The Flat Hat April 3, 2024

T HE F LAT H AT

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Rowe states College will not boycott Israel, Organizers Collective releases statment in response

MONA GARIMELLA

Friday, March 29, College President Katherine Rowe delivered a message responding to the Apartheid Divestment referendum, which College of William and Mary students voted to approve during the March 28 spring Student Assembly election. In the time following her message, Students for Justice in Palestine and the College Organizers Collective — consisting of the WM Dissenters, SJP, WM Apartheid Divest and College Socialists — released statements responding to Rowe’s rejection of the referendum’s suggestions to boycott the State of Israel. Tese studentled organizations received support for their responses from individual students as well.

Tis year’s referendum refers to the ongoing discourse in the College community over Israel’s actions in Gaza. Since October 2023, the College campus has seen an increase in tensions between students, faculty and administration, as there have been student protests calling upon the College administration to condemn Israel. Moreover, students from SJP have faced sanctions from Community Values and Restorative Practices, as there has been an increase in discourse over the extent to which students can express their freedom of speech on campus.

In the referendum, the 301 student petitioners submitted an explanation calling Israel an apartheid state.

MONA GARIMELLA // FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

Wednesday, March 20, the College of William and Mary announced an anonymous $30 million donation to renovate Brown hall into an academic building and rename it Robert M. Gates Hall after College Chancellor Robert Gates ’65, L.H.D. ’98. Following the announcement, students, community members and organizations alike expressed mixed responses.

One such organization was the Committee for Contextualization of Campus Landmarks and Iconography, who shared their discontent with the decision in a statement titled, “Gates Must Go,” on Instagram. The group addressed their message to College President Katherine Rowe, the board of visitors, Gates, Provost Peggy Agouris and the greater College community.

The CCL&I also created a petition alongside this statement to take action against the decision.

“The renaming and expansion of Brown Hall

at the site of The Bray School - a place of colonial expansion and the indoctrination of enslaved children - to commemorate Robert Gates, a man involved in adjacent harmful processes, is a further stain on William & Mary’s long and shameful history. This renaming is a blatant contradiction of the administration’s alleged efforts towards true and honest racial reconciliation. As a committee, CCL&I calls for an immediate cease of William & Mary’s violent veneration of reprehensible person(s) both in its association and within our campus landscape,” the statement reads.

Mary Foundation then purchased Brown Hall in 1939 and used the building as a dormitory for Army Specialized Training cadets and service members. Most recently until 2022, it served as a freshman dorm.

AROUND THE BURG

“This referendum calls for The College of William & Mary to submit an audit of their endowment to determine the extent to which it is implicated in companies that uphold The State of Israel’s system of apartheid and continued infliction of violence against Palestinians, and to immediately divest from such funds, as well as end institutional ties to such corporations,” the explanation states. Campus reacts to observations

CHARLOTTE CASTLE

FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

Tursday, March 28, Student Assembly President Sydney Tayer ’24 sent an email to the student body in response to observations about increased police presence in Williamsburg. Community members believe this shift is an attempt to restrict underage drinking, particularly on the last day of classes.

“Based on the information we have gathered in our conversations with administrators, we believe that the increased presence of the Williamsburg Police Department is due to their concerns regarding the last day of classes,” Tayer wrote. “Our conversations have indicated that WPD is increasing proactive contacts/intervention in an efort to address concerns about student behavior on the last day of classes.”

Te email encouraged students to familiarize themselves with Williamsburg’s noise ordinances in response to “heightened attention around that issue,” as stated in the email.

WPD has not yet responded to Te Flat Hat for comment or confrmation of increased presence.

Friday, March 22, Panhellenic Council President Kay Carter ’25 also sent out an email to all members of the 10 on-campus sorority chapters, warning members that the WPD was cracking down on underage drinking.

“They are driving around and will be driving around during times like Saturday morning, the last day of classes, and at night on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, among other times,” the email read. “You get my drift. What this means for you is that the WILLIAMSBURG POLICE (not WMPD) will stop you if you are visibly intoxicated or have alcohol on your person and may stop you or ID you. If you can not provide proper (real) identification and proof that you are 21+, you will be arrested.”

The CCL&I’s statement elaborated on the historical significance of the Williamsburg Bray School and its connection to Brown Hall. The Bray School was an institution for enslaved and free Black students from 1760 to 1774, and in 1930, Brown Hall was constructed over the original site of the Bray School. The William and

Carter reminded sorority members in the email of PUBS, or signs of alcohol overdose, which include puking, unresponsiveness, breathing irregularities and skin turning blue. She added that if a student who has been drinking underage seeks medical attention for either themselves or someone else, they will not be arrested but will probably be care-concerned.

In an email to Te Flat Hat, Carter shared her plans to address the increased police presence around campus.

Currently, I am trying to find ways to work with other campus leaders in order to find ways to educate students on what is going on, what they can do and how they can be safer,” Carter wrote.

Carter plans to meet with the College of William and Mary Chief of Police and Interim AVP for Public Safety Don Butler soon.

Tayer also reminded students of their rights as outlined in the Student’s Rights Initiative Resource Guide. Tese include that students may refuse a search by a police ofcer of themselves, their belongings and car. Police may only conduct a pat-down to search for weapons. Students have the right to remain silent and should verbally express their desire to do so if appropriate. Tey should also produce proper identifcation and documentation if prompted.

In an email to Te Flat Hat, Tayer elaborated on why the police are now increasing their presence.

“Concerns regarding the last day of classes is in

“The College, in renaming and expanding Brown Hall further on the grounds of the Bray School, is implementing another process of erasure that has marked this site for over a century. If William & Mary is truly reconciling with its history, this ground deserves to be honored and preserved for future research, which would not happen with the establishment of a hostile institution atop it,” the CCL&I wrote.

Te petition “Gates Must Go: End William & Mary’s Violent Venerations” had over 600 signatures as of Monday, April 1, and aims to reach 1000. SEE

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reference to the high risk activities that frequently take place on LDOC,” the email read. “Te police have indicated concerns about the number of intoxicated students and pedestrian trafc collisions.”

Tayer also wrote that SA has received indications of an increased number of students receiving noise ordinance citations the weekend of March 22 to 24 than on previous weekends. SA plans to work on improving the relationship between students and the WPD. Students across campus have expressed frustration with this perceived increase in surveillance. During the weekend of March 23, students took to the popular social media app Yik Yak to complain, joke and warn others about concerns of WPD restricting social events and stopping students.

“POV you were walking home last night and slightly stumbled,” reads one post with over 1,500 upvotes and a meme photo of a police ofcer jumping aggressively toward the screen.

Grace Petronzio ’25 did not notice additional police around campus until she received the email from Carter. She does not believe the police should increase their presence.

“I think it’s just kind of the age-old thing with teenagers where if you tell them not to do something, they’re going to do it, it’s just going to be in unsafer ways,” Petronzio said. “I think the police really cracking down on things like that makes me worry that if people hear they’re going to be breathalyzed on the street it makes me nervous that people are going to get into cars with drunk drivers, and that’s an infinitely worse problem in my opinion.”

Petronzio worried about what the increased police presence means for the relationship between students and the Williamsburg community as someone who lives off campus.

I would not trade it for the world. It only enhanced my experie nce, especially alongside my work with the Local Black History project, I feel like it only made me more pro-Black.

̶ Breyonna Rock ʻ24, President of Black Student Organization

FLAT HAT NEWS BRIEF

Board of visitors to consider tuition increase at April meeting

Tuesday, March 26, the College of William and Mary announced that the board of visitors will host a public hearing Wednesday, April 24, to seek input on proposed increases to tuition and fees.

The Code of Virginia requires public institutions to conduct such a hearing before approving an increase in undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees.

The hearing will take place in the Grimsley Board Room of Blow Memorial Hall from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. and will be livestreamed on www. wm.edu/bovmeeting. The hearing will include a presentation by the administration, and members of the public can also submit comments online.

According to a press release, the board will consider an increase ranging from zero to 4% in undergraduate tuition and an increase ranging from zero to 4% in mandatory fees. The board and the Collegeʼs executive leadership said they aim to prioritize predictability with a process that sets tuition and fee levels for a two-year period.

The board voted to increase tuition by 4.7% for in-state undergraduate students and 4.9% for those out-of-state. Only one person, Connor Dendler ʼ24, spoke at last yearʼs public hearing.

CORRECTIONS

The

Black Student Organization President Breyonna Rock ’24, uplifts her community, underrepresented College history

Rock explains connections between her education, research, extracurriculars to activism efforts

AKASH NAYAK // FLAT HAT NEWS ASSOC.

When heading to The Bake Shop, take a detour and walk to the intersection of Prince George Street and Scotland Street. There, you’ll fnd a black obelisk, rising above the lush grass and colorful fowers with a gold plaque shining clear on its side: The MLK Triangle. On this monument are the names and roles of James B. Blayton, Thomas Wise, William Webb, Samuel K. Harris and Charles Gary — all Black business owners who worked on the triangle block before being forced off the land.

Walking through Colonial Williamsburg can feel like taking a step back in time, but beyond the colonial reenactors and the Governor’s Palace, there is a rich history of Black people living and working in Williamsburg that often gets overlooked. Breyonna Rock ’24 has spent her college years working to uncover and share this crucial local history.

Joining the Local Black History Project research group in the summer of 2021, Breyonna has worked with professor Amy Quark to research and create educational materials to inform people about Black history in Williamsburg.

“These are all streets that were mainly Black,” Rock said. “And they really built this community. But because of a series of displacements that happened, starting in the 1940s to the 1970s, they, the city, use eminent domain to buy out people’s property, and they targeted Black communities. And at the time, it’s something that I mean, I’m not sure exactly what they were thinking, but it’s just crazy to think about how intentional this was. And, yeah, that the point of the project is to really preserve its history by talking to descendants of the community.”

In collaboration with The Village Initiative — a not-for-proft organization dedicated to equity and justice in the Williamsburg-James City County Schools and community — the project has created a website detailing Black life in Williamsburg.

“The most accessible way we make sure people have access to this information is through our website,” Rock said. “It’s just called the Local Black History Project website. And there’s so many tabs. There is a page for all histories and oral histories there, usually like an hour to two hours long. And, you curate questions and essentially you’re probing people’s memories, and they’re talking about their childhood and what this area looked like and felt like. And how does it feel to come back to it now?”

Over the course of her tenure with The Local Black History Project, Rock detailed the many tasks she undertook to uncover the history of the area.

“So we’ve done a lot of archival research. I’ve had the opportunity to go to the National Archives in DC, a little bit over a year ago,” Rock said. “I’ve [also] done quite a few presentations. Actually, as I fnish of my fnal semester, I plan on doing this as a project and hopefully as a teacher. And for one of my classes, last year, around this time, me and a colleague of mine, her name is Annalise, we went to two elementary schools, and we talked about two very pivotal black leaders in Williamsburg. And it was the frst black doctor, who had their hospital in the triangle. And then the other leader was Miss Bessie, who was a kindergarten teacher. Before, there was an accessible space for Black children to go to kindergarten.”

In talking about the stories of Black people, Rock also refects on how this project connects to her college experience and how she has grown.

“I feel like my college experience is so tied to this project, and I’m not even sure, the directions I would have gone,” Rock said. “I was like, ‘I’m not even I’m not sure if I would have minored in sociology without this project.’ And I feel like I’ve grown so much. I feel like my lens on the world has certainly changed because of it.”

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Sloane, Lazo elected next student body president,

vice president, divestment referendum passes

Sloane, Lazo express optimism for term, support for passed Apartheid Divestment referendum

Thursday, March 28, SA Secretary of Health and Safety Terra Sloane ’25 and SA Secretary of Diversity Initiatives Oscar Lazo ’25 emerged victorious in this year’s competitive race to lead the College of William and Mary’s Student Assembly. The ticket faced competition from SA Class of 2025 President Yannie Chang ’25 and SA Sen. Hashir Aqeel ’25.

