flat hat 11-30-12
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The Flat Hat 11-30-12TRANSCRIPT
SunnyHigh 59, Low 37
IndexNews Insight News News Opinions Variety Variety Sports
Today’s Weather Inside opInIonsLearning to think by learning to writeWould you like to learn the skills you’ll need to succeed in your career after graduation? Writing term papers can help with that. page 4
Inside VARIETYDance crews break it downSMILES crew brings Bboy groups from around the country to the College for second annual “origins” showcase. page 6
Three-year grant to help fund online program and external collaborations
cAmpus
Vol. 102, Iss. 24 | Friday, November 30, 2012 The Twice-Weekly student newspaper of The college of William and mary Flathatnews.com | Follow us:
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bY zAch hARDYFlat hat oNliNe editor
College of William and Mary Board of Visitor member Pete Snyder ’94 announced his intention to run for lieutenant governor of Virginia this past Monday.
Snyder spoke at the College Republicans meeting Nov. 29 about the state of the Republican Party and what he hopes to bring to the lieutenant governor race. Snyder dove into politics this year while serving as a Republican campaign commentator for Fox News.
Snyder admitted this year’s elections were a disappointment but expressed great confidence in the Republican message. He said Virginia’s status as a national standard-setter inspired him to enter the race.
“I truly believe states are the great laboratories of ideas,” Snyder said. “Once again, all eyes are going to be on Virginia. How do we respond? What are we doing? How will our party here rally and fight for liberty? And that was what called me to run for lieutenant governor.”
Snyder plans to present himself as a business-friendly, Washington, D.C. outsider, drawing from his experience at New Media Strategies, the social media marketing company he founded. In his talk, Snyder explained his plans to advocate for
The College of William and Mary received a 3-year $235,000 grant from SAMHSA for Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention yesterday, Nov. 29. Following the announcement of the grant, the Board of Visitors
Student Affairs Committee discussed the importance of mental health on campus.
“Overall, we want to make sure that we do everything we can to reduce the stigma around students seeking help for mental health concerns and to
BOV announces mental health grant
Committee on Audit and Compliance
State
The F lat HatThe F lat HatspoRTs >> PaGe 8
College loses in double-overtimethe tribe dropped its third straight in a double-overtime heartbreaker at richmond.
VARIETY >> PaGe 7
Tribe ranks highest for HP fansQuidditch, sorting ceremony, Yule Ball set college apart from other schools.
ALumnI
Alumnus announces bid for Lt. GovernorSpeaks to College Republicans
See candidacy page 3
funding falls shortgEnERAL AssEmbLY
State Council of Higher Education in Virginia proposes additional funding, prospects look bleak
In 1980, the state of Virginia supported 42 percent of the College of William and Mary’s operating budget. State support has decreased recently, with state funding only constituting less than 13 percent of the operating budget in 2012, and both local lawmakers and school officials are not too optimistic about prospects for increased funding.
The State Council of Higher Education in Virginia released its budget recommendations to the General Assembly in November, stating that public universities and colleges need an additional $109 million for fiscal year 2014.
Higher education in Virginia did see an increase of $258 million in funding for fiscal year 2013. The suggested additional increase in funding by SCHEV comes in an attempt to hold down tuition increases, raise faculty salaries, and fund parts of the 2011 Higher Education Opportunity Act.
But College Vice President of Finance Sam Jones is not planning the school’s budget with any expectations of increased state support.
“It is unlikely that the Commonwealth will have sufficient funds to address all of these areas given the state need to support K-12 education, Medicaid, and transportation,” Jones said in an
email. “While we expect to get some funds from the state, the College’s success will continue to depend on its ability to become more productive — reallocating funds to higher priorities, raise private funds, and increase tuition.”
Tuition increases have become a staple of budget announcements for the College. In 2012, in-state tuition and fees increased by 3.3 percent; this was the lowest tuition increase at the College in more than a decade. The tuition increases will likely continue to counteract the decrease in state funding.
“While both endowments and state funding will improve, funding lost during the ‘Great Recession’ [is] not likely to be restored,” Jones said. “We do expect that institutions will raise tuition, though the rate of increase is likely to be lower than in the recent past.”
The 2011 Higher Education Opportunity Act supported increasing in-state student enrollment at state universities and colleges. In addition to that Act, the College agreed to enroll an additional 150 in-state students over a four-year period. As of yet, the increase in students has not significantly increased costs.
“At this point, revenue generated by these additional students have covered the cost associated with these students,” Jones said. “While this works on the margins, it would not hold true if we had a major
increase in enrollment.” Over the summer, College
President Taylor Reveley wrote op-eds in the Richmond Times-Dispatch and the Virginian Pilot discussing funding options for higher education. One option he proposed was the recognition that out-of-state students are essential for state universities and colleges.
“…for some state schools, I see no realistic substitute for political acceptance of (a) out-of-state undergraduates (who pay market value and are vital to operating budgets), (b) meaningful in-state tuition increases for financially able families, and (c) affordability through need-based aid, funded partly by tuition, for less financially able families, including some well into the middle class,” Reveley wrote in the editorial.
But with a 65-35 ratio of in-state to out-of-state students, the College is limited in its reliance on out-of-state students and the tuition they provide.
Del. Mike Watson, R-93, has met with Reveley to discuss his ideas.
“There may be some merit to the idea of allowing the universities to increase the number of out-of-state students to bring additional revenue, but for me, personally, in order to support that, I would like to see an expansion of the
The College of William and Mary’s Committee on Audit and Compliance passed a resolution Wednesday repealing the Code of Conduct Governing Student Loan Practices.
“The real impetus of that code was to make sure that there was no undue influence by lending institutions
through what was essentially amounting to bribery in some of the worst and high profile instances of it nationwide in order for a lending institution to achieve a place on preferred lender risk,” Associate Provost for Enrollment and Dean of Admission Henry Broaddus said.
The Code was made redundant by
Committee on Student Affairs
of higher education’s needs
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1980, 2012
See funding page 4
In
the state supported
of the College’s operating budget
Now, in
the state supports less than
of the College’s
more than
operating budget
See audit page 4
See students page 2
The committee on Audit and compliance repealed the code of conduct governing student Loan practices since the health care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 made some of the code redundant.
What does the health care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 do?
The law caps loans at 10 percent of income and completely forgive balances after 20 years.
now, administration of all federal student loans is conducted by private firms under federal performance-based contracts.
Information courtesy of www.whitehouse.gov
For more on the recent BOV meetings,check out additional committee summaries on page 3.
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bY AshLEY hAmILTonFlat hat staFF writer
bY kAThERInE chIgLInskYFlat hat News editor
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a tHOUSanD WORDS
newsinsight The F lat Hat
news Editor Katherine Chiglinskynews Editor Meredith Ramey
| Friday, November 30, 2012 | Page 2
tHE BUZZ
“ We’re dealing with human beings and original sin.—College President Taylor Reveley on
the shortage of alumni donations
BEYOnD tHE ‘BURg
COURtESY PHOtO / FILMFILIA.COMPicture of Nicholas Cage and requests for pencils forwarded to 40,000 students at New York University in what is now being called ‘replyallcalypse’
CORRECtiOnSThe Flat Hat wishes to correct any facts printed incorrectly. Corrections may be submitted by e-mail to the editor of the section in which the incorrect information was printed. Requests for corrections will be accepted at any time.
CaMPUS POLiCE BEat
Nov. 12 to Nov. 15
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2
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Monday, Nov. 12 — A suspicious incident was reported at Capitol Landing.
Tuesday, Nov. 13 — An individual reported a hit and run at N. Henry St. and Rt. 132.
Tuesday, Nov. 13 — A suspicious incident was reported on York St.
Wednesday, Nov. 14 — An individual was arrested for suspected larceny or theft on York St. This was the individual’s third offense.
Thursday, Nov. 15 — An individual was arrested on York St. for embezzlement greater than $200.
Students fall at Washington State University
According to The Huffington Post, Washington State University has experienced an abnormal number of accidents involving students falling from buildings. In the past 2 1/2 months, there have been four incidents of students falling from roofs, three of which involved alcohol. Although all have survived, one student underwent emergency brain surgery and went comatose. At the nearby University of Idaho, a similar incident occurred Sept. 12, marking the fifth fall in the region.
Comedian pranks public speaking class
The Huffington Post reported that a comedian at Los Angeles City College used his public speaking class to prove a point about communication. Throughout the semester, Jose Barrientos convinced his professor and classmates that he had a Mexican accent and, until recently, had lived in Mexico. During his final presentation, he dropped the accent and gave a speech on how people need to learn to communicate effectively. In a story a the Huffington Post, students were bothered he had lied for so long and claimed he gave Hispanics a bad name, though Barrientos earned a perfect score in the course.
