The Flat Hat March 20, 2024

BROWN HALL RENAMED

College, WMF renovate 'Gates Hall' after anonymous $30M donation

Wednesday, March 20, the College of William and Mary announced that the William and Mary Foundation and the College will rename Brown Hall to “Robert M. Gates Hall” and transform it into an academic building, following a recent anonymous donation of $30 million.

The building, which served as a dormitory for Army Specialized Training cadets and service members in the 1940s, most recently served as a freshman dormitory until 2022. The College purchased the building, which is now owned by the WMF, in 1939.

Additionally, Gates Hall, named for College Chancellor Robert Gates ’65, L.H.D. ’98, will house the Global Research Institute, the Institute for Integrative Conservation and the Whole of Government Center of Excellence. According to the College, in addition to the lead gift, endowments have also been created to support the academic centers and the long-term care of the building.

The anonymous donor, who is a WMF trustee, laid out her reasons for the donation.

“I have long admired President Rowe’s leadership and am thrilled to support her bold vision through reimagined spaces where new knowledge can grow, and grand challenges find solutions,” the donor told the College. “I am thankful for the opportunity to recognize Chancellor Gates. Given the divisions in our nation and world, we need leaders of his caliber, patriotism and integrity — now more than ever.”

College President Katherine Rowe gave her thoughts on the new project.

“We are deeply grateful for our trustee’s passion for conservation and sustainability — so important to the work that will take place in this special building,” Rowe told the College. “Like the chancellor, she is a true servant leader; she does not seek recognition for herself. Through her partnership, across the university, she has inspired us to aim high.

Gates Hall will build on other initiatives that her generosity has brought to life here.”

According to the College, during a recent visit to campus, Gates, who served as the U.S. secretary of defense under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, said he feels humbled and overwhelmed to be recognized.

“This is the greatest honor I’ve received in my lifetime,” he said. “William and Mary is where I felt called to public service, and I can see that the call to make a difference is still felt strongly here. This building will serve as a hub for generations of students and faculty to cultivate new ideas to contribute to the nation and the world.”

Notably, Brown Hall, which sits at the corner of Prince George and North Boundary streets, is located on the original site of the Williamsburg Bray School. Established in 1760, the Williamsburg Bray School was the first school in the country for enslaved and

free Black children. According to the College, there are plans to hold exhibits inside Gates Hall detailing the history of the Bray School and the children who attended the school, with input from the Williamsburg Bray School descendant community.

Not only will Gates Hall be the new house for the GRI, the WGC and the IIC, but it will also be the new location for the annual Gates Forum, where bipartisan public officials gather to discuss international relations reforms and U.S. nonmilitary instruments of power.

The College also stated that the classrooms and shared spaces will be available for use by all College students, faculty and staff.

“We are thrilled that state-of-the-art technology in the new building will allow our students and faculty to connect with partners around the world in new ways,” GRI Director Mike Tierney ’87, M.A. ’88, P ’15, the George & Mary Hylton Professor of International Relations told the College. “But there is something about face-to-face engagement that ignites the creative process. Random interactions spark ideas that lead to creative solutions. This new building is designed to encourage those spontaneous encounters.”

The WMF will partner with the William and Mary Real Estate Foundation, which will serve as the project manager. The WMREF recently named Logan Hall, a longtime real estate and construction management professional, as its executive director.

Prior to their relocations, the IIC, the WGC and the GRI will be housed in the Earl Gregg Swem Library’s ground floor, in a section dubbed “The Hive.”

IIC Student Leadership Council Chair Malvika Shrimali ’24 shared excitement and anticipation regarding the IIC’s new relocation plans.

“I am surprised but grateful for this news,” Shrimali wrote in an email to The Flat Hat. “I think the IIC, and GRI/Whole of Government, has the capacity to fill any space it is given. I’m also excited to have a natural space with the courtyard!”

Bill guts legacy admissions in Virginia colleges

College says law will not significantly impact admissions

Friday, March 8, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bill prohibiting public colleges in Virginia from considering legacy and donor status in admissions procedures.

In 2023, approximately 8% of the enrolled class at the College were legacy students. In a report provided to the College's board of visitors in the fall of 2023, the College stated that the SAT scores and high school GPA of legacy students fell within the range of the entire admitted group and were only considered in admissions decisions when all other factors were determined to be equal between applicants.

Moreover, the College considers an applicant’s propensity to enroll once admitted, and legacy students were found to be more than twice as likely to enroll at the College, compared to non-legacy students who never visited the campus.

