; they specifically alleviate asthma,
sinus and allergy problems while bolstering the immune system. This therapy encompasses a 45-minute relaxation session that takes place within a handmade salt cave inside the building. “Our main product, I would say, is our salt therapy treatment room,” Drygala said. “It is a gorgeous room made of fifteen tons of salt. We have imported salt from Poland and Pakistan. The environment inside the cave … it’s exactly the same [as] in the natural salt mines. The environment here is perfect for people with all kinds of respiratory problems, like allergies, asthma, bronchitis, COPD … it’s a good relaxation place [and] good to improve your immune system.” The spa, which opened in 2008, was one of the first of its kind on the east coast. The therapy originated in Poland in 1843, when Felix Boczkowski recognized the health benefits received by salt miners, who suffered no workplace-related respiratory problems. To recreate these conditions, the Williamsburg Salt Spa constructed a handmade salt cave that recreates a microclimate rich in ions and minerals — breathing in this saturated air of the salt cave improves overall fitness for all ages. The salt therapy treatment room can be rented out to at most eight people, which Drygala said could relieve stress by combining relaxation and fun.
JCA welcomes autumn with Aki Matsuri festival
Students in the Japanese Culture Association celebrate the fall season with traditional food, music and games
BY ANNIE ZHAO THE FLAT HAT
Besides the well-known fall traditions of pumpkin carving and apple picking, students at the College of William and Mary could participate last weekend in lesser-known fall festivities celebrated on the other side of the globe. The Japanese Culture Association hosted an “Aki Matsuri” festival at Trinkle Hall Oct. 25 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The autumn celebration, which the association plans every year, includes traditional Japanese games, music, food and entertainment for attendees to enjoy.
Event Coordinator Carmi Thompson ’17 described why the association chose to celebrate the fall season as opposed to Japan’s other festivals. “In planning this event, we wanted to symbolize ‘matsuri,’ or festivals that are throughout Japan, as Japan has all kinds of festivals for pretty much anything that you can think of,” Thompson said. “We decided to celebrate [the] fall festival because it’s a nice time to come after fall break and hang out with your friends, enjoy some good food, play a few games and listen to Japanese music or watch cultural videos.” The event was set up with round tables in the center of the room where attendees could sit to enjoy food and
company while watching various shows. Booths for different activities and food options were located at the sides of the room. Tickets — sold at $1 per ticket or $5 for 7 tickets — gave students access to the booths. All the while, Japanese pop music blared from the speakers. Most of the booths consisted of a variety of traditional Japanese delicacies cooked and prepared entirely by members of the association. Mai Kondo ’16, an exchange student from Japan who joined the Japanese Culture Association this past year, manned one of the booths. She described the two types of treats she served. “‘Onigiri’ is a rice ball that comes [in]
flavors of fish, vegetable and sesame,” Kondo said. “We also have ‘daigaku imo,’ basically sweet potatoes, [which] is a traditional Japanese dessert.” Many other traditional foods were available. “Takoyaki” is a ball-shaped snack made of wheat and flour flavored with a unique sauce. The club also provided “dango,” a sweet rice cake, and “yakitori,” which is glazed chicken on a stick. Attendee Andy Yang ’18 commented on his favorite foods at the event. “I particularly liked onigiri and takoyaki,” Yang said in an email. “It reminded me of my uncle, who lives in Japan. It brought back some good memories with him.”
Other booths featured calligraphy, trying on yukata kimonos and playing a traditional game called “hit and cover.” This game is essentially rock, paper, scissors; the winner takes an inflated bat and tries to hit the opposing player’s head before they put a plastic pail on their head. Some of the JCA members also performed Japanese traditional dances known as Soran Bushi and kendo, a modern Japanese martial arts practice. “I hope that they very much enjoy[ed] the food … [got] a chance to learn about a culture that’s different from their own, and just have a good time on a relaxing afternoon … Hopefully we were able to provide that,” Carmi said.
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t r a r o f d e k a n t e g s ’ t Le COurtesy photo / Wikimedia commons
“I always try to make sure I’ve put make-up on and done my hair and shaved my legs, but other than that, it’s one of those things where you just go in and it’s very much being able to fit yourself to what the class needs at that time,” one model said.