Sloane and Lazo won with 47.04% of the vote (1697 votes), while 42.91% of voters (1548 votes) opted for Chang and Aqeel and 10.03% abstained.

“We were very surprised, but feeling good,” Sloane told The Flat Hat. “We’ve got our campaign team here, and we are feeling excited but still very stunned, I would say.”

Sloane touched on the experience of running against Chang and Aqeel.

“We faced some amazing opponents that had a wonderful career in Student

Assembly already, I think that we admire them so much, and I voted for them in the past however many elections that they’ve been running for their positions, so I think that, [we’re] definitely shocked, we were not expecting this outcome, but we’re very excited,” Sloane added.

This year’s election saw the return of an official contest. Last year, SA President Sydney Thayer ’24 only faced a write-in challenge from Max Beers ’24. In 2022, former SA President John Cho ’23 faced Conor Sokolowsky ’23, who was serving as the SA Class of 2023 president, and former SA Deputy Secretary for Outreach and Campaigns Mikayla Fulcher ’23.

A number of significant endorsements were a part of this election. The Flat Hat, the Committee for Contextualization of Campus Landmarks and Iconography, Sokolowsky, Williamsburg City Councilmember Caleb Rogers ’20 and various multicultural organizations and others endorsed Chang, while VOX: Planned Parenthood Generation

Action, SA Attorney General Owen Williams ’23, M.P.P. ’25, William and Mary Choir, the Interfraternity Council and the Panhellenic Council, among others, endorsed Sloane.

Members of SA endorsed both Chang and Sloane.

Students at the College also approved a referendum question on the ballot calling for the College to divest from its ties to Israel as a result of the country’s violent actions in Palestine. 56.44% of voters voted “Yes,” 27.19% voted “No” and 15.52% abstained.

“This referendum calls for The College of William & Mary to submit an audit of their endowment to determine the extent to which it is implicated in companies that uphold The State of Israel’s system of apartheid and continued infliction of violence against Palestinians, and to immediately divest from such funds, as well as end institutional ties to such corporations,” the referendum explanation reads.

COURTESY PHOTO / BREYONNA ROCK

Breyonna Rock has been a member of the Local Black History Project research group since 2021, working with professors and other students to study hidden Black stories.

Brown Hall plans draw criticisms, Bray School Lab director approves of change

Renovation of historic building into new academic hall for GRI, WGC, IIC sparks opposition from student groups

GATES HALL from page 1

Mellon Engagement Coordinator for African American Heritage and Director of the William and Mary Bray School Lab Maureen Elgersman Lee provided an alternative perspective to the construction.

“The W&M Bray School Lab, as part of the Office of Strategic Cultural Partnerships, recognizes the vast contributions that Chancellor Gates has made to William & Mary. The gift by an anonymous alumna donor is most generous in bringing back to life a building that has been standing vacant and silent on the W&M campus. This renovation is making possible additional archaeological research, and we are excited about the possibility of additional significant discoveries,” Elgersman Lee wrote in an email to The Flat Hat.

Elgersman Lee also responded to concerns of Gates Hall replacing the history of Brown Hall and the Bray School.

“The history of the Williamsburg Bray School and Brown Hall will not be replaced at the new Gates Hall. In fact, with the planned exhibit of the building’s history to include artifacts, photographs, etc., the history of the Bray School will be far more prominent after the completion of the renovation and reopening of the current structure as Gates Hall,” Elgersman Lee said.

In Rowe’s email to the school announcing this decision Wednesday, March 20, she also mentioned this exhibit.

“The building’s design will honor the site as the original location of the Williamsburg Bray School with a permanent exhibit,” Rowe wrote. “Groundbreaking for the expansion and renovation will begin this fall. We expect Gates Hall to open in advance of our country’s 250th anniversary in 2026, when millions of visitors are anticipated in Williamsburg.”

The exhibit that Elgersman Lee and Rowe are referring to aims to provide students, faculty and other visitors with the opportunity to learn more about the history of the Bray School. The Bray School Lab also shared the news at a community event in February 2024 that the Colonial Willamsburg’s archaeology team was returning to the Brown Hall site to look for artifacts that will help interpret the history of that site.

“This meeting was conducted in partnership with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, and many in attendance— including members of the Descendant Community—were pleased to hear that work of historical exploration was continuing and that they would be invited to offer ideas for further memorializing the Bray School on the

ACADEMICS

site,” Elgersman Lee wrote.

Elgersman Lee is optimistic for the Gates Hall plan, as the Bray School Lab was informed of this decision ahead of time.

“The W&M Bray School Lab was aware of the naming decision in advance of the public announcement and will be one of several university partners to provide input on how the history of the site, including its connection to the Williamsburg Bray School, will be even further illuminated for a broad audience,” Elgersman Lee wrote.

Some students reacted positively to the change.

“The fact that William & Mary is prioritizing campus departments that work with topics such as integrative conservation, sustainable development, and global peace and security is truly exciting,” Sophie Workinger ’24 wrote in an email to The Flat Hat. “The reimagined facility places these often-overlooked areas front and center, demonstrating the University’s commitment to supporting collaboration, idea-sharing, and creativity among students, academics, and practitioners as we work to develop solutions to the many complex issues our world faces.”

Katelyn Oxer ’24 M.P.P. ’25 gave similar reactions to the announcement.

“Although I’ll miss the house on Scotland Street, and I’ve already become accustomed to the Hive in Swem, I’m looking forward to what a wonderful opportunity that Gates Hall provides for students. I’m proud to say that I have been involved [with] GRI in research, education, and employment, and I have confidence in their vision of the space,” Oxer wrote.

In an email to The Flat Hat, Fatoumata Sissoko ’24 and Camille Batts ’26, cochairs of the CCL&I, explained their sentiment behind the organization’s concerned statement.

“Doing work for the past three years on CCL&I and two years heading the committee, I’ve become incredibly disillusioned with the College and admins ability to make appropriate decisions. Frankly, the administration is largely apathetic to social issues if it doesn’t fit into whatever political maneuvering that best legitimizes the College’s prestige and marketability,” Sissoko wrote.

Batts, although discontented, also expressed their unsurprise.

“Though the initial email we all received was a shock, I was ultimately not surprised by this decision,” Batts wrote.

Similar to Sissoko, Batts sees the College’s ability to stride toward positive change. However, for the two chairs, this is not an example of that.

“I’m used to overall inaction from the College, so the fact that they so easily announced this renaming with no

transparency as to what the process looked like was the biggest surprise. It shows that change on this campus is very possible and feasible. That renaming is something that the school can do. However, they will only do so if it fits into the narrative they have created and continue to perpetuate for the College –one that centers white men and the various harmful ideals upon which the College was founded,” Batts wrote.

Sissoko ultimately believes this decision is ingrained in hypocrisy.

“Why can’t the College do the same thing towards renaming spaces to honor the lives stolen by brutal institutions that once stood atop it?” Sissoko asked. “Given the initiatives the College pledged after the murder of George Floyd, initiatives meant for racial reconciliation, the naming of Gates Hall –especially on top of a historic site that hosted the brutalities of slavery and its propagation –is a glaring contradiction.”

Sissoko further explained her issue with the building being attributed to Gates.

“With added insult, to change the name to honor a man who is complicit in furthering the violent and repugnant imperial interests of the United states that has cost the lives of millions of people in Iraq and Afghanistan, including a perpetuation of the harmful and predatory military industrial complex, there really aren’t words to describe the depravity of this decision from the Administration. This action alone calls into question the sincerity of the College towards real and tangible change,” Sissoko wrote.

In an email to The Flat Hat, Director of News and Media Suzanne Clavet described her observed positive reactions to the decision.

“Reaction to this announcement has been overwhelmingly positive. In fact, the Instagram post referenced includes more than 3,100 ‘likes’ and we’ve seen positive responses on our other flagship platforms,” Clavet wrote. “It is such great news, and this expanded interdisciplinary academic space will offer significant benefits for current and future students, faculty, staff and alumni.”

Still, a majority of the comments on the College’s Instagram post are overwhelmingly negative.

Like Elgersman Lee, Clavet emphasized the College’s measures to include the descendant community in this decision.

“Leading up to the announcement, there were many in-person conversations about the plans for the building with a diverse group of stakeholders, including community members and leaders,” Clavet wrote. “Specifically, news of the renovation was met with enthusiasm by members of the Bray School descendant community, who were pleased to see

archaeological research resuming and plans for an exhibit related to the Bray School site’s history developing.”

Ultimately, Clavet sees the long-term positive impact of this decision on the College and the greater Williamsburg community.

“Thanks to this gift, this work will continue, in coordination with Colonial Williamsburg, the W&M Bray School Lab and the Bray School descendant community and ensure that we are able to honor and preserve the history and legacy of this site,” Clavet wrote. “For example, we anticipate this work will allow us to uncover and highlight the original foundations of the Bray School, which have been hidden for the past 90 years. This generous gift will provide unprecedented opportunities for W&M students, faculty, staff and alumni.”

Ultimately, Batts believes the College’s administration still has a long way to go in its goals of uplifting diversity and equity.

“The administration needs to listen. To the students, campus community, and faculty. One look at our petitions, from this spring and last, proves that people care about this. People have issues with the decisions the College is making. Furthermore, these decisions are contributing to exclusionary and unwelcoming spaces for students,” Batts wrote.

Tis sentiment was also echoed by Sissoko.

“Admin needs to genuinely ask themselves what [reconciliation] would look like at William & Mary, not just in theory or symbolism, but materially in application. Until that happens, no concord can be achieved and nor should it as community members affected by admins actions and systemic marginalization can’t trust that the administration is acting in good faith in their endeavors,” Sissoko wrote.

In an Instagram post published April 1, the CCL&I detailed other next steps.

“We have sent the petition to both deans and admin and have not received a response. We are particularly awaiting response from Katherine Rowe, Peggy Agouris, and Ginger Ambler,” the post reads.

As key organizers of the CCLI’s petition against Gates Hall, Sissoko and Batts explained their further steps of action.

“The largest endeavor we are trying to achieve is getting 1,000 signatures on our petition. In order for us to bring it up to SA, who has access to the BOV and other bodies who were involved in this naming, we need considerable campus support. Until then, we’re just trying to keep this in the larger campus dialogue, as it’s a pressing issue that also points to the larger contradictions of the College that can serve to inform the student body of the constructed histories and narratives we are up against,” Sissoko wrote.

Former Princeton physicist gives talk on nuclear war, how physicists can help

Renowned professor Frank N. von Hippel considers actions to tackle threats of nuclear conflicts in modern times

Friday, March 29, the College’s department of physics welcomed Frank N. von Hippel, a senior research physicist and professor of public and international afairs emeritus from Princeton’s Program on Science and Global Security, to deliver a colloquium in Small Hall on the contemporary discourse surrounding nuclear warfare.

Von Hippel came on behalf of the Physicists Coalition for Nuclear Treat Reduction, which he co-founded in 2019. In his talk, titled, “Danger of nuclear war! Physicists (and all scientists and engineers) can help!” he emphasized the continued relevance of the nuclear arms race and appealed for the support of scientists and students in fostering a safer world.

Te College’s professor of physics

Marc Sher organized the colloquium and expressed his gratitude for von Hippel’s initiative in reaching out to speak at the event.

“I’m in charge of the Colloquium Committee,” Sher said. “So they sent the email to me and I said ‘Yeah, that’d be great, I’ve even heard of Frank von Hippel. I haven’t met him, but I know of him. In fact, we have many, many mutual friends. My mentor worked with Frank.’”