In an email to The Flat Hat, the College of William and Mary’s Undergraduate Admission Office supplied their definition of the term legacy applicant.

“William & Mary considers an applicant’s familial relationship with the university, commonly referred to as ‘legacy status,’ in alignment with the institution’s admission policies. As originally approved in 1973 and revised in 1978 by the Board of Visitors, those policies affirm ‘application for admission to [William & Mary] is open to all, acceptance to be decided on a competitive basis within the framework of certain concepts, balances and constraints,’” the email read.

The College does not predict any substantial changes to its admissions procedures following this legislation. Yet they confirmed they will review their processes to ensure that they comply with the newly-passed bill.

“William & Mary does not currently have a separate admission process or standard for legacy applicants, and our data confirms that the academic profile of admitted legacy applicants is very high and consistent with our overall admitted class,” said the College in an official statement on the undergraduate admission’s website.

In 2023, the median GPA of admitted legacy students was 4.38, as compared to 4.42 for non-legacy students. Similarly, the median SAT score of admitted legacy students was 1450, as opposed to 1470 for their non-legacy counterparts.

Student Assembly Senate to decide on Palestine Ceasefire resolution

Tawfik ’27, Sen. Tyson Liverman ’27 and Class President Yannie Chang ’25 are also listed as co-sponsors of the resolution.

Tuesday, March 26, the Student Assembly of the College of William and Mary Senate will vote on SR 331-005 – Te Ceasefre in Palestine Resolution. If passed, the resolution will formally call for College President Katherine Rowe to release a statement calling for a ceasefre between Hamas and Israel, as well as the delivery of immediate aid to the Gaza strip and the return of refugees.

Sen. Hashir Aqeel ’25 and Secretary of the Senate Sen. Hazel Vineet ’25 sponsored the resolution, which is currently endorsed by at least 30 members of Recognized Student Organizations and SA.

Sen. Laayba Tanoli ’26, Sen. Matthew Hwang ’25, Sen. Mayer

Te resolution, which states that its mission is “To Recognize and Condemn Ethnic Cleansing in Palestine,” was introduced to the chamber Tuesday, March 5.

Te resolution details Israel’s violence in Gaza and the College’s response to the confict, including Rowe’s statement following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.

According to the resolution, SA has the responsibility “to act as the bridge between the student body and the administration even when, and especially when, it is difcult to do so.”

It also states that SA is against all forms of discrimination.

“WHEREAS, the Student

Assembly of William & Mary opposes all forms of oppression, including, anti-Palestinian, antiArab, anti-Semitic, anti-Asian, antiBlack, anti-Indigenous, anti-Latinx/ Chicanx racisms, Islamophobia, and any other forms of prejudice;” a clause reads.

Class President Mia Tilman ’24 also left a comment on the resolution providing her thoughts on the infuence of the College.

“Tought: also might be helpful to provide the connection that the US and US based companies have, which is why advocacy from W&M admin, a relatively infuential body in the US and DC, is relevant,” Tilman wrote.

Troughout the Google document version of the resolution, Sen. Connor Cheadle J.D. ’25 left comments rebutting whereas clauses of the

resolution with his own thoughts of the confict.

“Israel has been falsely accused by the United Nations and others of deliberately and willfully targeting residences,” a comment from Cheadle reads. “Tragically, one of the many violations by Hamas of international humanitarian norms is the conduct of its terror activities within residential areas throughout the towns and villages in the Gaza Strip, including the use of commanders’ own homes, where their families and other civilians may be residing. These houses have been used for weapons storage, and command, control, and communication centers.”

Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres condemned the killing of

Palestinians in Gaza Thursday, Feb. 29.

“Te Secretary-General condemns the incident today in northern Gaza in which more than a hundred people were reportedly killed or injured while seeking life-saving aid,” Te United Nations wrote in a press release. “Te desperate civilians in Gaza need urgent help, including those in the besieged north where the United Nations has not been able to deliver aid in more than a week. Te Secretary-General reiterates his call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefre and the unconditional release of all hostages. He once again calls for urgent steps so that critical humanitarian aid can get into and across Gaza to all those in need.”

Te resolution follows similar moves from other colleges and universities.

AGGIE RIGO SAITTA AND LILA REIDY THE FLAT HAT

RYAN GOODMAN / THE FLAT HAT Brown Hall served most recently as a freshman dormitory.

insight

I am proud of how the IIC has grown over my college career. The IIC as an entity is strategic, ambitious and thoughtful.

