The Flat Hat October 3, 2017

Vol. 107, Iss. 18 | Tuesday, October 3, 2017

The Flat Hat The Weekly Student Newspaper

of The College of William and Mary

STUDENT LIFE

e h t f o t u O B LU E

Over two-year period, police responded to 49 “blue light” activations where no one was at phone or in area MEILAN SOLLY // FLAT HAT CHIEF STAFF WRITER

T

90

Number of blue lights on the College of William and Mary’s campus

49

Number of times WMPD responded to blue light activations and no one was at phone or in area, 2015-2017

4

Number of legitimate blue light phone calls received

by Indiana UniversityBloomington Police over 20-year period

he 90 “blue lights” scattered across the College of William and Mary’s campus are ubiquitous reminders of university safety measures, but the ever-growing prevalence of cell phones has rendered their role more symbolic than utilitarian.

“They’re like lamp posts,” Head of Media and Communications for Sexual Violence Prevention group 16(IX)3 Brendan McDonald ’18 said.

“People just look at them and don’t give them a second thought, which means that they aren’t really used. … If you have a tool and no one’s using it, then you’re like, ‘Well, what’s the point of this tool?’”

Freestanding Emergency Call Boxes, known colloquially as ‘blue lights’ because of their illuminated blue-colored tops, were first installed at the College in the early 1990s. If an emergency arises, individuals can seek assistance by pressing the blue light’s call button.

Callers are immediately connected to the William and Mary Police Department, which sends officers to the specified blue light regardless of whether the caller verbally responds to inquiries. If the emergency situation is not immediately evident, dispatched officers conduct a thorough survey of the surrounding area.

WMPD documents calls based on the nature of the incident rather than method of communication, so there are no comprehensive statistics regarding the number of calls placed from blue lights.

The department does, however, track the number of activations where officers responded and no one was at the phone or in the area: Between Sept. 28, 2015 and Sept. 28, 2017, WMPD received 49 such calls.

“Based on our experience we can say that we do have a few emergency phone activations a year where we do render assistance to someone at that location,” Police Chief Deborah Cheesebro said in an email. “911 calls received are typically initiated via cell phones. But, the overwhelming majority of our callers use the regular WMPD phone number to reach us.”

This February, McDonald spearheaded 16(IX)3’s creation of a blue light map after he was assigned to create “something impactful” for a gender, sexuality and women’s studies class project. WMPD gave McDonald a list of the blue lights’ locations, and he walked around campus with a GPS tracker to accurately capture their coordinates.

McDonald found that areas frequented by tour groups, including the Mason School of Business and Sunken Garden, had multiple blue lights, while spots such as the Lake Matoaka trails had limited numbers. “[The response to the map] been pretty positive,” McDonald said. “I think it’s been helpful for everybody to have a map like that, but again, it doesn’t help to have something if nobody is using it.”

McDonald cited two reasons for the blue lights’ low utilization: a general lack of awareness regarding the blue lights’ intended purpose, and the widespread presence of cell phones and mobile apps such as the Rave Guardian safety app, which acts similarly to the blue lights by providing a direct line to local authorities.

Still, McDonald, Cheesebro and Student Assembly Secretary of Health and Safety John Hollander ’18 all agreed that the blue lights contribute to a sense of campus safety.

“The blue light system was installed with the goal of having help within line-of-sight at all times for students,” Hollander said in an email.

“It’s difficult to find a place on campus that doesn’t have a blue light nearby at this point. That carries both practical benefit (it’s easy to reach them in case of emergency) and symbolic reassurance (you can spot one if you look around in case you feel unsafe).”

Cheesebro said the lights’ physical presence actively discourages crime. When an individual presses a blue light’s call button, the titular strobe light turns on, warning assailants that help is on the way, as well as attracting the attention of any passersby.

The lights also provide a heightened sense of security, as their presence on campus reminds potential victims and assailants alike that assistance is just a button away — and, unlike cell phones, the lights won’t run out of battery when they’re needed most.

“There can be poor cell phone service in remote parts of a campus,” Cheesebro said, “and cell phones may be low on a charge. … Many people can become distraught if involved in an incident, making it difficult to dial phone numbers.”

Despite these benefits, some schools have opted to revamp or discontinue their blue light systems. In early 2016, the University of Colorado-Boulder removed its blue lights, and the school’s police chief See BLUE LIGHTS page 3

AMY OLEJNICZAK / THE FLAT HAT

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WILLIAMSBURG

City Council to vote on luxury student housing Plan for Midtown Row includes 200 all-inclusive residential apartment units AMELIA LUCAS FLAT HAT DIGITAL MEDIA EDITOR

The Williamsburg City Council will vote on redevelopment plans for the Williamsburg Shopping Center, also known as Midtown Road, including a special use permit for more than 200 studentcentered residential units located above ground-floor retail space, Oct. 12.

According to College of William and Mary spokesperson Suzanne Seurattan, nearly 75 percent of undergraduate students live in on-campus housing, with about 1,500 students choosing off-campus arrangements every year.

During a Planning Commission meeting Sept. 20, Broad Street Realty co-founder and CEO Michael Jacoby said more than 50 percent of the proposed apartments would have a four-bedroom, four-bathroom floor plan. The special use permit would allow up to four unrelated individuals to live in the same apartment, a modification to the city’s three-person rule.

“A four-bedroom, four-bath is just a very successful living arrangement that our partners have used elsewhere, and we thought that would be a very appropriate type of unit that students would enjoy,” Jacoby said. “We needed to modify the rules a little bit, and that’s it.”

In addition to the four-

bedroom floor plan, other apartments could have one bedroom and one bathroom, two bedrooms and two bathrooms or three bedrooms and three bathrooms.

“This is going to be a great project … closest to school, better amenities than any other housing project that caters to students,” Jacoby said.

Jacoby said that current rent estimates range from $785 per month for a room in a fourbedroom apartment to $1,275 to $1,290 for a single person apartment. Rent would be allinclusive, encompassing utilities, Wi-Fi, use of a pool and barbecue areas, parking and other amenities.

In comparison, the Griffin Arms Apartments, located about a quarter mile from campus, were built in 2014. The complex holds eight apartments, each with three bedrooms, and according to WMBG Rentals’ website, rent runs between $925 and $1,000 per person.

The King & Queen Apartments are less than a quarter mile from campus. Originally constructed in the 1960s, the two complexes house 26 apartments. According to the King & Queen website, rent ranges from $1,050 to $1,150 per person.

“William & Mary has great interest in a thriving See HOUSING page 3

WILLIAMSBURG

Broad Street proposes hotel, new retail spaces Williamsburg Shopping Center renovation hinges on Oct. 12 vote SARAH SMITH FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

The future of the Williamsburg Shopping Center is in the hands of the City of Williamsburg’s City Council, whose members will vote on a proposed design for a complete renovation Oct. 12.

The shopping center, which is home to ACE Hardware, Virginia ABC, Food Lion and Sal’s by Victor restaurant, is the planned site of a new retail and housing options, pending the upcoming vote.

Broad Street Realty purchased the shopping center, located at the intersection of Monticello Avenue and Richmond Road, Jan. 6 for $13.3 million. Since then, local officials have debated the potential design, which would create luxury student apartments, new retail spaces and a hotel.

When Broad Street Realty shared a conceptual design with the City’s Architectural Review Board in July 2017, it

did so as a courtesy, not as part of the formal review process.

At this meeting, concerns about the proposed four-story buildings, which would be over 20 feet higher than the City’s current building height limit, were raised.

However, some, like ARB Chairman Robert Lane, said that they do not believe these taller buildings pose a problem.

“My initial thought on that was, ‘Gee, we don’t want to see a lot of high-rise buildings in Williamsburg,’ that’s clearly not what I think would be appropriate,” Lane said. “When you look at the specifics and at the details, the height of the buildings won’t become the new standard for Williamsburg.

It would be an exception for this area. After seeing the drawings and renderings, I don’t think it will be an eyesore or that it will stand out all that much. … This is going to be a whole complex. It is going to See RENOVATION page 4

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Sarah Malks ’19 explains why the naming of Buddha Bowls is insensitive to those who practice Buddhism, one of the world’s largest religions. page 5

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How the men and women of club Rugby are building community and scoring wins on and off the field. page 7

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THE BUZZ

The project as a whole is a big benefit to the City. At this point, you have a rundown, non-contributing shopping center, and we are replacing that with something different and better.

— Chair of the Architectural Review Board Robert Lane on the Oct. 12 City Council vote

Managing a love for dining

The Flat Hat

Ray Heffernan discusses the food service journey that led him to Marketplace Page 2 Spotlight

BRENDAN DOYLE // FLAT HAT OPINIONS EDITOR

Not much could convince Ray Heffernan, a New Yorker, to leave his hometown. However, an unexpected job opportunity and a chance to bring smiles and a comforting presence to students drew him to the College of William and Mary last year. He said he’s loved his job as Marketplace supervisor ever since.

Heffernan says although he didn’t always realize it, this is the job he was made for. Growing up near the water in Brooklyn, New York, Heffernan often picked up jobs at local restaurants to earn money, but he didn’t enjoy them.

“The other dining [industry] I was in was kind of just to work, like it wasn’t something I enjoyed,” Heffernan said.

Coming out of high school, Heffernan took community college classes for a short time, but quickly figured out that college wasn’t for him.

“My college was maybe six months or maybe a year, I don’t even remember if I finished it,” Heffernan said. “It just didn’t work out.”

After dropping out of college, Heffernan continued picking up jobs in the restaurant industry around New York. However, he said he still did not feel a connection to his work. A naturally social person, Heffernan was not getting to interact with customers the way he wanted to.

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“It was fine dining, it was upscale, it was just different,” Heffernan said. “There was no communication and there was no customer service, not on this level.”

Looking for a change of scenery, Heffernan moved to Las Vegas in 2005.

While he appreciated the city, he did not enjoy living there, and was back in New York by 2006.

“I liked Las Vegas,” Heffernan said.

“I did not like the aura of Las Vegas so I knew it wasn’t for me. So, I came back to New York; I fiddled around umpiring softball. I umpired softball across all of the West Coast when I was out there, so I was kind of getting into that.”

Aside from his employment as a softball umpire, Heffernan said he struggled to find work. However, in 2011 that all changed.

