The Flat Hat September 29 2020

Vol. 110, Iss. 7 | Tuesday, September 29, 2020

The Flat Hat The Weekly Student Newspaper

CAMPUS

College approves working group’s guiding principles

The College of William and Mary’s Board of Visitors approved new principles for redesignating buildings and spaces Friday, Sept. 25. The decision comes two months after the College created a working group charged with reevaluating campus’s commemoration of historical figures tied to the College’s racial history. The change was announced in a press statement written

by College spokesperson Erin Zagursky and Chief Communications Officer Brian Whitson.

The working group called for the immediate renaming of Trinkle and Maury Halls and also specified the College’s guiding principles for renaming campus structures during the next several months. According to the press statement, Trinkle, a hall within Campus Center, will now be known as Unity Hall. Former Virginia Governor Elbert Trinkle played a substantial role in facilitating Jim Crow laws throughout the state. Maury Hall at the College’s Virginia Institute for Marine Science, named for Confederate officer Matthew Maury, will be redesignated as York River Hall.

College President Katherine Rowe said the immediate renaming of these buildings is a meaningful first step in the working group’s efforts.

“With clarity provided by the principles, two campus spaces have already been identified to be renamed,” Rowe said in a press statement. “I know that the Design Review Board, which includes a variety of voices, will continue reviewing other naming and renaming suggestions in a fair and consistent manner, with respect for the gravity of their decisions.”

In addition to renaming Trinkle and Maury, the working group plans to conduct additional research into Taliaferro Hall before the Board reconvenes in November, and has also been ordered to develop three names that may be used as names for future campus spaces. According to the press statement, the group’s limited renaming proposals exemplify the College’s reluctance to rename all campus spaces’ names affiliated with the Confederacy and slave ownership due to their role in the College’s founding.

“William & Mary is, at heart, a colonial institution that is central to and interwoven in the founding of our nation,” Harvard University professor and College honorary doctorate Annette Gordon-Reed said in a press statement.

“So, while it is our responsibility to contextualize these individuals and add to the history already here, it is incumbent upon all of us to recognize that there would be no William & Mary and, indeed no United States of America, without these individuals.”

The working group’s progress has earned mixed reviews from students.

Salli Sanfo ’22 led several petitions over the summer urging the College to rename several buildings, including Taliaferro and Ewell Hall, which was not mentioned in the Sept. 25 press statement. Sanfo was disappointed in the group’s initial developments.

“So- overall I’m very dissatisfied with the current renaming choices and I hope the school will expand to more names,” Sanfo said in a written statement.

“There is something strangely ironic about the school putting a memorial for the enslaved next to Ewell (the man who wrote the confederate catchecism) and across from Taliaferro, a confederate general. I hope more buildings get renamed as time goes along.”

Index News Opinions Variety

Sports Profile

Bailey Glasser LLP threatens legal action, claims sports cuts violate equal opportunities for women’s athletics AIDAN WHITE // FLAT HAT STAFF WRITER The College of William and Mary may be facing a class action lawsuit on behalf of student athletes, which alleges that the recent decision to discontinue seven varsity athletic teams violates Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

Sept. 23, attorney Arthur Bryant sent a letter to College President Katherine Rowe announcing the details of this possible lawsuit. The Flat Hat obtained this letter from Tricia Maher-Miller ’90.

“I and my co-counsel have been retained by members of the women’s varsity gymnastics, volleyball, and swimming teams to prevent their teams’ elimination and, if necessary, pursue a class action lawsuit against William & Mary College for depriving women athletes and potential athletes of equal opportunities, athletic financial aid, and treatment in violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972,” Bryant said in the letter.

Bryant has a history of representing women’s athletics at the College. In 1991, Bryant was retained by members of the College’s women’s basketball team when their team faced elimination. After Bryant met with then-President Paul Verkuil and the College’s lawyers to explain how this decision violated Title IX, the women’s basketball team was reinstated.

According to Bryant, the College’s decision to eliminate women’s gymnastics, volleyball and swimming after the 2020-21 academic year also violates Title IX. Bryant said that there will be 220 men and 235 women participating in College athletics after the teams are eliminated, meaning that women will make up 51.6 percent of participation within Tribe Athletics. However, data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that women make up about 57.7 percent of undergraduate enrollment at the College.

Therefore, the College needs to add around 65 women to athletic programs in order to achieve Title IX equity, which Bryant says is approximately the number of women on the teams that the College is eliminating.

“Based on these facts, unless William & Mary agrees not to eliminate the women’s teams or has some plans for compliance with Title IX we do not yet know, we will seek a preliminary injunction immediately preserving the teams,” Bryant said in the letter.

Rowe has until September 30 to respond

before an injunction is filed against the College.

College spokesperson Suzanne Clavet declined to directly comment on the details of the case.

“It is our practice not to comment on either pending or potential litigation,” Clavet said in an email. “The university takes its obligations under Title IX seriously and is committed to upholding them.”

Bryant is an attorney with Bailey & Glasser LLP, a firm which specializes in commercial and class action litigation. According to the firm’s website, Bailey Glasser typically focuses on cases involving energy and finance, and has experience in successfully prosecuting and defending multimillion-dollar cases, including complex class actions.

According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, Title IX grants female athletes the right to equal athletic opportunities in educational institutions that receive federal funding. These equal opportunities must include equity in athletic participation as well as equitable access to financial scholarships and any other program components like equipment and supplies. Compliance with the athletic aspects of Title IX is assessed through total program comparison, not individual team comparison.

This allows educational institutions to provide different types of athletic programs to men and women as

long as they remain equitable in nature.

Bryant’s case mirrors previous litigation at other schools. Eastern Michigan University faced a similar Title IX lawsuit after they cut women’s tennis and softball in 2018 to balance the school’s budget, according to EMU’s website. The case reached a settlement earlier this year when EMU agreed to reinstate women’s tennis and replace women’s softball with a women’s lacrosse team in order to comply with Title IX. This is a developing story and may be updated on flathatnews.com.

GRAPHIC BY LULU DAWES / THE FLAT HAT

STUDENT LIFE

AMP Impact Committee hosts Zoom political debate Young Democrats, YDSA, Young Independents, College Republicans discuss policy, current events PATRICK BYRNE THE FLAT HAT

Wednesday, Sept.

23, representatives from the Young Democrats, Young Independents, Young Democratic Socialists of America and the College Republicans gathered on Zoom to participate in a debate hosted by the Alma Mater Productions Impact Committee and moderated by the Debate Society.

Each club selected two representatives to speak during the debate. Six discussion topics were preselected by the Debate Society, followed by several questions posed by members of the College of William and Mary community.

The debate moderators Peter Heller ’23, Jeremiah Foltz ’22 and Daniela Lacalle ’22 announced the question, and each club’s representatives were allocated two minutes to respond. After

each group was able to verbalize their initial response, they were then given a one-minute long period for rebuttals.

The first topic addressed was the United States’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A representative for the College Republicans Lance Lawson ’24 said that praise and blame lay on both sides of the partisan divide. Regarding praise, Lawson singled out the Republican Governor of Ohio Mike DeWine and the Democratic Governor of Virginia Ralph Northam in support of their handling of the pandemic.

Lance went on to commend President Donald Trump for giving autonomy to state governments.

“Local politicians know how to serve local communities more than distant Washington bureaucrats,” Lawson said. “Solutions must be different for different states.”

The Young Independents

representative Kieran Mangla ’23 took a similar stance, arguing that it was essential to move past pointing fingers and begin working on solutions. However, Mangla added that the federal government did need to provide guidelines for state governments. Mangla pointed to the federalist nature of the U.S political structure.

“We all agree, a blanket, catch-all solution by the federal government would be impossible,” Mangla said. “The federal government should issue guidelines, but then must respect the decisions of governors.”

Both the YDSA and the Young Democrats had conflicting opinions on Trump’s COVID-19 response compared to the College Republicans and Young Independents stances, arguing for the importance of accountability. Young Democrats

Inside Variety

Inside Opinions 2 3-4 5-6 7 8

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College faces potential lawsuit over Title IX violation

BOV redesignates Maury, Trinkle Halls

ETHAN BROWN FLAT HAT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

of The College of William and Mary

On-campus COVID-19 rates encourage feelings of optimism for students

Chloe Folmar ’22 says students at the College should embrace positivity as COVID-19 case count stays low. page 4

representative Max Markel ’22 stated that Trump’s response to the U.S. had been disastrous, highlighting the President’s refusal to endorse the scientific consensus on masks.

YDSA representative Aidan White ’23 echoed similar sentiments of the disorganized response of the federal government, citing how the government’s response caused damages to the economy.

“The U.S. government had led us into weird, semi-shutdowns, in which they didn’t fully shut down the economy, which still led to massive damages to the economy, and also didn’t slow down the spread of the virus,” White said.

The representatives were next asked to comment on the recent Black Lives Matter protests and criminal justice reform.