̶ Malvika Shrimali ʻ25

FLAT HAT NEWS BRIEF

College reveals 2024 Commencement speaker: Judge John Charles Thomas, first African American, youngest appointee on Virginia Supreme Court

Tuesday, March 19, the College of William and Mary announced that Judge John Charles Thomas, the first African American and youngest-ever appointee on the Supreme Court of Virginia, will speak at the Collegeʼs Commencement ceremony for the class of 2024.

Thomas will deliver the 2024 Commencement address at 7 p.m. in Zable Stadium May 17, where he will receive an honorary degree at the event. Thomas was previously named an honorary alumnus of the William and Mary Law School in 2016 and an honorary alumnus of the College in 2018. He has received many other accolades from the College throughout the years.

“A dear friend to this university, Judge Thomas has called William & Mary students to ʻbe magnificent builders in your whole lives.ʼ He models that type of leadership with his own life. His accomplishments are built on cornerstones of integrity, excellence, service and belonging,” President Katherine A. Rowe said in a press release provided by Erin Jay, Senior Associate Director of University News.

Thomas previously spoke at the 2021 Convocation ceremony, which the class of 2024 attended in-person since their initial ceremony was virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was also a former board of visitors member for the College for nearly 12 years.

“We have great hopes at the start of this academic year for what you will become. What we are trying to do is to ignite within you the burning desire to learn ̶ and keep learning ̶ to push for fairness, justice, and equity. And then to share the light that is within you,” Thomas said in his opening Convocation speech.

He is also connected to the Collegeʼs 2024 theme of the “Year of the Arts” due to his extensive experience as a poet.

A THOUSAND WORDS

College welcomes inaugural Director of FGLI Student Engagement Joselia Souza

Souza aims to help first-generation students transition from high school to college, beyond

SAM BELMAR AND ISEN LEE // FLAT HAT NEWS ASSOCS.

As the College of William and Mary’s inaugural Director of First-Generation, Low-Income Student Engagement, Joselia Souza holds both personal and professional experience providing resources to students who did not have the means to access these opportunities before. Souza began in the newly-created position in February with the goal of expanding access to resources, programs and mentors for the College’s first-generation student population.

“I’m in the very early stages of feeling the temperature of the university, seeing what the needs are, getting to know the students, figuring out William and Mary myself, meeting with different departments, seeing what resources are offered to first-gen students and figuring out how I can serve as the umbrella of support to be able to expand access to these resources,” Souza said.

As a first-generation student herself, Souza aims to support other first-generation students here at the College. In addition to her new position, Souza is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Education and Higher Education Leadership at the University of Miami.

“

Souza graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in sociology. While she originally entered the institution as an intended engineering major, her best friend’s passion for sociology eventually led her to switch majors.

“I got into sociology because my best friend was studying sociology, and she had a really close relationship with the director of sociology at Notre Dame,” Souza said. “I ended up spending Thanksgiving at her home one time because I couldn’t go home. So then we really got to talk, one on one, me and the faculty member about what sociology is and my best friend about why she loved it. So that’s kind of how I got involved with sociology.”

in both sociology and education, that same professor encouraged Souza to pursue a master’s degree in higher education. Souza shared how important it was to have a mentor who believed in her along the way — one who ultimately gave her the confidence to take that next step on her academic journey.

“The same wonderful lady was like, you should go get your master’s in higher education,” Souza said. And I’m like, ‘a master’s?’ And she’s like, ‘You can do it, I believe in you.’ And that’s kind of all it took throughout my undergraduate career to have that one person to be like, ‘you got this, you got it in the bag. You made it this far. You made it to Notre Dame. That’s not a small accomplishment. You can do it.’”

While completing her master’s degree at Southern Methodist University, Souza founded the university’s First Generation Initiative. The program helps first-generation undergraduate students adjust to college life by providing various resources and individualized support.

Iʼm in the very early stages of feeling the temperature of the university, seeing what the needs are, getting to know the students, figuring out William and Mary myself, meeting with different departments, seeing what resources are offered to first-gen students and figuring out how I can serve as the umbrella of support to be able to expand access to these resources.

- Joselia Souza

Souza quickly became passionate about the field after taking several fascinating courses.

“There were amazing classes that I took,” Souza said. “I took Criminology, Social Problems, Marriage and Family, I took a bunch of really cool classes. And I kind of fell in love to a point where I ended up doing a thesis even though it wasn’t required.”