Nude models working at the Matoaka art studio bare it all for culture — and cash. MEILAN SOLLY THE FLAT HAT
The spotlight in room 107 hints at an upcoming event, although its subject remains vague. It grows clearer, however, when Madeline Lewis ’16 enters the room, removes her clothes, and ascends to the stage. Lewis is not the star of a raunchy cabaret act. Instead, her performance is highly desexualized. She’s a nude model for weekly life-drawing sessions. Every Thursday from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., artists of the College of William and Mary gather at the Matoaka Art Studio for the chance to hone their figure-drawing skills with nude models. Artists must pay $3 for the first and second hours, but the third hour is free. These sessions, once held by the student art organization Tangelo, were taken over by the art department following its dissolution. Today, associate studio art professor Nicole Santiago organizes the sessions with three student monitors. These monitors book models and aid with the setup and cleanup, but their most important role is setting up models’ poses during the sessions. “The professors want us to learn how to set up [poses] and see how difficult it is to have a good pose,” said student monitor Mary Hern ’17. “We have 10 to 15 artists come [to each session], and we want to have a pose people can see from all around.” To begin the session, the model does ten minutes of gesture poses — quick action stances held for a minute each. Gesture poses take many forms, which can range from anything from standing to sitting with one’s head over their shoulder. “The most difficult part [of modeling] is the gestures, because it’s very quick and it’s very much thinking on your feet,” Lewis said. “I kind of run out of things to do sometimes, but it gets easier the more
you do it.” These gesture poses serve as a warm-up, which is then followed by the main pose of the night. The model holds the pose for about 25 minutes, takes a five-minute break, and returns to the pose for the remainder of the session. While many people might be daunted by the idea of modeling nude, the program has 25 regular models. For Lewis, the decision to start modeling was simple. “I saw a poster in Andrews when I was taking a speech class there,” she said, “Modeling paid better than any other job on campus, so I emailed and found myself doing this freshman year.” Douglas Tibbett, a first-year graduate student, has been modeling since his freshman year at the College as well. While his reasoning for becoming a model was based partly on pay (the program pays twelve dollars an hour), Tibbett had another motivating factor. “I thought, ‘Well, this might be the last time in my life I could do this with so few consequences,’” he said in an email. Lewis began modeling partly because the job paid well, but also because she loves art. “I have tattoos to carry art with me, and I have this to put myself at some sort of use for real artists,” she said. Like Lewis, Tibbett enjoys the artistic aspect of modeling. “I’ve met a lot of cool people. Their shows are amazing, and I’ve loved the time I’ve spent with some of the artists here doing private work,” he said. The process of becoming a model is straightforward — students email Santiago expressing interest, receive a list of requirements, and provide times of availability. They can then model at either the open sessions or in various classes in the art department, such as Life Drawing I. “[Models] just have to be able to hold the pose. Most models are
great even on the first day,” said Hern, who chooses the models from a list provided by Santiago. Lewis reinforced this idea, explaining that she does not need to prepare extensively before each session. “I always try to make sure I’ve put make-up on and done my hair and shaved my legs, but other than that, it’s one of those things where you just go in and it’s very much being able to fit yourself to what the class needs at that time,” she said. According to Santiago, the sessions act as an essential resource for the College’s art community. “There are many students who want to take [figure drawing classes] but aren’t able to,” she said. “This gives them the opportunity to go to sessions and practice.” Other individuals who frequent the sessions are art students and professors hoping to build their portfolios, but attendance is open to all, including members of the community. Jamari Jackson ’17 is a prospective art major who has been attending sessions since last semester. He said that he enjoys the sessions because they offer him a new artistic experience. “If you’re drawing a cat or a dog, you’re like, ‘Oh, it’s a cat or a dog.’ If it’s a person, you’re like, ‘Why is one arm bigger than the other? Why is one eye up more than the other?’” Jackson said. While the sessions play a large role in helping artists cultivate their craft, they also impact the main “actors” of the event: the models. Lewis’ experience has also led her to encourage others to start modeling. “People who have given in to my convincing have said it’s been a really good experience. It’s helped them become more comfortable with themselves and how they look,” she said.
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
Seeing ghosts? Or are they just just old hook-ups? No need to worry on this impossibly tiny campus: Those hookups, believe it or not, are funny.