Colleges ban marijuana in legal states
Colleges in Washington and Colorado will maintain their ban on marijuana despite the drug’s legalization in these states. Because the schools continue to receive funding from the federal government, which still considers marijuana illegal, they are required to maintain the threat of expulsion for students caught in possession of pot. Many find it ironic that the legalization of marijuana was in large part thanks to college voters and yet they are still unable to use it.
New York University replies all
A student at New York University sent a message to all 40,000 students in what is now being called ‘replyallcalypse,’ according to Time magazine. The incident started when a student, intending to forward an email from the school to his mom, accidentally hit reply all. The student replied “SORRY!!!!!!” but it was too late; students who realized what happened took the opportunity to email the entire student body. Some asked questions like “Does anyone have a pencil” while others criticized the school’s tuition. One student even sent around a picture of Nicholas Cage. The school recognized its mistake and sent out an apology.
empower everyone in the William and Mary community to know that they can step in and make the difference,” Vice President for Stu-dent Affairs Ginger Ambler ’88 Ph.D.’06 said.
Ambler also introduced the Busi-ness “Boot Camp,” which is to take place in mid to late May of next year. The ini-tiative will provide non-business ma-jors with a foundation in business con-cepts and aims to boost their confidence before entering the business world.
The committee also discussed the fu-ture of the units. The residence halls have entered the third year of refurbishing and will serve as freshman housing for the 2013-14 academic year. Among other
changes, the buildings will be re-named. In October, Residence Life emailed a sur-vey to students that allowed them to sug-gest potential names. According to Ambler, a majority of suggestions involve history, alumni, video games, literature, Tribe Pride and College President Taylor Reveley.
Ambler then introduced the Hazing Prevention Coalition. She described the school’s approach toward hazing as very proactive and revealed the coalition’s new power message: “My Tribe, My Re-sponsibility. A Home Without Hazing.” The program will be presented in more depth at the February committee meeting.
“Our belief is that hazing does not have to be fatal to damage a campus community, and it can be very dev-
astating to individuals,” Ambler said.Jodi Fisler, assistant to the vice president
and director of Student Affairs Planning and Assessment, spoke about the progress of the Sherman and Gloria H. Cohen Career Center in attracting students to take advan-tage of its resources. She also discussed leadership development at the College.
Two student liaisons, Drew Chlan ’13 and Kylee Ponder ’12, closed the meet-ing by discussing events that have im-pacted student life or are expected to do so. Discussion included the EVMS public forum, the three-person versus four-person rule, holiday events includ-ing Grand Illumination and the Yule Log Ceremony, and the prospective TEDx conference to take place March 30.
BOV Committee discusses Hazing Prevention Coalition, Career Center
Newt and Callista Gingrich will be visiting the William and Mary Bookstore in Merchants Square Saturday at 2 p.m. to promote their new books. Newt Gingrich recently co-authored “Victory at Yorktown: a Novel” with William R. Forstchen, and his wife authored a children’s book called “Land of the Pilgrim’s Pride.” Gingrich is the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, and he also unsuccessfully ran for the previous Republican presidential nomination.
The Board of Trustees of Colonial Williamsburg released a multi-year campaign to expand the institution’s museums, reported the Virginia Gazette. Hundreds of millions of dollars are likely to be spent to expand art museums and preserve the Historic Area. The addition of a wing to the DeWitt Wallace Decorate Arts Museum and a new exit on Nassau Street is planned. Additionally, the College of William and Mary may start a capital campaign drive soon since its 325th anniversary will be in 2018. The College’s 2008 campaign raised $517 million.
The State Corporation Commission will have formal hearings Jan. 10 concerning 500 kilovolt towers crossing the James River, according to the Daily Press. Dominion power wants to set up this power line in order to reach a larger region of around 60 million customers. The James River Association released a four-page paper listing reasons why it is in opposition, with conservation matters taking importance. Historic Jamestown and Colonial Williamsburg are also in opposition. Thousands of people will have to unite in order to stop the towers from being raised.
The state panel that recently met in Richmond will not recommend restrictions involving venomous snakes, large constricting snakes, and monkeys reported the Richmond-Times Dispatch. However, the panel decided that Virginia should add chimpanzees, elephants, Komodo dragons and a few other species to the list of animals banned as pets in the state. Gov. Bob McDonnell and the General Assembly will examine the recommendations.
tHE PULSEAll The News ThAT’s uNfiT To priNT
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STUDENT from page 1
Following a closed session, the College of William and Mary Board of Visitors Committee on Athletics discussed student athletes. Director of Athletics Terry Driscoll introduced Mallory Schaffer ’13, a midfield on the women’s soccer team, and showed a brief video on Schaffer compiled by head coach John Daly.
“[Schaffer] has been an outstanding success on the soccer field, [and] she’s been a tremendous person within the community,” Daly said in the video.
Driscoll said Schaffer was what the College was looking for in both a student and an athlete. Schaffer introduced herself and described her love for the College.
“My experience here has been a bit of a fairy tale for me,” Schaffer said. “It’s everything I ever hoped for in the college experience, both in an athletic
standpoint and an academic standpoint.”When Schaffer was finished, Driscoll
discussed the realignment of the Colonial Athletic Association’s. East Carolina University recently joined the Big East Conference. Driscoll described ECU as unique, only allowing its football team to play Big East schools while the other teams at ECU will play in different conferences.
Driscoll also spoke about the future of Tribe athletics and the possibility of other schools joining the CAA.
“At this point, I know that we’ll be having conversations with people to gather intelligence and to determine what interest level any of these other institutions might have in joining the CAA,” Driscoll said.
Driscoll also showed the BOV the College Athletics website, featuring photos, interviews with coaches, game schedules, and player profiles. “One of the goals of our department is to capture as much content as we can,” Driscoll said.
BOV convenes, talks classroom technologyboard of visitors
The F lat HatFriday, November 30, 2012Page 3
Samantha Quinn ’14 spent hours personally visiting as many club meetings as she could Monday, determined to spread the word about the Kenya Sustainability Village Project fundraiser: FlavorTripping.
The event showcases a little red berry that packs a powerful punch to your taste buds. The fruit Synsepalum dulcificum, a native fruit of West Africa and has become the latest food craze de to the way it rewires taste buds’ perception of flavors.
Quinn and KSVP are working to raise funds for Kenya, a nation in need. According to the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, resource scarcity is a growing problem in Kenya, especially in the rural areas of the country.
Although aid transfers have been tracked by the Kenyan government, public access to this information has been limited. However, now more than ever, global interactions and donating time and money to help rebuild and establish independent and self-sustaining nations, have become a major part of modern society.
“Increasingly, we are completely tied to other countries in terms of economics and health,” Dr. Camille Buchanan ’66 said. “Being able to understand what is going on in those countries is critically important for existing in the twenty-first century. It doesn’t matter what career you pursue; your destiny is tied to the global economy.”
The College of William and Mary also has played a growing role in the global economy. Besides simply learning about the problems, College alumni, professors and students from all fields and numerous organizations have donated time and attention to trying to help solve some of Africa’s problems through programs such as AidData, organizations like KSVP, or trips led by faculty member like Buchanan.
“I think that sometimes college communities are portrayed as being in a ‘bubble’ that protects or shields them from real world problems,” Quinn said. “By making ourselves aware as individuals about global issues, we become a force that can promote change and spread information.”
KSVP, an organization started by Anna Dausman ’12, to help African nations, particularly Kenya with their most pressing issues. Their ventures to Africa hopefully will support the efforts of the Children of God Relief Initiative and help meet the basic needs of people from all walks of life in rural Kenya by doing whatever needs to be done — from with manual labor to creating a curriculum for students in primary school. Last winter, the organization sent a few group members to Nyumbani Village, located in southeastern Kenya, to help the community on their journey to self-sustainment.
“Change in global issues has to start in the grassroots level, too ... yet alerting individuals and groups on campus to such issues helps get aid to ‘the right’ global projects much faster, especially since we are such a generation of sharers; once we learn something, we share it with one another,” Quinn said.
The College has worked to help share information about global aid, via AidData for years now. The group recently received a $25 million grant to begin geocoding, or tracking, the locations of aid. This helps to identify if the aid is going where it is intended and helps researchers deduce whether aid implementation is effective.
“[Concerning] projects in Kenya, we are able to see that a lot of the funding was located in the southwest, but most of the poverty [in Kenya] was in the east. Are the projects alleviating poverty where they are located, or are they misallocated?” Michelle Selim ’13, undergraduate Senior Research Assistant for AidData, said. “There are a lot of things you can look at to see which projects provide the most effective aid.”
A few of the undergraduate researchers from AidData had the opportunity to accompany those leaders involved with AidData to a convention in Washington, D.C. to receive the $25 million grant, as well as to see what other students across the country were doing in their international research.