Souza’s decision to write an optional thesis was heavily inspired by a professor she met in her junior year. This professor encouraged her to embark on a research project under her mentorship, and even though Souza didn’t fully understand what that sort of research entailed at the time, she took a leap of faith and accepted the opportunity.

“Picture a student whose parents didn’t go to college, they don’t know what research is.” Souza said. “She gave me some time, she gave me half a semester to think about it, and in the end, I was like ‘alright, I’ll do it.’ So then I did it.”

After completing her thesis which covered topics

“I started this brand new department or segment within the department of Student Persistence and Achievement,” Souza said. “As a grad student, I started the first annual, national first-gen day, and now it’s huge. It started with me having donuts and people tabling different resources, and balloon arches. And now they have a DJ, food trucks, so now it’s a huge celebration. And that makes me really excited.” Following her master’s degree, Souza took a job at a high school in Dallas, Texas, where she worked closely with frstgeneration students. Tis opportunity enabled her to gain insight into what students really need in their transition to higher education, by virtue of what they lack.

“Most of the students were frst-gen, maybe like 95%, so they were basically all frst-gen,” Souza said. “It was so interesting seeing where these students are coming from. You see them when they get to college, but what do their high schools actually look like? I really got to see that, and it showed me that there’s so much of a gap in the students’ needs to be successful, especially as they transition into college.”

Souza then worked at the University of Miami and Florida International University, where living in the undergraduate dorms brought her in close contact with first-generation students. These experiences further developed her knowledge on what resources and support FGLI students need most in a college setting, ultimately leading her to the College.

In her free time, Souza enjoys hiking and going to the beach. She looks forward to meeting new students, encourages visits to her office in the VPSA suite on the third floor of Sadler Center and is excited to host her first major event this upcoming November for National First-Generation College Celebration Day.

SEDRA OLABI / THE FLAT HAT

Democracy Initiative hosts elections panel with alum, faculty

Panelists discuss election history, current political climate, predictions for 2024

PEERAWUT RUANGSAWASDI FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

Wednesday, March 6, the College of William and Mary’s Democracy Initiative, Government Department and the Election Law Program hosted a panel discussion titled“‘In Our Hands’: A Conversation on Elections in America.”

Panel members included Fair Vote Director of Advocacy Brian Cannon ’04, JD ’11, Associate Professor of Law and Election Law Program CoDirector Rebecca Green, Assistant Professor of Government Mackenzie

Israel-Trummel, Holtzman Vogel Josefak Torchinsky PLLC law partner Jason Torchinsky ’98, J.D. ’01 and Executive Director of UpVote VA Liz White ’04. Co-chair of the Democracy Initiative and Dean of University Libraries Carrie Lynn Cooper started the event by laying out the initiative’s missions.

“William and Mary has a long history of debate as a strategy for deep learning,” Cooper said. “The ‘Democracy’ pillar of Vision 2026, the university’s strategic plan, afrms our commitment to the freedom of expression on our campus, and our desire to graduate students who are equipped with the skills to speak when they have a dissenting opinion and listen when others in the room have a diferent point of view.”

Green touched on the reasons why she believed that the title of the conversation is apt to the current environment in the United States.

“First, there is today — and it has historically been — an incredible level of democratic engagement at William and Mary,” Green said. “William and Mary, of course, has played a pivotal role in shaping democracy since the founding. Many of the Founding Fathers came through this way. It’s the site of the frst law school in the United States. So in a very real way, the law of democracy emanates from Williamsburg.”

Green added that students at the College are actively engaged in elections.

“AnotherthingI’mveryproudtoreportisthatWilliamandMarystudentsvote in record numbers,” Green said. “Apparently, William and Mary has the highest number of, perhaps I should say, in 2020, the highest number of registered voters in any school in Virginia. So it’s an incredibly engaged community.”

Green explained the second reason the conversation is apt is because

NEWS ANALYSIS

of its timing. One day before the discussion, Virginia participated in “Super Tuesday,” where individuals voted in the presidential primaries for both the Republican and Democratic parties. She also noted that the U.S. Supreme Court had just ruled in favor of former U.S. President Donald Trump, asserting that states could not use the 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution to bar him from running.

The panelists engaged in various topics, including presidential primaries and district divisions.

Cannon pointed out his experience in redistricting reform in 2011.