See DEBATE page 2

Inside Sports

Between a rock and a fish gap Ashanti Jones ’23 writes about two friends who set out upon a quarantine quest to make a chart-topping podcast titled “Rockfish Gap.” page 5

No football in Williamsburg

Tribe Football navigates how to practice and build team chemistry, after the CAA conference cancels football season. page 7

Page 2

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

FLAT HAT NEWS BRIEF COVID-19 Dashboard reaches 15 cumulative cases As several universities across the United States struggle to accommodate rising COVID-19 cases among students, the College of William and Mary has continued to experience limited virus spread throughout the campus community. As of Sept. 28, only 15 students at the College have tested positive for COVID-19 since the fall 2020 semester began in-person Sept. 8, signifying a positivity rate at the College below one percent. Since testing protocols began in late July, the College has overseen 15,436 tests for students and staff according to the official COVID-19 Dashboard.

College spokesperson Suzanne Clavet said that the College’s low number of cumulative COVID-19 cases should not encourage complacency among students, and referenced the College’s daily monitoring of spread throughout Williamsburg and the Hampton Roads area.

She also noted that the College is working to provide more detailed data on its COVID-19 dashboard within the near future, which will differentiate more clearly between active COVID-19 cases and cumulative cases since the summer.

“We are fortunate that the number of positive cases remains low within our community,” Clavet said in an email. “However, we know that we can’t become complacent and we each must remain vigilant in continuing to wear masks, wash our hands, remain physically distanced, not gather in large groups, participate in prevalence testing when called and complete our daily health checks.”

Clavet also confirmed that 170 beds are available for quarantine and isolation housing in Richmond Hall and other facilities around Williamsburg, suggesting the College’s capacity to handle a certain threshold of COVID-19 cases in the remaining several weeks of the semester.

NEWS BRIEF BY ETHAN BROWN / FLAT HAT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

A THOUSAND WORDS

CAMPUS

Disability rights lawyer redefines barriers

Talk examines communication methods, disability as tool of innovation GEORGIA THOMS FLAT HAT NEWS ASSOC. EDITOR

In a Sept. 21 webinar, “How Disability Drives Innovation: An Intersectional and Global Perspective,” disability rights lawyer Haben Girma talked about redefining barriers and using disability to spearhead innovation.

In the webinar, Girma stressed the importance of understanding the differences in how people access information and communicate as well as the importance of creating individual narratives. She talked about her own complex identities and the unique perspective her life gave her in carving her story.

“As the daughter of refugees, a Black woman, disabled, lots of stories say my life doesn’t matter,” Girma said. “I choose to resist those stories. I choose to define disability as an opportunity for innovation. If you can’t do something one way, it is an opportunity to come up with a new alternative way to do it. Alternative ways of accessing things are equal to mainstream ways of doing things.”

Throughout her career, Girma received distinguished honors like the White House Champion of Change award from President Barack Obama, the Helen Keller Achievement award and a spot on the Forbes “30 Under 30” list. Also, Girma has authored her own book, “The Deafblind Woman who Conquered Harvard Law” and was Harvard Law’s first Deafblind student.

Girma recollected the many instances in her life where she received help removing and overcoming barriers. Whether it was salsa dancing with partners, surfing on her own or creating a braille menu at Harvard Law, Girma continues to spend her lifetime defying the boundaries of ableism.

“So many people associate disability with barriers,” Girma said. “It’s really an opportunity to come up with new ways of doing things. The instructors I worked with

had to take the time to think about how to teach through tactile communication. It is really about taking the time to be thoughtful and creative and come up with solutions.”

Girma emphasized the need for new developments in technology and haptics, as well as the increase in the diversity of schools and workplaces. She believes that the technology is out there to innovate with touch-based communication tools.

“So rather than saying, ‘it is impossible, we can’t do this,’ and allowing stigmas to grow, pause and think about what are the things you actually can do,” Girma said. “And come up with safe solutions for making sure people have access, including people who need touch-based access.”

Girma explained how there exists the assumption that there are two kinds of people: disabled and nondisabled. This assumption is then associated with being dependent and independent. However, Girma felt this narrative undermined the level of interdependency needed by people.

“Everyone has situational times when they depend on other people,” Girma said. “And that is okay. As long as we are honest about the fact that we are all interdependent.”

Girma described further how in the world, disabilities are unrightfully viewed as a hindrance. Despite this, this is a time where technology allows for more information to be incorporated into disability advocacy.

“Schools are fantastic places for students and professors to come up with new ideas to share information,” Girma said. “As you develop new things, don’t make assumptions about what disabled people can and cannot do. Design for everything to be inclusive. Discrimination against disabled people is widespread and hidden. We need to help people identify it and do the work of removing it.”

President of Best Buddies on campus Ella

Schotz ’23 found the event incredibly eye-opening.

“I am always interested in learning more about the community and different barriers, as well as ways to overcome them,” Schotz said. “A line that really stuck out to me tonight was when she said she didn’t overcome her disability, Harvard overcame some of their ableism. I really felt like this captured the way to be an ally and advocate for disabled people — instead of treating it as something that poses a problem or something that holds a person back, we should use disability to drive improvement and inclusion in our communities.”

Schotz continued that she enjoyed how Girma noted that inclusion helps everyone and with increased accessibility, the features will be beneficial for more involved than just those who originally requested it.

Another attendee, a local retired English teacher in Williamsburg Patricia Vaticano, also found the webinar enlightening.

“This was a spectacularly informative and endearing webinar,” Vaticano said. “Haben is an inspiration to disabled and abled people alike, and I am so very grateful to the Reves Center for partnering with the W and M Law School to make Haben’s challenges and successes accessible to us all, in this way. The person or persons who engaged Haben for this webinar and pulled everything together for us should be highly commended.”

Girma concluded her discussion by reminding attendees that inclusion is something they can seek to do in their day to day life and can promote removing barriers.

“Inclusion is a choice,” Girma said. “When you choose inclusion, you role model it for everyone around you. Our bodies are always changing, you deserve dignity and access at every stage in our lives. I hope more people learn this word ableism, and can join me in the movement by removing barriers and making our communities more inclusive around the world.”

ATHLETICS

Tribe Athletics Director faces plagiarism accusations Letter draws comparisons to Stanford University’s July announcement ETHAN BROWN FLAT HAT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Recent plagiarism allegations against Athletics Director Samantha Huge prompted a communitywide notice from College of William and Mary President Katherine Rowe, Sept. 23, which admitted to communication lapses and administrative missteps in the College’s Sept. 3 announcement canceling seven varsity sports.

Huge announced three weeks ago that the College would cut seven varsity sports following the 2020-21 academic year, sparking criticism from student athletes, coaches and alumni. After being published, Huge’s letter drew comparisons to a similar letter issued by Stanford University administrators in July that announced the suspension of 11 varsity sports. Some of the language CARMEN HONKER / THE FLAT HAT

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

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in the College’s announcement was identical to that found in Stanford’s letter, including segments about student-athletes’ access to campus resources, fiscal difficulties and the university’s future athletics goals.

These similarities led Huge to issue a follow-up statement Sept.

18, where she acknowledged communication with other universities throughout the drafting process yet declined to confirm the plagiarism allegations directly.

“As we prepared to announce the very difficult decision to eliminate seven varsity programs, we consulted with professional colleagues and peers at several institutions, including Stanford University,” Huge said in the Sept. 18 statement.

Track and field athlete Jack Mackey ’21, a member of the newly established Save Tribe Track

organization, said that Huge’s followup statement offered student athletes little more than a half-hearted apology. He also noted that the failure of Tribe Athletics to recognize potential plagiarism at any stage of the drafting process was indicative of poor planning and coordination.

“Athletic Director Huge’s followup letter — which was published on September 18, and addressed the allegations of plagiarism — seemed half-hearted,” Mackey said in an email. “It was three short paragraphs of semi-apology that only made it more clear that the decision to eliminate the seven teams was made rashly. ... Further, the fact that the finalized letter was able to make it through all stages of the drafting process without anyone raising the issue of possible plagiarism seems to mean that the drafting process for

the letter was inherently rushed, if not nonexistent.”

Controversy surrounding the allegations continued after Huge’s Sept. 18 statement. Sept. 22, Student Assembly unanimously passed a resolution spearheaded by varsity swimmer and Class of 2023 President Conor Sokolowsky ’23, which condemned the College’s decision and decried Huge’s apparent plagiarism.

In her email, Rowe also designated former College Vice President for Strategic Initiatives Jim Golden to supervise communication within Tribe Athletics alongside Huge for the short-term future, potentially suggesting management shifts in the department moving forward.

Visit flathatnews.com to read more about this story.

Student debate highlights varied campus political perspectives Organization representatives discuss COVID-19 response, civil rights, LGBTQ+ military policy DEBATE from page 1

Salaar Khan ’24, a representative for the Young Dems, discussed the need for investment in communities of color, police reform and the passage of a new Voting Rights Act to honor the memory of recently deceased U.S. congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis. Khan also praised the ongoing peaceful protests, saying that the movement makes sure the country can finally live up to its founding ideals of the Constitution.