Many of the talk’s attendees came directly from the undergraduategraduate physics student mixer held before. Ben Spaude, a frst-year graduate student, shared his interest in nuclear physics and disarmament eforts.

“I came to the Colloquium, mostly because I have a large interest in nuclear physics, and nuclear weapons is something that kind of interests me

and how we distribute them and try to remove them as well,” Spaude said.

Sophie Strauss ’25, an undergraduate physics major, was intrigued by von Hippel’s unconventional career shift given her own aspirations to potentially work in science policy.

“I’ve just been thinking it might be cool to work at the OSTP, the Ofce of Science and Technology Policy, in the White House, and I was just wondering about how professor von Hippel switched from a physicist to being in policy.”

According to Nuclear Princeton, von Hippel has been involved in nuclear weapon science and public policy for the past 50 years. His career shift, from professor of physics at Stanford to policy activism based in Princeton, came about after witnessing the power of student activism during protests against the Vietnam war.

Since then, von Hippel’s endeavors have included including collaborating with former-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the 1980s to advocate for a Comprehensive Test Ban, serving as assistant director for national security in the White House Ofce of Science and Technology Policy during the Clinton administration and co-founding the nongovernmental International Panel on Fissile Materials in 2006, among other accolades.

Von Hippel commenced his presentation by providing context on the current nuclear arms race, highlighting the dominant roles of the United States and Russia since the bombing of Hiroshima to now. He additionally pointed out the emerging involvement of China, moving the race from a two-body to a three-body problem.

Further, von Hippel debunked

a belief that the threat of nuclear warfare ceased with the Cold War and underscored the ongoing modernization of nuclear weapons in the United States, which indicates a still-looming threat of war.

“So, we are also at this point going through a modernization cycle,” von Hippel said. “It was a big build-up we saw during the Kennedy-Eisenhower period, and there was a big cycle of modernization during the Reagan administration. And then, there is currently a cycle of replacing all of our strategic nuclear weapons with new ones, and this just shows the budget implications. So, this doesn’t look like the business that is going out. It’s on the way up.”

However, despite being in an era of technological advancements, von Hippel is more concerned with accidental rather than intentional nuclear war.

“What I worry about is actually not intentional nuclear war, but rather accidental nuclear war,” von Hippel said. With the advancement of nuclear weapon technology allowing faster launches, a choice to “launch on warning,” or to launch nuclear weapons before the other side’s weapons could reach our front, became an option. According to von Hippel, a nuclear weapon from Russia would reach the United States in 30 minutes, leaving little time for the U.S. President to stall or consider a potential false alarm.

“Tat’s the kind of problem that makes me worry about this launch warning part and there were various false alarms,” von Hippel said. “False alarms are more dangerous in a period of danger of confrontation, like for example, if we were fghting over Taiwan. People would

be more inclined to believe that this was a real attack.”

When addressing the repercussions of nuclear war, he asserted that the initial human casualties could reach into the millions, while emphasizing that the environmental devastation would greatly magnify the total death toll. Von Hippel used models to depict the climate and chemical impacts of hypothetical U.S.-Russian warfare.

“Te frst summer after this hypothetical nuclear war, basically the length of the growing season in the Northern hemisphere, has been reduced to the length of the growing season in Antarctica and really not much food,” von Hippel said.

To conclude the colloquium, von Hippel reiterated his affiliation with the Physicists Coalition for Nuclear Threat Reduction and elaborated on the coalition’s mission. He expressed the coalition’s desire for increased involvement from universities and students.

Many attendees left with a broader understanding of the current arms race with some, like Strauss, experiencing heightened anxiety regarding the real consequences of nuclear weapons. While intrigued, Strauss voiced hesitation about joining a coalition chapter at the College.

“Maybe, I’ll probably end up going on the website and signing up for some email chain and seeing what that involves,” Strauss said. “But, I also have a lot of anxiety about this topic so it kind of depends on how much I can handle it.”

For those further interested in more information on the Physicists Coalition and potential work opportunities, contact Marc Sher at mtsher@wm.edu.

CAMPUS

SA Election results in Sloane as President, referendum passed Competitive election indicated record-high participation turnout, hot button issues, various endorsements

Sloane said she was happy that the referendum was able to be put on the ballot and that it overwhelmingly passed. She said SA will work in the upcoming months to accommodate the action items laid out in the referendum.

The SA Senate recently passed SR 331-005 - The Ceasefire in Palestine Resolution, which calls for a statement from College President Katherine Rowe calling for a ceasefire in the conflict, as well as “lasting peace for all peoples involved in or impacted by the violence taking place in Palestine and Israel.” Both Chang and Sloane supported the resolution, of which Aqeel was a co-sponsor.

According to this year’s election results, 3,607 students voted on the recent ballot. Last year, the Independent Elections Commission did not release voter turnout data. However, 1,186 eligible voters took part in the SA presidential election. In 2019, turnout was 23.96%.

Thayer called Sloane to congratulate her and inform her of her victory shortly after the votes were tallied.

While SA Vice President Taylor Fox ’24 praised the availability of such an option last year, the IEC did not allow for write-in options this year.

“We were really happy to actually see a write-in option so students can actually voice who they want to office,” Fox said.

IEC Chair Jason Zheng ’26 explained the reason for such a decision, having discussed the matter with Director of Student Leadership Development Anne Arseneau ’89 M.A.Ed. ’92 and SLD Associate Director Jennifer Leung.

“Yes, so I talked with Anne and Jen—so this is also perspective from the Student Assembly Advisors—we rarely ever do write-in candidates, but last year there was one because there was a campaigned [sic] that campaigned on being a write-in, which is why we had that option,” Zheng wrote to The Flat Hat.

Zheng added that the decision to omit a write-in option was partly due to the fact that usually, candidates have to meet certain requirements to run for office, such as attending an information session, submitting a financial disclosure

STUDENT LIFE

SJP, Dissenters, students disappointed in

form and rules and policies that could be ignored if a candidate was not officially running.

However, SA Code spells out the process in which a write-in candidate may take office.

“All who run a write-in campaign will be subject to the same campaign regulations and penalties as officially declared candidates. The Election Commission shall have the power to review a write-in candidate’s Class 2 infraction as a Class 3 infraction. If a write-in candidate wins the vote, the Elections Commission will be required to c ontact the candidate about their desire to hold the ofce. If the candidate wishes to accept the ofer, they will be required to submit an expense report within 48 hours. Furthermore, no write-in candidate will be certifed as the winner until their eligibility has been verifed,” the SA Code reads.

Incumbent class presidents Matthew Hwang ’25, Zoe Wang ’26 and Nico Giro-Martin ’27 all won re-election. Hwang beat out Aggie Rigo Saitta ’25 by 342 votes.

The class of 2025 senatorial candidates were all elected, as there were four open spots and only three individuals running. The candidates were Jeffrey Gu ’25, Laayba Tanoli ’25, who switched her classification from class of 2026, and Secretary of the Senate Sen. Hazel Vineet ’25. Similarly, the class of 2026 senatorial candidates were all elected, as four candidates ran for four spots. The only newcomer to the Senate from the class of 2026 is Debbie Ho ’26. Sen. Matt Swenson ’26 and Sen. Spencer Krivo ’26 are both returning to the Senate. Ashlynn Parker ’26, who had previously resigned her seat, is doing the same.

Nine candidates ran in the class of 2027 senatorial race. Sen. Tyson Liverman ’27, Sen. Mayer Tawfik ’27 and Sen. Sophie Kennedy ’27 all won reelection, while first-time newly-elected Cheryl Dao ’27 beat out incumbent Hunter Steele White ’27. one because there was a campaigned [sic] that campaigned on being a write-in, which is why we had that option,” Zheng wrote to The Flat Hat.

READ MORE AT FLATHATNEWS.COM

Rowe's rejection of referendum

Student organizations create statements responding to Roweʼs message, expressing fr ust ration

PRESIDENT ROWE from page 1

The William and Mary Dissenters, Apartheid Divest, SJP, Jewish Voice for Peace, College Socialists and Amnesty International USA all showed their solidarity and gratitude on Instagram when 2,036 students voted in favor of the referendum. Rowe expressed her reasons for not complying with the referendum’s call to boycott Israel.

“As William & Mary’s Vision statement reads, people come here ‘wanting to understand and change the world – and together we do.’ At a

CAMPUS

learning institution, we do this by holding open spaces for respectful disagreement: recognizing that we may not share the same experiences and perceptions, and committing to grow in understanding. Collective blame is antithetical to these goals. For those reasons, William & Mary will not pursue a boycott of Israel as proposed in the student referendum,” Rowe wrote.

Saturday, March 30, SJP posted a statement on Instagram, expressing their disappointment and frustration with Rowe’s rejection.

“If student safety and protection from antisemitic

and Islamophobic sentiments were truly among the administration’s goals, they would take vocal and actionable steps to combat their spread on campus and provide adequate support to all vulnerable groups. They would provide strong, clear, and consistent messaging that does not blatantly favor ‘one side’ of an overseas confict that has strong connections to our home here. They would not invalidate the Palestinian identity, or students who belong to it, by foregoing any mention of it in their very frst statement on the matter,” SJP wrote.

SJP elaborated on their thoughts on

Rowe’s statement.

“These statements do not entail the ‘respectful disagreement’ stemming from students difering ‘experiences and perceptions’ that President Rowe hopes to facilitate on this campus. Rather, they are deeply racist and explicitly disrespectful, derogatory, and dehumanizing of students of Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim identities, and based in inherently anti-Arab and Islamophobic tropes,” the statement reads.

Student Assembly passes Ceasefire resolution after emotional debate

Students, community members on both sides provide their thoughts on, concerns about resolution

PEERAWUT RUANGSAWASDI FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

Tuesday, March 26, the College of William and Mary Student Assembly Senate passes SR 331-005 – The Ceasefre in Palestine Resolution, sponsored by Sen. Hashir Aqeel ’25 and Secretary of the Senate Sen. Hazel Vineet ’25, following an intense public comment session. In addition to other actions by the College, the resolution calls for College President Katherine Rowe to release a statement calling for a ceasefre, immediate aid to the Gaza strip, the return of refugees and “lasting peace for all peoples involved in or impacted by the violence taking place in Palestine and Israel.”

The resolution received 16 ‘Yes’ votes, 6 ‘No’ votes and 3 abstentions. One senator, Sen. Spencer Krivo ’26, was not present during the vote.

Over 30 members of Recognized Student Organizations ofcially supported the resolution. At the Senate meeting, members of the public had the opportunity to provide comments before the vote. SA Vice President Taylor Fox ’24 moderated the session.

Students and community members both opposing and supporting the resolution were present.

“Good evening, respected members of Student Assembly and college students,” Students for Justice in Palestine President Sami Khleifat ’24 said. “I stand before you, not just as a proud Palestinian, but as a friend, a peer and a member of this community. As a Palestinian, I must humanize myself to ensure my voice is taken seriously.”

Khleifat added by citing the hardships faced by people in Gaza.

“Like you, I wake up to the world each morning, but unlike most, I am greeted by the reality of mangled bodies, starving children, fathers came to remains of their children in two separate plastic bags and obliterated homes and houses,” Khleifat added. “This isn’t a narrative crafted from history. It is the painful present, a reality televised and streamed into our everyday lives. We are at a point where silence and actions speak louder than any words of condolence could. The ceasefre bill before us is not merely a document, it is a testament to our collective humanity. A call to recognize and condemn the ongoing ethnic

cleansing in Palestine and an urgent plea for peace.”

Gabriel Stein ’27 voiced his opposition to the resolution.

“I know you might be seeing that I’m wearing a hat, but surprise, I sometimes wear this around campus,” Stein said while taking his hat of revealing a kippah. “But since October 7, I haven’t felt safe in doing so.”

Stein added that he supports having moderated discussions between diferent student groups — Palestinian, Israeli, Jewish and Muslim student populations.