“But what I learned in that process in 2011, is we presented our maps to the General Assembly because they were redistricting at that time,” Cannon said. “And I thought, ‘This is the perfect time to get some sort of reform. Lord knows we could do it.’ Anyways, better than the way we currently do it, where we just let politicians draw their own districts and ensure their reelection and that kind of thing. But we had a divided legislature, which doesn’t happen often in redistricting years. The Democrats control the Senate, the Republicans control the House, and Bob McDonnell was governor.”

Cannon elaborated on what happened after.

“And while Bob McDonnell was not some brave champion of democracy reform writ large, he had said some nice things about, ‘We should probably do our best to curb gerrymandering.’ So, I thought this was the time to get something,” Cannon said. “Probably not everything I would want, but to get something. And instead what we got in Virginia was, the Democrats gerrymandered the state Senate for themselves. The Republicans gerrymandered the state House for themselves, and governor McDonnell vetoed the Democratic plan, but then signed one later, and all was fne for everybody’s reelection campaign.”

After several years of efort, Virginia created an independent redistricting commission in 2020.

Panelists also touched on the topic of polarization.

“I am a huge advocate of political parties and the strength of political parties,” Torchinsky said. “I think that over the last 20 years, the decline in the strength of political parties has caused some of the polarization

that we’re seeing today. And I think, frankly, in some of these reform movements, they have been the root of the weakening of the parties and higher and more highly polarized sort of nature of politics.”

Torchinsky said that some reforms, such as independent redistricting commissions advocated by White and Cannon, weaken the party system. “I love Jason, I’ve known him for 20 years. Obviously we disagree on a couple of things. But I really appreciated that he’s here to kind of give you that perspective, because I don’t want it to just be some — reformers make mistakes or that are perhaps there are unintended consequences of reform,” Cannon responded, while doubling down on his support for independent redistricting commissions.

White mostly spoke on her advocacy for Ranked-Choice Voting.

“So you can vote your heart, you can vote for your longshot candidate, or you can just be a terrible pundit and vote for who you think is going to win and be very, very wrong,” White said. ”So, you know, I think a lot of people are really excited about this as a change, as a reform idea for fxing some of the problems that we’re experiencing.”

Israel-Trummel spoke on the importance of political engagement.

“Some of the work that I think is the most, that gives me the most reason for optimism is the research that shows the efects of social protest and social movements,” Israel-Trummel said. “So, social movements have a variety of efects on political society and on society broadly. They can change public opinion by sort of drawing attention to issues, making them more salient. They can mobilize voters, and actually increase participation in [an] election. They can drive opposition to incumbents and increase support for challengers, increasing the number of people in ofce.”

Attendee Leo Sereni ’24 shared his reaction to the event.

“I like the interdisciplinary [aspect],” Sereni said. “Well, the panel itself is interdisciplinary in multiple ways. There is academics and practitioners. So there’s a range of partisan ideologies. So that was, if anything, what I appreciated from it. I think that talking about diferent ways people can be involved and just the state of elections right now, it’s not a dimensional issue, it’s a multi dimensional issue.”

Youngkin signs bill ending legacy admissions in Virginia public universities

Students leaders share thoughts regarding billʼs potential impact on future of College

LEGACY ADMISSIONS from page 1

“I am unapologetically in support of the bill,” Lazo wrote. “As a frst-generation student, the college application process slams us with endless trials, troubles, and tribulations for the simple chance of getting to attend an institution of higher learning. While it would be a dream for my children to also attend William & Mary, I would like for them to receive an ofer of admission based on their merit. William & Mary’s motto of ‘You Belong’ should be accessible to all. First-generation students and students with or without parents who attended William & Mary should all be granted admission under the same expectation of merit, not connections.”

Lazo commented on how he thinks the bill may afect the

POLITICS

Students

College and its prospective applicants.

“I believe that students who are suited for William & Mary will ultimately fnd their way here. In terms of university admissions in general, I believe it will have very little impact on the process,” Lazo wrote.

Lazo also serves as the undergraduate representative for the Arts and Sciences committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and works with faculty to manage the efects of the U.S. Supreme Court Afrmative Action decision of June 29, 2023’s efects on the College.

“The bill is equitable, fair, and inclusive for all students in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” Lazo added. “It ensures that everyone, especially after the dismantling of Afrmative Action, has equal access to an education. William & Mary has and will

continue to, bring in a diverse, vibrant community of learners, and this bill will reinforce that.”

Associate Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of Admission Tim Wolfe ’95, M.Ed. ’01, manages all undergraduate applications sent to the College, shared his thoughts on the new bill in an email to The Flat Hat.