In his response, White outlined an argument towards the defunding and total abolishment of both police and prisons, which gained more national attention over the summer in response to the murder of George Floyd in late May. White stated that simply reforming these institutions is not enough and that both parties were responsible for the rise of mass incarceration in America.

On the other side of the

argument, Lawson of the College Republicans made the claim that the Black Lives Matter movement was a Marxist plot against Black Americans.

“BLM is not a racial justice group, it is a Marxist group,” Lawson said.

“They are communists, they ain’t here to help African Americans, they’re here to spread the failed ideology of communism, an ideology that has killed millions of people.”

Lawson went on by describing property damage and individuals killed during riots, arguing that the BLM movement was the reason for the riots and does not help the communities it claims to serve.

Lawson’s remarks drew heated responses from both the YDSA and the Young Dems. White of the YDSA pointed to the long history of civil disobedience in America dating back to the Boston Tea Party, and went on to lay the blame for much of the violence

that had occurred at the feet of the police.

Markel also called out Lawson, stating that Lawson was misrepresenting the movement.

“BLM is not a f---ing Marxist organization,” Markel said. “It is an extremely decentralized, nationwide series of protests against police brutality. Your comments are f---ing offensive.”

After the debate became more heated, the topic then shifted to a discussion over gun control. Unlike the previous two topics, the YDSA, the Young Independents and the College Republicans were all able to find some common ground. Mark Lédeczi-Domonkos ’24 of the College Republicans discussed the Second Amendment’s role in preventing tyranny. Mangla of the Young Independents and Colin Cochran ’21 of the YDSA concurred, with Cochran emphasizing that some may need guns to protect themselves against a fascist state.

In response to an

audience question about transgender rights, LédecziDomonkos of the College Republicans condemned the Trump Administration’s ban on transgender individuals in the military.

“The restrictions placed on trans people in the military by the current administration is just not okay,” Lédeczi-Domonkos said. “There’s a lot of transphobia on both the left and the right, especially among some feminists, who want to remove transgender people from the movement.”

Cochran of the YDSA agreed and discussed the need for access to gender affirming surgeries for transgender individuals.

Khan of the Young Dems and Aidan Kennedy ’23 of the Young Independents both voiced their support for equal rights for transgender individuals.

“All Americans deserve equal protection under the law,” Kennedy said. “Trans rights are human rights.”

The debate closed with a final question asking the representatives

what they admired most about the other clubs represented at the debate.

Young Independents representative Mangla praised the YDSA’s representatives for their depth of knowledge about socialism and the Young Democrats for their awareness of Biden’s platform. The College Republicans were praised by Mangla for their courage in coming out and presenting their opinions.

White of YDSA voiced his admiration for the Young Democrats.

“As a former member of the club, I feel obligated to praise them,” White said. “We share a very similar passion for protecting the inherent value that every human has to offer this world.”

Editor’s Note: The Flat Hat would like to clarify that Aidan White ’23 is a staff writer for the paper. His involvement with the AMP Debate is not on behalf of the paper’s interest.

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The Flat Hat

| Tuesday, September 29 , 2020 | Page 3

GUEST COLUMN

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: WHY I HAVE STOPPED DONATING TO THE COLLEGE Three years ago, on a Saturday morning in May, I went to the New York Athletic Club to meet the new Athletic Director, Samantha Huge. She had just begun her position and had traveled to New York to impress the local donors with her vision for Tribe Athletics.

When the event ended, I introduced myself to Ms. Huge. I told her that I swam for the College and I conveyed the culture the team had built, achieving a lot with little. I told her the addition of a first-rate facility could help make a strong team stellar. I’ll never forget her response.

“If you want that swimming pool,” she said, “then I challenge you to make it happen.” I thought maybe she had misunderstood me. I began repeating myself until I realized every time I spoke she interrupted me with the same refrain. “I challenge you to make it happen.” The exchange continued like this until I walked away.

My response was visceral. I represented the College for four years, I had donated to it annually, and yet, someone earning a quarter million dollars a year, less than a month on the job, found it suitable to shirk the very responsibilities she was hired to perform and set them upon someone she had never met.

This, I thought, could not bode well for the future. Three years later, not only has Ms. Huge made few, if any, efforts toward building a new pool, she has axed the teams entirely.

Nothing about this is bold. It is cowardly, it is myopic, and it is not worthy of my alma mater.

More important than the parochial nature of this action is the tangle of inconsistencies, the lack of accountability, the erroneous math, the incontrovertible plagiarism, the deafening silence, and, in some cases, the lies in which those actions have been embroiled. These are what alarm me. These, more than anything, are what insult me. For these reasons and more, I have stopped donating to the College.

In her open letter eulogizing the cut teams, Ms. Huge stated, “We have searched for alternatives to discontinuing varsity sports, without success.” Searched? Where? With whom? How robust, how imaginative was this search? When Coach Shaver was “without success,” he was fired.

For a lack of ingenuity, I have stopped donating to the College.

Rector John E Littel sent an email stating, “Every program was given a target that was developed after an analysis of multi-year contributions by each sport and coaches, athletes, and alumni were actively engaged to help achieve these targets.” Balderdash.

Swimming alumni were not engaged. Were prospective rowing donors David Covin and Beth Sala Covin given a target? Would Mr. Littel, chief referee for USRowing, kindly expound?

For a lack of honesty, I have stopped donating to the College.

On June 25 of this year, Ms. Huge stated publicly that there were no intentions to cut any sports. Either Ms. Huge was lying as the cuts were being crafted, or she, the Provost, the President and the Board of Visitors all made and enacted an astonishingly hasty, myopic, closed-door decision.

For a lack of prudence, I have stopped donating to the College.

Ms. Huge cut 30 percent of the College’s sports teams, those that account for just 12 percent of its expenses. In Ms. Huge’s three years at the College, student fees for athletics have increased $1.4 million. Of the $2,490 students currently pay each year to help fund sports teams, approximately $31, a mere 1.2 percent, goes to men’s and women’s swimming—combined.

For a lack of fiscal logic, I have stopped donating to the College.

Despite the College’s supposed destitution, Ms. Huge insists the $57 million Kaplan renovations will proceed as scheduled.

During this very pandemic she has elected to spend over $1.8 million at Zable to resurface the track and another $1.2 million on other gratuitous upgrades. She wrote, “Although William & Mary Athletics has seen very strong support, it is not sufficient to address the underlying challenges of our current model.”

Because the “current model” of relentlessly keeping up with the highflying Joneses is flawed and doomed to fail.

For a lack of judiciousness, I have stopped donating to the College.

In her 18 years of professional experience, prior to arriving in Williamsburg, Ms. Huge worked at (1) Southern Conference, (2) Illinois, (3) Michigan State, (4) Wake Forest, (5) Georgetown, (6) Delaware and (7) Texas A&M. Ms. Huge’s eighth stop is no “fullcircle dream come true,” but one more mile marker to pass on her journey to satisfying personal ambitions, as evidenced by her recent application to work at Vanderbilt.

For a lack of commitment, I have stopped donating to the College.

Ms. Huge knows what we all know. Men’s and women’s swimming requires roughly $580,000 a year to operate. In 2019, the teams’ endowment was $3 million with a 3.75 percent drawdown, or $118,000.

The same year, alumni donated another $194,000, and the College received $73,000 from the NCAA. This left the College in need of $195,000 to fund 53 athletes across two teams that win titles, earn national respect, teach swimming, fundraise for the American Cancer Society, and maintain a higher GPA than the school average, surely embodying the ethos of Tribe Pride.

For a lack of ability to align our investments with our values, I have stopped donating to the College.

In just 10 days, the swim team secured over $1 million in pledges. Despite this money adding five years of life to the program, Athletics remains unmoved. What, then, if not money, is the actual issue? Perhaps Ms. Huge is embarrassed that her Olympic sports teams outperform her commercialized sports teams, despite their limited resources. Perhaps Ms. Huge wants these teams’ endowments and their admission slots to augment those of other teams. Perhaps Ms. Huge wants to pamper certain athletes with even more access to trainers and advisors, when enough already exist. Perhaps Ms. Huge wants to relieve herself of the athletes who have accused her of berating them. Or, perhaps, Ms. Huge is just lazy, not the least bit bold, and wants fewer staff to manage.

The reason, whatever it is, no longer matters. My confidence is gone. I have stopped donating to the College. Countless others have done the same.

D. R. Hildebrand drhildebrand@hotmail.com

Response to sports cancellations must adhere to culture of integrity Will Manion

FLAT HAT GUEST WRITER

Culture, as defined by the Oxford Dictionary, is “the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people or other social group.” The College of William and Mary is an institution that possesses a culture — its own unique customs and expectations. This culture is built on the back of the College’s most recognized and revered document: its honor code.