“But the fact that the school is taking a blatant stance here is, in general, just reading over the resolution, inefectual for the majority of the student body and horrible for the small percent that it might afect. As a Jewish student reading through that resolution, I feel scared that the school does not represent who I am and does not represent my values. I chose William Mary because I knew this place was one of the beacons of freedom in America and truly represented democracy and freedom of speech. But when this resolution gets passed by our student assembly, who is supposed to represent us, the students here, I don’t feel represented,” Stein elaborated.

Other students also voiced their opinions.

Aaron Weinmann ’26 said he believes that a ceasefre would allow Hamas to rule over Gaza and oppress Palestinian civilians. Andrew Finklestein ’26 said he believes that SA demanding a ceasefre is the equivalent of friends of a girl in an abusive relationship to marry her partner, and said Gaza could be turned into Paris if Hamas was destroyed like the Nazis in World War Two.

Iqra Ahmad ’26 said a campaign of selfdefense should not be ethnic cleansing and said there is precedent in the College taking a stance in international conficts, such as it did in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Bill co-sponsor Aqeel gave his thoughts on the resolution.

“I’d like to start by saying that we are uniquely positioned to elevate the voices of all of our students,” Aqeel said. “And it’s abundantly clear from hearing all the diferent voices here today that the administration has not done enough to sort of create a space for this sort of dialogue.

With that being said, while writing this resolution, I had input for organizations representing well over a thousand students, if you put them together, addressing the need for this resolution.”

Aqeel added that he believes that the resolution speaks for a large portion of the student body and urged all senators to avoid abstaining and vote on it, as there were a number of abstentions on the resolution in committee discussions.

“So I would be hesitant to say that this isn’t a resolution that echoes the opinions or voices of at least a solid portion of our student body. Additionally, as we discussed today, as I mentioned in my response document to the comments left on the resolution, we should not be treating this as a political debate today. None of us are properly qualifed in this room — at least those who are able to speak right now — to give proper, proper legal argumentation. And with that being said, there are tons of people on all sides of this issue who have done a great deal of work providing legal argumentation, on all sides of the issue. And it would be a waste of our time here today to have a circular conversation,” Aqeel added.

Sen. Connor Cheadle J.D. ’25, while voicing hi s opposition to the resolution, referenced acts of violence committed by Hamas. After Sen. Marshea Robinson MBA relayed that she felt un comfortable, as such Cheadle was interrupted by Fox. Fox allowed Cheadle to finish his statement and said anyone who felt uncomfortable was allowed to leave.

The Senate passed the resolution after the debate. A clause calling for peace in the region was added by Aqeel following a request by Cheadle, which was referenced in Rowe’s statement released Friday, March 29.

“I am especially appreciative that the Student Assembly resolution afrmed the call for ‘lasting peace.’” Rowe wrote. “Many of us pray for peace for Israelis and Palestinians and condemn the horrifc violence that is shattering so many lives and communities. Moreover, at times of grief and fear, the threat of prejudice always rises; as I urged last fall, we must take special care to protect our community members from

antisemitism and Islamophobia.”

SJP executive board released the following statement to The Flat Hat.

“Those students’ words at the Student Assembly vote last night comprise a systematic dehumanization of myself and some of the most important people in my life based on our inherent ethnic and religious identities, one founded on blatant falsehoods that ignore confrmed facts and instead employ inherently racist rhetoric,” the statement reads. “To be in that room for upwards of an hour and be forcibly met with their distorted perception of the Palestinian cause was easily the most difcult thing I have endured at my time at the College, and, for better or for worse, perfectly encapsulates our goals as a collective of organizers.”

The organization also laid out their goals.

“We aim to educate on difcult matters such as these with research, known facts, and substantial contextualization,” the organization added. “We aim to determine the root of mindsets that perpetuate division and hatred, which attempt to falsely portray 2.3 million oppressed people as terrorists and terrorist sympathizers in a concentrated efort to justify their continued oppression, which is once again based on a racist, dehumanizing anti-Arab and Islamophobic worldview. And we aim to use all this information to challenge and broaden current perspectives, ultimately to serve as a reminder that no aspect of an individual’s inherent identity serves as a valid basis to dehumanize or steal from them their basic human rights and civil liberties.”

Ultimately, SJP approved of SA’s vote on the resolution.

“Student Assembly’s vote to ultimately pass the Ceasefre in Palestine Resolution is one step of many that begins to accomplish this goal at the broader community level, and one that establishes the foundations for providing greater support and security for some of the most marginalized and vulnerable students on this campus,” SJP concluded. “Right now, this includes our Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim peers, especially as Islamophobic and anti-Arab sentiments and hate crimes spike across the country, including on college campuses.”

This piece isn’t going to be groundbreaking. An opinion isn’t going to find a cure for cancer or anything close to that, but I am going to talk about what’s been bothering me lately — which isn’t groundbreaking either. As I’ve been looking through the possible

options for classes next semester — opinion article incoming about that too — I was hit with a crippling realization: There is no way I won’t have to run from Boswell Hall to Tucker Hall in 10 minutes next semester.

In past years, this may not have

been a big deal — just kidding, this has always sucked — but it is getting even worse as construction continues. This brings us to the larger point of the article: How did the scheduling gods decide that classes should start ten minutes apart?

Other than creating a pretty schedule, I don’t see what the benefit is to giving students permanent charley horses from speed walking their way across campus. What would be wrong with 20 minutes between classes? If you had a class at lunch time, you’d have time to stop for a snack, so that you aren’t starving in your next class, or doing what I have seen some people do — eating a substantial lunch in the middle of class.

If you can do that, I admire you, but if I was in a lecture hall, and the room goes quiet for any reason, I don’t want the only sound echoing in the room to be the sound of me eating an apple, and I definitely don’t want to make everyone smell whatever I am eating.

The easy solution to this would be to not take classes back to back. You don’t

think that I’ve tried that already? When I say I have no other option, it’s because I literally have no other option. I would love for some of the classes in my major to have two sections, but they don’t. So I’m stuck with what I have, and I think that the College of William and Mary should recognize that. Especially in the smaller majors, there is frequently only one section for required classes, which means that when they’re offered, you have to take them. The College should recognize that there’s a possibility that that class could butt up on another required class and create a more lenient time frame.

To give context, when I was in high school — mine spanned three buildings — we had ten minutes to make it in between classes. That was for three buildings right next to each other. According to my Google Maps, there is 0.6 miles between Boswell Hall and Tucker Hall, which is a twelve minute walk, and with construction, we are rapidly running out of shortcuts — RIP Earl Gregg Swem Library stairs. If I had 10 minutes to walk

a tenth of a mile in high school, why do we get the same amount of time to walk six times as far? It’s unfair for students to be forced to walk that far if they don’t have a bike or scooter, which I don’t. Not only is it exhausting, but there are also professors that will start directly when the class starts — meaning that as you are leaving one of your lungs somewhere on the Barksdale field — so you are also missing out on part of your lecture. Normally I wouldn’t be too bothered by that, but when your professor doesn’t use slides or record their lectures, you’re pretty much screwed.

I don’t want much — and to be fair, nothing will probably come of this article — but I would like the scheduling powers to recognize that this campus is pretty big if you’re relying on your feet, and I’d like to go one semester without having to run to class.

Mollie Shiflett ’26 is a history major who may also major in linguistics. She plays on the Gold Women’s Club Soccer teamfortheCollegeofWilliamandMary andisanavidfanofmostsports—except golf.EmailMollieatmrshiflett@wm.edu.

Dorm living’s dreaded maintenance game

But once maintenance accidentally broke my window while trying to fix the net, I quickly learned the real problem lies within the only tool a resident has against their dorm falling apart: a service request.

THE FLAT HAT Josh Ryan

Trying to get maintenance done in one’s dorm is a game of endurance. If it had a name, it would be: “How many times are you willing to file a request before you either forget or give up?” It's not a very fun game, but every time mold is found in an air conditioning unit, it's the only one a student can play. Once you’ve filed a request, days go by without a shred of evidence that it was even looked at, with the issue quite literally gathering dust.

Once someone has put in four or so service requests into the system without any sign of life from Facilities Management, there seems to be only one way to bother maintenance sufficiently to get a repairman: make a phone call on the emergency service line.

From my own experience, I have only ever gotten results from making that call to maintenance. That is not to say emergency service maintenance is quick to help. Usually, numerous phone calls are required to remind them to come to your dorm, even if they already told you someone would be there later that day. They are often late by several hours; forcing you or your roommate to stay in the dorm room for far longer than intended. Once or twice, I’ve

had a repairman arrive without the necessary equipment and have to go back to get it. A part of the emergency service call involves describing the problem, so there must be a communication breakdown between the people physically repairing problems and the people sending them to the problems.

Considering the intended usage of this service, this is frankly unacceptable. Students should not have to wait days to fix issues that could seriously impact their health or comfort for seemingly no reason. Student life is stressful enough already without having to micro-manage a situation for which they aren't to blame. If not strictly “dangerous,” many emergencies in a dorm room can cause conditions that are too unreasonably uncomfortable for a student to just try and wait out. Nobody should have to try to ignore a huge colony of mold when using their shower or wear three extra layers in their dorm room because the heater broke, when there are people easily equipped with the tools to make those problems go away.

Even if the emergency service function worked appropriately, the useless nature of the service request form can -

not be ignored. Just because something is not an emergency does not mean it should never get fixed. Yet, the maintenance process seems to ask just how badly you want to have maintenance. Some may feel that using the emergency call number for a non-emergency is a waste of time for the repairmen reserved for more extreme situations. These students might simply decide to live with the issue unresolved, not expecting maintenance to ever get around to fixing it.

And even if you get lucky, and someone arrives to fix that bug net that’s supposed to keep the Virginian insects out, you better hope they fix it in one go. There seems to be no such thing as a follow-up. If your problem comes back, or the repairman can't manage to fix it, you’re back at square one. You have to go through the whole ordeal again, but with much less patience than you might've had initially. I needed to have my floor vacuumed to remove the glass from it more than once, and each time required another round of calling and waiting.

On a more positive note, the people doing the repairs seem to be doing their best to do their jobs. Once they were at my dorm, the glass situation

was handled within minutes, and the man taking measurements on my window seemed genuinely committed to getting me a new one by the next week. It's been two months and I still have a temporary foam window to keep the cold out. Despite their best intentions and efforts, any good done by maintenance is hampered by the sheer difficulty of getting it done. It's also not fair to blame maintenance for questioning whether a repair is an emergency when it was only filed as such to have the repair happen. Both the students and Facilities Management deserve a better system. One that distributes the personnel in a way that is quick and responsive and also allows for the urgency of a maintenance issue to be respected.

As for me, I have fallen into the category of people who will simply live with my anti-window. Once the semester ends, it will cease to be my problem to deal with. I only have a month or so left in my freshman year and I do not want to spend any more of it on the phone with emergency services.

Josh Ryan ‘27 is a prospective public policy and sociology major. He is a new member of AMP and a member of the Student Trail Crew. Contact him at jtryan01@wm.edu

Student Assembly election reveals deeper problems at College

Crystal Wang

I must preface this article with reassurance so I’m not flamed. This article is not meant to be a personal attack towards Oscar Lazo or Terra Sloane; I’m sure they are very nice people and will do what they think is best in their positions. This article is also not to call every person who voted for them racist. If the things I say in this article don’t apply to you, then it’s not about you.

HOWEVER. I must say I am disappointed, saddened and downright angry at Yannie Chang’s and Hashir Aqeel’s loss. I am not angry at Lazo or Sloane (once again, I’m sure they’re great people); rather, I’m disappointed with this school and its student body. This election has made it abundantly clear that this school and its students are, in fact, incredibly white and will follow the trend of white liberalism.