“While we will need some time to review this legislation thoroughly, we do not anticipate this legislation having a signifcant impact on our process,”Wolfe wrote.

According to an executive summary document provided by the Undergraduate Admission Ofce, the department details its reasons for considering legacy status in the past.

“Refecting a higher propensity to enroll, the yield rate for admitted students who are legacy is more than double that for

a general applicant,” the document states. “Within a competitive process open to all, W&M is aware of legacy status in admission decisions. As specifed in Board-approved policy, that status may apply when other considerations are essentially equal.”

Student Assembly President Sydney Thayer ’24 said while the bill may disallow legacy admissions, she believes that the College will be able to attract students with legacy status regardless.

“In my view, this bill helps to ensure a level playing feld in the college admissions process. While every student’s circumstances are diferent, legacy admissions has a history of giving an advantage to students who already come from a more privileged background given that other members of their family have had the opportunity to attend college,” Thayer wrote in an email to The Flat Hat.

activists describe campus eforts ahead of Virginia Presidential Primaries

Political campus organizations describe voter mobilization, emphasize importance of student involvement

AGGIE RIGO SAITTA FLAT HAT VARIETY ASSOC.

Tuesday, March 5, the presidential primary elections for the Democratic and Republican parties were held in Virginia during what is called “Super Tuesday,” when 16 states and territories participated in presidential primaries.

In Virginia, incumbent U.S. President Joe Biden won the Democratic presidential primary election, garnering 88.5% of total votes. Forty-fifth U.S. President Donald Trump won the Republican presidential primary election with 63% of total votes. Nikki Haley trailed most closely behind Trump in the Republican primary winning 35% of total votes.

Within the College of William and Mary community, there are various Collegebased initiatives and student-led political organizations that raise awareness about local, state and national elections and work towards increasing student voting awareness and engagement.

Gabriel Stein ’27 is the treasurer of the College Republicans, a studentled political club founded in 1976 that currently serves as the College’s leading conservative organization on campus. In an email to The Flat Hat, Stein remarked that voting locations and hours for early voting were mentioned weekly at CRS meetings and group chats in the weeks leading up to the presidential primary to increase student voter awareness.

“We also tabled twice before the primary to raise awareness of both the primary and to have a public forum where we could encourage healthy debate with members of the William & Mary community,” Stein wrote.

Moreover, Stein commended the College for their comprehensive work towards increasing student voter awareness. He mentioned Student Assembly and the Voter Engagement Committee informed students about voting registration, dates, locations and encouraged students to go out and vote

in both primary and general elections.

Saylor Barnes ’26, a member of Young Democrats and the William and Mary Voter Engagement Committee, also shared her perception of student awareness levels around the primary elections in an email to The Flat Hat.

“I think students are absolutely aware of the primaries and this past election was an example of that. Organizations were tabling almost every day for weeks leading up to election day and there were posters all over campus,” Barnes wrote.

“After voting myself, I saw people all over campus who were wearing ‘I Voted’ stickers. I think this election was on a lot of people’s minds, as a lot of our rights were on the line in this election.”

Although many students were aware of the primary elections occurring, Stein expressed his opinion on the reasons for suspected lower student voter engagement in these primary presidential elections.

“However, while I think voter knowledge is high, unfortunately we

found that voter engagement was lukewarm at best, and rather apathetic at worst,” Stein said. “It was painfully apparent in this primary, where both parties really had ‘predetermined’ outcomes, that voting was not as important or pressing as this past November, or in past election years. I believe that if the primary had been more competitive on either side, then maybe we would have had a more engaged voter base at the College.”

Ella Forlin ’27 is a member of Young Democrats and was also a campaign fellow for College Senior Director of Community Affairs and Partnerships for the campaign of Monty Mason ’89, who previously served as a member of the Virginia State Senate from 2016 until he lost reelection in November 2023. Forlin shared a similar sentiment in an email to The Flat Hat.

“Most W&M students knew about the primaries but weren’t particularly motivated to participate in them,” Forlin wrote. “I would say I am more politically

active than the average student, but even I struggled to find the energy to vote. Because it was basically guaranteed that the results would be Biden v Trump (again), it felt like my vote wouldn’t count, and I think a lot of other students feel the same way.”

Given that many students felt that their vote would matter less in these nonnarrowly contested primary presidential elections, these student political clubs have been working to counter this narrative.