Among schools such as MIT or Berkley, who are leaders in the sciences, the College was one of the only schools with undergraduates participating in research. The majority of student participants were working on their dissertations
for graduate or doctoral research.Through various searches under the
umbrella of “Development Aid/Food Security Assistance” and by looking only at aid projects in Kenya in the AidData database, one can find hundreds of projects and aid donations given to Kenya by multiple countries. However, each region of the nation has different needs — some are more rural, some more corrupt, some suffer from severe resource scarcity — and aid should be distributed accordingly.
“I’ve been going to Kenya the last 12 years and had occasion to take [College] students with [me] for five of them. We worked in the rural part of Kenya out near a reserve and there worked with local communities to protect springs, pipe water that was sent to schools and make water more available,” Buchanan said. “I completely agree that scarcity of clean water is a problem in rural areas in Kenya.”
While AidData is now a tremendous research resource that documents the billions of dollars of aid stretching around the world, smaller groups, such as Buchanan’s, that spend summers and weeks of vacation helping rural communities with their food and water scarcity will not be included in the AidData database.
Effective aid allocation is a major step toward effective poverty elimination, according to Sam Loewenberg at the Pultizer Center.
“This series shows the lessons learned from interventions focused on providing basic infrastructure such as water, sanitation, and roads; the opportunities missed; the responsibility of the Kenyan government; and how — when aid is done right — it can help break the cycle of hunger,” Loewenberg said in the article.
For those working to help African nations, the end goal is to eliminate the need for aid organization that manages effective aid distributions.
“The aim of community service, on an individual and group level, is to be an active citizen. This means first getting informed about issues, and later, working with foreign partners, rather than just for them, in order to meet their needs,” Quinn said. “At the end of the day, I will be happy when it is no longer necessary for KSVP to travel overseas because it means that we have helped a community become.
CANDIDACY from page 1
The Board of Visitors’ Committee on Development met to discuss fundraising and sustained giving at The College of William and Mary Nov. 29.
The chief topic of discussion was how to maintain alumni donations to the College, beginning with the recently graduated and continuing through their lives.
“Of course, philanthropy is one way we hope we can benefit from having life-long relationships. ... The Reunions program is one way in which we do that,” Interim Vice President for Development Earl Granger said.
Granger stated that this past
Homecoming was a fundraising success. Alumni celebrating their 20th reunion raised $21.9 million for the College, besting their predecessors.
Much of the presentation to the Committee focused on how to engage current students and recent alumni in fundraising efforts.
A four-step plan was presented, in which students are involved throughout their undergraduate careers and their first few years out of college, culminating in alumni contributing to the 5th Year Reunion Gift.
Board of Visitors member Judge John Thomas expressed some concern over the 5th Year Reunion Gift Committee’s low
participation goals.“I don’t understand why
participation goals aren’t 100 percent,” Thomas said.
College President Taylor Revely responded.
“We’re dealing with human beings and original sin,” Reveley said.
Members of the committee suggested that the reason for low participation in the 5th Year Reunion gift is that the College does not have adequate technology for tracking the locations of alumni.
“If there is some system that can be bought for a reasonable amount of money, that we don’t possess, we need to look into it very closely,” Reveley said.
Snyder declares his candidacy
by zachary frankFlat hat StaFF WRItER
by bailey kirkPatrickFlat hat aSSoc. NEWS EdItoR
William and Mary focuses on providing additional resources in Africa
College raises Kenyan relief aid
by eleanor laMbFlat hat StaFF WRItER
The Board of Visitors Committee of Academic Affairs discussed the use of eLearning and other technology in College of William and Mary classrooms. Provost Michael Halleran spoke about how professors at the College use Blackboard, blogs and wiki pages to connect with students outside of the classroom.
“The College wants to have a more integrated approach to technology and to make it simple for faculty to understand a lot about technology in next year so they can use it in their classrooms,” Halleran said.
The Board is making a program to encompass all aspects of technology into classrooms at the College. Director of Academic Information Services Jean Roche spoke to the board about a program that will broaden learning at the College through technology by offering free online courses to the public.
“ED-X is a $60 million collaboration with MIT and Harvard, which offers thousands of courses online for free for people to engage in distance learning and to make the resources of Harvard and MIT [available] to the rest of the world. In less than a year, 20 top universities admitted to
online distance learning,” Roche said.However, the classes offered would not count
for credit; instead, participants would receive a certificate for completing the program. The Board of Visitors discussed whether or not the College should pursue such an idea. Rector of the College Jeffrey B. Trammel ’73 realized the need for the initiative.
“We don’t have the desire to be the first to do this, but this is the future of education and it will be here in ways we don’t see,” Trammel said. “How does this work in the engaged learning model that we prize here? It needs to also work for the student-professor relationships that this school prizes.”
However, other board members were concerned about how they could handle such a venture. Board member Thomas Frantz ’70 remained skeptical of the idea.
“This sounds like a big undertaking, so can’t we gather many different institutions to work on this?” Frantz said.
Board members did not reach a clear conclusion as to whether the College will pursue offering free online courses to the public. However, the Board is taking the idea into consideration for the future of technology-based education.
by veronique barbourFlat hat StaFF WRItER
Committee on Development
Committee on Academic Affairs
Committee on Atheltics
The Board of Visitors Committee of Academic Affairs discussed the use of eLearning and other technology in College of William and Mary classrooms. Provost Michael Halleran spoke about how professors at the College use Blackboard, blogs and wiki pages to connect with students outside of the classroom.
“The College wants to have a more integrated approach to technology and to make it simple for faculty to understand a lot about technology in next year so they can use it in their classrooms,” Halleran said.
The Board is making a program to encompass all aspects of technology into classrooms at the College. Director of Academic Information Services Jean Roche spoke to the board about
a program that will broaden learning at the College through technology by offering free online courses to the public.
“ED-X is a $60 million collaboration with MIT and Harvard, which offers thousands of courses online for free for people to engage in distance learning and to make the resources of Harvard and MIT [available] to the rest of the world. In less than a year, 20 top universities admitted to online distance learning,” Roche said.
However, the classes offered would not count for credit; instead, participants would receive a certificate for completing the program. The Board of Visitors discussed whether or not the College should pursue such an idea. Rector of the College Jeffrey B. Trammel ’73 realized the need for the initiative.
“We don’t have the desire to be the first to do this, but
this is the future of education and it will be here in ways we don’t see,” Trammel said. “How does this work in the engaged learning model that we prize here? It needs to also work for the student-professor relationships that this school prizes.”
However, other board members were concerned about how they could handle such a venture. Board member Thomas Frantz ’70 remained skeptical of the idea.
“This sounds like a big undertaking, so can’t we gather many different institutions to work on this?” Frantz said.
Board members did not reach a clear conclusion as to whether the College will pursue offering free online courses to the public.
However, the Board is taking the idea into consideration for the future of technology-based education.
by Matt esPorrinFlat hat StaFF WRItER
Provost’s Report
conservative, free market principles in his platform. He named education as the first of three areas he wishes
to reform in Virginia. One reform he suggested includes increasing the amount of accredited charter schools in Virginia.
“There’s an education revolution in New Orleans right now, post-Katrina,” Snyder said. “Why? Because they had to bring in charter schools to rebuild their system. We need these free-market ideas in Virginia.”
He also plans to foster business growth in Virginia through lower taxes and deregulation.
“We need to open up Virginia even more for entrepreneurs,” Snyder said. “I want to fight to get rid of the corporate income tax for business. Imagine if we can get rid of [it]. It would create a haven for relocation and investment for both medium- and small-sized business. There’s no reason why Virginia can’t be a haven for entrepreneurs.”
He also hopes to orient his campaign around the idea of reduced government spending.
“Time and time again families and businesses are being asked to tighten their belts,” Snyder said. “Government can do the same. … Our Governor went into [the Virginia Department of Transportation], shook out the cushions, and found $1.4 billion — with a B. I think people can find 10 percent of their budget to cut.”
Students in the College Republicans reacted positively to Snyder’s talk and expressed optimism about the Republican party’s long-term message.
“Snyder said we had a difficult time getting our message across, and I think if we have a clear-cut message in the 2013 state election, things will start going our way,” College Republican Chair Chandler Crenshaw ’14 said.
Crenshaw also said support from College Republican members will not wane after this election season.
“I think our turnout tonight shows students are still going to be interested and involved. Even though we lost in November, people are still going to come out in the fall to canvas and phonebank,” Crenshaw said.
Former Chair Tyler Johnson ’13 also has high hopes for Republican student involvement, arguing that the nature of state elections encourages a stronger connection with the candidates.
“I think people will be really motivated because people see that local politics are the only safeguard against the federal government. … One of the unique things about state races [is] that when you campaign for someone like Mike Watson or Pete Snyder, these are guys you can make connections with. … I think that’s a unique draw for campaigning for local elections,” Johnson said.
articulation agreements between the community college system and the four-year universities. … I can’t say, just across the board, that I support increasing the number of out-of-state, because after all, it’s a state college, but I understand that funding has been restricted,” Watson said.