“Since I came back from Vegas, I really was not in a good place work-wise,” Heffernan said. “My friend opened up a yogurt shop and I worked for him in 2011, and we had worked together when we were young. This was my best friend since before I was five years old; I knew him before I went to kindergarten. So, he opened up a business and he was like, ‘Come manage it for me.’ And, I don’t know, I just knew that that’s what I had to do for the rest of my life.”

Heffernan said he found his calling with this job in food service management.

NIA KITCHIN / THE FLAT HAT

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

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

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Ray Heffernan, Marketplace supervisor, had a long journey in various food services jobs that led him to the College.

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POLICE BEAT

Being a manager for his friend’s business gave him what he felt he was missing in his previous work in food service.

After working for two years with his best friend, Heffernan applied to be a supervisor for Sodexo at the University of Pittsburgh. He said that this job had a tremendous influence on the rest of his career.

“That was four and a half years that has definitely shaped everything in my life,” Heffernan said.

While working at the University of Pittsburgh, Heffernan said he formed a working relationship with Sodexo Retail Operations Manager Jason Vercammen.

“We always had good work communication,” Heffernan said. “He was very easy to work for. He runs a great operation. That’s very important, because one of the reasons that I’m here is [that] Jason Vercammen runs a great operation.”

When Vercammen moved to the College, he invited Heffernan to come as well.

“I actually took a job in Commons [Dining Hall] two years ago, and I stayed for two days, and I didn’t like it,” Heffernan said. “I was like, ‘I’m not staying in Williamsburg. I hate Williamsburg.’ But with all the changeover at Pitt, I had texted him last year in September and I was like, ‘What’s up?’ I knew he needed a nighttime manager, a supervisor. And I always like working night. I don’t like mornings. So that’s how I ended up here.”

Now, as a supervisor at Marketplace, Heffernan said his job description fits exactly what he’s best at.

“My technical job title is to supervise the floor and provide customer service, which, you know, I love to do,” Heffernan said.

Even though he loves his job, there is more to life than work for Heffernan. He said that one of the driving forces in his life is his family.

Although he works most days in Williamsburg, he helps take care of his parents and his oldest brother, who all live in Florida.

“I’m super, super close with my mother,” Heffernan said. “I go to Florida every time we’re off on break. Last year I was there even Thanksgiving week because I had put in two days off for Monday and Tuesday so I could go down there.”

Heffernan said that it’s hard for him to imagine himself as an 18-year-old being so far away from his family. He said he knows that people come to the College from all sorts of different backgrounds and that his job is to make all of those people feel at home, even if it’s just when they come to the dining hall.

“I don’t know what kind of personal issues you have,” Heffernan said. “So, I have to make you feel good. I want to be a person that somebody can come to … I want to be a person that makes them understand that there are people that care about them on this campus.”

Sept. 28 1

Thursday, September 28 — A “threaten to burn” was reported on Richmond Road.

2

Thursday, September 28 — James Short was arrested on a charge of threateneing to bomb or damage a building on Strafford Road.

3

Thursday, September 28 — Ralph White was arrested on a charge of assault and battery on High Street.

4

Thursday, September 28 — Delk Marquint arrested on a charge of destruction of property on Walker Drive.

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Page 3

ADMINISTRATION

Title IX investigation focuses on student complaint

Department of Education opens second case in less than four years

MEILAN SOLLY FLAT HAT CHIEF STAFF WRITER

In May 2014, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights released a list of 55 postsecondary institutions — including the College of William and Mary — under investigation for their handling of sexual violence and harassment. Today, the department’s ongoing Title IX compliance investigations encompass 357 cases at 256 institutions. The College’s original case remains open, and OCR initiated a second investigation Aug. 15.

Title IX Coordinator Kiersten Boyce said OCR’s new investigation is based on a June 2016 student complaint, while the 2014 one is a broad review of university policies, procedures and case handling.

“The new OCR investigation is much more focused,” Boyce said in an email. “A student made an internal report of sexual misconduct to the university in 2015.

The university investigated and adjudicated that report.

The student subsequently made a complaint with OCR regarding the university’s handling of the report and other actions relating to the student.”

Title IX, the federal law that prohibits unequal treatment of the sexes in educational spaces, has long been associated with university sexual misconduct policies. According to data provided by the Department of Education, OCR has opened 441 sexual violence Title IX investigations since April 2011. Eighty-four cases have been resolved, and 357 remain open.

The College’s 2014 and 2017 investigations were both initiated in response to a single student complaint.

As per department policy, the office did not share specific details regarding the 2014 investigation with the College but requested records and information, interviewed students and administrators, conducted focus groups with students and reviewed individual student case files. The program-wide review remains open, but OCR has not contacted the College regarding the case since February 2015.

OCR notified the College of the second Title IX complaint Aug. 18. University spokesperson Brian Whitson said the new investigation is focused on a specific case rather than a broad overview, but he could not predict when either investigation would be completed. Boyce said OCR did not provide a specific timeline for resolution, but many investigations are completed within four to five months.

A Department of Education spokesperson declined to comment on the open cases, stating that as a policy, OCR does not discuss the details of its current investigations.

In June, OCR announced plans to limit its application of the “systemic” or “class-action” approach used in the College’s 2014 case. The shift to a more individualized, case-by-case approach is designed to reduce the length of investigations: OCR strives to resolve cases within 160 days, but The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that the actual timeframe is closer to 1.8 years.

OCR’s announcement was closely followed by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’ withdrawal of existing federal guidance on campus sexual assault. In 2011, the government outlined its approach in a “Dear Colleague” letter, which provided an unofficial but strict set of procedural guidelines. The letter encouraged universities to rely on a preponderance of evidence, allowing accusers to appeal not-guilty findings and adhere to a 60-day timeframe for resolution.

Sept. 22, DeVos replaced this Obama-era approach with new interim guidance, citing a lack of due process rights, particularly for the accused, in sexual misconduct investigations and adjudications.

Finalized guidelines are still being developed, but Boyce and College President Taylor Reveley said they did not anticipate making immediate changes to campus policies.

“We will closely review the interim guidance just issued, but do not expect it will require us to change course in any material respect,” Reveley said in an email. “The William & Mary community has worked collectively to improve our efforts to prevent sexual violence on our campus and effectively address it when it occurs. This has been and remains an institutional priority.”

One of these efforts is the College’s Task Force on the Prevention of Sexual Assault and Harassment, which released its findings and recommendations Sept. 10, 2015.

In the time since, the College has implemented

recommendations such as opening The Haven, conducting campus-wide sexual climate surveys, creating a centralized misconduct reporting portal and offering updated faculty and staff training.

Moving forward, the College will focus on projects including the “I Can, I Will” bystander intervention initiative, graduate student training and a four-year education plan that utilizes different approaches based on class year.

“An implementation team is actively engaged with students and survivors on how we can make William & Mary a leader on an issue that plagues every university campus in the country,” Whitson said in an email.

Student advocacy has also pushed the College to evaluate its handling of sexual harassment and assault.

16(IX)3, a group dedicated to ending sexual violence in the College community, has proposed revamped sexual misconduct policies to the administration, worked with Title IX staff to create informational packets for those involved in investigations and created first year experience educational programs.

Still, Brendan McDonald ’18, head of outreach for 16(IX)3, said he was concerned about the recent guidance released by the Department of Education.

“Title IX is more of a building block,” McDonald said. “It doesn’t do anything perfectly. There are a lot of problems there that should be fixed and addressed, which is what 16(IX)3 is trying to do. … [Betsy DeVos’] statements are taking us a few steps backwards, moving the building blocks that we had established before.”

College campus home to 90 ‘blue lights’ for student safety WMPD checks emergency call boxes every Monday, conducts repairs as needed BLUE LIGHTS from page 1

chief noted that more than 90 percent of the calls received from blue lights were pranks or hang-ups.

Around the same time, Indiana University-Bloomington’s student newspaper, the Indiana Daily Student, reported that veteran police officers could only recall four legitimate blue light calls in the last 20 years — but in the last 10 years, the police department received more than 4,600 blue light calls.

The IDS investigation cited costs associated with the campus’ 56 blue lights, including between $12,000 and $15,000

in annual upkeep and about $4,200 for the installation of one new light.

Comparatively, Cheesebro said the College’s maintenance costs are minimal.

WMPD conducts emergency phone checks every Monday, and faulty phones are repaired the following day.

McDonald said he doesn’t anticipate the College removing its blue lights, as this would be expensive and prohibitive to students who don’t own cell phones.

He and other members of 16(IX)3 have discussed alternative solutions, such as replacing the blue lights with a modernized

Proposed Midtown design to offer students four-bedroom, four-bathroom apartments Broad Street Realty CEO Michael Jacoby says rent for student apartments will range from $1,275 to $1,290 for four bedrooms HOUSING from page 1

Williamsburg, and the Midtown redevelopment will add to the city’s vitality …” Seurattan said in an email. “It’s in the university’s best interest to have quality housing options available near campus for those students.”

Cathy Allport, a Williamsburg resident since 1980, spoke during public comment at the Planning Commission meeting. She said that while likes the the idea of adding student housing, she does not believe this project is the right solution.

“It would be nice to have increased student housing,” Allport said. “I question that students are going to want to live here and that it will ever be filled to the planned capacity.”

Jacoby said that Broad Street Realty settled on marketing Midtown Row’s housing to students for two reasons.

“The comprehensive plan from the City of Williamsburg suggested housing at that location, but also we did our own market studies and felt that it’s a fairly good portion of the student population lives off campus, and a fair amount of them live in homes or older apartments, [so] a first-class student housing project within walking distance of campus would be successful,” Jacoby said.

As an undergraduate, Justin Shawler ’16 VIMS ’18, a member of the City of Williamsburg Planning Commission, lived in on-campus housing to avoid the difficulty of finding off-campus housing. As a graduate student at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, he has had to face that difficulty and now lives with his undergraduate roommate in an apartment.

Prior to the Planning Commission’s 4-3 vote on Midtown Row, Shawler said some of his VIMS classmates expressed excitement in their discussions about shopping and possibly living at Midtown Row. Shawler said he supports Broad Street Realty’s efforts to modify the three-person rule via a special use permit.