Let’s first take a look at the endorsements. Those that endorsed Chang and Aqeel included the Committee for Contextualization of Campus Landmarks and Iconography, Student Accessibility and Disability Alliance and almost every multicultural organization on this campus. There is a pattern with these endorsements. They all come from those trying to undo the College of William and Mary’s racist history or advocate for and make a space for marginalized people. Now to speak on the elephant in the room: Almost every MCO endorsed one campaign. Let me repeat: Almost. Every. Single. Multicultural. Organization. Anyone who knows anything about the discourse surrounding people of color knows that (because we are not a monolith) we rarely agree with each other on anything. Thus, it is even more momentous that almost all of the MCOs on campus came together to support one campaign. Also remember that MCOs don’t normally publicly endorse candidates. Now, I don’t want to completely play into identity politics. But when the organizations made by and made for marginalized people all come out to publicly endorse a candidate, that should tell you something. And doesn’t it say so much about this school that the candidates endorsed by marginalized groups’ organizations lost the highest seat of student power? That this campaign did not win a majority? And doesn’t it say something that the opinions of marginalized groups were not taken seriously enough for their endorsement to win the election?

In order to be fair, the endorsements of both candidates should be looked at. The Veggie Society, Shakespeare in the Dark, Someone You Know (SYK), Vox, The Stairwells, William and Mary Choir, Acapella Council, Tribetones and members of the Panhellenic and

STAFF COLUMN

Interfraternity Councils came together to endorse one party. There is also a pattern with these organizations: overwhelmingly white, overwhelmingly recreational, overwhelmingly not pushing back against the College administration and overwhelmingly focused on the issues that white liberals are comfortable talking about. I’m not saying that Vox and SYK are focusing on white people issues, but rather that they are tackling issues that white liberals are comfortable tackling. I’m also not arguing that Sloane and Lazo will agree with or adhere to all of the implications of their endorsements. Once again, I’m NOT saying Sloane and Lazo will have white policies that don’t challenge the school on anything. But isn’t it so telling that the candidates these organizations endorsed won the plurality at this school? Isn’t it telling that the majority of the student body either voted for — or didn’t care enough to vote against — the campaign endorsed by organizations who don’t challenge white liberal comfort?

The biggest issue that I’m upset about, however, is the referendum. Bear with me, because this is about to get into uncomfortable territory. The referendum to divest from funding Israel’s genocide (if you must call it a war, call it a war of attrition) of Palestine passed with resounding numbers. Only 27% of voters were opposed to this referendum. This is a very, very clear representation of what the student body wants. However, isn’t it so ironic that this referendum passed, but the people who have worked the hardest to get to this referendum did not win the presidential seat? Let me give you some more facts. Aqeel and Hazel Vineet (the Chang-Aqeel campaign manager) were the ones who introduced a bill for a ceasefire resolution in Student Assembly March 5, 2024. They pushed for voting on the resolution in the senate sessions after. Chang spoke out in support of this resolution, defending it when questioned March 26. This presidential campaign wasn’t just in support of the Palestinian cause, it was actively challenging the status quo to support the most vulnerable. And isn’t it oh so ironic that these people lost when the referendum passed? The results of the elections clearly say “fine, fine, we will give you this one thing. But no more.” It follows a historical trend of white liberalism: one step forward, only to destroy the systems that allowed this step to be taken. It adheres to the trend of progress followed by reactionary punishment. It follows the trend of allowing space for the oppressed and marginalized, as long as it doesn’t reach a high enough level of power where it threatens whiteness.

Though this election seems small, it is such a clear example of a historic pattern. Think: the first Black U.S. President was immediately followed by Donald Trump and massive efforts to disenfranchise marginalized people. Think: white America supported Martin Luther King but not the more leftist Malcolm X. Think: Reconstruction was immediately followed by Jim Crow. Time and time again, we took one step forward and found the door was immediately shut behind us.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not calling most students at this school racist. In fact, I’m sure most people just voted for who they know and who their organizations endorsed. But that itself is a problem. Student Assembly meeting minutes are available online as pdf documents on a Google Drive; it takes three seconds to look them up and the “control-F” feature is a helpful

tool. But rather than looking up the actions of candidates, people likely voted based on familiarity and organizational endorsement. This became an even bigger problem when endorsement was so split between organizations within able-bodied, white, liberal American spaces and those so clearly outside of it. Even if people didn’t want to read through SA meeting minutes (I get it, they can be dry), half a perusal of each campaign’s Instagram and the personnel on each team tells so much. Take a look for yourself and come to your own decision on which team has the biggest names in student advocacy and the movement for people of color. “But it’s just a student government election, I didn’t think too deeply about it,” you say. To that, I respond: How nice it must be to have the privilege of not worrying about where the College’s student funding and endorsements are going. The crux of the issue is this: comfortability and familiarity. How many voted one way because their Greek Life organization told them to, without questioning whether they should injudiciously follow the advice (no matter how well intentioned) of an institution that still has ties to exclusion and oppression? These organizations are not inherently racist, but let’s not pretend there aren’t unconscious biases that make its leadership less aware of some issues. How many voted just because they were more familiar with a candidate and didn’t tune into the marginalized voices around them?

In light of Katherine Rowe’s recent statement, electing to the highest seat of student power those who have already been vocal in their solidarity with the most marginalized students should have been imperative. To paraphrase Rowe’s statement, she basically said: We won’t be adhering to the referendum that the majority of students voted for. When faced with an institution that has made it so clear where it aligns, I have to say I’m disappointed in how this student body voted. And of course, you could make the argument that neither Sloane nor Lazo have had the power to make public legislation, so we don’t know what position they will take. But that’s just my point. The majority of the student body would rather take a chance on those who might publicly fight back than those who have visibly gone toe-to-toe against the system on huge issues to support marginalized students. This election has made it abundantly clear that when push comes to shove, the voices of disabled students, low-income students and students of color will never be loud enough to outshine white liberal comfortability.

Once again, this article is not meant to be an attack on Sloane or Lazo, and I genuinely hope they do a good job. Thus, I offer advice that you can take if you want: publicly disagree with the institution in big ways, ruffle feathers. It is not just your job to represent the majority but rather to go against it when you need to protect the most vulnerable students. Think about the legacy you will leave at this school; will you be just another name in this school’s long history or will you try to institute real change? I made the claim that this election was a mark of white liberal comfortability. I ask that you prove me wrong.

And here is my advice to the rest of the College community. Think about why you voted the way you did. Think about what you didn’t consider in your vote. And listen to the voices of marginalized people when basically all of them are asking you to do something.

CrystalWang‘25isanEnglishmajorandhistorymajor.In additiontobeingCopyChiefforTheFlatHat,sheispartof William&Maryarchery.Contactheratcwang28@wm.edu.

Adam’s Apple #4: let’s go gym

As with the two prior questions answered in this column, this one comes from a close friend of mine! Why have three of the total four questions answered in this column come from friends of mine? Is it because I’m playing favorites, you wonder? Is it because I have specific questions I want to answer, so I make them submit the ones they do? No. It’s because none of the rest of you submit questions, and it is starting to really hurt my feelings. Am I doing something wrong? Is the advice not good enough? I know I come off in these articles as the picture of confidence, wisdom and poise, but I’m a human person with human feelings. I work so hard on these articles (note: he started writing this article the day after he was supposed to have finished it) to give serious answers to people in need of serious help, but my service is not being utilized. One day, this column might not exist anymore… then maybe you’ll regret taking me and my apple for granted.

Anyway, here’s the question:

“How can I overcome gym intimidation? Everyone’s just so huge!”

Before I dive into the question, I feel as though I should provide some context. I am 6’1 and a touch above 150 pounds. I have only recently achieved a BMI firmly north of the underweight range. The last time I arm-

wrestled my 14-year-old sister, I won, but it was a real battle. I can do up to two pull-ups, but not if I’ve used my arms within the last week. Speaking of my arms, you could fit two to three of them relatively comfortably into the average shirt sleeve. All that to say, I understand if you are skeptical of my credibility in answering the question. You probably want this question answered by someone who has felt intimidated in the gym before and overcome it, not someone like me (healthy weight, arm-wrestling champion, pull-up aficionado, toned arms-haver) who clearly has always been the intimidator!

Go up to the person who looks like they have spent the most time in the gym in their life and promptly punch them in the face.

Believe me, I know it’s strange! It’s like asking Lebron James what he does when he pulls up to the local YMCA and realizes he’s

the worst basketball player there. It’s like asking Fred DeLuca (founder of Subway) how he copes with situations where he knows less about sandwiches than everyone else in the room. That said, I can empathize with people like my friend. I can imagine what it’s like to be intimidated and uneasy around people who look like they were born in the gym (i.e. people like me). Here are three easy tips!

Go up to the person who looks like they have spent the most time in the gym in their life and promptly punch them in the face. Hey, if it works in prison, it works in the gym! The effect will be immediate. Whereas when you first walked in, everyone looked at you in a condescending way, as if they knew you felt you didn’t belong, after punching the king or queen of the gym, they will all be looking at you with admiration and respect. They’ll be asking you to spot them when they go for a PR. They’ll be asking you questions about how to use the various machines. Now, I know what you’re thinking: What if the target fights back?! By definition, they’re one of the strongest people in a room where strong people congregate, so surely they’ll be upset that I attacked them and retaliate before I can be showered in the aforementioned respect, right? That is why timing is so critical for this technique. If you punch them while they’re standing around drinking water or something, then yeah, chances are good you’ll regret it. Instead, target them while they’re doing an exercise or using a machine which renders them least able to fight back.

Try to lift way more weight than you can safely handle. Now, we’ve all heard of ego lifting, where you lift a weight that exceeds the healthy range for the targeted muscles, such that you end up using bad form and risking injury just to complete the set. For example, adding five more pounds to the bar just to impress the people around you. That is irresponsible and dangerous and is not at all what I’m talking about. I’m talking about putting an extra five-hundred pounds on the bar. When you try to lift it, you’ll immediately fail and

likely seriously injure yourself. Maybe even die. However, when everyone crowds around you when you fall unconscious, they won’t be focused on the fact that you might not make it. They’ll be focused on the fact that you thought that moving that ridiculous amount of weight was in your wheelhouse. Sure, you couldn’t squat 800 pounds, but the fact you attempted it must mean 790 was getting too easy for you! Maybe you weren’t the weak first-timer they thought you were. Posthumous respect is the best kind!

Go digging into the past of all the regulars at the gym, and if they ever make a disrespectful comment or give you a snide glance, tell them that you know about all of the worst things they’ve ever done. (Disclaimer: it is pretty hard to find good dirt on people from a simple Google search, so take whatever you can find!) Oh, the way I’m doing this exercise might hurt my back? Maybe the fact that you only have 50 connections on LinkedIn will hurt future job prospects! Oh, you want me to stop playing my music on the speaker I brought because there are other people around and the music is just the soundtracks to 80s horror movies? Maybe your parents want you to make the Dean’s List, like how you didn’t in the spring of 2022. Oh, licking a piece of equipment after I’m done with it is not a substitute for wiping it down? Maybe you should spend less time criticizing me and more time mourning the death of your great aunt (her obituary is online, she passed in August 2011). They’ll quit messing with you in no time!

Remember: A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step!

Hope that helps!

See you in two weeks, and please submit questions,

Adam AdamJutt’25isamathandeconom-

icsmajorfromCincinnati,Ohiowhowrites articlessometimes.Contacthimatadjutt@ wm.edu.

FLAT HAT COPY CHIEF

JAMIE HOLT / THE FLAT HAT

JAMIE HOLT / THE FLAT HAT

Adam Jutt

FLAT HAT OPINIONS ASSOC.