The College was the nation’s first institution to create an honor code. The centuries-long tradition dates back to 1736, and has stayed relevant year after year with every new pupil reciting the honor code in the Sir Christopher Wren Building during their first week on campus.

The honor system is strict. Those who violate it face penalties up to expulsion. Each semester, the Honor Council publishes a shortlist of infractions reviewing deviations from its standards and prescribed repercussions. This provides transparency and accountability for the process. The College also leverages student oversight of the document. Thus, the very individuals who walked through the doors of Wren during orientation are accountable for the honor code and ensuring its culture of integrity. The honor code states that violations “undermine the community of trust, of which we are all stewards.” Thus, the honor code extends well beyond just the student body and applies to all members of the College community.

Earlier this month, students and alumni watched the fabric of the Tribe culture unravel. College President Katherine Rowe, College Provost Peggy Agouris and Athletic Director Samantha Huge published a statement changing the lives of student athletes and the College community forever. They made the decision to cut seven of the College’s 23 athletic teams in response to their own questionable financial management. Trapped in eloquent words filled

with compassion and grace for scholar athletes current and former, their statement quickly turned void when it was discovered they had copied, word for word, significant portions of a letter published just two months prior by Stanford University. Not only have questionable ethics and financial mismanagement gone into this decision, but actual plagiarism was used in notifying the community.

Is this the new standard for the College? The cohort signing this letter consisted of two Ph.Ds. and a J.D. One could only assume such an educated group, entrusted with leading the College with the nation’s original honor code, was aware that plagiarism is unacceptable and not reflective of the culture at the College. The College has maintained this standard for over two centuries. What possessed the president, the provost and the athletic director to treat it so cavalierly? Not only did these three leaders of the College eliminate seven sports teams, they eliminated every ounce of compassion affected readers struggled to accept the first time they read the letter, and again every time thereafter.

The president, the provost and the athletic director took a moment that hurt thousands, applied a tourniquet and immediately cut it off. How can a proud, successful community be led by people who disregard its culture?

Trust has been broken and our culture of ethics and dignity is in jeopardy.

While we await the assurance of an investigation by the Honor Council, I challenge the greater College community to continue to represent itself and the College with integrity and respect for one another. If our leaders refuse to uphold the norms that unite and define us, we must become our own leaders. We must not look to them for examples of right versus wrong, but look to our predecessors who provided us with these unflinching standards. The alma mater of the nation deserves this, and it needs us to act with a clear and moral conscience to ensure our culture of integrity is not erased.

Email Will Manion at wgmanion@email.wm.edu.

GRAPHIC BY ANGELA VASISHTA / THE FLAT HAT

INDEPENDENT GRAPHIC

Athletics plagiarism entails Honor Code reminder GRAPHIC BY ANGELA VASISHTA / THE FLAT HAT

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

STAFF COLUMN

Page 4

GUEST COLUMN

Low on-campus COVID-19 rates encourage feelings of optimism for students

Chloe Folmar

FLAT HAT OPINIONS EDITOR

A few weeks ago, I wrote an article about the College of William and Mary’s mistakes with regard to operating in the COVID-19 pandemic. To be clear, there are plenty of things that we, as a community, should address. As students — and in some cases taxpayers — contributing hefty amounts in tuition, we should be open to pointing out the College’s errors when we see them. At the same time, though, it is important for us as the College community to acknowledge successes where we can.

At the beginning of September, a COVID-19 outbreak at James Madison University led to the decision to send their on-campus population of over 20,000 home, as all instruction moved online.

In Blacksburg, the number of positive cases at Virginia Tech have recently climbed up to about 1,000. Closer to home, and less dramatically, one percent of on-campus students at Virginia Commonwealth University have been reported as having “active cases” of COVID-19.

Meanwhile, here at the College, our number of on-campus positive cases reached the teens this weekend — of the almost 7,500 students tested, .18 percent received a positive result. That number is one-fifth of one percent of the student population at the College. Just looking at these numbers should give us all some relief, as well as some hope for the rest of the semester.

The kind of thinking that I am encouraging is that it is okay — actually healthy ­— to acknowledge the good in the midst of this pandemic. As much as I believe in the importance of criticism, I do not believe in a culture of anger, fear and raw pessimism.

Of course, our relatively low numbers do not justify disregarding any of the rules the College has put in place.

Practices like social distancing and mask-wearing are what is protecting the other 99 percent of us from contracting COVID-19, and by extension protecting our families when we return home and even people we’re walking past at the grocery store in Williamsburg. Low COVID-19 rates do not constitute an excuse to be thoughtless or inconsiderate. In addition, for all I know, we could be at the precipice of a COVID-19 outbreak. Just because positive tests are scarce now does not mean they will stay that way.

The kind of thinking that I am encouraging is that it is okay — and actually healthy — to acknowledge the good in the midst of this pandemic. As much as I believe in the importance of fair criticism, I do not believe in a culture of anger, fear and raw pessimism. Engaging in a more realistic view of how drastically the pandemic is affecting people’s lives, coupled with a serious evaluation of how we can do better, is vital to the wellbeing of our community. On the other hand, infighting with alumni and promoting “doom and gloom” outlook on platforms such as the Facebook group “Swampy Memes for TWAMPy Teens” can be detrimental to the mental and emotional health of both the people engaging in negativity and everyone around them.

Instead, we at the College should try to foster a sense of gratitude for the safety we have enjoyed thus far, as well as encourage a feeling of determination for continued preservation of that safety. As everyone knows, we are all being affected by the pandemic, whether it be through the death of a family member, deepened or new mental health struggles or even getting sick ourselves. Persistent pessimism will not solve these issues, but trying to come together in a spirit of resolve will definitely help. The College has done a good job so far, and we can be hopeful that that trend will continue.

Email Chloe Folmar at csfolmar@email.wm.edu.

Classes in vacation spot evoke self reflection Marrin Scalone

off the Sea Islands of Lowcountry. A haven that my family has been visiting for 40 years, and where I’ve dreamed of living my FLAT HAT GUEST WRITER entire life.

“Me too,” she said.

I had the idea around the middle of June.

And so began the cold calls and the email chains. I reached out It wasn’t an easy path getting here: the decision not to return to anyone I thought would be intrigued by our plan. That we were to Williamsburg this fall was a complex and painful one that I’m two burnt-out college students, who were taking courses online, sure all remote students experienced. but wanted to live on the island for the semester.

As the summer heat settled and the numbers for COVIDAn owner of a small studio apartment reached out to me. She 19 were on the rise, I knew that this pandemic was not going told me she would love for us to lease from her for the fall. anywhere before the fall semester began. Thus began the internal So, I type this from the couch overlooking the marsh. The wrestling match of what should come next. palmetto trees still drip from the morning rain. I’m studying for I was still grieving over the time and memories lost in the a midterm but cracked the window so the salty air will linger abrupt end of spring semester. I had just transferred to the through the apartment.

College of William and Mary last fall, and that transition took The island certainly isn’t the untouchable happy place I some getting used to. I felt like this spring had finally allowed me imagined at the beginning of the summer. Life has still followed to fall into my dream us here. I am still routine. I had found tired, still a circle of people worried for that felt like the state of family, was our country. loving Still fatigued my new from being position at a sociallythe Wellness distanced Center as extrovert. a Wellness I know the Ambassador decision was and really began right for me. To to believe that take a step away campus was where I and rebuild myself belonged. That it was from the last year. I’ve my campus as much been staying connected as anyone else’s. through club Zoom I was on a sociallymeetings and very distant walk with my emotional FaceTimes with best friend, talking to friends. I’ve had the space her about the hardship of to process the last few the last few months. The months, to find meaning GRAPHIC BY TARA VASANTH / THE FLAT HAT fatigue from quarantine and purpose in the small and the state of the world moments. I wouldn’t trade weighed heavy on both of us. From the beginning, we both felt this strange, magical opportunity I’ve found myself in for the strongly about safety during the pandemic, social distancing world. I can’t wait to be back in Williamsburg when it feels right. practices and staying at home whenever possible. She has asthma The sandy gravel roads are far from the uneven bricks of Duke of and I worked for my grandparents. The fear of bringing the virus Gloucester Street. home took a daily toll on us. By June, we both felt depleted. And I hope anyone reading this can give themselves the the thought of going back to school — navigating staying safe in permission to feel. a college community — was overwhelming for our mental health Allow the waves. Try your best to not judge yourself for the and wellness. way they wash over you. Reach out if the tide ever gets too rough.

I don’t remember exactly what I said, but I know at first it was And know that everyone has an ocean in front of them, and it’s a joke. It must’ve been something like, “I wish we could just leave perfectly okay if all you can do right now is keep swimming. it all and go to Fripp.”

Email Marrin Scalone at Fripp Island, South Carolina. A miniscule three miles of land mwscalone@email.wm.edu.