“What’s good is that most of their money in building the apartments, and the largest percentage of apartments, is going to be building four-bedroom units, which just by the math is going to be the better deal than a lot of other housing options,” Shawler said. “I think that allowing those four bedrooms legally is a good thing for students, because most places that they are looking to rent out now, they cannot legally, inside the city at least, have four unrelated people living together.”

However, Shawler said that he does not see much motivation to change the three-person rule citywide at this time.

City Council member Benming Zhang ’16 J.D. ’19

said that he’s received mostly positive feedback from undergraduate students regarding Midtown Row. “I think that they’re still like, ‘We’ll love it when we see it,’ but the concept is really, really good, and that’s something that I tend to agree with,” Zhang said.

Zhang has received more mixed reviews about Midtown Row from his Marshall-Wythe School of Law peers, mostly based on the height and colors in proposed designs. This concern was echoed by many Williamsburg residents during the Planning Commission meeting.

“One of the surprises with this proposal was that I thought that they were going to do it under a broader umbrella of young professionals, which would include younger faculty members,” Zhang said. “I was a little surprised to see that they were gearing it more specifically and narrowly toward students, but I think that it’s a great thing. … From a neighborhood character standpoint, a lot of residents have spoken to council as a body, before my time, about finding alternative means of housing students so that it would alleviate the pressures from their neighborhoods.”

Zhang said he would ask about the proposed housing’s affordability prior to the vote, especially since focus has changed to student-centered housing.

According to Zhang, an additional concern on Williamsburg residents’ minds is the possibility of Midtown Row turning into another Tribe Square –– the retail space has been empty since The Crust’s eviction Aug. 9.

“Another anxiety is that … it’s only geared toward students, who will sign 12-month leases, but they’re only here for ten months of the year,” Zhang said. “So what happens? Are you just going to have a deserted Midtown?

That’s hypothetically, and I don’t actually think that will happen.”

Jacoby said, however, that he sees no similarities between Midtown Row and Tribe Square.

“Because of its location, Tribe Square’s only natural customer was the school,” Jacoby said. “Those businesses that will have to survive there … will have to rely on its traffic.”

Alternatively, Jacoby said that there has been overwhelming interest in leases for Midtown Row retail space, including signed letters of intent for 70,000 square feet already.

Jacoby said he was very confident that the city council would vote to approve the redevelopment project. If approved, the project would begin construction in late 2017 or early 2018.

Student housing would be available beginning August 2019, with about 90 percent of all apartments preleased at that time.

system, but they decided each option has its downsides.

In the end, McDonald said the most promising solution is raising awareness of the blue lights beyond their physical presence on campus, and how they serve as a resource for the College’s students.

“From a practical standpoint, just telling [orientation aides] to tell people about the blue [lights] is the most efficient [solution],” McDonald said. “If you’re not having freshmen coming in and being told about them, then there’s no point in having them. ... I never heard about them until I walked around campus and looked for them.”

Page 4

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

STUDENT ASSEMBLY

Class of 2020 SA senator position vulnerable Succession Act requires elections to be held for appointed representatives SARAH SMITH FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

When ballots are sent out Oct. 9 for the class of 2021 to elect its five representatives to the College of William and Mary’s Student Assembly Senate, one additional seat will open up. Sen. Abhi Chadha ’20, who was appointed to the senate in April 2017, must now campaign for his seat, following a 2016 amendment to the SA constitution.

When the senate passed the Succession Act in April 2016, former Class of 2017 President Katherine Ambrose ’17 had just appointed a new senator, and SA code at the time did not specify what procedures are to follow in the event of a resignation from senate. Following the appointment of former Sen. Olivia Camper ’17, the Succession Act was passed and guidelines were set.

Now, if a senator vacates their seat, the class president of that social class must announce applications for the seat to their entire class. Then, applications are viewed by the class president and the social class’s senators and the top candidate is appointed.

During the next election cycle, the position becomes open and elections are conducted normally.

For the first time since this bill was passed it will come into effect as Chadha campaigns again for his seat. Chadha was appointed following the resignation of former Sen. Noah Ferris ’20, who resigned to become the chief of staff for SA President Elijah Levine ’18 and SA Vice President Annelise Yackow ’18.

Class of 2020 President Kelsey Vita ’20, who first announced the vacancy in the senate last April, sent out emails to the class of 2020 in September as a reminder of the upcoming election.

“I’m hoping that whoever fills the open spot will be willing and ready to really immerse themselves in what we do in Student

Assembly, and put in that extra effort to start new projects,” Vita said. “I’d like to see someone who is really passionate about improving our campus and eager to bring other student organizations into what we do, thus making our process more collaborative. I hope that whoever fills the position is in touch with the current climate of campus, as I think we’re at a point right now where it’s very urgent that student representatives fully utilize the opportunities they have to shift our campus forward.”

One candidate, Ryan Walter ’20, is challenging Chadha in this fall’s race. He said he chose to run for a position in SA because he wants to bring his experience with other College activities into SA to develop new initiatives.

“I’ve been able to hear a diversity of perspectives on things we could be doing to make life even better,” Walter said. “I’ve watched SA make bold promises about inclusivity, celebrating cultural diversity and hosting initiatives to increase student-body unity. I want to be a part of making sure those promises become realities, and I’ve come up with some of my own programming to make the class of 2020 the best one yet.”

His desire to discuss diversity shapes much of what he wants to achieve if elected to SA senate.

“SA has on many occasions promised to promote the diversity of our class and campus, yet none of those promises have come to fruition,” Walter said. “As senator, I will sponsor initiatives for culture fairs and work to facilitate on-campus organization communication.”

SA hosts annual events such as the I AM WM Week to address diversity, and individual senators sponsor legislation that aims at promoting inclusivity, such as a bill that established the Sankofa

Gala last year.

Walter said he believes he is qualified for this position because he has held leadership positions on campus, such as serving as the president of the hall council for the Outer Limits — which includes Taliaferro Hall, Reves Hall and Hunt Hall. He also cofounded the Podcasting Network and serves on WMHSMUN. Chadha, who is running for re-election, said that if elected again, he has priorities such as helping students understand how medical amnesty works at the College and addressing Title IX’s effects on students.

He says that he is qualified to be re-elected because he is currently sponsoring legislation that would provide students with information about resources at the Student Health Center and is working on a public service initiative on medical amnesty.

“The experience I have had debating legislation and getting to see its finer intricacies has been fascinating for me,” Chadha said in a written statement. “I have been able to serve as a member of the finance committee as secretary of the policy committee, allowing me to see how most effectively to help our class. My experience with the structures and inner workings of SA make me uniquely qualified to serve the class of 2020 and our Tribe, again.”

At the end of the day, Vita said that she hopes both candidates acknowledge what is important to the student body during their campaigns.

“I think it’s always best to talk to as many students as possible, find out what they’re most passionate about, then build a platform from there,” Vita said. “Communication is everything, and it is so important to be in touch and genuinely connect with the students you hope to represent.”

STUDENT LIFE

Black Lives Matter protests American Civil Liberties Union ACLU presentation cancelled after student protesters take over stage, has not been rescheduled FRANCESCA TRUITT THE FLAT HAT

Sept. 27, Black Lives Matter protestors at the College of William and Mary interrupted “Students and the First Amendment,” a scheduled event co-sponsored by AMP and the American Civil Liberties Union.

First Amendment rights have dominated national conversation in recent months, with opposing sides debating the extent to which hate speech counts as free speech. Following the Aug. 11-12 Charlottesville protests, the ACLU voiced a decisive stance on the issue by defending white nationalists’ right to free speech.

The move attracted widespread backlash from ACLU supporters and detractors alike, as well as the College’s BLM chapter, which responded by staging its Sept. 27 protest.

The ACLU discussion never occurred because protesters took over the stage within five minutes of Executive Director of the ACLU of Virginia Claire Guthrie Gastañaga’s entrance. Signs in hand, the protesters shouted chants such as “liberalism is white supremacy” and “the revolution will not uphold the constitution.”

Twenty minutes into the protest, AMP Director of Internal Affairs Hasini Bandara ’18 approached the group with a microphone and gave members an opportunity to read their prepared statement.

In the statement, BLM criticized the ACLU’s approach to white supremacy in regard to the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, suggesting that the organization provides an unnecessary platform for white supremacists.

“When is the free speech of the oppressed protected?” a BLM group representative asked. “We know from personal experience that rights granted to wealthy, white, cis, male, straight bodies do not trickle down to marginalized groups. We face greater barriers and consequences for speaking.”

After reading the statement aloud, the group’s representative took her place back in line, and the protesters continued to chant.

One student who attended the event, Laith Hashem ’19, was bothered by protesters’ refusal to engage in an open, two-sided discussion.

“I think they had every right to do what they did. I don’t agree with their method, [but] they’re completely entitled to their opinions,” Hashem said. “But the thing I disagreed with most was that every opportunity they had to have a discussion, both with the speaker and the audience, they responded by increasing their volume and shouting louder.”

Thirty minutes into the protest, the discussion was cancelled.

“It was a collective decision from people in the AMP leadership team and our advisers,” AMP director Miguel Dayan ’19 said. “It was clear that we [were] unable to continue with the event, and it was appropriate to cancel.”

After the cancellation was announced, remaining students clustered around Gastañaga, hoping to ask questions and voice concerns. These students dispersed, however, when the protesters began circling around them, drowning out Gastañaga and chanting with increased volume.

Hashem, who was one of the students hoping to speak to Gastañaga, said he was disturbed by the aggression he perceived, as it bordered on not just verbal assault, but physical intimidation.

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When is the free speech of the oppressed protected?

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BLM Representative

“Silencing certain voices in order to advance the cause of others is not acceptable in our community,” College President Taylor Reveley said in a written statement.

“This stifles debate and prevents those who’ve come to hear a speaker, our students in particular, from asking questions, often hard questions, and from engaging in debate where the strength of ideas, not the power of shouting, is the currency.”

Although the protesters identified themselves as

merely “concerned students,” the College’s BLM chapter took credit on its Facebook page through a livestream of the event, as well as a written post stating, “Tonight, we shut down an event at William & Mary where Claire Gastañaga, executive director of the ACLU of Virginia, was speaking. In contrast to the ACLU, we want to reaffirm our position of zero tolerance for white supremacy no matter what form it decides to masquerade in.”

Students in attendance at the event were disappointed that the discussion could not take place as planned. Tyler Senio ’19 took issue with the protesters’ method but recognized their right to assemble.