Catherine Mahoney BEHIND CLOSED DOORS columnist
It does not take long to realize that the College of William and Mary is not a big place. While the Tribe’s small size supports a tightknit community, it also reduces anonymity. For better or worse, you see everyone around at some point, including past crushes, flings, hookups, significant others and any number of other classifications you can assign to people with whom you’ve been involved. But before you reach for a paper bag to put over your head before you leave your room, take a deep breath. I promise those encounters will make for some pretty funny stories later. See if this situation sounds familiar: It’s Monday morning and you had a little too much fun this weekend with somebody, so you start the damage control. While you are busy “untagging” all those compromising pregame photos, you experience the first phase of dread in the post-hookup process. Still in the bubble of your room, you can’t help but wonder who knows what about your evening and what messes you still need to clean up. It’s enough to give anyone terrible anxiety. The feeling that things are out of your control makes this stage hard, but the only way to get past it is to get out of bed and deal with it. Nearly always, things are never as bad as you imagined.
Fastforward to after the initial dread phase. Things probably still are not totally resolved. You can’t quite seem to shake the embarrassment. I only have one thing to say about ruminating and letting yourself think over and over about what you wish you had done differently: Cut it out. It will only stress you out. Save your energy for dealing with situations as they arise. Sooner or later, that situation that you’ve been dreading will come up. Maybe you run into the person in the Sadler Center. Maybe they text you. Maybe you show up to the first day of the new semester and they are in your class (which definitely happens, take it from me). While those situations can be absolutely excruciating at the time, this is the part where things start to get better, because all the uncertainty is gone. You can stop worrying, because you ran into your weekend fling in line at Aroma’s and it wasn’t really that bad. Even if you were having a sweatpants day. If your weekend hookup (or date-gonehorribly-wrong, or ill-advised late night “hang out,” or whatever) really made things that awkward for you, it had to be pretty funny at some points. Take it in stride and laugh about it. Your friends will probably appreciate a few stories about somebody from your history class trying to pick you up at a party by telling you they looked you up on the course roster, or about getting assigned to the same class project group as a person that you had a sloppy dance floor makeout with freshman year. Finally, give your awkward hookup counterpart a chance. They might be wishing things had gone better also. Who knows, things might even turn out pretty well with them, despite the current situation. It will always be
pretty entertaining to look back and remember that things all started on a sweaty dance floor somewhere, especially if you’re looking back on it from a happy relationship. Some stories have a happy ending, right? If you’re like most people, you will make some sex and dating mistakes while you’re here. It happens to the best of us, and you don’t need
to let it stress you out. Do whatever reputation repair you feel is necessary, and then let it be a funny story and nothing more. Take some chances, mess up, and make mistakes. That’s what college is for. Catherine Mahoney is a Behind Closed Doors columnist who has probably made enough mistakes for all of us.
sports
Sports Editor Mick Sloan Sports Editor Chris Weber flathatsports@gmail.com @FlatHatSports
The Flat Hat | Friday, October 31, 2014 | Page 8
FEATURE
Impact of
injury
Bo Revell is just one example of how injuries are part of the football culture Senior tight end Bo Revell knew something was wrong right away. It was the first passing play of William and Mary’s season opener, a road game at Virginia Tech, and Revell reached for a pass from sophomore quarterback Steve Cluley. As Revell stretched, a Hokie defender fell hard on his lower body, and Revell crumpled to the ground. Even on television, it looked unsettling. “I knew it was pretty bad. I knew my leg was not facing the right way,” Revell said. “When I tried to get up, I felt my bone moving around a bit … so I sat back down.” Revell was stuck at the crossroads of dream and nightmare. At that moment, he was a senior captain on a talented team, playing on national television in Virginia’s most hallowed football stadium, but he was also badly injured. Revell’s season, along with his Tribe career, was over. Nothing in Revell’s demeanor suggests that he sees his injury as a tragedy. When Revell he speaks of the hit and the two months of rehab that followed, his perspective is impressive. “You want to have your senior season, because that’s what everything builds towards,” Revell said. “You just have to … find a silver lining. For me personally, I want to go into coaching after my playing days are done. … I found a silver lining in maybe getting a head start on that and being able to help out in other ways.” Nobody could have blamed Revell if he had responded with anger or despair. Nobody would object if he walked away from the game that treated him so cruelly after he’d given so much. A lesser person would’ve lost his way after such a disappointment, but Revell broke through the adversity like he used to bowl over defensive backs. The way Revell has thrived since his
injury is inspiring in its own right. But there’s a narrative within that story about how the potential for injuries hangs over every play of every football game. What happened to Revell was a freak accident, a twist of fate. Even despite his optimism and fearlessness, Revell acknowledges the inevitability of injuries in football. “It’s just something that you can’t control, you know?” Revell said. “It’s
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junior running back Mikal Abdul-Saboor, sophomore punter Hunter Windmuller, senior place kicker John Carpenter and senior receiver Tre McBride — have missed at least one game due to injury. That doesn’t account for athletes who have played through pain for the sake of serving the team. Such a sacrifice deserves respect, but does that make it the right choice?