“We encourage our members to vote at every opportunity to do so, no matter how local or pre-decided the election may be. Voting is the foundation of democracy, as we say in club meetings, and thus it is our civic duty to exercise that inalienable right. For members of the William & Mary community at-large, we try to increase voter engagement by tabling on various issues at hand, and encouraging people to vote based on how they connect with those issues,” Stein said.

PEERAWUT RUANGSAWASDI / THE FLAT HAT Co-chair of the Democracy Initiative and Dean of University Lib raries Carrie Lynn Cooper introduced the panelists and gave bac kground on the Democracy Initiative. The guest panelists hailed from local law firms and electoral commentary firms.

SA passes five bills, funding for professional development sessions fails

Student Assembly Senators sponsor bills for Nowruz, therapy cat s, drink spiking prevention

Tuesday, March 5, the Student Assembly of the College of William and Mary Senate met and passed fve bills, while one bill failed to advance from the chamber. Two new senators also joined the body — Sens. Hunter Steele White ’27 and former class presidential candidate Sophie Kennedy ’27, following vacancies created by former Sens. Jason Zhou ’27 and Jonathan Aspin ’27’s resignations.

Te Nowruz Act, sponsored by Sen. Laayba Tanoli ’26, aims to provide $600 to fund an event celebrating Nowruz, the Persian new year. According to the bill, the Center for Student Diversity has committed to providing space for organizing the event, which will be set up Tuesday, March 19 to Saturday, March 30.

Te Supporting the Business Law Review Spring 2024 Symposium Act, sponsored by Sen. Connor O’Neill J.D. ’25, aims to fund the Law School’s Spring Symposium with $8,000 from SA Reserves.

Te Ceasefre in Palestine Resolution, sponsored by Sen. Hashir Aqeel ’25 and Secretary of the Senate Sen. Hazel Vineet ’25, and cosponsored by Tanoli, Sen. Matthew Hwang ’25, Sen. Mayer Tawfk ’27, Sen. Tyson Liverman ’27 and Class President Yannie Chang ’25, says it aims to recognize and condemn ethnic cleansing in Palestine. Te bill calls for College President Katherine Rowe to release a statement calling for a ceasefre in Gaza.

Te Drink Spiking Prevention Act, sponsored by Chang, Hwang, Vineet, Aqeel, Tawfk and Sen. Soleil Garnett ’24, is supported by SA Undersecretary of Health and Safety Zoe Powers ’24 and SA Secretary of Health and Safety Terra Sloane ’25. Te bill aims to provide $3,020 from SA Reserves to purchase 250 Scrunchie NightCaps at $1,500, 250 Keychain NightCaps at $1,500 and fyers at $20.

Te CPR Education Act, sponsored by Hwang and Chang, and supported by Yang, aims to provide $170 to provide for food and funding for cardiopulmonary resuscitation classes, otherwise known as CPR, to be held Friday, March 29.

Te Providing Resources and Opportunities for Enhanced Student Development (PROFESsionals) Act, sponsored by Sen. Marshea Robinson MBA and Sen. Shalini Kumar MBA, aimed to allocate $27,000 from SA Reserves to subsidize the costs of comprehensive group training opportunities for 24 students. Te training sessions were aimed at preparing undergraduate and graduate students in getting their Project Management Professional and Capital Asset

CAMPUS

Pricing Model certifcations.

Following fnancial concerns and concerns that the event was not aimed at the whole student body, the Senate rejected the bill with 11 ‘No’ votes and 10 ‘Yes’ votes. Sen. Brady Clark J.D. ’26 and Kennedy abstained. Te ‘No’ votes were from Chair of the Senate Justin Bailey ‘24, Chang, Sen. Sean Nguyen ‘25, Vineet, Hwang, Class President Zoe Wang ‘26, Tanoli, Sen. Meaghan Jain ‘26, Sen. Matt Swenson ‘26, Class President Nico Giro-Martin ‘27 and White.

The ‘Yes’ votes were from Sen. Sophia Tammera ‘24, Garnett, Aqeel, Liverman, Tawfik, Sen. Connor Cheadle J.D. ’25 and Sen. Connor O’Neill J.D. ’25, Robinson, Kumar and Sen. Chelsea (CJ) Roberts MA.Ed.

According to meeting minutes, Cheadle voiced his support for the bill, arguing that it was benefcial to students.

Tis bill does something real, this is not some silly event we are putting on. Many of our other events are a much greater waste of money. Tis is the most direct I’ve ever seen this body try to further student success,” part of the meeting minutes reads, summarizing Cheadle’s sentiments.