The articulation agreements allow students to attend a community college for two years and then transfer to a state university or college with guaranteed admission, granted that the student meets certain requirements.
But for now, ratios of in-state and out-of-state students remain the same and the prospect of gathering more revenue from additional out-of-state students appears to be slim in the next few years.
The additional $109 million recommended by SCHEV for fiscal year 2014 would send $71.5 million toward instructional support and to create incentives for colleges to increase in-state enrollment and encourage science, technology and health programs. $10.8 million would go toward pay raises for faculty, $10.2 million for the maintenance of buildings and $27 million for undergraduate financial aid.
Watson stressed the importance of SCHEV’s recommendations but questioned
whether the state could secure funding for all of the proposals. Watson noted that, if funds become available, he would support initiatives to help reduce tuition increases and to support programs for majors demanded in the job market.
But Watson noted that potential mandates from the federal government and an increase in Medicaid spending might threaten the potential for increased funding to higher education.
“Our ability to make additional investments is going to depend on a number of things,” Watson said. “Obviously, the economy and any budget surplus is important. As a result of the election, and this isn’t a partisan thing, it’s realistic, but we now know we’re going to have to deal in some with the mandates placed on the state by the Affordable Care Act.”
Additionally, Watson stated that proposed cuts to defense spending could hurt Virginia’s budget even more.
SCHEV also recommended that the state should continue to allow higher education institutions to use tuition revenue for financial aid, but the proposal has drawn some critics.
Gov. Bob McDonnell has questioned the use of tuition revenue for financial aid, saying that using tuition revenue for financial aid may reduce the financial burden on some families but places the burden of tuition
increases onto others. The College of William and Mary used
$18,505,170 of tuition revenue for financial aid in fiscal year 2012, with $11,474,657 going to undergraduate financial aid and $7,030,513 to graduate and professional students at the College. Director of Financial Aid Ed Irish supported the use of tuition revenue for financial aid since other sources for funding tend to be less reliable or readily available.
“We have had to rely increasingly on tuition revenue to offset higher costs, as the General Assembly allocation for student aid has grown slowly,” Irish said in an email. “Financial aid continues to be a priority with Development, but the money from that source is usually more long-term, rather than being immediately available.”
McDonnell will consider SCHEV’s recommendations for a proposed amendment to the second year of the budget, but Watson noted that the question of funds for higher education remains in the air.
“Until we see the answers from those kind of things, we’re not really going to know what our budget situation is going to be like,” Watson said. “I would like to see improvements in those two key areas, but it’s just a matter of seeing if we’re going to have enough money.”
Bill Gates, a prominent figure in the business world, recently gave a talk on the state of higher education in the United States based on Richard Arum’s book “Academically Adrift.” Gates, citing some of the fundamental questions from the book, implies indirectly that drastic change in liberal arts schools needs to be made across the country.
“I agree that the quality of our colleges and universities should be a topic we all care about as a country,” Teresa Longo, dean for Educational Policy and co-Chair for the Curriculum Review Steering Committee, said.
Gates said in his critique that 45 percent of freshmen and sophomore students enrolled in undergraduate programs showed little to no improvement in the areas of critical thinking, complex reasoning and written communication. In addition, most students interviewed said that their courses required little effort.
“I have taken several classes which have
academically challenged me, and I have taken several classes which haven’t. I think it depends a lot on the individual class and the individual student,” Julia O’Connell ’15 said. “In my experience, there are already a lot of programs in place to try to encourage critical thinking, reasoning, and written communication skills. … This has never struck me as much of an issue…”
Gates also mentioned that perhaps students should begin their majors earlier than the second or third year in college in order to improve those skills.
“I personally started doing that on my own and took the classes that I really cared about and those that would benefit me in the future. But, I completely agree with Gates, we really need to raise our standards, particularly in math and the sciences across the board,” Joshua Solomon ’15.
The Curriculum Review Steering Committee has proposed a new curriculum that would switch the emphasis of the College of William and Mary’s general education requirements to a more general program, which would introduce more engaging courses earlier as well as teach job development skills.
“There are … some problems with Gates’ critique,” Longo said. “This book concludes that … college courses for undergraduates require little effort from students or their professors, a critique that does not match [the College], where high expectations and rigor are the norm.”
Every so often, universities reevaluate their course requirements to make sure the system is still efficient, that students are still being challenged and that they can meet the requirements. However, each college has its own requirements to meet and its own standards to uphold, with a particular group of faculty members ensuring that all facets of a student’s liberal arts education one living up to its name.
“The faculty as a whole is responsible for the quality of the curriculum,” Longo said. “Rather than relying on a single critique like ‘Academically Adrift,’ our curriculum review takes into account the College’s unique strengths in scholarly teaching and engaged, inquiry-based learning.”
The College has a dynamic curriculum that already takes many differing opinions into account, but much of what results from the decision of whether to change
academic requirements, is student success. “This school is challenging but success is attainable
when you apply yourself. There are some students who can slide by doing the minimum … while other lose sleep every night trying to study…” Addie Schafer ‘13 said. “The extremes should be addressed so there is more of a consistency among students, but for the most part we have a cohesive body of students who care and are academically conscious and who then go on to do great things.”
Requirements currently set, and any instituted in the future, are ultimately a product of broad faculty discussion and consistent reevaluation by the steering committee so they can ensure each individual change — whether better accessibility and variety of history classes, more concentration on math and science, or simply changing the number of requirements — coincides with the changing times.
“We don’t know yet whether we will be changing the curriculum next year,” Dean of Arts and Sciences Kate Conley said. “But our curriculum already emphasizes the importance of critical thinking and writing skills.”
Student Assembly senator Steven Lovern ’13 resigned from his position in the senate on Sunday and was replaced by Alice Shaughnessy ’13 in the senate meeting Nov. 28.
“I have given this much thought and I think that it is the best decision for me at this point in time,” said Lovern in an email to Senate Chair Kendall Lorenzen ’15 on Nov. 25. “I have just become too busy and overwhelmed with things. This position needs to be filled by someone who is able to finish up the senate session with gusto.”
Lovern was involved in spearheading the Swem snacks initiative as a member of the outreach committee.
“He was a really good senator,” Lorenzen said. “He contributed a lot to the time that he was here. We’re sad to lose him, but we’re excited to have Alice.”
Shaughnessy has not been involved in the SA before but runs the Green and Gold Affair and is involved with the Honor Council.
“Working with people pretty closely in Honor Council has taught me a lot about working in a group and working toward a common goal,” Shaughnessy said. “Through that role, I’ve gotten to see a little [of ] how campus works administratively. I’m excited to help out with the plans that are already in place and come up with
more things.”When a vacancy in the senate occurs after the
freshman elections, the president of the senator’s class has 14 days to appoint a new senator, who must be approved by the Undergraduate Council. Shaughnessy was appointed by Senior Class President Morgan Dyson ’13.
“I strongly support Morgan’s choice,” Student Assembly President Curt Mills ’13 said in an email “Aside from the Senate, and finishing her time on the Council, she [Alice] has run Green and Gold, and Parent’s Weekend in the past, and is a strong advocate for [the Class of ] 2013. ... She is also the person of the highest integrity and work ethic, as well as Tribe Pride.”
Shaughnessy was sworn in by Chairman of the Review Board Scott Hardy J.D. ’14. She will serve on the outreach and student life committees.
The senate also passed The Tribe Rides Bill at the meeting with unanimous consent. The bill will allocate $3,000 to provide transportation to students who do not have cars or other resources to attend outside counseling services.
The senate discussed the Support the Yule Log Bill, which proposes allocating up to $500 to support a charity drive sponsored by Omicron Delta Kappa and Mortor Board. At the Yule Log ceremony, ODK and Mortor Board are sponsoring a competition between the classes to raise money for victims of Hurricane Sandy. The SA will match the amount of money of the class that wins.
The Support the Yule Log Bill passed with unanimous consent.
The Chillaxin All the Time Bill, which renews a three-year contract with the company that maintains the massage chairs in Swem, also passed unanimously. The Senate will pay $5,900 a year for the next three years — when the massage chair contract will be up for review again in the senate — to maintain the chairs. This is approximately a quarter of the SA’s remaining money for the year.
Some senators raised concerns about the cost
of maintaining the massage chairs.“It does take a substantial portion of the
reserves, but it serves a very excellent and positive purpose,” Senate Secretary Jimmy Zhang ’15 said. “I think that this is most popular and most well-observed thing the SA provides. I think the ability to break this contract down and pay for it a little at a time definitely makes it more affordable.”