When a guy goes down, it can be scary ... but at the same time we have each others’ backs, and all we can do is be there for each other. —Senior tight end Bo Revell
just something that kind of goes along with it, and you do everything you can to prevent it. … You try to do the best you can, and it’s just fate at that point.” Sudden injuries aren’t exclusive to football. In a 2013 basketball game, Louisville’s Kevin Ware obliterated his tibia as he landed after a block attempt. But injuries are ubiquitous in football, like a cloud that’s always looming. That players like Revell can be so fearless about getting hurt, when that threat of injury is always present, is hard to grasp. Danger is present every time a receiver gets clobbered over the middle or when three defenders crush a tail back. It’s there when a quarterback takes a hard sack or a defender’s knee bends the wrong way. Fans often bury that fear and enjoy the game, but in football it’s just a matter of time before a crowd of player collapses and of coaches, trainers and teammates stand around the body like a crime scene. Already this season, several Tribe players — including starters such as Revell, senior linebacker Airek Green,
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MICK SLOAN FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR
COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS
Senior tight end Bo Revell was knocked out of the Tribe’s season on the first passing play of the season opener. He is one of five starters to miss at least on game for the College.
This is the problem football faces. After all, nothing about the play that ended Revell’s Tribe career was illegal. It was a large defender landing on Revell’s leg in the wrong spot. By Revell’s own admission, that type of unavoidable, devastating injury is just part of football. It’s a figurative contract that all players eventually accept, a reality that binds them together. “It’s kind of like a family atmosphere, and you want to protect your guys,” Revell said. “We all really care about each other and … you’ve really got to watch over each other. When a guy goes down, it can be scary … but at the same time we have each others’ backs and all we can do is be there for each other.” That community and bravery is admirable −- each individual on most college football teams would sacrifice his immediate health for the sake of the squad. That mentality appears more dangerous than ever given the recent increase of awareness regarding concussions in football. Revell’s injury will eventually heal perfectly, as will
most injuries sustained on the football field. Head injuries are a different matter, however, and there’s reason to worry that the acceptance of injuries by players and fans extends to concussions, which can have more damaging effects. A recent ESPN article by Tom Farrey pointed to a new Harvard and Boston University study that said for every concussion diagnosed in the Football Championship Subdivision, 27 suspected concussions go undiagnosed. This happens in part because concussions are less obvious than, say, a broken leg, and also because many athletes ignore concussion symptoms, resuming play without evaluation. More than any other injury, concussions are seen in the “injuries are part of the game” mentality, one that veers into dangerous territory. “I think [concussions are] something that people are aware of more than ever before,” Revell said. “I don’t think [guys] are afraid of it. I think they’re just doing more to prevent it. … And I don’t think people are afraid to say they have one anymore. I think that culture is shifting, where it doesn’t mean you’re weak.” The culture does appear to be shifting, as further precautions added to football and concussion reporting seem to be more common. There also appears to be a dissonance between the fearlessness players like Revell show toward injuries and the heightened awareness concussions deserve. The normalcy of severe injuries such as Revell’s suggest that safety and football are mutually exclusive concepts, and it’s possible that concussion awareness gets trampled in that clash. As that discussion occurs among fans and personnel at every level of football, Revell looks forward. He has embraced his non-playing role with the Tribe, spending games in the coaches’ box and mentoring younger players in practice. There’s little question that he’s made the most of his unsavory situation. “I wish I was out there helping, but at the same time, [with] every positive thing that happens, every win that
we have … [it] brings such a level of excitement because I know how hard [the team has] worked and I know how hard I’ve worked to help them,” Revell said. “When you’re a part of something like that, any success that you guys have as a collective just makes you feel great as an individual.” Revell’s story reminds fans that injuries are part of football, adversity is merely an obstacle and optimism and maturity can cure many ills. Football wasn’t as kind to Revell as he was to it, and it’s unfortunate that so many other football players have been and will be in his exact situation. It’s all part of the game. That’s what fans will say the next time a player falls to the turf.