PERFORMANCES FOR PALESTINE

Inside Out Theatre, MEME, SJP hold night of Palestine advocacy through music, spoken word

Friday, March 29, Sadler Center’s Lodge One hosted a harmonization of activism and artistic expression as the Inside Out Theatre, Middle Eastern Music Ensemble and Students for Justice in Palestine came together to put on “An Evening of Spoken Word and Music for Palestine.”

The evening combined three types of performances: speeches from SJP exec members, spoken-word poems from members of Inside Out Theatre and songs performed by members of MEME. Members of SJP also sold baked goods and crocheted crafts, with the proceeds going to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.

The idea for the event arose when members of MEME made a statement in support of Palestine at a performance at Old Dominion University. Their statement was met with backlash from audience members and responses from the administrations of both ODU and the College of William and Mary.

From this, members of the College’s MEME recounted how the reception of their initial statement motivated them to engage in more advocacy for Palestine. The ensemble’s director, Professor of Ethnomusicology and Bickers Professor of Middle Eastern Studies Anne Rasmussen, conceived of an event to combine poetry and musical performances centered around Palestine to support the cause.

“This was just another way to put words to action,” MEME violinist Yasmeen Mogharbel ’27 said.

MEME violinist and vocalist Pooja Muthuraj ’26, who is also president of Inside Out Theatre, a spokenword poetry performance group at the College, connected the two organizations and led the planning process. She also reached out to members of SJP to contribute speeches and their expertise with the movement to the event.

“I think that each group has a lot of strengths that were able to combine really well in the program,” Muthuraj said.

The event’s location in Lodge One was chosen purposefully, with the date of the event having been specifically chosen based on when the desired space was available. SJP exec member Salma Amrou ’26 explained the role of this venue in achieving the night’s intended mission.

“We wanted to be in an area where people were passing by and people were already sitting so they could hear what was being said and maybe be more intrigued to come in and learn more about it, or hear more about it,” Amrou said. “I think that’s the primary

thing above all, to spread awareness and to continue to push for what we believe is right.”

The selection of performance pieces was likewise intentional. MEME chose to perform an array of songs in various moods, all from Palestinian composers, which Muthuraj described as an attempt to best encapsulate the spirit of Palestine in the limited time frame of the event. Among the selections performed were “Mawtini,” the unofficial Palestinian national anthem, and “Wayn ‘A Ramallah,” an up-tempo folk song.

Meanwhile, members of Inside Out Theatre performed a combination of original poems and pieces by Palestinian poets, both of which Muthuraj explained provide a distinct and significant perspective on the conflict.

“The poems that we chose really reflect individual students’ perceptions of the issue,” Muthuraj said. “Then we picked a poem by a Palestinian poet as well, just so that we were able to represent the voices of the people and not just put words into their mouths.”

At the event, Amrou delivered a speech and an original poem titled “Rise and Fall,” with the latter being inspired by the contentious debate over issues surrounding Palestine at a recent Student Assembly meeting, which Amrou described as having left herself and other SJP members feeling invalidated and disheartened. She discussed the value of experiencing these forms of creative expression in a communal space.

“I feel like it is a form of therapy, almost, being able to have someone go up there and speak the thoughts that are in your mind,” Amrou said. “I think that’s the whole purpose of art, and especially the purpose of art in this context.”

Alysha Waseem ’24 attended the event due to her personal connections to both the cause of justice in Palestine and members of SJP. She discussed the importance of events that preserve Palestinian culture and which remind individuals of their own roles in this conflict.

“I think it’s important to be reminded that we’re complicit in this, and that we as a community need to come together to support the Palestinian people and also be anti-genocide,” Waseem said.

In light of the referendum passed the previous day on the Student Assembly election ballot calling for the College to divest funding from and cut ties with organizations that support Israel, Muthuraj saw the event taking on a new and powerful message.

“I think the statement that this event, having it

CRAFTING

tonight, will make is that, despite the school’s refusal to call for a ceasefire or directly condemn Israel, as students want to happen, and really just a failure to take any real concrete action, that students will still not stop talking about Palestine and we won’t stop fighting for justice,” Muthuraj said. “This is going to be continued, because we still haven’t seen a resolution and we’re not satisfied.”

Students behind the event saw its artistic elements tying into their social and political advocacy for Palestine in various ways. Mogharbel highlighted the ability of music to provide comfort in the face of fear, as demonstrated by MEME’s performance of the song “Al Ouf Mash’al,” which describes a flight from war.

“I’ve often heard music being used to alleviate in darker times. For me, that’s definitely personal because I know a lot of Palestinian friends, and

my family was under the threat, and so it’s scary,” Mogharbel said. “It’s definitely a voice to people who can’t really express themselves.”

Meanwhile, Amrou saw the event and the songs and poems performed as upholding the inherent role of Palestinian artists as activists themselves.

“I don’t know if you’re familiar with that one graphic where they show all the different roles inside a resistance or a revolution movement, and one of the roles is a storyteller,” Amrou said. “Storytellers are the ones that preserve the stories of the people who we are fighting for and the people who are fighting for the cause, and continue to spread that awareness and spread that story. So I think, definitely, art plays a role in expressing those emotions that can’t really be expressed any other way, even through other actions like protesting.”

CONNEC TIONS

STEP, Muscarelle offer open afternoon of artistic activities, encourage expanding networks

Friday, March 29, the Daily Grind abounded with coloring pages, tempera paint sticks, snacks and more as Student Transition Engagement Programs and the Muscarelle, the College of William and Mary’s art museum, paired up to host an

STEP is known for helping organize the new student orientation program.

One of its initiative directors, Talia Snyder Romero ’25, teamed up with Muscarelle intern Hannah Saad ’24 to plan this event. Although the museum is currently under construction, it has

nevertheless remained active in student life and works to get involved with different programs both at and away from the College. Saad expressed that getting a chance to branch out with collaborations has been a blessing for the museum.

The event had been in the works for about six weeks, and it came about when Romero approached Saad about a potential collaboration. While an artsthemed scavenger hunt had already been planned by the Muscarelle, it was originally going to only be used for a graduate student event. However, pairing it with interactive art activities and the Daily Grind as the location proved to be a perfect way to include undergraduate students in the fun. STEP has done programs in the past for specific populations, such as low income students, international students and more, but Romero wanted this particular event to appeal to absolutely everyone.

“For this event, we wanted it to be bigger and geared towards all populations,” Romero said. “I wanted to bring people together that don’t typically consider themselves artists or engage with the arts to just take on a collaborative art piece, like these giant coloring pages. We kind of tried to gear everything to be not intimidating and not your traditional art projects.”

At the event, there were giant coloring pages that were printed, as blown-up versions of the Muscarelle’s permanent collection. By setting these up on large tables, the organizers had the hope that people would form new connections as they sat and colored next to strangers. Additionally, there were other small crafts activities, as well

as a bean-bag toss outside. Complete with snacks and food, the event aimed to create a fun, cheerful environment.

The scavenger hunt concluded the event, for the purpose of helping students gain a greater appreciation for the art present at the College. Muscarelle merchandise was the prize for the scavenger hunt, and it included t-shirts, tote bags and water bottles.

“The scavenger hunt is focused around art around William and Mary’s campus. We picked out several pieces from the Muscarelle’s permanent collection, and also the president’s collection of art, that are really prominent around campus and important for students to learn about,” Saad said. “We organized a little scavenger hunt where students can go and find the actual pieces on campus that they might not have even noticed before if they’ve walked by them.”

Many attendees found themselves getting to know people they otherwise would not have met. Erin Degnan ’27, for one, attended the event with a friend, but found herself branching out and talking to other people around the coloring table.

“We’re all here working together on our cute little paintings,” Degnan said. “I think it’s nice because it’s a good way to just do something that’s not classes and not studying, and it can be very relaxing.”

Natalie Bavos-Chen ’24 enjoyed the coloring pages at the event, and she found it to be a nice break from her usual studying.

“I think there’s something really fun and relaxing and de-stressing about being able to come in and just doodle stuff,” Bavos-Chen said. “I didn’t really know what I was expecting coming into this event, but I think it’s been really fun

to just draw little circles with markers, which I would not have been doing. I would have been doing my homework right now.”

As a part of STEP, one of the goals Romero focuses on is ensuring that the student body doesn’t only interact in the same small social groups, but rather reaches out to new people and through new experiences.

“The main goal of this event was to bring a couple of your friends but also to get to know other people while you’re working on a collaborative art project and to just kind of engage with the arts in ways that we don’t typically do just because as students, we’re walking around pieces of art and we don’t even typically notice it or anything like that,” Romero said. “So just having a broader awareness and appreciation for working with others, meeting others and then art as well.”

Bavos-Chen is an out-of-state student, which gives her a different perspective on the value of community-building activities such as this.

“Especially coming in as an out-of-state student, I remember being really nervous about finding a community here because college is a big transition for literally all of the different reasons that you can think of,” Bavos-Chen said. “You’re running your own life for the first time, for a lot of students. And so I think events like STEP and programs like STEP are a really great way to find a community, or network, which is so much so beneficial for every other aspect of transitioning into college.” All in all, the event, in the eyes of attendees and organizers alike, proved to be a success, meshing together broadening social circles with a greater appreciation for the arts.

TAIGA LEWIS / THE FLAT HAT

MEGAN RUDACILLE // VARIETY EDITOR

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COURTESY IMAGE / ALEXA CARMENATES

Rainbow Reimagining

Senior Ella Jo Nguyen invents queer imagining of Shakespeareʼs “Twelfth Night”

HANNAH SAWYER // FLAT HAT NEWS ASSOC.

When one thinks of Shakespeare, they probably imagine royal intrigue, dramatic betrayals and tragic love stories like that of Romeo and Juliet. His stories have been told time and again through various theater revivals and movie remakes. However, Ella Jo Nguyen ’24 is working to stage Shakespeare’s work in a new light: one that hones in on a queer perspective with her retelling of “Twelfth Night.”

Nguyen, a theater and English double major, frst got the idea to write a retelling of one of Shakespeare’s plays while enrolled in Queer Shakespeare with professor Alicia Andrzejewski. Nguyen said the class helped them explore themes of gender and sexuality in various Shakespeare plays and drove them to ultimately make their own thesis a queer retelling.

“Queer theory in general, especially applied to Shakespeare, it’s just disappointing. It’s a lot of hunting out and fnding gay characters and then they ended up dying or married to someone of the opposite gender and you’re like, ‘Oh, well,’” Nguyen said. “It was a class really not focused on stagings, which I felt was a huge miss. For any study of Shakespeare, you can understand Shakespearean literature, but Shakespeare is theater. Just talking about what is on the page misses more than half of what’s going on.”

Nguyen said they wanted to explore gender and sexuality in the context of Shakespeare’s work by putting on a production instead of through writing a paper. As a theater major, she had the option to create her senior thesis as a theater production, and her experience in the class solidifed her choice to direct her own play.

“I hadn’t always had it in my head as something that I was going to do, but it’s defnitely always been something I saw as an option and it was about last year where I realized I wanted to do something, I want to write a play,” Nguyen said.

Nguyen frst attempted an interpretation of Othello touching on themes of race, but they described abandoning this initial idea due to the personal sensitivity of the topic before devising a new and more joyful concept over this past summer.

“I think what was valuable about the new direction was really that it had a story,” Nguyen said. “Te frst idea was more of a concept, but this was a plot.”

Nguyen said that in addition to Shakespeare’s plays being some of the best, elements of staging choices at the time also fostered a setting that allowed characters to express their inner thoughts to the audience. Tey said these tactics allowed the audience to feel more integrated into the performance and for the actors to

explore and connect with their character more.

“I think Shakespearean work is a great medium for working with identities because you get asides, which are these moments in Shakespeare where the character turns to the audience and just speaks to them. Tey speak their pure truth as to what their intentions are, what they’re feeling,” Nguyen said. “You don’t really see that in modern theater anymore.”