STAFF COLUMN

Civilians neglecting to wear masks in Colonial Williamsburg endanger College students’ safety

Lucas Harsche

FLAT HAT OPINIONS ASSOC. EDITOR

It is now just over three weeks since the College of William and Mary has allowed the remaining upperclassmen to return to campus, which is quite the impressive feat in comparison to other institutions throughout the nation. As of the writing of this article, the College’s COVID-19 dashboard reports positive on-campus cases in the low teens.

Following a second wave of schoolwide testing, the low numbers may seem unbelievable. However, you only have to walk around campus for just a few minutes to understand the dedication shown by students wearing their masks at all times and avoiding physical contact. Thus, it is easy to feel optimistic about our ability as a community to remain on campus and continue in-person classes.

After which, you only have to walk down Duke of Gloucester Street for just a few minutes to see how this delicate house of cards could come crashing down.

Families. The elderly. People in between who know better. All mingling through DoG Street and Colonial Williamsburg without a care in the world. And almost all of them are without masks.

“But wait,” says a diehard patriot, “DoG Street and Colonial Williamsburg aren’t on the College campus, are they? So, why should we have to follow your lefty College’s mask mandate? Tyranny!”

Sure, because nothing says liberty like lacking even a single ounce of empathy for the students who wish to go outside just to see their best friends in person for once.

Nothing says liberty like scaring away

students back to their dorms as a result of your basic moral failure to wear a mask.

Nothing says liberty like depriving DoG Street shops of business because their one guaranteed source of income — students — don’t want to catch and spread COVID19 to the brilliant people wandering around without a mask during a pandemic.

God forbid students actually care about the world of people outside of the campus walls. The situation is practically unavoidable, too. I have never thought of DoG Street as a particularly congested street to walk down, but it becomes a lot more narrow when tables are set out in the middle for outside dining. Of course, this was a smart decision made to keep people from staying close together indoors, but now traffic is almost definitely contained to the sidewalks on the side of the street, where passing by people in close proximity is inevitable.

GRAPHIC BY ANGELA VASISHTA AND HEADSHOTS BY KAYLA PAYNE / THE FLAT HAT

This would not be nearly as bad, of course, if everyone in Williamsburg just agreed to wear a mask. As long as two

people who briefly come into close contact are both wearing masks, multiple studies have shown that the risk of transmission is significantly reduced.

Unfortunately, and perhaps unsurprisingly, that is not the case. And if a single one of those mask-less — ahem — “adults” sneezes near a passing student, the College is that much closer to facing a catastrophic COVID-19 outbreak.

Masks serve as great protection for your respiratory system, but unless the College is prepared to dish out full hazmat suits for the student community, the possibility of infection from those outside the College, who think themselves above the basic norms of decency, remains.

Since the College seems to be having trouble with the whole “accountability” idea lately, let me say this: if there is an outbreak of COVID-19 on campus, students should not be the first ones to receive threatening emails about how the whole world is watching us, how we failed to set an example for the nation and that so many livelihoods depended on our ability to follow the rules.

Instead, make an appeal now to the City of Williamsburg. Call for a citywide mandate on wearing masks. Enforce your own mask mandate, as well. Not that most students need it; rather, it is the elderly couples who take a mask-less stroll through the Grim Dell, or the mask-less family who sits in the Sunken Garden chairs frequently used by students, or even the macho motorcyclist who walks into Wawa without a mask to cover his neo-Confederate beard, right past a sign reading “Masks Required.”

I have given no names, yet many readers will know exactly who I am talking about.

After all, we are a public university, and these locals and tourists are neither the first nor the last to walk onto our campus. I just hope that the College understands this too when, if there is indeed a COVID-19 outbreak, their first instinct is to pounce on the students alone.

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

variety

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

The Flat Hat

Between a Rock and A Fish Gap

| Tuesday, September 29, 2020 | Page 5

COURTESY IMAGES / DOLLY LEBOW

Two freshmen flex creative muscles while in quarantine, organize international hit podcast ASHANTI JONES // FLAT HAT VARIETY ASSOC. EDITOR

Amid the COVID-19 lockdown, a collection of creatives from Northern Virginia, including Dolly Lebow ‘24 and Ciara Curtin ‘24, banded together to create the chart-topping, mystery-filled, fictional podcast titled “Rockfish Gap.” The “Rockfish Gap” podcast follows the story of investigative journalist Jessica Matthews as she attempts to uncover the truth surrounding the mysterious disappearance of four teenagers at Shenandoah National Park in the middle of a pandemic.

“Basically, it’s this mystery but also a comingof-age story about these teenage kids,” Curtin said.

“Inspiration was definitely drawn from real stories and actual missing hikers cases, but it totally took on its own spin.”

Lebow added that the podcast was “a quarantine passion project.”

“It was a way for listeners to immerse themselves,” Lebow said. “Even though there was a pandemic in the story, you can kind of live vicariously through the characters on their adventures in the midst of lockdown.”

Before working on “Rockfish Gap”, Lebow and Curtin did not know each other, but through a Zoom call for the podcast, learned that they were both attending the College of William and Mary in fall 2020. They have been friends ever since.

Both ladies joined the project through the recruitment of some mutual friends — Colter Adams and Andrew Nguyen, writers and producers on the podcast. Curtin works as an actress and began doing voiceover work her freshman year of high school. Curtin shared that she and Adams had previously collaborated together in theatrical productions at their high school, so he reached out to her to play the role of Maria.

“I was approached by Colter and he just said, ‘Hey, I’m working on this thing and I know you do acting and voiceover work. Would this be something you would like to be a part of because I think I have a role for you?’” Curtin said. “I just always want to support Colter in his endeavors, and I feel like we have always done that for each other over time. We just share music and art we create, so this kind of just felt like that.”

Lebow served as the head graphic designer on the podcast. She shared that prior to her work with the podcast, she had no background in graphic

design and got involved as a favor for Nguyen.

“This is the first project I ever did,” Lebow shared.

“Andrew put on his Instagram story ‘looking for graphic designers and artists,’ and as a joke I slid up and said ‘sure.’ A couple days later, he said ‘Hey, can you try something?’ and I said ‘Sure, it’s going to take me a little longer because I have to teach myself,’ and I sent them something back and they really liked it.”

The pair expressed that while this was a group collaboration, a majority of the work was done independently then merged together later in production. “[Production] was very separated into its various components,” Curtin explained. “You had the writers doing multiple meetings with each other where they would write and brainstorm plot. Once they had that they would send the script to the different actors and ask ‘Can you get the lines to us by this day?’ It was three separate facets of creation: production, voice acting and other behind-thescenes work that just came together.”

Lebow echoed the same sentiment for the process with her graphic design for the show.

“Everything was very organic. It was really enjoyable, no pressure, just kind of doing your thing with guidance from the team,” Lebow said.

“They would show me their inspiration and I would make something and they would send back ‘Can you change this?’ — just some back and forth.”

Curtin and Lebow share some of their sources of inspiration for their work on the show. Curtin was inspired by characters on other suspense dramas, such as “Law and Order,” and members of her own family.

“I sort of had in my mind the bystander characters in something like ‘Law and Order’,” Curtin said. “ ...

Just the drama without being stagey is what I tried to draw on. Also, one of my aunts and her husband are mega backpackers and hikers, and I would also sort of envision her when I was acting.”

Lebow explained that the goal for the logo and other design work for the show was a simplistic nature feel.

“I was heavily inspired for the website background by Patagonia, and there is this t-shirt brand Nature Back that inspired the merchandise for this simplistic nature background,” Lebow said.

Both ladies believe the podcast has allowed them

to grow in their respective areas. Curtin stated that “Rockfish Gap” allowed her to practice her craft during quarantine in a fun, relaxed environment.

“Ever since COVID, I haven’t really gotten many jobs or really auditioned for many jobs professionally so it was nice to have something to fill that time,” Curtin said. “It’s a very weird market ‘cause sometimes you’ll go months at a time without any auditions sent to us because nobody needs anything, especially during COVID, so it was nice to have something to do in this realm in a casual way.”

Lebow sees “Rockfish Gap” as a starting point for her future in graphic design, as it has already led to other design opportunities for her. “‘Rockfish Gap’ was my first ever project and after that I created the merchandise and the logo for my friends Colter and Natalie’s, who are also on the podcast, band called Indigo Boulevard,” Lebow said.

Lebow doesn’t see herself marketing herself for digital design projects in the near future, but is planning to invest in personal endeavors for the time being and gain more technical training.

On the success of the podcast, which charted at number one in Canada and featured in an Apple spotlight, Curtin and Lebow explained that they were surprised yet expectant because of the immense talent and dedication of the cast and crew.

“I was surprised, but part of me when Colter would tell us where we are on the charts I was just like ‘that tracks’,” Curtin said. “We weren’t expecting it to reach this level of success per se, but at the same time because of the people that created it and worked on it, it makes sense because all these people are enormously talented and creative.”