“I do not believe that preventing discussion from happening is a viable pathway to get what you want,” Senio said. “I believe it is important for people to express themselves and stand up for the issues they believe in.

However, once these expressions start to negatively affect others and prevent progress in the area they are protesting, that’s when the justification becomes questionable.”

Dayan did not expect the event to be protested but said, on behalf of AMP, that he was pleased to have a civically engaged campus.

“We are proud of be a part of a politically active community that voices their concerns and fights for their rights,” Dayan said. “However, we hoped for a two-sided dialogue so our students could learn about their rights and [have] the chance to question, critique and engage in conversation with the director herself.”

This event was planned five months prior, and according to Dayan, as of now there are no plans to reschedule.

Oct. 3 vote to determine new retail spaces, venues near Food Lion shopping center Plans to add green spaces, shops, restaurants, concert locations would potentially revitalize Monticello Shopping Center RENOVATIONS from page 1

be consistent and compatible in itself. I wouldn’t want to see the City decide that this type of building is acceptable anywhere, but it’s alright as a confined, one-time issue.”

The ARB is now set to formally review the proposed designs after Broad Street Realty requested its special-use permit Sept. 20 at the City’s Planning Commission meeting.

At this meeting, Commissioners voted 4-3 to recommend the requested special-use permit.

As recommended, the permit would allow four, unrelated people to live together in student housing, a number which is higher than the City’s current three-person rule. It would also extend the City’s building height from 45 to 66 feet and allow Broad Street Realty to use 80 percent of new building space for multifamily units instead of the current 67 percent.

Members of the Planning Commission voted on the four, unrelated people clause separately, voting 5-2 on the zoning amendment to allow Broad Street Realty to house four non-family members together in four-bedroom apartments.

“The project as a whole is a big benefit to the City,” Lane said. “At this point, you have a run-down,

non-contributing shopping center, and we are replacing that with something different and better. …

The design is certainly different than what you would say would be typical Williamsburg, but it is consistent with the comprehensive plan that has been in place since 2012. It’s not like it is something that we never anticipated.

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People have been planning to do this kind of thing; to provide a mixedresidential retail situation with an improved streetscape Chair of the Architectural Review Board Robert Lane on the City Council vote

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People have been planning to do this kind of thing; to provide a mixedresidential retail situation with an improved streetscape.”

Beyond the proposed student housing, Broad Street Realty’s plan calls for new landscaped pedestrian boulevards, a public plaza with green space, sidewalks, bike lanes and additional space for retail. The company has said that Sal’s by Victor restaurant, Virginia ABC and Food Lion will remain, and it has begun working with ACE Hardware to relocate the store within the shopping center.

After a foreclosure on the Williamsburg Shopping Center in 2015 caused by DLC Management Corporation’s failure to pay the mortgage, special service company Torchlight Investors handled the shopping center and then eventually sold it to Broad Street Realty.

According to City Mayor Paul Freiling ’83, vacancies in the shopping center were intentional, as Torchlight Investors worked to remove businesses to provide more flexibility to sell the retail space to a developer. Freiling said that Broad Street Realty is also working on a contract to purchase the shopping center across Monticello Avenue, which shows that there is significant

retail interest in the space.

The preferred plan for the shopping center would add 380,000 square feet of new residential and retail space, a 140-room hotel and 624 beds in 240 residential units. While plans for the Monticello Shopping Center have not been made public, Broad Street Realty CEO Michael Jacoby has said that the Marshalls and Ace Hardware would move into that space.

“The retail will be chosen by the developer. The City doesn’t have any say because that is a private business decision,” Freiling said. “What we have seen with the developer is a number of casual food options that would be appealing to anyone who lives there.

They are also looking at a green area that would be suitable for events and create activities. I don’t think it would be solely geared towards students who live there.”

According to Freiling, the proposed renovations would benefit the City not only economically, but by providing more retail and residential options to students and other community members.

“It does create more housing opportunities and gives more choices students, although it will not be exclusive to students,” Freiling said. “It’s going to be designed to be walkable. The other great thing about the timing of it is

that within the next year we will see the construction of the multi-use path from the School of Education to Newtown that will open up bicycle and pedestrian traffic, and the City is redeveloping the few blocks of Monticello. All of that is happening at the same time.”

Jacoby said his company wants to complete renovations on both properties by the summer of 2019 to accommodate students that would be leasing the apartments in the Williamsburg Shopping Center. With the Planning Commission’s positive recommendation of the special-use permit secured, final decisions on the project will be made Oct. 12 at the City Council meeting.

According to ARB member Andrew Edwards ’71 M.A. ’94, the proposed renovations, if approved by the City Council, will revitalize the shopping center.

“I don’t think [Broad Street Realty] is crazy,” Edwards said. “If they are going to invest in this project, they are going to have businesses lined up, and they are already lining up. The reason I think that we have vacancies in this shopping center is that the previous managers of the complex were not terribly approachable or responsible, but I think that we can bring them back if people have a close, in-town place to get what they want.”

opinions GUEST COLUMN

Cultural appropriation at the Caf

Sarah Malks THE FLAT HAT

For a liberal arts college boasting an educated populace and, more importantly, a caring community, the Buddha Bowl at the Commons Dining Hall is conspicuous in its impropriety. It is a cultural appropriation and simply inappropriate to name a dish after a religious figure.

Buddha is a title given to one who has achieved enlightenment and who understands the Four Noble Truths in the religion of Buddhism.

To name a dinner dish comprised merely of vegetables and grains after such a lofty religious state is a belittlement of the profound achievement itself and the arduous process required along the way.

Naming a dinner dish after a paramount figure in Christianity would be unacceptable here because the majority of the population of the College of William and Mary is Christian.

However, as a caring and educated population, it is vital to respect all aspects of our community.

That includes respect toward all minority groups who do not have the privilege of renown that majority groups have.

Buddhism is the world’s fourth largest religion. Though not very highly practiced in Williamsburg, Virginia, Buddhism is a part of our community and must be respected, just as we respect all other elements. The blatant cultural appropriation of the Buddha Bowl name is noticed and rejected by the campus community.

It is unnecessary, and a bit ridiculous, to bring religion into the name of a completely secular food dish.

Cultural insensitivity and appropriation is

a pervasive issue on our campus as a whole, and it is a shameful act to blindly follow. In short, the name of the Buddha Bowl must be changed. But, the contents of the bowl are delicious, and most definitely should remain a healthy staple of the Caf. If a dish at the Caf was named the “Jesus Bowl,” there would be an outcry, an uproar, a total reproaching of the system — and rightly so. No religion, culture or group should be subjected to insensitivity and appropriation.

Such inappropriate acts are disgustingly prevalent in our society today.

It may seem to be an overwhelming problem: how can I help? How can I alone

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If a dish at the Caf was named the “Jesus Bowl,” there would be an outcry, an uproar, a total reproaching of the system. make the world a better place?

If you consider yourself a caring person, an intellectual, or if you have just read to this point in the article, it is imperative that you are made aware that you can make a difference. Email Dining Services. Voice your concerns to the administration. Actively petitioning to change the name of the Buddha Bowl is a vital first step on the path to ensuring a respectful campus environment for each and every member of our inspiring community here at the College of William and Mary — future home of healthy, secular, non-appropriating dinner bowls.

Email Sarah Malks at slmalks@email. wm.edu.

Opinions Editor Brendan Doyle Opinions Editor Kiana Espinoza fhopinions@gmail.com // @theflathat

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, October 3, 2017 | Page 5

STAFF COLUMN

Class absence policies too strict for freshman plague

Kiana Espinoza

FLAT HAT OPINIONS EDITOR

It feels as though walking into class lately has been even more stressful than usual. The chorus of coughs in every classroom has me a little concerned that at least half the campus may be sick. Over the past several weeks my friends have been diagnosed with strep, the flu and bronchitis — with a few mono scares thrown in. Yet, in my humanities classes, the rooms are still full — just full of sick people.

This week, one of my professors opened class with a reminder of syllabus course policies. She told us that we were allowed three absences with no questions asked. However, after those three absences, each day we missed would lower our grades by one letter per day. This policy, although somewhat strict, is by no means unfamiliar. As an English major, I hear this in each class at the start of every semester; that’s just the way classes work when participation is weighed heavily in final grading. My professor finished her reminder with a clarification: “These aren’t my rules. They’re from my boss’s boss.”

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While I appreciate the resources I have and the College-wide process we have in place, I still feel that asking students to wait until their grade is negatively impacted to reach out to administration is a steep request.

In other words, while she seemed compassionate and knows that students can’t always make it to class and that illness should not affect grades, these rules come from higher-ups. Many department heads agree on the three-absence policy, which is a trickle down from the Dean of Students Office. Once upon a time, students used to be able to present what my professors have called the “blue slips,” and an absence would be excused. But that policy depended on students going to a doctor or the health center, which may not be financially accessible for every 24-hour bug. Thus, the Dean of Students decided that any number of absences more than three should be brought to them so that they can notify professors of extenuating circumstances.

While I have not exceeded these three absences yet, I know that I am walking on thin ice through the first month of school, since I have been sick the past three weeks with colds, congestion and bronchitis — which have all been exacerbated by asthma. I like to think that I am typically a pretty healthy person, but when illness hits in college — even for a couple of days — it can derail plans, schedules and papers.

As students living in a high-stress environment, it’s one thing to be sick, but quite another to be surrounded by sickness and stress. With a policy like this in place for such a large number of classes, it’s no wonder we live in such a stressful environment. While I appreciate the resources I have and the Collegewide process we have in place (as opposed to a person-to-professor basis that may leave too much up to an individual), I still feel that asking students to wait until their grade is negatively impacted to reach out to administration is a steep request.

I know few people who have reached out to the Dean of Students Office to help solve their problems, but I know many who were intimidated by doing so. While they are a great resource de-signed specifically to help students, they are still an administrative body. To a stressed college student who may need to plead their case (when they could have alternatively just spent a little longer in bed and gotten better), the Dean of Students’ policy probably seems like an unnecessary head-ache in times of turmoil.

I don’t expect the policy to change soon, and I don’t believe that it is entirely flawed. However, I do believe that for those of us who are already sick and stressed, being asked to cough in class or else plead with administration is likely not a helpful solution.

