SPORTS // College hosts Colonial Relays, pg. 8 Bevy of track and field events take over Zable Stadium as College’s track and field program places in top 10.
Vol. 102, Iss. 47 | Tuesday, April 9, 2013
The Flat Hat The Twice-Weekly Student Newspaper
of The College of William and Mary
Flathatnews.com | Follow us:
OBITUARY
Former Chancellor Margaret Thatcher passes away Previous Prime Minister of the U.K. addressed students at 1997 commencement ceremony, visited in 2001 BY ABBY BOYLE FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR
COURTESY PHOTO / WM NEWS
Former Chancellor Margaret Thatcher last visited campus in 2001 for her portrait unveiling.
Former British Prime Minister and the College of William and Mary’s first female Chancellor Margaret Thatcher passed away Monday, April 8 of a stroke. Thatcher, who was 87, served as the College’s 21st Chancellor from 1993 to 2000. She also delivered the commencement address in 1997 and visited campus again in 2001 for the dedication of her portrait,
which is displayed in the Blue Room of the Sir Christopher Wren Building. “Margaret Thatcher was a great force in British and world politics,” College President Taylor Reveley said in a press release. “She was also a cherished member of the William & Mary family, serving splendidly and inimitably as our Chancellor for seven years. We will miss her enormously and deeply mourn her loss.” Thatcher entered British
politics in 1950 and was elected to Parliament in 1959. She became Prime Minister in 1979 and served until 1990. During her 11-year tenure, she pioneered the political philosophy “Thatcherism,” led Britain in the Falklands War against Argentina, and dealt with a wide range of international and domestic issues. In her 1997 commencement speech, Thatcher expressed her See THATCHER page 3
Holi Festival colors Sunken Garden
HAYLEY TYMESON / THE FLAT HAT
Students celebrated the Hindu holiday of Holi on Sunday. Music played in the Sunken Gardens as colorful paint was thrown in the air in honor of the god Krishna.
HONOR SYSTEM
CRIME
HSRC student representatives weigh in on proposed changes
Assignment perceived as threat at Law school
Early resolution, standardization suggested BY MEREDITH RAMEY FLAT HAT MANAGING EDITOR
Two years ago, Noah Kim ’13 and Zann Isacson ’13 served as Student Assembly representative to the Honor System Review Committee. After transitioning out of the SA last year, the pair continued to work with the HSRC as the proposed changes were finalized and submitted to College of William and Mary President Taylor Reveley. Reveley announced the proposed changes and asked for student feedback Friday in an email to the College community. Two weeks ago, HSRC Chair and Chancellor Professor of Government Clay Clemens ’80 outlined the three major changes proposed by the HSRC in a discussion with the Honor Council, the Student Conduct Council and the Conduct and Honor Advisory Program. The three major aspects of the proposal are the addition of an early resolution option for honor system infractions, the standardization of sanction levels and the creation of a standing Honor System Advisory Committee. Of these three major changes, Kim and Isacson believe the proposed early
Index News Insight News Opinions Variety Variety Sports Sports
resolution, or expedited option, for undergraduate students will affect students the most. “[With the early resolution option], a student is able to resolve an issue directly with his or her professor,” Isacson said. “There is not a lot of buy-in by faculty to the [Honor] System, and the idea is that it will be adjudicated more fairly. If one professor, for example, always sends the student to the Honor Council and another doesn’t, that’s different standards across the board.” In an email, Reveley agreed that faculty support is an issue with the current Honor System. Kim explained some of the hesitation of College faculty to work with the system. “I think a lot of the hesitation on the part of faculty stems from the fact that they feel like they’re ceding autonomy by allowing the Honor System to step in, or they don’t want to subject a student to that entire process when they feel like they can just give a student a zero on that exam that they cheated on,” Kim
Today’s Weather 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Overcast High 72, Low 54
See HONOR CODE page 3
Inside OPINIONS
Despite reports of high alert, police deemed threat in homework not dangerous BY ZACH HARDY FLAT HAT CHIEF STAFF WRITER
A homework assignment found at the Marshall-Wythe School of Law was misinterpreted as a mass homicide threat Saturday, March 30. The student who found the assignment reported it read, “Plan A: Kill 400 people.” The police began to investigate the threat immediately. On April 1, Associate Dean Lizbeth Jackson emailed students to inform them about the investigation. Shortly after, the owner of the assignment contacted police and explained it was simply a mediation exercise. “Within the context of the assignment it made perfect sense,” College of William and Mary Police Chief Don Challis said. “But the story spread in a way if I were to whisper in your ear and you pass on the message as a whisper and the words change.” Jackson sent a follow-up email shortly after the case was resolved explaining the assignment and its misinterpretation. “The article is about how people make choices and poses four different scenarios from which groups of people were asked to choose one,” Jackson said in the email to Marshall-Wythe students.
The constant need for free speech
LEXI BRASCHI / THE FLAT HAT
The Huffington Post and “Above the Law” reported that there was high alert threat.
“For example, America is preparing for an outbreak of a deadly disease, which is expected to kill 600 people. If program A is adopted, 200 people will be saved.” The rumor and Jackson’s email were posted on a blog called “Above the Law” and later on The Huffington Post. Both sites cast the reaction to the exercise as overblown. The Huffington Post’s headline read “William and Mary Law School Went On High Alert Over Class Exercise.”
A University of Rochester professor has come under fire after writing about the legality of rape while unconscious. Regardless of what he said, his speech needs to be defended. page 4
Inside VARIETY
Director of News Marketing for the College Suzanne Seurattan explained neither the law school nor campus was on high alert. “It was never deemed a credible threat,” Seurattan said. Challis said it is unclear how “Above the Law” and The Huffington Post received word of the incident. “We have a lot of students who could be involved with those sites, and that is their prerogative,” Challis said.
The big five-O
Yates Hall celebrates 50 years at the College with pizza, music and a visit from College President Taylor Reveley. page 6