Teir decision to rewrite “Twelfth Night” was inspired by their high school experience of writing an adaptation of the same Shakespeare play as an assignment for the visiting Shakespeare Teatre Company. Her frst adaptation was inspired by her Vietnamese heritage. Nguyen said they have remained fascinated by “Twelfth Night” ever since.

“‘Twelfth Night’ has been a through line and part of that is beyond it being a show I like. It’s something that I’ve worked on so many times, and I’ve become so familiar with it that I can really play with the ideas within,” Nguyen said.

“Twelfth Night” tells the story of twins Viola and Sebastian who are separated after a shipwreck in a new land. Presuming her twin is dead and in need of a way to support herself, Viola dresses as a man and begins working for the Duke Orsino, who she eventually falls in love with. When Sebatian reappears and falls in love with Countess Olivia, whom the Duke himself is in love with, a play full of mistaken identities and love triangles takes shape.

Nguyen began writing the play, titled “One and the Same,” towards the end of the fall 2023 semester after brainstorming diferent twists they could make on the original story. Tey decided to have the retelling communicate a tale where characters are more free to explore their gender identities through crossdressing and to explore their sexualities through relationships with other characters in an accepting environment.

She completed her frst revision process over winter break, including getting feedback from professors and friends, and she began casting and production at the beginning of the spring semester. Nguyen emphasized that in casting the show, they were working towards a more gender inclusive cast. Te fnal production had a cast of non-binary and female-identifying performers. Tey said they were interested in fipping traditional gender casting used in Shakspearean times.

“Tey were all quote-unquote men. In my opinion, I think some of them were probably what we would today identify as transgender or non-binary, or would be drag performers, but that’s what was happening then,” Nguyen said. “It’s almost a joke that you see these crossdressed characters attract [to each other],

but that’s really what was actually happening. Actually, Juliet was, quote-unquote, a boy and Romeo was really in love with her and they kiss. I just wanted to play with that.”

Nguyen obtained funding to put on the production from the Charles Center, the Teatre and Dance departments and the Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies Creative Arts Showcase.

Te entire play was student produced, with consultation and input from professors. Professor David Garrett assisted with lighting the show and professor Abbie Cathcart provided intimacy work consultation. Nguyen directed the production and worked with a stage manager and assistant stage manager to put on the show in Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall’s black box theater. Tey also costumed the show and, following one of their actors having a scheduling confict, stepped in to play one of the lead roles in the fnal performance.

Nguyen described the performance as the culmination of all of the work that the cast and crew had put into it over the course of the semester. She said the moment that meant the most was the reaction of her father, a Vietnamese refugee, to her work.

“He has been with me on my Shakespeare journey, but it’s hard for him to understand,” Nguyen said. “But he saw this and he was like, ‘I loved it, I understood it,’ and that means a lot when you have an Asian parent and they like your art. Tat is a big deal.”

Nguyen said they loved doing a senior thesis that aforded them the opportunity to explore the subject they were passionate about in a creative way.

“If you’re doing a thesis, it’s really fun because you get to make your own space with your own people and work on your own thing that you care about and it’s been so fun,” Nguyen said. “It’s been the most satisfying experience that I’ve had since I’ve been here. It’s my work. I’m very responsible for it. I’ve worked with the most amazing people who brought everything to the table, and I just loved it.”

Nguyen said they consider this play their child, but that they hope to write more plays that hone in on other parts of their identity or time periods that they are interested in. Tey also said that they want to continue writing plays that let directors have creative freedom with their production.

“Hands of, somebody else directs it, casts it, all that stuf, that would just be really satisfying,” Nguyen said. “Tat’s what I see and I hope for my child. I hope there is a good future, a big future, in line for this show. I feel like I have to do everything I can to make that happen.”

Tuning in to Caribbean Culture

Collegeʼs nascent SOCA club celebrates Caribbean cuisuine, heritage, community

TORY COLE // THE FLAT HAT

In addition to many well-established multicultural organizations, such as the Latin American Student Union and the African Cultural Society, the College of William and Mary is now home to a MCO made specifcally for students of Caribbean heritage. Students of Caribbean Ancestry was formally created this February, primarily by friends Nitara Delahaye ’25 and Ethan Stewart ’25, and it has already worked to assemble an executive board and an established constitution, which can be both be found on its respective TribeLink page.

SOCA was not founded in reaction to any one particular or isolated event, but rather was the result of what the club’s constitution refers to as a “feeling of estrangement” that students of Caribbean ancestry have experienced at a predominantly white institution like the College. Additionally, the wide range of identities encompassed within the African diaspora encouraged SOCA’s founders to create a space where those of specifcally Caribbean heritage could feel appreciated and included.

“Many of us are scattered through multiple organizations without having a proper home or community, and a lot of us are misrepresented,” Stewart said. “We’re [from] so many diferent

islands and also the mainland continent, from countries like Suriname, to St. Vincent, to Trinidad, to the Bahamas, to Haiti, to the Dominican Republic, and there’s so many of us. Te club was started to spotlight students, to make them feel comfortable, to share their culture, to know that there’s a place on campus for them.” Stewart had felt like Caribbean students on campus were often seen as mere caricatures and weren’t looked at as the diverse and complex community they are.

“We’re not really taken as a serious community of people by a lot of people on this campus,” Stewart said. “Tat’s something I feel like I’ve seen, I’ve experienced, and I want to rectify.”

For Delahaye, her interest in creating SOCA was similar to Stewart’s in regards to her experience at the College, but also stemmed from her experience at American University where there is, contrastingly, a very active Caribbean circle.

“I transferred here my sophomore year from a university in D.C., and when I got here, I was kind of surprised that there wasn’t a club for students of Caribbean ancestry,” Delahaye said. “So I went on TribeLink and looked, and I was like ‘Wait, there’s nothing here, that’s so weird.’ So at that point in my sophomore year, I was sort of looking for a space.”

Once the club held its frst interest meeting, it was clear that other students at the College held the same interest for a space dedicated to those of Caribbean heritage.

“When you have a frst interest meeting for a new club, it’s probably just you and exec and maybe a couple of friends,” Delahaye said. “We actually had what I would say maybe eleven or twelve people at the interest meeting, so that was awesome to see. And a couple of those people were in LASU, and I wasn’t expecting that. And that was really great to see, sort of support from other MCOs.”

Although there are some other MCOs on campus that students with Caribbean ancestry could join, the founders of SOCA didn’t feel like their community had a uniquely designated place at the College that was truly for them in all ways.

“In order to fnd my own niche, I would go

to other MCO club events,” Delahaye said. “Te people in ACS and BSO are amazing and awesome, but it’s not the same as someone who completely relates to your upbringing or your cultural foods or your cultural events that you celebrate with your family. It’s diferent, and I feel like we just needed a space just so we don’t feel so alone.”

However, looking to create a diferent space specifcally for students with Caribbean heritage did not isolate SOCA from other MCOs at all. A lot of overlap in members and interests has created a lot of collaboration and support from groups like LASU, ACS and the Black Student Organization. In fact, SOCA’s frst ever event was a dance workshop, which was in collaboration with ACS.

“We’ve been getting a lot of support from other MCOs,” Delahaye said. “A lot of their exec helped us out. Tey repost our little posts that we have on Instagram and they show up to our events, so it’s really nice to see.”

Reaching out to the larger community isn’t an easy task for a nascent club, but the utilization of social media and GroupMe has been key, and crossclub connections have also proven to be helpful.

“We use GroupMe and Instagram,” Delahaye said. “However, since it’s so small, we use other GroupMes. We would post our event information within, for example, ACS’ GroupMe because we are friends with so many people in ACS, so it’s fne to promote our stuf within that GroupMe group chat.”

Due to the recent creation of the club, there is a higher number of freshmen on the executive board than one might usually see. SOCA secretary Taylor Coker ’27 serves as one such executive board member. Coker expressed an eagerness to jump on the opportunity of joining a community of students with Caribbean heritage.

“One of my close friends, who was one of the cofounders, and he and Nitara, another co-founder, wanted to start an organization. And I was like ‘I’m here. I’m ready to go. Just let me know,’” Coker said. “Me and my friend Jada, who’s also a freshman, we were just waiting for the Constitution and everything. But I was right on board, I was like ‘Tis is a big deal.’ Tis is something big. You have BSO,

you have ACS, this is the next big thing.”

Te opportunity to be on the executive board of a club at such an early point in college is one that a new club tends to ofer at a higher rate than more established groups, and Coker is working to not let this chance go to waste.

“To be able to be a part of this organization and be the secretary of the organization and actually get to handle executive decisions and stuf, it’s really helped me a lot, because that’s building my character as a person and giving me skills for the business world as well,” Coker said.

In addition to any executive board opportunities, Coker fnds importance in the club’s sense of community, which Coker has found and helped foster already in the short existence of SOCA.

“It’s also building a sense of community and family on this campus because it is very hard to be a black woman on this campus, and to have a society of a beautiful, excellent, talented group of people, it makes it easier and gives me a chance to relax and I can be myself,’” Coker said. “I’m going to learn so much because Ethan and Nitara are great people. Just to be around them, it’s kind of like a mentor-tomentee kind of thing.”

Ultimately, this new club is meant to be a space of belonging, education and community. Providing a place for students with Caribbean ancestry while educating and de-stigmatizing the heritage is a main goal.

“I just don’t want Caribbean students to feel lost, like I felt my sophomore year,” Delahaye said. “I just want them to feel like they have a space to come to, where people will acknowledge their ancestry and also support them and relate. Just an outlet away from the rest of life.”

SOCA is new and yet already has interest on campus and support from other MCOs, making this organization one that, according to Stewart, is certain to have a bright future.

“We might be a small population, but we are still a loud and proud people,” Stewart said. “So by the time I leave, I’m hoping that that remains, that it still is, and it grows into something more that I even couldn’t imagine, something better.”

sports

Green and Gold takes second consecutive CAA series to start 2024 season Sunday shutout propels Tribe to series win in Delaware

Friday, March 29 to Sunday, March 31, William and Mary baseball (20-8, 4-2 CAA) took down Coastal Athletic Association opponent Delaware (13-13, 3-3 CAA) on the road, winning two of its three games at Bob Hannah Stadium in Newark, Del.

Entering the weekend series with a scorching 8-1 record in its last nine games, the Tribe looked to continue its hot interconference start following its series win against Stony Brook (12-15, 1-5 CAA) last weekend.

On Friday, the Green and Gold wasted no time getting runs on the board. After senior catcher Nate Goranson walked with two outs, freshman first baseman Anthony Greco blasted a 0-2 fastball into left field for a double, driving Goranson in and giving the Tribe an early 1-0 lead.

Greco, who has started 20 of the Tribe’s 28 games, finished Friday’s matchup with two runs batted in.

Early on, graduate student pitcher Alex Markus kept the Blue Hens at bay. Through two innings, Markus let up no runs on one hit, striking out one.

In the top of the third, graduate student outfielder Ben Parker added to the Tribe’s lead with his ninth home run of the season. After another Greco double, sophomore catcher Jerry Barnes III blasted his third home run of the season, giving the Tribe a 4-0 lead.

In the bottom of the third, however,

Delaware finally got on the board. After backto-back Blue Hens singles, junior outfielder Andrew Amato drove in Delaware’s first run of the game, cutting the deficit to three. Markus limited the damage to just one run, retiring the next batter he faced and finishing Friday’s outing with three hits, one run and one strikeout.

In the fourth, the Green and Gold offense picked up right where it left off in the third. After a walk, a single and another walk, a wild Delaware pitch allowed freshman infielder Josiah Seguin to score, extending the Tribe’s lead back to four. Later that same at-bat, Goranson flew out to left field, driving in junior outfielder Lucas Carmichael and giving the Tribe a 6-1 lead. Right after, Greco knocked in his second run of the game with another sacrifice fly, and the Tribe ended the fourth with an impressive 7-1 lead.