Email Kiana Espinoza at kaespinoza@email.wm.edu

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

The Flat Hat

Page 6

Choosing a university was a choice between black or white

Tamara Copeland FLAT HAT GUEST COLUMNIST

When it was time to start thinking about colleges, my parents took me on the typical college tour trip. We didn’t go too far from my hometown of Richmond. We visited Hampton University, Virginia State, Fisk in Nashville and North Carolina Central — all members of the HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) network.

Predominantly white schools were also in the mix, having only recently become a significant option for black students. Some rose to the top from stories told by recent high school grads who came back to share their experience. I learned of others from my high school quarterback boyfriend who was aggressively recruited by many white schools across the country. When it came time to make that important decision, I chose the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia — also the boyfriend’s choice.

It is interesting to note the reaction that decision elicited then and now. While my parents were not enamored of the boyfriend, they were of my college choice. At the time, not only my parents, but also my parents’ friends, and every adult with whom I shared the decision was proud. Virginians knew that William and Mary liked to refer to itself as the Ivy League of the South. It was, and is, a small, state school with a well-regarded reputation for academic

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Acceptance was regarded as even more extraordinary for a black student.

At that time, there were just a handful of black students on campus. excellence. Being accepted into William and Mary was prestigious for a white student. Acceptance was regarded as even more extraordinary for a black student. At that time, there were just a handful of black students on campus. The first was accepted in 1967, only two years before my freshman year.

When people learn that I graduated from William and Mary, the reaction is characteristically divided by race. White people, particularly white Virginians, nod their heads positively. Usually, this fact elevates me in their hierarchy of intellectual excellence.

Many black people, on the other hand, shake their heads questioningly. Why did I forego an education grounded in the richness of black culture at an HBCU to attend predominately white William and Mary? They sometimes ask outright: “Did you get a scholarship?” And when I answer, “No,” they either ask me, “Then why did you go there?” or they silently wonder.

The answer has many layers, but at its core, you must consider the times.

My grades were excellent. While not in the top 10 of my high school graduating class, I was in the top 15, a member of the National Honor Society and active in everything from student government to the school yearbook. It was never actually said to me, but I had been groomed to be one of the first. I knew that I was expected to walk through doors as they opened for blacks.

Attending William and Mary was one such door. It was seen as a stepping stone, especially in Virginia, to other career opportunities that would not have been possible just a few short years previously.

I sincerely felt it was my responsibility to accept when William and Mary accepted me.

Now, in hindsight, the adult me has regretted this decision.

College choices back then truly were black or white. I can think of no school, at the time, which was well integrated. While I received an excellent education, I do not have rich memories of campus camaraderie or of Greek life in the sisterhood of a sorority.

Even though the student body voted me onto the homecoming court three out of my four years (the first black homecoming princess at W and M), I’ve only returned to homecoming twice.

And while I made a few good friends and have no recollection of racism while there, overall when I think back on college, there is just an emptiness, an experience devoid of the oh-so-important social fabric of college life.

I know that my life’s trajectory would have been different —quite different — had I made another choice. Better? I’ll never know.

This article was originally published as a blog (daughtersoftheamericandream.org) (Oct. 1, 2017) . Email Tamara Copeland at cozybaycottage@gmail.com.

GRAPHIC BY KAYLA SHIRLEY / THE FLAT HAT

Trail closings: opportunity for adventure in disguise

Anthony Madalone FLAT HAT GUEST COLUMNISTS

Something that struck me from my very first visit to the College of William and Mary was the stunning scenery that seemed to surround the campus on all sides.

Being from New York, the College’s beautiful, historic brick buildings and pathways fit neatly into my image of what a “southern school” would look like.

The thing that really struck me, however, was just how woodsy the campus seemed to me. It was like a little slice of the temperate forests of my northeastern home managed to sneak down with me.

I had always embraced the wilderness back in New York, exploring new trails whenever I had the chance, and I looked forward to the same sense of adventure and awe at the College.

To my surprise, when I arrived here for orientation I discovered another distinctive feature of New York had followed me here: the constant, obnoxious hum and sight of construction.

Everywhere I seemed to look, inorganic fences blocked the trails and pathways that I thought would be all available to me in my new home.

I was peeved, but mostly unperturbed, until one night I decided to embark on a latenight journey from Yates Hall to Swem, only to discover my beloved wooded shortcut had been blocked off, for reasons beyond my comprehension.

The extra few minutes needed to walk to Swem nearly tanked my night; the fragile motivation of a student voluntarily going out of his way

to do work needs as little a barrier as possible, and I fear my experience has been replicated by other students across campus who simply did not need any further inconvenience.

What I failed to realize in all my fury was that the lack of my normal route was only opening my eyes to a greater understanding of what this campus has to offer.

Too often when running in the wilderness back home, I would default to running the same path, never venturing past the confines of my favorite trail.

With the many trail closings, I’ve been forced to find different, creative ways to get to the places I need to get to. The trail closings aren’t limiting my options: they’re only opening my eyes to a much greater world here at the College, places I would have never discovered without the help of a barrier.

Walking home after a full month on campus this Tuesday, my hallmates and I noticed a young gentleman walking behind us, eyes glued to his phone and headphones plugged in. As we walked straight, we noticed he had taken a turn toward an area fully blocked off by a fence.

We all stopped and watched with anticipation, as the young man fulfilled the hopes of our anticipation: he walked straight into the gated off area, confused out of his mind.

We waved to him, and together we laughed.

Let’s allow these path closings to give us the same experience that they gave this young man: what might seem to be a barrier at first gives way to the joy of new experience and connection that would have never occurred if they weren’t blocked off.

Let these temporary barriers serve as a testament to how we continue living our lives at the College, not letting a closed pathway serve as anything less than an opportunity to go out and discover something new.

Email Anthony Madalone at asmadalone@email.wm.edu.

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To my surprise, when I arrived here for orientation I discovered another distinctive feature of New York had followed me here: the constant, obnoxious hum of construction.

COMMENTS @THEFLATHAT

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Virginia Tech, among others I’m sure does a wonderful job making vintage logos available on apparel, etc. W&M should take note. There is a place for the cypher, both coat of arms, and dare I say even the feathers.

— Tom Seabrook on “Defending the Coat of Arms of the College”

variety

Variety Editor Akemi Tamanaha Variety Editor Heather Baier flathat.variety@gmail.com // @theflathat

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, October

3, 2017 | Page 7

Competition and camaraderie

ALEX HUBBARD // THE FLAT HAT COURTESY PHOTO / WILL RYU

An inside look at the men s and women s rugby teams

While there is no Division 1 varsity rugby team on campus, students do have the opportunity to join club men s rugby or club women s rugby. Both teams seek to build a sense of community, and students don t need to have rugby experience to join.

It all started with a soccer game at an English boarding school.

“One of the kids picked up the ball, and the other kids got angry and tackled him,” Matt Horrigan ’18, president of the men’s rugby team, said.

Since its creation, rugby has enjoyed widespread popularity throughout the world, including America.

Although rugby’s popularity in the United States faded, interest in the sport is on the rise, with more and more Americans choosing to pick up a rugby ball. Horrigan picked up the sport when he was accepted to the College of William and Mary/University of St. Andrews Joint Degree Programme.

“I wanted to choose something that I could play both here and over there, and I found rugby,” Horrigan said.

Despite its relative obscurity in America, there is a powerful draw to rugby. Most students on the rugby teams didn’t play before college, but according to Gloria Cho ’18, president of the women’s rugby team, that’s an advantage.

“A lot of people don’t know about rugby before coming into college, so I think that is just attractive in itself,” she said. “It’s exciting.

You play a new sport, and you get to learn new things.”

Alyssa Sze ’19, a member of the team, came to rugby after rowing in high school, because she was looking for something new.

“I joined rugby for the same reason I joined rowing: I wanted to do the most challenging thing that I could,” Sze said. “I saw rugby at the activity fair and they were very friendly and very welcoming, and without really knowing anything about the sport I decided to show up, and I’m really happy that I did.”

For Sze, the excitement and strategy involved in rugby were what caused her to fall in love with the sport itself. For Horrigan, running around on the field for 80 minutes surrounded by his teammates is a great stress reliever. No matter the stressors of the rest of his day-to-day life, once he steps onto the field, the game is all he thinks about.

The rugby community is incredibly tightknit, especially in America, where it is relatively small.

“You can go anywhere in the world, and if you meet someone else who plays rugby you automatically have something to talk about.

There’s an automatic connection,” Horrigan said.

There is also a powerful sense of camaraderie within the team.

“There’s a sort of equality that you get, because we need communication on the field,” Horrigan said. “So even if there’s a freshman who’s new to the team, we still need to make sure they’re comfortable communicating with us, and I think that carries over off the field as well.”

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COURTESY PHOTO / GLORIA CHO

There s a lot trust and respect on the team.

I trust all of my teammates. I respect all of my teammates.

- Alyssa Sze

COURTESY PHOTO / WILL RYU

On and off the field, both teams are very close, which helps make the practices and long drives to other schools for away games more fun. Horrigan said that the team has a very strong community of alumni, many of whom keep in touch and visit during games and practices.

“I’m now good friends with a lot of alumni, some of whom I didn’t even go to school with,” Horrigan said. “I’ve got two of them helping me find a job right now, and two weekends ago I helped one of them move into his apartment.”

This closeness is also very present in the women’s team.

“We have a really good chemistry going on with everyone, not just certain groups of people,” Cho said. “We try our best to include everyone when the new incoming class comes.

We do bigs and littles, and we just overall try to make it so that they feel included, and feel like they have a family.”

Because most people are learning the sport for the first time, and because it’s so important to have a close group, there is a lot of equality in rugby. Underclassmen are never made to feel inferior to upperclassmen, and everything is done based on merit.

“There’s a lot of trust and respect on the team,” Sze said. “I trust all of my teammates.

I respect all of my teammates. The nice thing about rugby is that everyone has different skills, and no one skill is more valuable than the other one. All of them are necessary and needed on the field.”

Unfortunately, there are a lot of misconceptions about rugby that deter people from even trying to play.

“A lot of people think that because we don’t have pads, and because we’re tackling people that everyone’s just going to get hurt or injured,” Cho said. “But we do our best, especially during practices, to encourage safe play. So we teach everyone to safely tackle, and how to protect yourself when you get tackled.”