Senators will meet Dec. 1 to discuss and begin revising the SA code, which was last updated in 2005.
bY claire gillespieflat hat staff writer
The F lat Hatfriday, November 30, 2012page 4
Senior representative resigns from SA SenateFunds approved for Tribe Rides, Yule Log, Swem massage chairs spending causes controversy
michelle gabro / the flat hatthe sa senate convened to handle a recent vacancy within its ranks and to approve funding for several programs.
student assemblY
College pessimistic on state fundingFUNDING from page 1
Gates cites decline in undergraduate learning as College faculty mull curriculum changes
Philanthropist Bill Gates critiques higher educationlecture
bY baileY kirkpatrickflat hat assoc. News editor
Committee approves Internal Audit’s 2013 work plan
changes on the federal level and at the College since its adopted in July 2007.
The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of
2010, signed by President Barack Obama in March 2010, moved all lending to Direct Lending, cutting out lending institutions as the middlemen in the administration of federal loans.
“That event in 2010 eliminated
the possibility of what this code of conduct intended to prevent,” Broaddus said.
The adoption of the College’s Code of Ethics in April 2009 also overlapped with the Code of Conduct, further eliminating the
need for the Code of Conduct, according to Broaddus.
The Committee also passed a resolution approving the Office of Internal Audit’s 2013 Work Plan, which outlines future audit initiatives.
AUDIT from page 1
Residence Life Student Staff Selection Residence Life Student Staff Selection Academic Year 2013 Academic Year 2013 -- 20142014
INFORMATION MEETINGSINFORMATION MEETINGS
Want to be an RA, HA, PA, HR, GRA, CD, HD? Learn about the process, eligibility, application timelines, Q&A.
Hear from current staff about their positions and how the job impacts them. While not required, candidates are encouraged to attend one of the sessions .
Day Date Time Location
Monday November 19 6:30pm Sadler Center Commonwealth Auditorium
Monday November 19 10:00pm Unit L Basement Lounge
Tuesday November 20 7:30pm Dawson Hall Basement Lounge
Monday November 26 8:30pm Jamestown South 1st Floor Lounge
Wednesday November 28 5:00pm Landrum Hall 1st Floor Parlor
Sunday December 2 6:30pm Tazewell Hall Basement Lounge
RA RA -- HA HA -- PA PA -- GRA GRA -- HR HR -- CD CD -- HDHD Website with All Pertinent Information
http://www.wm.edu/offices/residencelife/employment/student/index.php
Apply Online Only: Dec 3– Jan.14 (Noon)
Throughout the election season, I cannot think of two words that were utilized more than “jobs” and “economy.” The inundation of political ads from various forms of media seemed almost unbearable at times, but luckily for the American population, the presidential election has finally come to a close.
Just because the debates and advertisements have stopped, however, does not mean the issues have been solved by any means. You don’t have to watch the news for long before there is some mention of economic problems such as the unemployment rate or the impact of the Eurozone crisis on stock prices. Being a full-time student without a large investment portfolio often makes these stories seem far from important in my daily life.
At the same time, the economy is very pertinent to students, considering most students’ objective here at the College of William and Mary is to obtain a degree so as to improve their long-term earnings prospects. Investing in a college education and getting a job after graduation are topics I find many people do not like to discuss, however. Bringing up the job search or resume building often invites loathing comments from my fellow peers about the drag of networking and interviews.
Ignoring the job search or the cost of education is often necessary on a day-to-day basis to avoid the high levels of stress associated with both activities, but at some point we all need to grab the bull by the horns and start searching for meaningful employment after we graduate, often to help pay off the burdensome student loans that unrelentingly accrue interest. The reality of the situation, however, is that finding a place of white-collar employment is becoming increasingly difficult for many students, even from top universities such as the College. Employers are taking fewer candidates, making the process of finding a job even more competitive than it was previously.
The employment issues for many students don’t start post-graduation, either. More students are beginning to face economic hardships even during school. A new article entitled “Economy Affects Students’ Academic Performance as Well as Spending Decisions” in The Chronicle of Higher Education describes how an underperforming economy contributes to lowered academic performance for many students. The article cites the National Survey on Student Engagement showing that roughly one-third of seniors chose not to purchase course-required materials due to their cost and half of seniors who worked more than 20 hours a week stated their job interfered with their academic performance.
These statistics are alarming. Although it sounds idealistic, all college students should be able to focus their time and efforts on academic success. Having a job that pays close to minimum wage does not adequately compensate students for the time lost studying and participating in extracurricular activities when one credit comes at the cost of thousands of dollars for out-of-state students. Forcing
students to mortgage their financial future and academic success just to cover day-to-day expenses and textbooks while in school is an issue that must be addressed. To add complexity to the issue, the article states that more and more students are also using employment prospects as one of the primary
motivating factors for choosing their major. Thus, not only are many students sacrificing academic success for marginal amounts of cash inflows in the short term, many are also sacrificing their passions in order to have a better chance at a financially sound future.
In the end, regardless of your political affiliation, I hope you have come to the same realization as I have of the importance of heavy investment in education so that everyone has the ability not only to attend a post-secondary institution, but to also find his or her passion and to succeed in that area. As students here at the College, we all believe in the value of an exemplary education, so it’s time we make our voices heard on the importance of government investment in institutions like the College.
Email Derek Bluemling at [email protected].
““
No matter what you do with yourself these four years at the College of William and Mary, chances are you’ll spend a good deal of time writing term papers. No one enjoys writing them, and some may condemn them as outdated and formulaic, but they serve valuable functions. They force you to make connections, to write, and most importantly, to think.
Any lengthy term paper requires research, which usually calls for more than a simple Google search. Even with the databases Swem provides, relevant sources aren’t always easy to find. And even when you do find
sources, you have to wade through all the information you don’t need to get to the information you do need. Then, you have to figure out how it all fits together and craft an argument around your findings. All of this requires critical thinking. In order for your paper to be focused and make sense, you have to write clearly. After all, whether someone can write well is one of the best indications of whether he or she can think well.
Granted, the standard research paper does have its flaws: the format — topic sentence, thesis, body and conclusion — can produce trite, cliched papers of little significance. It also encourages plagiarism; when students aren’t given enough incentive to inject their own unique voices into their papers, which is often the case, they may use someone else’s. This puts the responsibility on professors to create genuinely engaging assignments
and provide quality comments, as well as on the students to write original papers of actual value.
We can debate the practical use of writing, say, a six- to eight-page research paper on Aboriginal civil rights. (Not to minimize the plight of the Australian Aborigines — that just happens to be the last term paper I wrote). Citation styles, fonts, page margins — these things matter less outside the world of academia. And essay writing is not likely what the typical graduate from the College will be doing as a member of the work force. However, business, science and law majors, just to name a few, will likely find themselves doing plenty of written analysis in their jobs. For instance, how will epidemiologists working for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention be able to inform policymakers during a pandemic if they can’t properly explain
their findings? For those of you with the ambition
to become millionaire CEOs, good luck communicating with your employees and shareholders if you can’t write effectively.
Even if your future profession
doesn’t require writing skills, it will require you to think — at least, any job worthy of a College graduate will — and any decent term paper does the same.
Email Matt Camarda at [email protected].
STAFF EDITORIAL
Not again, Virginia
Although it sounds idealistic, all college students should be able to focus their time and
efforts on academic success.
Here at the College of William and Mary, we are somewhat obsessed with traditions — the Yule Log Ceremony, Convocation, and running naked across the Sunken
Garden, just to name a few. But one new tradition at the College is making us sick: the email about tuition increases. This month, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia announced that Virginia colleges and universities will need $109 million more in state funding to avoid tuition increases, raise faculty salaries and meet new legal requirements. The council also supported a plan that would continue to allow colleges to use tuition revenue in order to fund financial aid.
For over a year, College President Taylor Reveley has backed a plan that would base the cost of tuition on fair market value. As with the council’s plan, Reveley’s plan was criticized for moving the College too close to a privatized model of higher education.
Why all of this discussion about finding alternative sources of funding? As state support plummeted to just 12.8 percent of the College’s operating revenue in 2012, the College was forced to look elsewhere for money. While we do not wish to see the College moving toward a more privatized plan, we also acknowledge that there is no other option.
The state is continuing to enforce a higher in-state to out-of-state student ratio and to cut funding — two moves that effectively take a huge cut out of the College’s operating revenue. We are disappointed by the state’s continued irresponsible behavior toward state institutions of higher education.
Virginia colleges and universities are widely considered some of the most prestigious public higher education institutions in the country, yet the state continuously mishandles their funding.
For the third straight year, the state will have a budget surplus that exceeds $400 million. So why must the state continue to decrease funding for public education if the money is available? This year $132.3 million will be returned to higher education, which will help colleges, but it will not solve the underlying problem. Colleges cannot budget for the money that may be returned from the state, so tuition costs must still increase in order to make up the difference in the budget.