They also emphasized that “Rockfish Gap” is a podcast that can be easily enjoyed across all demographics.

“Not to be cheesy but it’s really for all ages, all audiences,” Lebow explained. “It’s something that is universal.”

On the future of “Rockfish Gap”, Lebow hinted at a potential revival of the podcast over the upcoming winter break once all the cast and crew have returned home from their respective universities.

“All of the main people are in university,” Lebow said. “But be optimistic because I believe we will be working on it over break.”

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Page 6

remote rendez-vous

Remote students experience successes, pitfalls navigating new friendships

COURTESY IMAGE / WM.EDU

J.R. HERMAN // THE FLAT HAT Many know about love in the time of cholera, but what about friendship in the time of COVID-19? Remote freshmen face the challenge of joining the College of William and Mary’s community virtually. Meeting people on Zoom is awkward to say the least, and not being able to meet up with friends to study or hang out is certainly disappointing, as well as a significant barrier to forging relationships. So, the question remains: is it possible to make friends while a remote college student? According to students at the College, the answers are yes and no, respectively.

GroupMe facilitates a platform for conversation and friendship for remote and on-campus students alike, and the process starts during freshman orientation. Freshman orientation aides make group chats with their constituents, allowing for new freshman to meet each other and bond over chat. GroupMe has the potential to help make a remote social life possible, but there is one caveat — how do you message someone you haven’t really met before? There is, after all, that awkward stage when you’ve seen someone in your Zoom but never have been officially introduced.

For remote student Lauren LaFarree ’24, of Dumfries, Va., the idea of making friends remotely was more intimidating than the process of making friends in-person.

“It was a difficult choice at first to be a remote learner,” LaFarree said. “I questioned how I would be able to still get the typical ‘college freshman’ experience … I soon realized that it wasn’t as hard as I imagined. I found out that there were so many people who chose to be remote, and I made a bunch of friends in people who are staying home … GroupMe and the freshman Instagram page were life savers; it was just a matter of me reaching out with that first ‘Hey, I’m Lauren!’ text.”

Methods of reaching out to Zoom acquaintances range

from commenting on an awesome Zoom background, inquiring about the origin of someone’s hatred for bananas, explaining that someone looks like the doppelgänger of someone you know, expressing interest in someone’s fascination with mythology and sending a meme about a club’s intellectual debate. These texts can help set the basis for great relationships, not just with other remote freshmen, but with a diverse mix of students.

“I’ve been trying to get involved in clubs and such, but it’s kind of difficult to make deep connections when it’s just a Zoom call for an hour a week.”

- Val Willham Likewise, other students have found difficulty in maintaining friends made through online communities at the College, especially when some of their friends are not remote. Val Willham ’24, a remote student from Vienna, Va. explained the frustration that comes with joining the community virtually.

“I made some friends in the WM ’24 Discord server before I even decided to go remote which I think helped me a lot because I don’t feel totally isolated from everyone else, but it can be kind of depressing to see them all meeting up and

having fun in person while I’m off-campus,” Willham said.

“I’ve been trying to get involved in clubs and such, but it’s kind of difficult to make deep connections when it’s just a Zoom call for an hour a week.”

Starting remote friendships has a few limitations based on the medium, but according to remote students, can have some benefits. Texting on GroupMe can be a low-stakes way of testing compatibility, which can be less stressful than getting to know someone in person. A text conversation gets rid of awkward pauses and formal introductions which can be stilting in person. In-person conversations also take place without the insertion of emojis, GIFs or memes, which are common in digital interactions. Ending a conversation can take place in a more natural fashion, leaving an opportunity for re-initiation in the near future.

However, maintaining digital friendships does require that multiple parties have the ability to text each other back.

Adam Barghouti ’24, from Arlington, Va., was originally worried about not being able to connect with other students, but thanks to remote student orientation groups, was able to begin making friends.

“We set up a GroupMe and started messaging and even Zooming sometimes,” Barghouti said. “I’ll admit I’m not the best texter and would much rather talk in person, but you gotta make the best out of a difficult situation … It doesn’t beat meeting people in person, but I can see the appeal of meeting people online, since it gets rid of some of the anxiety and awkwardness of meeting new people face to face.”

Although the social situation under COVID-19 is not ideal, students at the College are adapting to the challenges. Luckily, the pandemic will not last forever, and one day soon we will all be on campus: and digital friendships will transition back to in-person ones.

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

TINDER? I HARDLY KNOW HER The right Tinder date can make online dalliances just a little more tolerable A Tinder Match Deferred FLAT HAT BEHIND CLOSED DOORS COLUMNIST

This past weekend, I slept with a guy after the technical first date. With my almost two-year, non-voluntary celibacy following a rough, long-term breakup, to say this was unexpected is an understatement. The only thing is, I had known the guy for over six months.

Way back before COVID-19 and the world ending, I liked to browse on a little app called Tinder. I never expected much out of these meaningless right swipes; they normally resulted in a short exchange of dialogue with me ghosting the guy after a few messages out of boredom. I had never actually gone on a date or met anyone I matched with and frankly had no hope in ever doing so. I felt the same way about this boy — who won’t be named — but our conversation didn’t get boring and evolved to the point of us maintaining a snap streak and talking every day throughout the summer quarantine months. We never planned to meet, since I was in middle-of-nowhere central Virginia and he was a NOVA kid, not to mention that little pesky pandemic that’s happening. I had truly accepted this wasn’t going anywhere — we both returned to campus without mentioning an actual meeting for over two weeks. I should also note: he doesn’t go to the College of William and Mary so the fear of an

accidental meeting was an irrelevant issue.

But one Sunday night, while I was lying in bed, my phone lit up with that magical sign of a notification from Snapchat. Unable to resist my millennial urge to check it, I opened the app to a message inviting me to dinner sometime that week. I panicked.

“For the first time in a very

long time, I felt safe with a

guy. He didn’t pressure me

or push me and waited until I initiated the sex that occured later in the evening.”

I had given up the hope of actually ever meeting this person and now I was faced with the inevitable doom of the illusion of him I had built in my mind being ruined by reality. Even with the fear of being disappointed by reality, I accepted and had all week to stress over the Friday night date.

My brain struggled to focus on anything except this meeting; I felt distracted and nervous. My anxiety was through the roof.

For context, I had never really been on a real date in my life. All of my previous relationships were the byproduct of a friendship turning into something more and never the result of a “normal” dating situation. Not to mention, prior to this I had taken a two-year break from romance after the end of an emotionally abusive, onand-off five-year relationship that almost ended in me being engaged — though thankfully, I dodged that bullet. I was scared of rejection, I was scared of not living up to who I projected myself to be over Snapchat and I was scared he wouldn’t live up to my expectations either. I didn’t know where I stood with him either; when we originally matched on Tinder, we both were just looking for hookups. But after a long, lonely six months, I wasn’t in that state anymore, I wanted more and wasn’t sure what he wanted. Taking all my nerves and throwing them into my purse, I drove out to meet him in Newport News. After a dinner that went better than expected, we headed back to his place. My nerves were growing, but initially we just sat and played Mario Kart with his roommate and his roommate’s girlfriend.

Unfortunately, however, it didn’t last long enough to satiate my nervousness, and next thing I knew, I was awkwardly standing in the middle of his bedroom, fidgeting with my rings and crossing my feet over one another periodically to keep my growing anxiety at bay. I wasn’t ready to make out

with him and wasn’t sure if I would be at any point that night. Ready to flee out the door, I was stunned when he handed me some sweats and offered to watch John Mulaney. I think he could sense my unease and was simply trying to make me more comfortable; I honestly didn’t expect him to be so nice about my nerves. The last time I was in a bed with a guy, I was being sexually coerced by my ex, so to say this was a nice change of pace is an understatement. We cuddled for an hour or so, he played with my hair and occasionally kissed my forehead, and for the first time in a very long time, I felt safe with a guy. He didn’t pressure me or push me and waited until I initiated the sex that occurred later in the evening.

In all my relationships, I’ve always felt controlled by the guy I was with; we did things when they wanted to do things and I just got used to it. While the sex was awkward at first while we figured out what we both liked and disliked, he was responsive and respectful to all my decisions and stopped whenever I was overwhelmed or out of breath. How crazy is it that one of the best sexual encounters in my life came from someone I had only known virtually for a few months? If I have to thank COVID-19 for one thing this year, it might be this.

“A Tinder Match Deferred” encourages you to take as much time needed after a breakup.

Everyone moves on differently, but when you think you’re ready to try again: move forward, you never know what you’ll find.

sports

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

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, September 29, 2020 | Page 7

THE EXTRA POINT

Outside of Williamsburg, football returns

All Power Five conferences, most FBS teams announce plan to play in 2020 with Pac-12 resuming Nov. 6 NATHAN SEIDEL FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR Two weeks ago, something happened that most sports fans considered entirely inconceivable or, at the very least, quite unlikely.