TRIBE FACES DUKES Opponent: James Madison When: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. Where: Harrisonburg, Va. The take: Both William and Mary and host James Madison enter Saturday with 5-3 overall records, and each boast an even 2-2 conference mark. Despite last season’s 17-7 Homecoming win over the Dukes, this season’s installment should feature a close game. The Dukes have home-field advantage, but must contend with a Tribe rushing attack and special teams unit that have impressed of late. Junior back Mikal Abdul-Saboor racked up 198 yards in last week’s win over Delaware, while the College leads all Football Championship Subdivision teams in blocked kicks. How to follow: Listen live on 92.3 The Tide, watch at CAA.TV and follow @FlatHatSports on Twitter. — Flat Hat Sports Editor Chris Weber
MEN’S SOCCER
College drops finale, leaves postseason chances in doubt Tribe loses 2-1 on the road to James Madison, finishes at seventh in CAA as regular season schedule ends DEVIN LOGAN THE FLAT HAT William and Mary lost 2-1 to James Madison University in its regular season finale Wednesday night in Harrisonburg, Va. This was the 50th time the Tribe (6-11-1, 3-4-1 CAA) faced the Dukes (610-1, 3-3-1 CAA); after Wednesday’s game, JMU leads 23-19-8 in series history. JMU entered the match on a two-game winning streak. Wednesday’s win pushed that streak to three games and secured the Dukes’ automatic bid into the Colonial Athletic Association tournament. Six teams compete in the CAA tournament and the winner advances to the NCAA tournament. “JMU is a tremendous program,” head coach Chris Norris told Tribe Athletics. “Dr. Tom Martin, who is one of the top coaches in the history of college soccer, is in his final season and has had
a tremendous career and has really built that program into a national contender at different times.” Though the Tribe outshot JMU 4-3 in the first half, JMU outscored the College 1-0. JMU goalkeeper Kyle Morton and senior goalkeeper Bennett Jones each recorded three saves before halftime. Sophomore forward Reilly Maw took the first shot of the match 13 minutes into the game, but his attempt went wide. Four minutes later, Maw took another shot, but Morton stopped it. The Tribe failed to score in the first half. In the 37th minute, Jones blocked a shot from JMU midfielder Connor Cowell. The ball rebounded to fellow JMU midfielder Jonathan Barden, who scored the Dukes’ first goal in the 38th minute. The first half ended 1-0 in favor of JMU. In the first few minutes of the second half,
freshman defender Alfonso Speed converted junior midfielder Ryan Flesch’s corner kick into a shot; the ball hit the crossbar. Maw shot the rebounded ball, but Morton saved it once again. In the 69th minute, senior midfielder Chris Albiston, assisted by senior forward Josh West, took advantage of a goalkeeper error and scored the Tribe’s first goal, tying the game at 1-1 with his seventh goal of the season. Albiston Jones blocked a shot from JMU forward Josh Grant in the 82nd minute, but Barden took the rebound and scored his second goal of the game, giving JMU a 2-1 lead. After a corner kick from Flesch ended in a foul, the Tribe failed to get any shots, let alone goals, in the remaining minutes of the game, and the match
ended with a 2-1 College loss. JMU shot ten times over the course of the game, scoring twice for a shooting percentage of 20 percent. The Tribe had a total of seven unsuccessful shots: one hit the post, one missed its target, two were blocked by the defense and Morton saved the final three. “We [had] a number of different goals heading into the season,” Norris told Tribe Athletics. “We haven’t performed in the way that we hoped to have performed for certain stretches of this year. One of the goals always is to make the CAA tournament.” Before Wednesday’s game, the Tribe was ranked fifth in the league. With this loss, the Tribe failed to clinch the automatic bid into the six-team CAA tournament. However, the College still has a chance, depending on how the rest of the league’s regular season games turn out. The Tribe will learn its fate when CAA play concludes Sunday.