By treating colleges this way, the state weakens them. Imagine if the state cut funding to the Virginia Department of Transportation and then at the end of the year announced it was going to give the money back. VDOT still would not have been able to complete necessary road construction during the year.
We are tired of constantly having to beg the state for more money. Instead, we ask students at the College take a stand and become politically involved in this issue. Write your state representatives and cast an informed ballot for state officials knowing their positions on funding for higher education. The next gubernatorial election is November 2013, so now is the time to learn about the candidates. If nothing is done about this issue, the money will keep coming out of your pocket.
Katherine Chiglinsky recused herself from this editorial in order to remain unbiased in her reporting.
GRAPHIC BY LINDSAY WADE / THE FLAT HAT
In defense of the term paper: To achieve success, you’ll need to learn to think
opinionsThe F lat Hat
Opinions Editor Ellen [email protected]
| Friday, November 30, 2012 | Page 5
Matt CamardaTHE FLAT HAT
BY PATRICIA RADICH, FLAT HAT GRAPHIC DESIGNER
FLAT HAT STAFF COLUMNISTDerek Bluemling
Prioritizing college or working to pay for it? Pick one.
The staff editorial represents the opinion of The Flat Hat. The editorial board, which is elected by The Flat Hat’s section editors and executive staff, consists of Katherine Chiglinsky, Elizabeth DeBusk, Katie Demeria, Jill Found and Ellen Wexler. The Flat Hat welcomes submissions to the Opinions section. Limit letters to 250 words and columns to 650 words. Letters, columns, graphics and cartoons reflect the view of the author only. Email submissions to [email protected].
COMMENTS @THEFLATHAT “
I truly believe the W&M community is on the way to breaking down the stigmatized view towards mental health and mental illness. If W&M is going to change the culture, it truly has to be a collaborative effort.
— Ryann T on “Mental health: starting a conversation”
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“Snyder’s announcement mass e-mail to Virginia Republicans failed to be formatted ... making it look like garbage. That sort of bang-up attention to detail is just the kind of thing people notice – and it says a lot about a guy running as the young upstart candidate who’s going to bring business savvy to Richmond.
— Mike Townes ’93 on “BOV Member Snyder to Run for Lt. Governor”
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varietyThe F lat Hat
Variety Editor Abby BoyleVariety Editor Sarah Caspari
| Friday, November 30, 2012 | Page 6
“If you see something you like, clap. If you see something you don’t like, clap, and if you see something you can’t do, clap.”
Guerilla Will, an emcee hired from Cruz Productions, opened the second
annual Origins Hip Hop Show on Nov. 17 with a welcoming attitude
that many performers echoed.“When you perform in
front of regular people, they usually think they have
to just sit and watch,” Simon Bledsoe, a
member of Until Further Notice,
a hip hop group based
in Prince G e o rg e’s C o u n t y ,
said. “But dancers are
alive. It’s loud screaming, cheering. The energy is amazing here.”
The show opened with SMILES Crew, the Bboy club from the College of William and Mary, which hosted the event. When the performance began, the lights were dimmed and a performer stomped onto the stage in a Pikachu costume. Other c r o w d - p l e a s i n g p e r f o r m a n c e s included a sexy chair
dance by the boys of
the crew to the Pussycat Dolls’ “Buttons,” and a group routine to a dance remix of “The Circle of Life.”
Audience members in The Sadler Center’s Commonwealth Auditorium became increasingly rowdy as they cheered on their favorite groups. Crews and their supporters came from local schools including Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech. The applause reached a fever pitch for professional crews Havikoro, from Houston, TX, and MF Kidz, from Orlando, FL.
“It’s amazing that they came, and it still kind of blows my mind that they were there,” Nicole Brown ’13 said. “They’re so well known, and they compete nationally. In the breaking world, they are the shit. Vicious Victor in MF Kidz, he competed in Red Bull BC One, which is the biggest one versus one Bboy competition. The fact that he’s here, in Williamsburg, at William and Mary — it’s amazing.”
The event also presented groups from other places with opportunities to perform and to meet other dancers. For Academix, a group from U.Va, it was their first performance outside of their own campus. Urban Individuals, which also performed, is a group originally from Guam that moved to Virginia Beach. The majority of its members are high school students.
“Origins offers me an opportunity to gain experience and meet people,” Jayton Gray, a member of Urban Individuals, said.
Bledsoe sees events like Origins as an opportunity for the dance community to come together.
“The communication with other dancers — you just get to sit down and talk to other people that dance — I think that’s the best thing,” he said. “I don’t think other people realize it, but no matter where you’re
from, or what group you dance with, when everyone comes together, it’s like a giant dance family. And I think it’s the best part about it.”
Origins expanded from last year’s showcase into a weekend-long event that included a cypher on Saturday night and open workshops on Sunday led by Havikoro and MF Kidz.
“Second time around, we wanted it to be even bigger and better than the first time,” Brown said. “I heard it went really well and we wanted to progress, and do as much as we could, especially because a bunch of us are graduating this year. The group of seniors this year have been involved with the club since the founders were in it, and they led the charge.”
SMILES Crew is a relatively new crew at the College and was founded in 2008.
“Our skill level is still improving,” Tigist Tamir ’12 said. “Most of the group members, including me, just started here. Yes, we have people who come with experience in the Bboy culture, but we also have 95 percent of our group members who are just like, ‘Yeah,
I like that thing, it’s cool, I’m going to start this.’ Usually they’ll be freshmen, and they’ll just start here.”
However, the group has rapidly expanded from its original four members.
“We’re really big about spreading our philosophy and foundations, and giving that to the freshmen,” Brown said. “Luckily, we have a lot of really great freshmen that came in this year — essentially our club doubled in numbers with the freshmen that we got. Some have danced before, and some haven’t, but they’re all really passionate about dancing.”
The next event the club will host will be in the spring and will be a reprisal of an event from two years ago, called Tribal Breaks. Tribal Breaks is a Bboy jam, and crews will compete for a prize.
“People think Bboying has died, but it hasn’t died, it’s flourished,” Tamir said.
Groups performed on the stage of Commonwealth Auditorium at the Sadler Center at the College of William and Mary. SMILES crew performed first, to a range of different music styles. The crew is trying to expand and continue to host events on campus.
ALL PHOTOS BY ANITA JIANG / THE FLAT HAT
BY EMILY STONETHE FLAT HAT
A week after Thanksgiving break, the whole student body is wondering why their academic superiors tacked on those last two weeks of classes, not to mention the horrible week and a half of finals, at the end of the fall semester. After attempting to eat our weight in Thanksgiving dinner — blame pre-exam stress — Sunday eventually dawns, and the journey back to campus is inevitable. That drive, train ride or flight back from each student’s respective home is one of the more painful journeys in the academic calendar. The only thing awaiting students back on campus is a pile of unfinished work and unwritten essays. The Tupperware Mom packed you
with already half-a-week old food will only comfort you for so long.
After arriving back on our cozy, triangular campus with a few short weeks to go, the student body has a one-track mind: finish papers, turn in assignments, study for exams, and get the hell out of dodge. Every remaining assignment feels like an overwhelming chore. Every future exam stares back at you from the pages of your daily planner, taunting you with the number of study hours required to succeed. Your mantra becomes, “Please can it just be winter break already?”
If only we could fast forward time with a super-strength watch or use Hermione’s time turner — this is the best school to be a Harry Potter fan, after all; doesn’t that mean we get some of the toys they use in the books? But, unfortunately, students are stuck with normal, muggle time.
Plenty of students will rush through these next few weeks. They will put on their blinders, or over-sized headphones, dart straight to Swem and
hibernate until the last day of finals — sleeping bags, commandeered study rooms and all — but after finals, that’s it. Another semester just passed you by and another major marker in your collegiate career is gone forever. Right now the four weeks of winter break sit at the forefront of your daydreams, stretching lazily, tempting you with the prospect of spending endless hours sitting on your sofa watching Netflix or doing, well, absolutely nothing. Getting that miraculous gift of unplanned time becomes the only goal, and in a hurry to get there, you fast-forward through the time that’s sitting right in front of you. The four weeks of break will give you time to decompress, to ponder the events of the past semester, academic or otherwise, but you won’t get that time back. Suddenly, it has evaporated just like the whipped cream on the top of your tall mocha from Mews.
Before you bury your head in a pile of books big enough to knock over the strongest Quidditch player, breathe in
the crisp morning air that smells faintly of the transition from fall to winter. Stop by the Blue Talon for free hot chocolate, if it ever decides to snow in Williamsburg. Leave your study cubicle to watch fireworks light up the Colonial Williamsburg sky, and definitely take the time to join the clump of undergraduates trying to throw a piece of holly in the fire and earn some good luck for finals. Take a study break for
Wawa macaroni and cheese, and end up talking with friends for an hour on the Sunken Garden. There are only so many times when the convenience of location and shared experience will be yours. After this semester, that’s one less. Don’t waste a Williamsburg minute.