Major Football Bowl Subdivision teams held college football games.

Ever-increasing momentum throughout the summer, as the COVID-19 pandemic overwhelmed the country, pointed to no football at all in the fall, much less at the collegiate level with uncompensated athletes, college campuses and uncontrollable exposure all appearing unavoidable. But nonetheless, the FBS, and most notably its Power Five conferences (SEC, ACC, Pac-12, Big 10 and Big 12), have all announced plans to resume their seasonsz, albeit on different schedules.

The Big 12, SEC and ACC are already underway with the Big 10 starting Oct. 23 and the Pac-12 resuming Nov. 6.

But this is not the case in the Football Championship Subdivision, the level that features the William and Mary Tribe along with the rest of the Colonial Athletic Association. The CAA was quick on the draw of cancelling upcoming competitions, nixing fall athletic competition in midJuly. It is in the vast majority of the division, with every conference cancelling fall play and only 15 FCS teams intending to complete a non-conference season in 2020.

This trend of cancellation versus announcing plans to play shines an interesting light on the revenue structures of many colleges as well as the regional values of the country. Power Five conferences make a killing off football in a variety of aspects, from ticket sales to TV deals to sponsorships. For example, the University of Wisconsin earned almost $46 million in media rights related to football and $500,000 to sponsorship and royalty revenue last year.

Also notable, as predicted by many, is that the south and southeastern parts of the country have been on the forefront of the play-in-2020 movement. It is well-known that football makes up a substantial part of southern culture and southern college culture, which is also evident in business and civic circles.

“College football is where it’s at in the South,” University of Georgia Grady Sports Media Initiative Associate Director Welch Suggs said of the season in an Inside Higher Ed blog post.

“No other sport has the footprint that football does, in terms of the size and scope or where it fits in our psychology.”

And so much of the country is pushing forward with that effort, taking as many precautions as possible against the virus. According to physician, epidemiologist and Duke University professor Chris Hostler in the same article, officials have a “very good understanding” that there will be COVID-19 outbreaks despite any combative efforts in the sport.

But at the other end of the spectrum is the College, with no fall sports and a practicing-butnot-playing football program. Members of the team will retain this year of eligibility and build chemistry, but not take the field until 2021. This is the first time with no Tribe football during traditional months since 1943.

For context, the 2018-19 football season generated $5.4 million in revenue for the College.

COURTESY IMAGE / TRIBE ATHLETICS

Football players whose seasons were impacted by COVID-19 will retain their year of eligibility for the 2021-22 season.

Tribe head coach Mike London expressed support of the decision amid disappointment for the lost year, while noting that the decision extends not just to the football team, but to the school community and the region at large.

“I’d rather be safe beyond measure,” London said. “There probably are going to be a lot of people who are upset about this, but that’s first and foremost to me. You can say ‘we have to play football,’ but how will it affect the testing not only within our school but in the area? There’s so many other things that are a domino effect that go into (whether) you have a season or not.”

So, football rolls on, but only in select areas with select budgets and revenues. It remains to be seen how the seasons will fare as the temperatures cool down and the virus progresses, but as for the Tribe, on to 2021 and plenty of extra practice.

OUT OF BOUNDS

MLB playoffs: three games and you’re out

Shortened season, expedited playoffs contribute to baseball’s role in 2020 fall sports surplus ZOE BEARDSLEY FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR Tuesday, Sept. 29, Major League Baseball will make history.

Not because of the new playoff format or the shortened season or even the Rays winning their division over the Yankees.

No, this Tuesday, the baseball playoffs, NBA playoffs, WNBA playoffs and possibly the NHL playoffs will all be happening at the same time. A sports experience such as this is not only exciting from a historical standpoint but also from a sports fan’s perspective.

Usually in late September and early October, sports fans get treated to the MLB playoffs and the NFL, NBA and NHL regular season. Thanks to COVID-19 though, this year fans will get what will probably be a once in a lifetime convergence: four professional sports playing for their respective championships all at the same time.

While the WNBA, NHL and NBA playoffs have been going on for a while, the MLB is showing up a little late to the party.

This year’s MLB playoffs look a little different than what baseball fans are used too. For starters, instead of 10 teams

2020 MLB playoff predictions

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qualifying for the postseason, 16 teams have made it to the playoffs this year.

As usual, the three division winners from the National and American League are in, but this year the three division runners-up from the both leagues also qualified, as well as the two remaining teams with the next best records in both Leagues, also known as wild-card teams.

Another major change is the structure of the playoffs themselves. Usually there are two wild-card games, where the winner of each goes on to play a five-game series against the division winner with the best overall record, while the other two division winners play each other in a best-of-five series.

This year though, each team will have to play a best-of-three series to make it to the best-of-five divisional series. This change is going to create huge upset potential, as well as lots of excitement and high stakes games.

This also mean that the seeding of the teams is crucial to their first-round matchups. Enter one of the major controversies of the MLB playoffs.

Seeding is normally based on record, where the team with the best overall record is a one-seed, the team with the

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second-best overall record is a two-seed and so on. In the regular 10-team MLB playoff format though, the two wildcard teams aren’t always the two teams with the worst records in the playoffs.

It is possible for division winners to have worse records than wild-card teams, but most of the time this isn’t the case, and when it is no one has a problem with it because division winners won their division and therefore deserve to be seeded higher. This year though, the addition of more team creates a giant seeding problem.

The three division winners are the top three seeds, while the division runners-up get the next three seeds and the wild card teams are the last two seeds. If you went off of each team’s individual record though, the playoff seeding would look drastically different.

For example, the Chicago White Sox have a 35-25 regular season record and came in third in their division, making them the seven-seed, while the New York Yankees have a 3327 record but since they came in second in their division, they get to be the five-seed.

Chicago has to play the two seeded Athletics, while the Yankees are playing Cleveland who are the four-seed.

Depending on the outcomes of these three-game series, a lot of fans are going to be very angry, whether it’s because their team lost to an opponent that should’ve been seeded higher, or their team lost because they should’ve played a higher seeded team.

Looking past the seeding complications, there are a lot of exciting matchups and potential upsets in this year’s first round. A short best-of-three series means that there is little room for error.

It gives a lot of teams who might be weaker on paper the chance to potentially knock out some of the stronger teams by playing two great games. Some teams to watch out for are the aforementioned White Sox, who have two great pitchers in Dallas Keuchel and Lucas Giolito, as well as the League RBI leader Jose Abreu.

The Cleveland Indians, who are also in the American League, are entering the playoffs on a hot streak, winning eight of their last 10 games.

In the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers are the team to beat, coming into the postseason with the best record in Major League Baseball and an embarrassing amount of stars including Mookie Betts, Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw and Cody Bellinger.

The Padres are another impressive team, and though they lack playoff experience, they have an impressive offense that includes Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado.

With the new format, this year’s MLB playoffs promise to be exciting, featuring an array of potential upsets, pitching duels, high powered offenses and high stakes competition.

Last year’s champions, the Washington Nationals, didn’t make the playoffs this year, which means there’ll be a new champion crowned in 2020.

newsinsights

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

The Flat Hat

| Tuesday, September 29, 2020 | Page 8

Student athletes rally to save ‘Tribe Seven’

Community gathers to protest the elimination of varsity teams ALEXANDRA BYRNE // FLAT HAT CHIEF STAFF WRITER Students athletes associated with College of William and Mary’s seven cancelled varsity sports organized a “Save Tribe Sports Rally” Wednesday Sept. 23 in front of Zable Stadium and the Alumni House. The rally occurred in response to the College’s termination of several athletic programs, including men’s and women’s swimming, men’s and women’s gymnastics, men’s indoor and outdoor track and field and volleyball.

Numerous athletes, students and community members attended the rally, with student athletes on the cut teams giving speeches to urge the College to reverse its decision.

Track and field athlete Spencer Tsai ’21 expressed frustration and disappointment with the administration but emphasized the athletes’ willingness to fight a prolonged battle to reinstate their sports.

“We feel that the decision made on Sept. 3 was a product of mismanagement,” Tsai said. “A lot of the decisions that the current administration has made have reflected poorly on the program. We feel that the tradition that comes with the programs here has clearly been mistreated. There’s been such a lack of transparency.

Hopefully tonight we get answers. If we don’t, we’re going to keep fighting. I want everyone to know that all the seven teams represented here, especially Track & Field, we’re not backing down.”

The College cited financial concerns as the main reason for the cuts, and Tribe Athletics projects to save $3.66 million annually as a result of this decision. In response to the decision prompted financial support from alumni and student athletes; within two weeks of campaigning, the swim team raised $1 million towards maintaining their varsity status.

ZACHARY LUTZSKY / THE FLAT HAT

ZACHARY LUTZSKY/ THE FLAT HAT

Student athletes and community members protested the cutting of seven varsity teams outside Zable Stadium Sept. 23.