According to Horrigan, the same goes for the men’s team. The most common issues that they have are when players come into rugby from football and try to just play rugby like they would football. In rugby, players have to be a lot more careful about how they tackle because they don’t wear any pads and because, unlike football, the play continues after a tackle, so instead of having time to reset the line and prepare, the game continues.

It is still early in the rugby season, but both teams are doing well and have made marked improvements over years past. The men’s team is 2-1, and the women’s team is 1-0. The women claimed their victory over the University of Mary Washington, which was the division champion in 2015.

Both teams have home games coming up Oct. 7 and are looking forward to a strong season.

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Page 8

Fact or Fiction: Freshman Plague

Coughing up the truth of the dreaded campus ailment

ROBERT METAXATOS THE FLAT HAT

The so-called “freshman plague” is a seemingly real, fastspreading and high-density illness affecting first-year students at higher proportions than upperclassmen. Some say it’s inevitable that freshmen will become ill over the course of the year; there is a myriad of omitted variables at hand that provide different perspectives on the myth of the freshman plague.

When interviewed, 19 of 20 first-year students thought the plague to be fact. Many also seem to have arrived at this opinion after becoming ill.

“I thought it was a myth, but then I got it,” Nyla Pollard ’21 said.

According to Student Health Center nurse practitioner Karla Beckman, many students blame their illness on weak immune systems.

“We hear a lot of students say they have a weak immune system,” Beckman said in an email. “[U]nless someone has a primary immunodeficiency disease, is on an immunosuppressive drug, receiving chemotherapy, or has a virus that may be affecting their immune function, we would assume that the majority of students are immunocompetent.”

A more realistic concern is the number of people not acquainted with close-quartered living — many students come from single-family households. The initial experience of Orientation, followed by the continued cohabitation and closeness of freshman dorms, perpetuates the annual virus.

“I went into a study room with no AC with a bunch of my friends … and all of a sudden, we all had it,” Marcus Bengzon ’21 said.

According to Beckman, these close group tendencies are less prevalent in upperclassmen. “[U]pperclassmen have a variety of living arrangements and don’t travel in a cohort as much,” Beckman said in an email.

The pressure of the academic environment also plays a large role in susceptibility to a virus.

“I think stress plays a lot in the development of disease,” kinesiology and health sciences professor Carrie Dolan said.

“And then on top of that is the expectation of performance to do well in classes and, then, people want to do well socially as

well.”

Statistics elucidate higher proportions of freshman sickness, whether by fault of the “freshman plague” or not.

“Thus far, the freshmen have been the major utilizers of student health services, with 501 visits, but those are not strictly

for upper respiratory infections, and some may be repeat visits,” Beckman said in an email. “There have been 381 Sophomore visits, 374 Junior visits, and 340 Senior visits.” Freshman make up the greatest proportion of students visiting the health center for upper respiratory illness (short-term, fast-spreading infections of the nose and various air tracts) at 41 percent of the total undergraduate population. Each higher class descends in percentage thereafter.

Symptoms of these infections tend to persist for one to two weeks after exposure, so it is not uncommon for many people in a social group to be afflicted at the same time.

Luckily, simple precautions may be taken to avoid contagious viruses. The unanimous recommendation is for sick students to stay home and try to catch up using course updates on Blackboard. More than ever, students at the College of William

“ IER ER BA HEATH HIC BY GRAP

The initial experience of Orientation, followed by the continued cohabitation and closeness of freshman dorms, perpetuates the annual virus.

and Mary have access to professors’ notes, peer notes and databases of material with the click of a button.

As much as students want to be in class, an email to a professor, even during a period of examination, may prove beneficial for both parties.

To Dolan, the most important precaution is self-care. “[T]aking care of yourself is often overlooked … if people practiced better self-care, then they’d be setting themselves up for success in a different way,” Dolan said.

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

Missing from Sex-Ed: The erogenous zones A lesson in your partner’s pleasure hotspots and where to focus attention

Elizabeth Barto

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS COLUMNIST

I cannot count the number of pop culture articles I’ve read about the female body in modern culture where the vulva was referred to as a vagina. I realize that in high school sexed (if you had it), the anatomy sections felt like the most obvious and useless information.

I vaguely remember shaking my head at a dust-flecked projector diagram of the male reproductive organs, thinking, “This is all true, but what is one supposed to DO with this information?”

Anatomy lessons without indicating erogenous zones reduce sex-ed to half abstinence-only scare tactics, half snooze fest.

And why? Education concerning safe sex and consent could be a whole lot less terrifying if you also talk about pleasure. And in an age where birth control is relatively reliable and sex-positive culture grows by the year, there’s no reason why education about sex shouldn’t be equally concerned with good sex as with safe sex.

A few terms you should understand: • Vulva: the external female genitals • Clitoris: a small, sensitive, erectile organ located externally at the front of the vulva, as well as internally • Glans: the head of the penis • Frenulum: a v-shaped band of tissue under the glans which connects to foreskin, if present • Scrotum: the pouch of skin containing the testes • Perineum: the area between the anus and the scrotum or vulva Female Genital Erogenous Zones Have you seen the 3D printed model of the clitoris that French schools use to educate students about sex? It includes the clitoris’s internal tissues, whose sleek wishbone curves remind me a bit of a future model of a pink starship Enterprise, slinging through galaxies and inviting partners to boldly go where hopefully some have gone before. I digress.

According to the Guardian article, “How a 3D Clitoris will Help Teach French Schoolchildren about Sex,” “The clitoris is made up of the same tissue as the penis. That it is divided into crura or

legs, bulbs, foreskin and a head. That the only difference between a clitoris and a penis is that most of the female erectile tissue is internal – and that it’s often longer, at around 8 inches.”

8 inches. Take that, penis envy. So basically, if you didn’t know, the external part of the clitoris is hidden beneath a clitoral hood, which is this shiny pink nub (for lack of a more elegant description) that should be the number one tourist spot for those looking to pleasure a partner with female genitalia.

Many women cannot orgasm from vaginal stimulation alone, so when in doubt, give the clitoris a helping hand (or tongue)! Keep in mind that different people prefer different pressures of clitoral stimulation, so if you’re dedicated to pleasuring your partner, make sure to ask: “More?” “Less?” “Harder?”

“Softer?”

Not to be excluded, however, are the primarily external labia majora and minora, the lips which frame the vaginal opening and cover the internal crura and bulbs of the clitoris. In the words of Key and Peele in their “Cunnilingus Class” sketch: “flaps everywhere, a world of flaps!”

In other news, the G-spot, a sensitive patch of tissue in the vagina, may be located in a number of locations which varies from person to person. In 70 percent of vaginas, the G-spot is located in the front wall, and can be located with a simple “come hither” motion inside the vagina. With 15 percent of vaginas, the G-spot is located at the very back of the vaginal canal, close to the cervix (read: BACK and UP).

Others’ G-spots may be located in the middle of or spread across the vaginal ceiling (UP, toward the cervix).

Regardless of placement, you should be able to locate the G-spot by its spongy, ribbed texture during arousal. Remember the G-spot: ribbed for her pleasure.

Male Genital Erogenous Zones The penis. Not all areas of the penis are created equal. The glans (aka the head of the penis) operates in a similar nature to the clitoris in that therein lies the majority of the penis’s nerve endings. The most are along the outer ridge. The frenulum is the v-shaped spot just below the glans. Although some circumcisions include removal of the frenulum, and it does not contain quite as many nerve endings as the glans, if present, it offers another erogenous zone to provide attention to. The shaft has the fewest nerve endings (not to say that it should be neglected) and thus may be most responsive to varying pressures and sensations. One last note: that ridge or seam on the underside of the penis is called the perineal raphe, and it may also be a more

sensitive area of the shaft for some individuals.

The scrotum and testes are a tremendously sensitive erogenous area and should generally be treated with care. Consider the discomfort and pain often associated with the testes.

To treat the scrotum and testes with the tender love and care they deserve, as always, communicate with your partner. For some, good sex would not be the same without a little scrotal love, while others may prefer that you avoid this area altogether.

The prostate — how could I talk about male erogenous zones without bringing up the prostate? It’s a walnut-sized gland which can be stimulated indirectly either via the perineum or the wall of the rectum which faces the belly button (like finding the G-spot, you may wish to use a come hither motion).

Genderless Erogenous Zones The lips, ears (for some), nipples and neck should also be your playground. Because, apparently, nipple orgasms are a thing.

Also included in this list are the perineum, sphincter and anus, although partners may have varying preferences toward stimulation of these areas.

Definitely ask your partner before exploring these areas, and do a little further research if anal play is on the docket for your day to

ensure comfort and safety (and don’t forget your lube).

Pleasuring Intersex and Trans Partners (and a General Tip) If your partner has a combination of the above erogenous zones, just ask them which they would most enjoy for you to focus on. Keep in mind that partners for whom genital assignation differs from their gender identification may have some erogenous zones which they disassociate from, find dysphoric, or otherwise find uncomfortable or traumatic.

So just as with anyone else, communication is key to ensuring that all involved parties are having fun and feel supported and comfortable.

So a general tip for all: in addition to erogenous zones, everyone has different comfort zones, and being a good sexual partner means paying attention to both.

If nothing else, let these areas serve as a reminder to you that pleasuring someone is a holistic experience. You have a whole body to explore. Each person is a universe of pleasure zones. Make it your continuing mission to explore strange new worlds.

Elizabeth Barto is a Behind Closed Doors columinst who wants readers to go boldy where they haven’t gone before.

sportsinside

The Flat Hat

| Tuesday, October 3, 2017 | Page 9

FIELD HOCKEY

College cruises to 2-0 conference start

Tribe shuts out Hofstra in 5-0 win, uses quick start to top Northeastern 3-1 KEVIN RICHESON FLAT HAT ASSOC. SPORTS EDITOR William and Mary squared off against two Colonial Athletic Association opponents for the Tribe’s first conference matches of the season after a challenging non-conference schedule. The Tribe got off to a fast start, scoring early and often against Hofstra Friday en route to a 5-0 shutout victory. The College finished out the weekend with a hard-fought 3-1 win over Northeastern.