Ellie Kaufman is a Confusion Corner columnist and has already lined up ten shows in her Netflix queue for winter break.
Take time to enjoy remaining moments in Williamsburg before heading home for the holidaysFinal weeks of semester don’t promise only academic stress
Ellie KaufmanCoNFuSIoN CorNEr CoLuMNIST
CONFUSION CORNER
SMILES Crew hosts second annual hip hop showcase for local, professional, collegiate groups
LIZZIE DABBS / THE FLAT HAT
See videos from this performance at
Photos Video FLATHATNEWS.COM
Friday, November 30, 2012 Page 7The F lat Hat
Sociologist speaks at the College about military spouses’ mentalities, attitudesStudying and discussing the impact of war on soldiers’ families
Soldiers are not the only ones who bear the pains of war. Although the soldiers’ spouses do not carry heavy weapons across foreign terrain or fly combat helicopters, they cope with another difficulty — parting with their loved ones as they serve their country from afar.
Sociologist Phillip Fucella, a visiting assistant professor at Oberlin College, discussed the mentalities of military wives dealing with the absence of their husbands in a lecture called “We Have Done Our Part” Monday, Nov. 26. His findings explored how wives living in different contexts — in military communities rather than amongst civilians — view the effects of war as a sacrifice.
“The reason I wanted to ask these questions was out of an interest in pursuing questions derived from social theory and the current state of sociological research,” Fucella said.
Although Fucella was able to successfully conduct over 50 interviews with military wives, he faced questions as to why he chose the spouses as subjects instead of asking the soldiers themselves if they viewed their job as
a sacrifice. Fucella chose to interview spouses because soldiers are not allowed to speak candidly about their experiences in the war without the approval of their commanding officers. He also wanted to know if the wives felt they were sacrificing their husbands for the good of the nation.
“Talking to those who love them was what I was going for,” Fucella said. “I think the contest between an individual and society is not as strong as this other contest … between two lovers and society.”
Before he launched into the crux of his findings, Fucella laid the groundwork for his study by discussing why many sociologists had an interest in sacrifice. He explained that the idea of society itself was born from the idea of one person giving himself or herself for the good of the group. This contributes to the sense that communities are more than just a sum of their individual parts.
“Sacrifice, the willingness to give ... oneself, sometimes entirely, is proof that there are phenomena that exist on some other register or level than the individual,” Fucella said.
After discussing how sacrifice largely characterizes society and infatuates sociologists, Fucella delved
deeper into the findings of his military wives study. To gather his information, he ran in-depth interviews with 31 women whose husbands were in the aviation unit of the Army and 23 of whose husbands were in the aviation unit of the National Guard. Although he did interview two men with wives who were serving in the aviation unit of the Army, he could not include them because there were simply not enough of this demographic.
“I tried to keep the units as similar as possible so they could be comparable,” Fucella said.
Although Fucella was sure to keep the subjects of his interviews similar, the results he found between the Army aviation wives and the National Guard aviation wives were very different.
He said that army wives who lived on bases revealed that they understood the hardship of war in terms of commitment to marriage. This is partly because of social fatigue, which results from being in a community where everyone is hammered with the same values, like duty and sacrifice. Because they are constantly reminded that they are making a sacrifice and because many other women have spouses who are also deployed, Army wives who live on bases tend not to think
about their families’ military hardships in those ways. Instead, they think of their hardship as the more unique unit of their marriage and focus on commitment to their spouse.
“Regular Army wives react by emphasizing commitment to their marriage, to a relatively smaller social entity,” Fucella said. “They see the hardships and suffering of military marriage is sacrificed for their marital union, not for the nation.”
On the other hand, National Guard wives, who live among civilians, view their military hardship more as a sacrifice to the nation. The primary reason for this difference is that they recognize that they stand out from the people in their community. Outside of military bases, it is relatively uncommon to have a deployed spouse.
“They are constantly reminded about what they’re doing and how special and distinct it is,” Fucella said.
Among the audience members was adjunct professor of mathematics Philip DeCamp, a retired Army Colonel who served two combat tours in Iraq. He stressed the importance of understanding the mentalities of members in other branches of the Army, such as the differences between aviation soldiers and those who serve
on the ground. “The infantry and the armor guys
tend to have a different mentality,” DeCamp said. “They marry different women. The groups they hang out with have a different mentality.”
Another audience member who displayed enthusiasm was Mark Onley ’16. The son of a soldier, Onley appreciated the different sentiments discussed in the lecture. He related to Fucella’s explanation of the feelings of sacrifice certain spouses and families experience when they part with a family member in the military.
“Whenever my dad had to go, it wasn’t viewed as us offering him up. It was an extension of our unit being placed somewhere else, so we were all undergoing that experience together,” Onley said.
DeCamp, too, appreciated how Fucella examined the effects of the war on spouses and families as well as the soldiers themselves. Fucella stressed the strength of the strong the consequences of having a spouse or parent in the military. As a former soldier, DeCamp related to these consequences.
“The Army doesn’t reenlist soldiers, it reenlists families. We see that on the post when [we] walk in,” DeCamp said.
BY ELEANOR LAMBFLAT HAT STAFF WRITER
If you’re looking for a university where you can explore your inner witch, wizard or muggle, then you are in the right place. About.com recently named the College of William and Mary number one on the list of top colleges for Harry Potter fans.
“I was really excited and proud when I heard William and Mary got the top spot for Harry Potter fan schools,” Michele Ricciardi ’16 said. “I am a huge fan of the books and movies.”
Students at the College said they have noticed the impact the book and movie series have had on campus.
“I think Harry Potter is definitely significant when you compare it to other movie series,” Sidney Brooks ’15 said. “I’m not surprised that William and Mary got the top spot, but it’s still pretty cool.”
The College is home to two major Harry Potter organizations — the Wizards and Muggles Club, known as WizMug, and the Quidditch Team, known as the Griffins — which was part of the reason About.com decided to rank the College number one.
With 200 members on its listserv, Wizards and Muggles Club is one of the largest of its kind and About.com describes it as “almost as big as Hogwarts itself.” The club, which sees an average of 30-40 members in attendance for each weekly meeting, is led by Headmistress Ann Rogers ’15 and Deputy Headmistress Michelle Biwer ’14. Other executive positions include a Professor of Arithmancy (treasurer), Junior Undersecretary to the Minister (secretary) and a Daily Prophet Correspondent (Publicity Chair).
WizMug begins each semester with a Sorting Ceremony during which, just like in the books, students are sorted into one of the four houses:
Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin. “Sorting is the big event; it’s a pretty legit sort
of thing,” Biwer said. “When students come to the interest meeting, we give them a form, which they fill out and send back. Then the executive board gets together and sorts them into the houses. The ceremony is really cool. It’s in the Wren Building, in the Great Hall, which is appropriate.”
After students are sorted into a house, they spend the rest of the semester participating in a series of inter-house competitions to compete for the House Cup, while also participating in other classic Harry Potter events, such as a Death Day Party around Halloween and an annual Yule Ball in February. The ball is open to the public, and this year’s ball will be the second in the club’s history. In addition to these two larger events, the club hosts weekly smaller events such as “bake-offs,” during which houses compete to create Harry Potter themed confections.
Biwer said she was happy to hear the College ranked first on the list of top Harry Potter schools.
“It was just exciting,” she said. “I hope that it maybe makes people want to come here for another reason other than William and Mary being a great school. I think Harry Potter is a big part of the culture on campus. If you look at a lot of the posts on Overheard, you can tell. It’s a part of our generation’s identity.”
The WizMug Club also helps students build close connections and friendships with those who share similar vested interests in the iconic series.
“I have met some of my best friends in the club,” Biwer said. “When you sort people into houses, you get really close. I was a transfer, so it was really good for me. This is where I met a lot of my friends. It’s exciting that William and Mary gets exposure for something besides how great our students and academics are. It’s a fun thing. It may be a nerdy
thing, but it’s a fun thing.”The club is looking to expand in the future, as well
as keep current members coming back each week.“We always want new members, but our main
thing is retention,” Biwer said. “We just want people to see that it’s something they could make part of their routine.”
In addition to the WizMug Club, the College is also home to an active Quidditch team that travels
throughout Virginia taking on other university teams. Founded in 2011 by Sam Meadows ’12 and Molly Hillberg ’13, the Griffins are a part of the Virginia Quidditch League and face schools such as James Madison University and Christopher Newport University.
Middlebury College in Vermont and Alfred University in New York were ranked No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.