However, the College said this amount would not be enough to reinstate the team. According to an FAQ on the Tribe Athletics website, an endowment of at least $150 million would be needed to save the teams, though it did not explain how this number was calculated.

“The decisions to reduce our sports offerings are final, and any future philanthropic gifts intended for these sports may be directed towards supporting scholarships and existing programs to help promote the future success and financial sustainability of W&M Athletics,” the FAQ said. “Despite the support of many generous donors, their support can not be expected to cover the increasing cost of sustaining 23 competitive programs.”

The athletes were notified of the College’s decision earlier this month during a seven-minute Zoom call with Athletic Director Samantha Huge, during which the athletes were not given the opportunity to respond or ask questions. This position is Huge’s first as a university athletics director. Previously, she has served as an assistant AD at several universities, including Georgetown University and Texas A&M. Huge has been at the College since 2017.

At the rally, Gymnast Christian Marsh ‘22 addressed the crowd, highlighting the cutting of Olympic sports and asserting that the cuts were a blow to the values of the College.

“What happened to this College is a shame,” Marsh said. “I came to William & Mary to compete in Division I college gymnastics and pursue my academics at the highest level possible. Olympic sports have been getting slashed across the country for decades. We are some of the most accomplished athletes and students to ever walk on this campus.

If they think we’re going to go down without a fight, they’re wrong. That’s not what we stand for here.

This is what we do — we’re fighters.”

The teams produce more than just athletic

success, according to swimmer Elizabeth Intihar ‘23.

“These programs have done a lot for the school and they’ve produced not only great student-athletes but also wonderful people,” Intihar said. “I don’t think that they’re finished doing that and I think they should be able to stay in existence.”

Track and field athlete Colin Grip ’21 said that the rally was planned to align with the Board of Visitors meetings, which began Wednesday evening. After the rally, many students, alumni and community members lined up to deliver remarks to the Board.

Grip was encouraged by the turnout from other students and members of the Williamsburg community.

“It’s really great to see all these people,” Grip said.

“Obviously, we knew it affected everyone on the teams that were cut, but seeing people from the community — coaches, parents, and other students — is kind of humbling. It reminds you that we’re not alone in this.”

A nine-year-old local resident Lauren Inge came to the rally with her parents. Inge trains at Williamsburg Gymnastics and hopes to one day be a collegiate gymnast herself but is disappointed that she will no longer be able to watch College gymnasts compete. Many gymnasts at the College also foster gymnastics programs in Williamsburg, potentially undermining the local gymnastics scene.

“A lot of the coaches at my gym are on the teams,” Inge said. “Most of my coaches may stop coaching.”

Cindy Walker owns Williamsburg Gymnastics with her husband Peter Walker ’93, who competed as a member of the Tribe gymnastics team during his time at the College. Walker came to the rally to show support as well as to deliver a speech to the Board of Visitors highlighting the implications of the cuts on the surrounding community. Williamsburg Gymnastics relies on members of the College’s gymnastics team to serve as dedicated coaches and mentors for younger

gymnasts. Walker also noted the involvement of other teams, such as Tribe Swim, in youth leagues.

“Not to negate from anyone else or any other team, but I think it’s very short-sighted,” Walker said. “The athletes, for swimming and for gymnastics, coach in this community consistently. The summer swim leagues don’t happen without the William & Mary athletes. Our coaches who work with the kids are all alums and they mentor our kids in such an amazing way. They show our kids that there is more than just one path and how to be good leaders and how to be good role models. That if you work hard, you can achieve anything. That’s why it’s really important. It devastates the whole community because this is a huge swimming and gymnastics community.

They’re cutting their nose to spite their face.”

Walker said she was disappointed by the way the College’s student athletes were treated during the decision process and highlighted a need for greater transparency.

Like many of the athletes, swimmer Christopher Pfuhl ‘21 questioned the wisdom of the decision given what he feels is a lack of evidence from the athletic department for the justification of the cuts.

“We were really disappointed on Sept. 3 when we were unceremoniously cut by the school and the athletic department,” Pfuhl said. “We feel it was a wrong decision. We feel it was made in haste without true hard data. We’re looking for accountability from the athletic department.

We’re looking for accountability from the school as a whole. We want answers and they have yet to give them to us.”

JAMIE HOLT / THE FLAT HAT

Heidt takes the helm, forms ACT platform

New class of 2024 president encourages accessibility, change, transparency ABBY PARAS // THE FLAT HAT Class of 2024 President Vicka Heidt ’24 has always had a passion for politics. Ever since she was a freshman in high school, Heidt has been involved with both student government and real-world politics.

Only a month into her college career, Heidt decided to run for president of the class of 2024 in the College of William and Mary’s Student Assembly election. Sept. 17, Heidt received 63.35 percent of the vote, securing the 2024 presidency.

In addition to the usual campaigning efforts, Heidt found herself navigating new guidelines set by the administration due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“A huge portion of my campaign was just talking to students,” Heidt said. “I met with almost all of Lion L just because I had a friend in there and I was sitting down with them and getting dinner and I then I met with a bunch of other halls. In the weeks before the election ... I tried to make sure that I was getting every single meal with a new person. At the end of the day, I just wanted to become friends with the people I hoped would vote for me. I just wanted to hear what they had to say and what they care about and what they have to say about the community.

Outreach was very important.”

However, Heidt is not unfamiliar

with the world of campaigning.

During the 2016 presidential election, Heidt helped with Democratic nominee Hilary Clinton’s campaign, which she considers as her first real introduction to politics. Since then, she has been involved in local county politics around Virginia, interning with various campaigns around the state.

For Heidt, it was only natural to want to run for class president once she got to the College. She said that she holds a very strong belief in being a representative for the students at the College and is excited to work with her fellow class of 2024 senators, Sen. Mia Tilman ’24, Sen. Sailor Miao ’24, Sen. Gloriana Cubero Fernandez ’24 and Sen. Isabella Strauss ’24, in bringing about positive changes in the College community.

Heidt’s campaign ran on a platform of an acronym she made called ACT, which stands for Accessibility, Change and Transparency. When she first started her campaign, Heidt had a long list of goals that she wanted to accomplish, and part of the process was narrowing them down to something simple yet all-encompassing.

Ultimately, she explained, all her campaign’s goals came down to one

COURTESY PHOTO / VICKA HEIDT

Vicka Heidt ‘24 leads as class of 2024 as president and is interested in politics.

of those three pillars.

“Starting with accessibility, I really wanted to look through the lens of both mental wellness and disability accessibility,” Heidt said.

“For me, they’re both personally important and I know they’re incredibly important to a lot of people on campus too, especially with regards to mental wellness since that’s something that William and Mary has struggled with in the past. I know the Student Assembly has constantly prioritized ... mental health. As for disability, I shared this with my platform, which was really difficult for me. I talked about my mom, who has multiple sclerosis ... so for me, accessibility on all fronts is incredibly important.”

Heidt expanded on her platform, addressing what change she wants to see and facilitate on campus.

“I talked about systemic racism, and William and Mary’s act in it, and their inability to respond to it over the past couple of months,” Heidt said. “... we pride ourselves on having ‘one Tribe, one community’ and that starts with having a diverse ... faculty, and I know we’re not there yet. It’s been advocated for by students of color and indigenous people in this community, so that was massive for me. In that role, I need to take the backburner and listen to my peers, which is why I wanted to talk to students from all aspects of the College, and learn

how to be a good ally.”

It is important to Heidt that she make herself available to her fellow classmates. She spoke on her own personal experience seeing the issues with transparency within the community. Heidt hopes that she has shown to her community that she is there to be available to their needs .

“I’ve only been in the presidency for eight days and it seems like every single day there’s a new issue with transparency or a new thing that’s hindering the transparency of the community,” Heidt said.

“It’s so frustrating. As for me as a representative, I want people to be able to come to me and I’m going to tell them what I’m going to do or what I believe in. I’m not going to hide behind a curtain. With my campaign, my biggest focal point was being available for other students to talk to me and tell me what they think.”

Heidt said she wants to continue her platform of ACT during her time in the Senate and work with others to help improve accessibility, foster positive change and increase the transparency between the student body and the administration. While she would like to tackle every issue she can, she said that she knows that she can only do so much.

Heidt said that she and her peers and commit a lot of time to SA, and work a minimum of five hours per week on meetings and work for the senate, as well as debates, discussions and outside communications. Heidt said that she wants to be there for students as much as she can, and that even if she is not a part of a specific organization, she still wants to support them.

Heidt’s described her current projects are working on improving mental wellness around campus and working on creating some initiatives, as well as looking into ways to help with the Black Lives Matter movement on campus, and the Student Rights Initiative with the other senators and class presidents.

In addition to serving as the president of the class of 2024, Heidt is interested in law and international relations.

Heidt said that she is excited to be at the College and to make an impact in the community through collaboration with others. She said she is going to put in the work in and continue to put the work in to make the campus a better place for everyone, as much as she can.

“That is my promise to the class of 2024,” Heidt said.