After a shutdown fourth inning from junior pitcher Travis Garnett, William and Mary tacked on another run in the fifth, this time courtesy of a homer from freshman infielder Kevin Francella.

In the bottom half of the fifth, the Blue Hens managed to score two runs of its own, thanks to three untimely Tribe walks and a double.

While leading 8-4, the Green and Gold continued pushing on in the sixth. With two outs, Parker stole home, tacking on another run to the visiting Tribe’s lead.

For the next three innings, William and Mary’s bullpen completely shut down the Blue Hens. Thanks to 1.2 innings and 3.0 innings of shutout pitching from sophomores

Luke Calveric and Owen Pierce, respectively, the Green and Gold secured the first game of the series, winning 9-4. Markus was credited with the win, while Pierce recorded his fifth save of the season.

Saturday, the Tribe bats came out swinging early yet again. After Parker walked and stole second, Barnes singled to right, driving Parker in and giving the Green and Gold an early 1-0 lead.

This time, however, the Blue Hens bats fired back just as quickly. After an early walk, a passed ball and a wild pitch, senior infielder Joey Loynd grounded out to short, tying the game at 1-1.

In the bottom of the second, Delaware tacked on three more runs, this time courtesy of a two-run single from junior infielder Brett Lesher and a ground out from senior designated hitter Bryce Greenly.

Both teams went scoreless in the third and fourth innings, but in the bottom of the fifth, the Blue Hens tacked on its fifth run of the game after an RBI double from junior infielder Chris Dengler.

Despite being down 5-1, the Green and Gold continued fighting into the last outs of the game. In the top of the ninth, Parker got the Tribe offense rolling with a single to right field. In the next at-bat, fifth-year outfielder Joe Delossantos drilled his seventh homer of the season, cutting Delaware’s lead to just two. After back-to-back strikeouts and a Goranson pinch-hit ground out, the Blue Hens closed out the game with a 5-3 win in game two of the series. Though graduate student pitcher Zack Potts was credited with his first loss of the season, he still carries an impressive 4-1 record on the year.

Sunday’s rubber match gave the Tribe the opportunity to take its second straight CAA series of the season, and the Green and Gold did not disappoint.

In a dominant showing, William and Mary shut out the Blue Hens in the series finale, winning 6-0 on the back of a lightsout performance from junior pitcher Nate Knowles. In his 10th appearance of the season, Knowles went four scoreless innings, letting up just one hit while striking out five Delaware batters.

After Knowles, sophomore pitcher Mark

Hindy and junior pitcher Carter Lovasz kept the Blue Hens at bay, allowing no runs and just three hits over five innings of combined work.

On the offensive side, William and Mary dominated from the get-go. In the first, Greco drove in his third run of the series after singling to left center. In the second, Delossantos drove in three more, putting the Tribe up 4-0 with six innings left to play. In the fifth, graduate student outfielder Henry Jackson hit a two-run homer — his first playing for the Green and Gold — giving the Tribe the 6-0 lead it carried until the end.

After beating Delaware on the road, William and Mary sits tied for third in CAA standings behind UNC Wilmington (1711, 6-0 CAA) and Northeastern (21-6, 5-1 CAA). Tuesday, April 2, the Tribe will host VCU (18-10, 2-1 A-10) at Plumeri Park in Williamsburg, Va.

CAA) 19-9 at Martin Family Stadium at AlbertDaly Field in Williamsburg, Va.

William and Mary sophomore midfielder Maresa Moyer started the Tribe off hot, scoring the first goal of the game unassisted, as well as the second goal of the game assisted by freshman midfielder Finley Hoffman to put the Tribe up 2-0. The visiting Blue Hens responded quickly, scoring three goals within 45 seconds to take the lead as the first quarter came to an end. Two more goals from Delaware in the second quarter extended the Blue Hens’ lead to three before Moyer scored her third goal of the day for the Tribe. With one minute, seven seconds remaining in the half, senior midfielder Lizzie Yurchak found the back of the net for Delaware, and the first half closed with the

Blue Hens on top, 6-3.

William and Mary came out of halftime strong, with Hoffman scoring her first goal on the day just two minutes into the third quarter. Sophomore midfielder Lauren Rothstein also added a goal in the third quarter, but the Tribe offense couldn’t match Delaware as the visitors scored four goals in the quarter, extending the Blue Hens’ lead to five as the match entered the fourth period.

The fourth quarter was the highest-scoring of the day. Junior attack Justyce Barber and freshman attack Piper Kienzle both scored unassisted goals to start the final quarter, but Delaware responded with dominant offensive attacks, quickly scoring three more to make the score 13-7. With just over nine minutes remaining in the game, William and Mary tried to get some momentum back with goals from junior attack Sophia Chiodo Ortiz and sophomore midfielder Kate Draddy finding the back of the net, but the Blue Hens came

alive again with seven minutes remaining, shutting down any hope of a Tribe comeback. Delaware scored six goals in the final seven minutes of the game, including a goal with just 10 seconds left from senior attack Danielle Livornese. It was a dominant performance from the visitors in the final quarter that propelled the visiting Blue Hens to a 19-9 victory over William and Mary.

On the day, Delaware took 40 shots compared to William

and Mary’s 24, had 15 turnovers compared to the Tribe’s 21, and just edged out the Green and Gold in draw controls by a margin of 1714. Ground ball recoveries were even with each team securing 23, and Delaware had just one more save than the Tribe, 9-8.

William and Mary look to bounce back April 6 against Towson at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field in Williamsburg, Va.

LACI MILLER CHIEF SPORTS WRITER

RYAN GOODMAN / THE FLAT HAT

Fifth-year outfielder Joe Delossantos has had a scorching-hot start in 2024. In the Delaware series, Delossantos hit his seventh home run of the year and drove in five runs. RYAN GOODMAN / THE FLAT HAT After two CAA series wins, the Tribe currently sits third in conference standings.

RYAN

sports

Tribe names Brian Earl as new men’s basketball head coach

Former Cornell head coach looks to transform program into powerhouse

Wednesday, March 27, William and Mary Athletics Director Brian D. Mann formally introduced Brian Earl as the Tribe’s 32nd men’s basketball head coach. Both Mann and Earl spoke at a public press conference at Zable Stadium’s President’s Suite in Williamsburg, Va.

Mann believes Earl’s experience as a player and coach will contribute to Tribe basketball’s future success.

“His intellectual ability to evaluate, to figure out how to find those gaps and create schemes that put our players in positions to succeed and his never-ending commitment to that approach is what’s going to make sure we’re competing at the highest levels of the CAA,” Mann said.

“

We have exceptional young men here who I promise will represent William and Mary basketball and Wiliam and Mary as an institution every day on campus.

Mann outlined the hiring process, emphasizing Earl’s connection to William and Mary’s values as both a coach and a person.

“We doubled down on our commitment to who we are, which is to provide student-athletes access to a world-class education, to compete for and win championships and to make sure they’re prepared for what’s next,” Mann said. “We found someone who has those qualities in his DNA.”

Honored as the 1999 Ivy League Player of the Year, Earl won

95 games across four seasons during his collegiate career at Princeton. Earl also set the Ivy League record of 281 threepointers over the course of his career, all while helping the Tigers reach the National Collegiate Athletics Association Tournament multiple times.

“The coaches there taught me a lot about life and how to be a young man,” Earl said. “They taught me hard work, teamwork and sacrifice.”

Following his graduation, Earl played in the United States Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Alliance, taking his talent overseas to both Germany and England.

Earl returned to Princeton in 2007, where he kicked off his coaching career as an assistant coach. There, he worked under former teammates Mitchell Henderson and Sydney Johnson.

From 2016 to 2024, Earl served as Cornell’s head coach, where he led the Big Red to three Ivy League Tournament appearances and numerous offensive achievements. During the 2023-24 season, Cornell tied for the second-most victories in program history with 22 wins, averaging 82.1 points per game. This winter, the team ranked No. 17 in scoring offense nationally, finishing the regular season with an Rating Percentage Index of 49.

Mann identified Earl’s steadfast commitment to his players and the game as a distinguishing quality, particularly during the COVID-19 era. Though the Ivy League did not compete during the 2020-21 season, Earl seized the opportunity to evaluate the team’s play.

“He made significant changes to how he was operating, how they were running the program and what came next,” Mann said. “Over the next few years, he was able to effectively institute those changes and build them into a program that won 22 games this year.”

Earl credits his former players to the Big Red’s success this past year.

“This is not ‘goodbye,’ it’s ‘see you later’ for those Cornell guys,” Earl said. “I hope to stay in touch with them forever.”

Earl also attributes his success as a coach to his family members. His father played forward for Rutgers, and his brother played at Penn State and currently serves as head coach at Chattanooga.

Earl and his brother are one of five active sets of brothers

directing Division I basketball programs.

“There’s not a lot of people telling you constructive criticism, and my brother is someone I lean on to be able to say, ‘You went too far,’” Earl said. “I lean on him a lot as a trusted advisor, and I’m glad for him.”

Earl also expressed gratitude for the support of his wife and three sons during the hiring process.

“

We doubled down on our commitment to who we are, which is to provide student-athletes access to a world-class education, to compete for and win championships and to make sure they’re prepared for what’s next. We found someone who has those qualities in his DNA.

- Athletics Director Brian D.

Mann

Earl said his decision to take the head coach position at William and Mary was a “no brainer.” Drawn to the school’s strong academic culture, he looks forward to seeing his athletes develop both on and off the court.

“Having been at the institution that I went to and graduated from, what I know is the impact of a William and Mary degree is invaluable as you go into your life after basketball,” Earl said. “I’ve been in institutions where players I’ve coached, teammates I’ve played with, classmates are running the world, and that’s what our alumni will do in the world.”

Additionally, Earl plans to recruit players who understand the value of a William and Mary degree.

“We have exceptional young men here who I promise will represent William and Mary basketball and William and Mary as an institution every day on campus,” Earl said.

This past season, Tribe basketball faced several injuries, going 10-23 overall and 4-14 in in-conference play. Earl hopes to rebound by building on the team’s strengths while targeting areas for improvement.

“We want to play fast with my teams,” Earl said. “I’m ready and willing and excited to work with the guys.”

The team also looks forward to an increased pace of play next season.

“I think our play style will change, and I think we will play a lot faster this year,” sophomore guard Chase Lowe said. “I am most excited to play fast and get up and down in transition.”

Though his time at William and Mary has just begun, Earl has already identified his coaching style as a change for players.

“They have a group that’s incredibly close, which is good to see,” Earl said. “There’s a lot of moving parts.”

Lowe — whom Earl recruited to Cornell — is optimistic about Tribe basketball’s future and looks forward to collaborating with Earl again.

“We built a good relationship through the recruitment process,” Lowe said.

Ultimately, Earl hopes to build Tribe basketball into a winning program for the William and Mary community.

“I think the most important thing that I want to do going forward is when our students or staff or faculty or alumni watch us play, they say, ‘Those guys play hard, and I’m proud of them,’” Earl said.

MADDIE MOHAMADI AND SYDNEY WITWER

THE FLAT HAT

JULIANA GOMIEN / THE FLAT HAT

Earl served as the Cornell menʼs basketball head coach for seven seasons. Under his leadership, the Big Red appeared in the Ivy League Tournament three times.

- Menʼs basketball head coach Brian Earl

JULIANA GOMIEN / THE FLAT HAT William and Mary Athletics Director Brian D. Mann formally introduced Brian Earl as the Tribeʼs 32nd menʼs basketball head coach at a press conference in Williamsburg, Va. Athletes, coaches and members of the Williamsburg community attended.