Website ranks College number one school for Harry Potter fans
Club Quidditch ClassSecret Society Total
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COURTESY PHOTO / MUSINGSFROMNEVILLESNAVEL.FILES.WORDPRESS.COM
U.Va misses top 10, but has most Harry Potter features
1. What is your favorite character from the books, and why?2. Write down four adjectives that describe you, two strengths and two weaknesses.3. What would you see in the Mirror of Erised?4. Describe the canon house qualities that you feel accurately reflect you and why. Please try to include traits from each of the four houses.5. What form would your patronus take and why?6. Write a six word memoir.7. What house do you NOT want to be in?
Take a look at the Wizards and Muggles sorting quiz
COURTESY PHOTO / 3.BP.BLOGSPOT.COM
BY EMILY NYEFLAT HAT STAFF WRITER
COURTESY PHOTO / FACEBOOK.COM
BY CHRIS WEBERFLAT HAT ASSOC. SPORTS EDITOR
William and Mary started the season on a historic tear, winning its first three games for the first time in two decades. Then came the slump — two consecutive road losses.
Traveling to the Robins Center to face the Richmond Spiders offered the College a chance to turn the slump into another streak. The Tribe (3-3) gave the Spiders (5-2) all they could handle but ultimately lost its third straight in an 86-78 double-overtime defeat.
“Heartbreaking loss. We played great basketball — it’s hard to ask much more of a group of kids than we gave today,” head coach Tony Shaver said. “Heartbreaking to lose. We had the game in our hands a couple of times, and it slipped away from us.”
As regulation wound down, sophomore guard Marcus Thornton coolly stepped to the line and gave the College a three-point cushion with 1:15 remaining. Following a change of possession, the Tribe had the lead and the ball, with just 49 seconds left in the game. The slump appeared over.
Off the inbound, senior guard Matt Rum turned and passed to junior guard Brandon Britt. There was only one problem: Britt was five yards up-court, and the ball sailed out of bounds. On Richmond’s ensuing possession, Cedric Lindsay sank a three-point shot from the corner to tie the game at 64-64.
“We had a three-point lead with approximately 30 seconds to play and the ball, and we threw it away. It wasn’t a forced turnover,” Shaver said. “That’s a play we’ll learn to make, and I’m telling you we’ll learn to make that play.”
With the game tied, the Tribe turned to its sharpest shooter to put the game away. Thornton’s jump shot wouldn’t find the basket, though, and the game turned to overtime.
“I probably would have liked to have seen him drive the ball a little bit, maybe try to get to the foul line, but he got a wide-open jump shot,” Shaver said. “Your best shooter with a chance to win on the road against Richmond; I’ll take that chance anytime.”
As both teams fought through the overtime periods, the College’s guards continued their second-half surge to keep the score close. A Thornton circus shot fell, while Britt drew key fouls. Thornton would finish with
22 points; Britt closed out the night with 14.Ultimately, however, the Tribe couldn’t contain
the Spiders’ shooters. After Thornton drilled a three-point shot to make it 76-75 with less than two minutes remaining, Richmond’s Greg Robbins was left open in the corner to hit a three-ball of his own.
Richmond wouldn’t turn back, hanging on for the victory.
“I thought we played pretty good. We didn’t execute as good as we wanted too, but I thought the effort was all there,” Thornton said.
The College seemed in control early in the first half. Stretching its lead as far as six points, the Tribe relied on the post play of junior forward Tim Rusthoven and the athletic redshirt junior forward Kyle Gaillard. Rusthoven, who was tied up with Richmond’s big man Derrick Williams all night, finished with 20 points and a team-high 9 rebounds.
Gaillard provided the fireworks in the first half. In what’s becoming a signature Tribe play, Gaillard cut down the lane, took a baseline inbound and dunked. Moments later, he found himself on the receiving end of an electrifying alley-oop off a feed from Rum.
Cooling off in the second half, Gaillard finished with 16.
“I was proud of Kyle though. We need more from him. He’s been out for a whole year, and he’s given us a lot defensively and on the boards, but he has not been an aggressive offensive player,” Shaver said. “So we challenged him a little bit the last two or three days, and I thought he responded really well. He did a good job.”
While the first half featured Rusthoven and Gaillard, the second half saw more from Richmond’s leading scorer Darien Brothers and post-man Williams. Brothers totaled 20 points, while Williams registered a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
“[Brothers] made big plays. A few were defensive mistakes, but he made some really heavily contested shots,” Shaver said.
Shaver pointed to the team having to pay attention to Williams as a reason for Brother’s success.
“We had to double on [Williams] some, and that leaves perimeter players open. Maybe our rotation was a little slow at times,” he said.
Coming off three consecutive road losses, Shaver said the Tribe can look to last year for motivation through comparison.
“We’re deflated a little bit right now, and we should be,” he said. “As I told [the team], you have to stop and think where we’ve been the last 12 months. This is great stuff our kids are doing right now. … We gave Richmond all they could handle. We’ll make these plays with time. We have one senior on this team, and we’ll make these plays.”
With conference play on the horizon, Britt recognizes the squad’s progress.
“We’re feeling good. …This is one we should have won. These teams in the past, they beat us by 20, 30 points. It’s definitely good going forward, and we’re excited,” Britt said.
The College will look to turn the slump around as it hosts Old Dominion University Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Kaplan Arena.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
College falls in double-overtime heartbreaker to Richmond
sports The F lat Hat | Friday, November 30, 2012 | Page 8
Sports Editor Mike BarnesSports Editor Jared Foretek
In more ways than one, William and Mary’s double-overtime loss to Richmond Wednesday night felt a lot like its overtime loss at VCU last season.
It’s not only that both games were played in the same city, or that they both needed more than 48 minutes to be decided. In each, the Tribe found itself in control late in a game that oddsmakers said it wasn’t supposed to compete in (Vegas had the College as a 10-point underdog Wednesday night). In both, sophomore guard Marcus Thornton had a chance to win it in the end. And in both, the College ultimately let it slip away.
But despite all the similarities, the biggest difference was on the Tribe’s side. This is a much different College team. Whereas last season it seemed like a small miracle that the Tribe would take VCU to overtime on the road, this year, it felt like the College belonged. Just compare the two box scores. At VCU last year, it was all Thornton all night. The second highest point total to Thornton’s 22 was Quin McDowell’s 15, followed by Brandon Britt’s 11.
Wednesday night, Thornton again led with 22, but right alongside him was junior center Tim Rusthoven with 20, junior forward Kyle Gaillard with 16, and Britt with 14. Against VCU, one couldn’t help but think that the College had just caught the Rams on an off-night as Shaka Smart’s club shot a paltry 37.5 percent from the field. Wednesday night, the perennial Atlantic-10 contender Spiders shot over 50 percent from the floor and the Tribe still led by 3 with the ball and under a minute to play.
Unfortunately, while last season College
fans could return from Richmond pleasantly surprised, the improvement of this year’s team only makes Wednesday night’s loss sting more. For the second game in a row, the College had a shot at a marquee non-conference win. And for the second game in a row, the College couldn’t close it out.
But that shouldn’t take away from what a hard-fought and complete showing the Tribe had. In the first half, it was all Rusthoven and Gaillard, controlling the paint and collapsing Richmond’s defense. Then in the second, the College’s outstanding backcourt duo of Thornton and Britt took over, running the fast break, hitting outside shots and slicing to the basket.
If there’s one regression, it’s in the play of senior guard Matt Rum. He was the Tribe’s most accurate three-point shooter last season. This year, he’s shooting just 15.6 percent from the field. It’s hard to imagine that this is more than just an early-season slump, and his play could’ve been the difference in the Richmond and Wake Forest losses. If he returns to his career norms, he’ll round out the College’s starting five of scoring threats.
Look back to the previous four basketball seasons here in Williamsburg and you’ll find an interesting dichotomy. In all four, the Tribe has either lost 20 plus games or won more than 20. Unfortunately for fans, it’s been more often the former. But after starting with three wins over some troubled opponents and then losing three straight to dramatically improved competition, this year’s team — at least so far — occupies the space in between.
With so much basketball still to be played, it’s unclear how we’ll look back on Wednesday night’s game. If the historical trend continues, it’ll either be indicative of a team that couldn’t pull out close games, or one of many instances of the Tribe playing down to the wire with quality mid-major opponents. Or, this team will finish around .500, and it’ll be somewhere in the middle.
Jared ForetekFLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR
Junior forward Kyle Gaillard drives to the basket against Richmond forward Greg Robbins. The College held a lead until 31 seconds left in the second half when the Spiders’ Greg Robbins hit a three pointer to send the game into overtime.
Just short
NOAH WILLARD / THE FLAT HAT
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tr i ber i c h m o n dsp iders
Early season roller coaster leaves Tribe at .500
Junior Brandon Britt notched 14 points Wednesday.NOAH WILLARD / THE FLAT HAT
Freshman guard Terry Tarpey advances the ball against Richmond.NOAH WILLARD / THE FLAT HAT
Sophomore guard Marcus Thornton scored 22 points.NOAH WILLARD / THE FLAT HAT
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