Friday, the College (7-4, 1-0 CAA) wasted no time in taking the lead against the Pride (5-7, 0-1 CAA). Senior midfielder Emma MacLeod blasted a shot past Hofstra goaltender Carys Swan to give the College a 1-0 lead before three minutes had ticked off the clock in the match. Senior forward Cammie Lloyd assisted on MacLeod’s goal. About 10 minutes later, the Tribe capitalized on sustained pressure on the Huskies’ defense. Lloyd got a goal of her own off an assist by junior midfielder Jenna Cutilli, putting the Tribe in front 2-0, a score that held up until halftime.

The College held the Pride to just one shot on goal during the match,

while the Tribe manufactured 18 shots on goal. The second half was dominated by the College, as it added three more goals to carry the Tribe to a 5-0 victory. All three second half goals were scored by MacLeod, giving her four goals on the night.

“It was just Days the start of CAA,” MacLeod said. “We all played really well as a team. I just happened to be there.”

Sunday, the Tribe took the lead against Northeastern just over a minute into the match when sophomore defender Christie van de Kamp made a run down the left side and passed the ball to sophomore forward Cata Days. Days passed it back to van de Kamp, who darted toward the middle of the field and fired a high shot past the reach of the Huskies goaltender for an early goal, giving the Tribe a 1-0 advantage.

The Huskies had the only penalty corner of the first half very early on in the game. However, the Tribe

successfully defended the corner and cleared the ball away from the goal to avoid giving the Huskies a chance to tie the match at one.

The Tribe doubled its lead with just under 27 minutes remaining in the first half when sophomore Woodard Hooper got the ball around midfield.

She dribbled all the way down the field, weaving past multiple defenders before getting off a bad-angle shot that skidded past the goaltender and into the corner of the goal.

“I said to the team, ‘if you drop your guard on this team, they are going to control it,’” head coach Tess Ellis said.

This made the Tribe’s fast start extremely important, because it allowed the College to play with the lead.

The next 20 minutes of the match were fairly uneventful, as the Huskies were unable to put much pressure on the Tribe defense. In the final minute of the first half, Northeastern fired a shot on goal. Tribe sophomore goalkeeper Morgan Connor used her pad to block the shot and direct it away from the goal, maintaining the College’s 2-0 lead. The first half buzzer sounded less than a minute later and the Tribe went

WOMEN’S SOCCER

to the half with a 2-0 advantage over the Huskies.

The Huskies had the first chance of the second half and converted it for a goal to cut the Tribe’s lead in half.

Northwestern forward Jamie Bartucca hit a shot past Connor and into the corner of the goal. The College held a 2-1 lead with 29 minutes remaining.

The Tribe got its first penalty corner of the match a few minutes later, but was unable to add to its lead after a couple minutes of intense offense pressure on the Huskies’ defense.

With just under 20 minutes left, the Huskies got a penalty corner of their own, looking to find an equalizing goal and put the pressure back on Connor the College. However, the Tribe defense managed to prevent the Huskies from tying the match with the help of a save by Connor.

With 16 minutes left in the match, the College once again failed to stretch the lead, as a short-range shot from MacLeod was kept out by the diving

Huskies goalkeeper Julia Ennis. The Huskies stopped another Tribe penalty corner before earning a penalty corner of their own with just over 12 minutes left in the match. However, the shot off of the penalty corner sailed harmlessly out of bounds.

With less than nine minutes left in the match, Hooper jammed home a shot into the left side of the net to put the match out of reach for the Huskies.

The Tribe held onto its 3-1 lead for the remainder of the match and claimed its third victory in a row.

“We went up 2-0 but we knew they were going to come back strong and they did,” Hooper said. “It was just a complete team effort to get that last goal to secure the win.”

Friday, the College will continue CAA play on the road against Towson.

The Tribe will look to stay undefeated in conference play and extend its winning streak to four matches before returning home next Sunday afternoon to battle Davidson in a non-conference match.

“The ultimate goal for us would be to win all games and host [the conference tournament] here at William and Mary,” Ellis said.

VOLLEYBALL

Tribe falls big to Hofstra College loses again College finishes winless September, still seeking first CAA win ALYSSA GRZESIAK FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR Sunday, William and Mary welcomed Hofstra to Martin Family Stadium for another Colonial Athletic Association matchup.

This 3-1 defeat marked the Tribe’s eighth loss in a row, broken up only by a 0-0 tie against the College of Charleston Thursday.

The College (4-8-1, 0-3-1 CAA) struggled against the Pride (8-3-2, 4-0-0 CAA), unable to score until the 83rd minute. A goal by redshirt sophomore forward Sarah Segan, her fourth of the season, was the Tribe’s lone achievement of the match.

“At least we got one,” Segan said.

“It was nice to get one to just kind of lift our spirits up near the end and just give us another good battle to finish off the game.”

Hofstra took the lead early with a goal by midfielder Lucy Porter late in the third minute of the contest.

The Pride scored again in the 32nd minute with a goal by forward Kristin Desmond.

The Tribe made only one attempt between the two Hofstra goals, a shot taken by Segan in the 30th

minute that was blocked before reaching the goal.

Segan made another attempt late in the 37th minute, but the shot was blocked again. A foul on the Pride in the 37th minute resulted in a penalty kick for senior back defender Elysse Branton, but the kick was saved by Hofstra goalkeeper Jenna Borresen.

“We’ve got players who can play soccer, but because of this run we’re on, they snatch at the decisions and end up making poor decisions,” head coach John Daly said. “It’s been pretty frustrating because they’re capable of performing at a higher level.”

Freshman forward Courtney Miles came in hot at the end of the first period with two consecutive shots on goal in the 42nd minute.

Despite the effort, the first shot was blocked and the second saved

by Borresen. The final attempt of the period was made by senior midfielder Haley Kent with a shot in the 44th minute, but the shot was also blocked.

Dominating the Tribe’s offense, Segan went in for another shot in the 52nd minute, but the shot ended just wide of the goal.

Hofstra forward Jenn Buoncore scored Hofstra’s third and final goal of the match in the 54th minute, her first goal of the season.

“Poor officiating,” Daly said.

“When you get that kind of team, they play on the edge. They weren’t dirty, but they play on the edge. And when you’re on the edge, you’re over the edge more often than you’re not, and they rarely went over the edge. That just compounds the frustration.”

A header shot by senior midfielder Rachel Moore was blocked late in the 56th minute; Moore was subbed out in the 59th minute.

The following 24 minutes were relatively uneventful, with both teams unable to follow through on any shot. In the 83rd minute, Segan scored the Tribe’s one and only goal. The match ended 3-1 in favor of the Pride.

The Tribe looks to break its losing streak in conference play, hitting the road Thursday to take on Elon. The College will return home Sunday to host a CAA battle against Delaware at 2 p.m. at Martin Family Stadium.

Tribe continues with rough season, drops to 2-15 ALYSSA GRZESIAK FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR Thursday, William and Mary traveled to Elon, North Carolina to take on Colonial Athletic Association opponent Elon. The Tribe (2-15, 0-4 CAA) suffered another conference loss to the Phoenix (12-6, 2-2 CAA).

In the first set, the two teams tied the score up back and forth until Elon went on a fivepoint run late in the set, broken by freshman middle hitter Julia Brown off an assist from sophomore setter Autumn Brenner. The run left the Phoenix a single point away from victory. A kill by Elon’s outside hitter Kam Terry secured a 25-18 loss for the Tribe.

Despite an early 3-1 lead by the Phoenix, the College was able to come back and stay in the game. Two consecutive kills by freshman hitter Kate Dedrick tied the set up at 13.

Strong offensive plays by senior hitter Sydney Biniak and junior hitter Heather Pippus were not enough to keep the Tribe ahead. A kill by Phoenix middle blocker Courtney Carpenter ended the second set 25-22 in favor of Elon.

The third set did not look promising for the Tribe. Elon kept a solid lead until the College went on a five-point run to finally

take the lead 17-16. The run ignited after a kill by junior setter Katie Kemp. A kill by Brown followed by two from Pippus secured the Tribe’s 25-23 victory.

The College kept its momentum going into the fourth set. The Tribe was able to tie the score up on five occasions during the set, but was unable to finish strong. Elon stole the fourth and final set 25-20, thanks to a kill by outside hitter Sydney Busa, winning the game 3-1.

Biniak led the Tribe offense with 15 kills, closely followed by Pippus with 13 and Dedrick with 12. Elon’s Busa and Terry outscored the top Tribe hitters with 22 and 19 kills, respectively.

Brown contributed half of the College’s aces, the other two coming from Brenner and Pippus. Kemp managed 34 assists, followed

by Brenner with 10. Kemp also led the Tribe in digs with 13, followed by senior defender Sara Zumbach with eight and freshman hitter Lauren Moussaid with seven. This marked Zumbach’s first appearance of the season.

The Tribe will continue its CAA road trip to face off against Northeastern Thursday and Hofstra Saturday, hoping to come home with its first conference victory.

SCOREBOARD Football (2-2, 0-1 CAA) Schedule

Sep. 2: L, Virginia 28, College 10 Sep. 9: W, College 20, Norfolk State 6 Sep. 16: W, College 30, Bucknell 9 Sep. 23: Bye Sep. 30: L, Stony Brook 21, College 18 Oct. 7: at Elon , 2 p.m.

Oct. 14: at Delawre, 3:30 p.m.

Oct. 21: vs. James Madison, 3:30 p.m.

Oct. 28: at Maine, 12 p.m.

Nov. 4: vs. New Hampshire, 2 p.m.

Nov. 11: vs. Towson, 2 p.m.

Nov. 18: at Richmond, 3 p.m.

Men’s soccer (4-4-3, 0-2-2 CAA)

COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS

Senior defender Elysse Branton saw her penalty kick saved against Hofstra, one of several close chances for the College on the night.

Sep. 20: W, College 1, Longwood 0 Sep. 23: L, UNCW 2, College 1 Sep. 27: L, James Madison 4, College 3 Oct. 1: T, College 1, Delaware 1 Oct. 7: at Northeastern, 5 p.m.

Oct. 11: vs. Elon, 7 p.m.

Oct. 14: vs. Hofstra, 7 p.m.

Oct. 17: vs. Virginia Tech, 7 p.m.

Season Leaders Junior quarterback Tommy McKee 50 of 89, 549 yards, 5 TD, 4 INT 46 rushes, 208 yards, 1 TD Freshman tailback Nate Evans 36 attempts, 197 yards, 2 TD Senior wide receiver Daniel Kuzjak 13 catches, 141 yards, 1 TD Senior lineback Nate Atkins 34 tackles, 2 sack, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery

Women’s soccer (4-8-1, 0-3-1 CAA) Sep. 21: L, James Madison 2, College 0 Sep. 24: L, Drexel 2, College 0 Sep. 28: T, College 0, Charleston 0 Oct. 1: L, Hofstra 3, College 1 Oct. 5: at Elon, 7 p.m.

Oct. 8: vs. Delaware, 2 p.m.

Oct. 12: at UNCW, 7 p.m.

Oct. 15: at Northeastern, 1 p.m.

sports

Sports Editor Alyssa Grzesiak Sports Editor Chris Travis flathatsports@gmail.com @FlatHatSports

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, October 3, 2017 | Page10

FOOTBALL

Tribe falls in false-start falter COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS

A pass from junior quarterback Tommy McKee intended for senior wide receiver Daniel Kuzjak resulted in McKee’s second intercepted pass of the game, with just under four minutes remaining in the game with the Tribe down by three.

College defeated by Stony Brook Seawolves 21-18 following scoreless first half JOSH LUCKENBAUGH FLAT HAT ASSOC. SPORTS EDITOR William and Mary came just short of erasing a 21-point, secondhalf deficit against Stony Brook Saturday night. The Tribe (2-2, 0-1 CAA) lost to the Seawolves (4-1, 3-0 CAA) 21-18 on a falsestart penalty with eight seconds left, which included a 10-second runoff as the College tried to stop the clock with a spike and get the kicking team on the field.

The mistake was the last of many that hurt the College in its first Colonial Athletic Association game of the season, mistakes head coach Jimmye Laycock ’70 made a point to discuss after the game.

“We had too many opportunities we didn’t take advantage of, we squandered those, and we had obviously too many mistakes,” Laycock said. “I talked to the players earlier in the week about that it would be a fine line. It could come down to [who made] fewer mistakes, and that kind of got us. Disappointing, but we keep going.”

The Tribe offense had several chances to find a rhythm in the game’s opening stages, the defense recovering two fumbles and Stony Brook missing a field goal in the first quarter. Nonetheless, junior quarterback Tommy McKee and the rest of the College attack failed to take advantage, generating just 63 total yards of offense in the first half.

Meanwhile, the Seawolves gradually began to find their offensive rhythm, establishing a balanced attack with effective rushing and passing. Running back Stacey Bedell ran for 62 of his game-high 104 yards in the first half, scoring the game’s first touchdown with 3:02 left in the first quarter, and quarterback Joe Carbone completed eight of his first 10 pass attempts for 90 yards.

The College finally put together a long drive midway through the second quarter, moving the ball 48 yards over 15 plays and taking 7:47 off the game clock.

On a crucial 3rd and 2 at the Stony Brook 10, however, McKee

slipped on a bootleg, losing 10 yards on the play. Sophomore kicker Kris Hooper missed the ensuing field goal from 37 yards out, the Tribe’s best drive of the game so far ending with zero points.

On the next drive, the Seawolves marched down the field in eight plays, increasing their lead to 14-0 on running back Donald Liotine’s nine-yard touchdown run. The Tribe headed into the locker room at halftime behind by two touchdowns, needing an offensive spark.

“We called some bad plays, we had some bad execution, we didn’t block particularly well, we dropped some passes, Tommy [McKee] made a couple mistakes,” Laycock said. “There’s a litany of things that you could go on as to why we weren’t clicking early.”

The spark did not come until Stony Brook had once again padded its lead, Carbone finding a wide open Liotine for a 61-yard touchdown pass midway through the third quarter which put the Seawolves ahead 21-0.

The College made its second trip to the red zone on the ensuing drive, with McKee completing four passes, but the offense once again stalled before it reached the end zone. This time, however, Hooper converted his field goal attempt from 34 yards, and the Tribe was on the board.

After a Stony Brook punt, the College offense returned to the field and once again found success, with freshman running back Nate Evans setting up a 1st and goal from the Seawolves’ six-yard line with a 36-yard run.

After a long series of plays which included three pass interference penalties, two of them called against Stony Brook, Evans finished off the drive with a three-yard touchdown run, giving the home fans a glimmer of hope, closing the Tribe deficit to 21-10.

McKee lauded Evans’s performance after the game, the firstyear player leading the Tribe in both rushing and receiving yards Saturday.

“He’s a good player. He’s a freshman but he acts like he’s a senior,” McKee said. “We took advantage on their aggressiveness

on defense and threw a couple screen passes behind them. When you get him out in space, he can do a lot of things and make a lot of people miss. So glad to have him.”

The Tribe trimmed the deficit to three following another Stony Brook punt, going 79 yards on four plays. Sophomore wide receiver Chris Conlan’s first career reception resulted in a 21-yard touchdown pass from McKee, and the College converted the twopoint try with a trick play on which McKee caught a pass in the end zone from junior wide receiver Isaiah Kinder.

The defense once again stepped up for the Tribe, forcing yet another Seawolves punt. However, McKee badly overthrew senior wide receiver Daniel Kuzjak on the first play of the Tribe’s next drive, and the pass was intercepted with under four minutes to play. It was McKee’s second pick of the day.

“I just overthrew him,” McKee said of the costly turnover. “If I had thrown it a little more left, maybe he [Kuzjak] would have had more of a chance to get it. That’s just part of my growing process as a starting quarterback, just knowing when to take those chances, knowing when to just throw that away.”

With no timeouts and 53 seconds to go, the Tribe offense got one last shot to complete the comeback. Benefitting from a pair of Stony Brook personal fouls — one of which resulted in an ejection for targeting — the College found itself in field goal range. Evans rushed for four yards to the Seawolves’ 17 and McKee tried to spike the ball with eight seconds left, but junior offensive lineman Garrett Best jumped before the snap. The game clock was reduced to zero by the 10-second runoff, and Stony Brook celebrated a hard-fought 21-18 win.

“In those situations, you just got to keep your composure, just really be focused in there,” McKee said. “I feel like as a whole offense in that situation we kind of let the chaos get to us. Just got to practice that better next time.”

The Tribe will look to bounce back from this tough-to-swallow loss next Saturday when it pays a visit to CAA foe Elon. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.

COMMENTARY

College must take early lead to succeed in conference Colonial Athletic Association home-opener loss raises concerns of Tribe’s ability to start strong

Kevin Richeson

FLAT HAT ASSOC. SPORTS EDITOR

The resiliency of William and Mary football was both admirable and remarkable Saturday night against Stony Brook in the College’s Colonial Athletic Association home-opener. However, the Tribe’s hard-fought comeback after a sluggish start ultimately was not a recipe for success for the College.

Zable Stadium was dead quiet, some people walking toward the exits, and the College seemed to be headed for an ugly home loss against CAA foe Stony Brook.

With a little more than eight minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Tribe had just fallen behind 21-0 to the Seawolves after a 61-yard touchdown pass from Stony Brook quarterback Joe Carbone.

Despite forcing two turnovers in the first half and moving into the red zone once, the Tribe offense had looked dreadfully ineffective and was

still scoreless. Coming back from a 21-point deficit seemed to be an insurmountable task for the Tribe.

Then a crazy thing happened — slowly but surely, the College began a comeback. The defense, which has been the strength of the team in the first four games, stepped up and brought the Seawolves’ offense to a grinding halt. This allowed the Tribe offense to finally get a foothold in the game and slowly chip away at the Seawolves’ lead.

The Tribe had its second long drive into the red zone, but once again it was unable to get the ball in the end zone. This time, sophomore kicker Kris Hooper’s kick sailed through the uprights to get the College on the board. The coaching staff let junior quarterback Tommy McKee air the ball out downfield. He attempted passes on the first six of the nine-play scoring drive.

In total, he was four for seven passing on the drive, and all four completions were for at least 12 yards. This allowed the Tribe to take its first step toward a comeback, even if the College was unable to come away with a touchdown on that drive.

At the start of the fourth quarter, the Tribe still trailed 21-3. After a 36-yard run by freshman running back Nate Evans, the Tribe was set up at the six-yard line for a 1st and goal play. The College nearly blew its chance to finish the drive with six points after an offensive pass-interference penalty and a false start. Eventually, Evans was

able to rush up the middle for a three-yard touchdown, and the College cut the Seawolves’ advantage to 21-10.

After a three-and-out by the Seawolves, the Tribe suddenly had a ton of momentum, and the crowd was getting back into the game. McKee once again aired the ball out to move the Tribe down the field, this time extremely efficiently. McKee went 4-4, for 64 yards. After a 15-yard facemask penalty on the Seawolves, McKee completed a 21-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Chris Conlan in the back of the end zone for a touchdown.

The crowd rose to its feet and roared its approval as Hooper’s extra point split the uprights to bring the Tribe within three points with just under eight minutes left in the game. In 15 minutes, the College had shown its grit and taken chances in order to give the Tribe a great chance to win the game in the closing minutes.

While this 21-18 loss is heartbreaking for the Tribe, especially because of how close it came to completing the comeback and the bizarre fashion in which the game ended, there are positives to take away from Saturday’s conference loss to the Seawolves.

The Tribe offense, which was awful and ultraconservative in the first half, came to life in the last 20 minutes of the game.

McKee showed he has the ability to make big

plays and keep fighting through adversity. While he made a couple of mistakes, he was also a huge part in the Tribe’s comeback.

The College’s defense also allowed the offense to get back on the field more often and kept the Tribe in the game when the offense was stagnant.

Some fans gave up on the Tribe when it was 21-0, but no one on the home sideline gave up. The Tribe continued to play aggressively and showed a belief that it could come back to win the game, which it almost did.

However, falling behind early and having to play from behind is a recipe for disaster. Despite a valiant effort and brilliant play on both sides of the ball at times, the Tribe still could not erase the deficit against the Seawolves.

Stony Brook is a good team, but it is certainly not the best that the Tribe will play in a tough conference schedule. If the Tribe falls behind to national powerhouses like James Madison and Richmond, it will be hard-pressed to get back within striking range in the fourth quarter.

The College must open up the playbook for McKee early and allow him to lead his offense. The Tribe has to try to get a lead to put pressure on its opponents. If not, the College will find it difficult to win games in the CAA. This team is resilient, and I admire that, but the Tribe cannot expect to fall behind early and come out on top at the end of the night.