Swenson, who chairs the Senate Finance committee, offered his response.

“Want to push back that the events we host are not helping student experience. Many of them are cultural and support marginalized communities. We are Student Assembly. Tere are other places on campus that can fund PD. Tis is not a more real use of our money than other things,” part of the meeting minutes reads, summarizing Swenson’s reply.

Te Senate unanimously passed Te Paws for Stress Act, sponsored by Tammera. Te bill provides $1,500 from SA Reserves to fund therapy cat events, in collaboration with the organization Pet Partners. Te event is scheduled to be held at the Crim Dell in the week of March 25.

Te chamber also unanimously passed Te Women’s Wellness For All Act, sponsored by Garnett and co-sponsored by Tawfk, which allocated $1,670 to fund the Women’s Wellness For All event, held Monday, March 18.

Te body then passed Te Supporting the Business Law Review Spring 2024 Symposium Act, which allocated $5,000 to cover “various expenses” related to the Business Law Review symposium to be held on Friday, April 5. Te bill received two ‘No’ votes from Tilman and Swenson, every other senator present voted ‘Yes.’

According to the meeting minutes, Director of Student Leadership Development Anne Arseneau ‘89 MA.Ed ‘92 said greater transparency surrounding the expenses would allow for better results.

The chamber also unanimously passed The Intro to American Sign Language Act, sponsored by Chang and Hwang. The bill allocated $3,800 for an Intro to American Sign Language event to be held Wednesday, April 3, featuring guest speakers and ASL interpreters.

The last bill the chamber passed was The Bridging Resources for Access to Crutches and other Equipment (BRACE) Act, sponsored by Wang and Hwang and co-sponsored by Tilman. The bill allocated $1,000 from SA reserves to the McLeod Tyler Wellness Center to subsidize the cost of durable medical equipment for students. The bill passed unanimously.

Brown Hall renamed to Gates Hall after $30M anonymous donation

Gates Hall will be new home for Gates Forum, IIC, GRI, whole of Government center

GUEST

“Past Lives” was robbed of its Oscar for Best Picture

Lana Altunashvili

Look — I’m not naive enough to have thought that “Past Lives” would get Best Picture during the Oscars. But a dreamer can dream, right? As a person who’s had a Letterboxd account for a while now, I can proudly say that I too liked “Oppenheimer,” having rated it four out of five stars. I should also say that I’m biased because generally speaking, I like films like “Past Lives” where the various possibilities of lives yet unlived loom over the characters and occasionally haunt them despite their present successes. But putting that aside, I want to talk about “Past Lives” a little and how much I wish that just this once, a movie like that had gotten the Oscar instead of the commercial hit that was “Oppenheimer.”

I remember back in October, wanting to see “Past Lives” for a while but not having the time to do so until I saw one of my friends’ reviews and decided that it was finally time. I settled in my dorm room, turned on the movie and watched. And truly, I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t that. Though I expected to be bored at first, the movie immediately proved me wrong. I was captivated just by how big this film is, how intense the feelings in it are, despite focusing on, well, pretty much only three sets of relationships, all of which keep juggling this idea of inyeon, or “providence or fate” as the main character, Nora, puts it. It is the idea that the tiniest bit of contact with someone stands for a deep connection in a past life of yours, which is a crucial part of the film. This is a film that, in a way, tells the story of the human condition — a life of love, loss and grief, regret and acceptance and the support of each other through it all.

Something sad about the majority of today’s audiences is that everyone loves a commercial success. It gets hyped up online, gets lots of media attention in addition to normal people raving about it in their posts, tagging the actors, etc. On the other hand, the stories of those that don’t get their own biopics, those that have messages that are just as deep, presented in a less pretentious way — they don’t get a lot of attention. And it’s not that I think “Past Lives” wasn’t popular (in its own circles, it was quite hyped up), but it would have been nice for it to get the recognition it deserved as Best Picture. I feel as though, in chasing and seeking out these blockbusters, we often miss out on the films that reflect what we feel every day, instead of what was felt by these big figures who made great, but at the same time terrible, discoveries. There is always a movie about someone like that, someone who realized only too late what their invention meant to the world as a whole. Still, those are the people we continuously choose to focus on decades later, instead of focusing on the mundane, yet often more interesting explorations of humanity as a whole.

I suppose my frustration isn’t with “Oppenheimer” winning Best Picture and it definitely isn’t with Christopher Nolan or Cillian Murphy — both of whose work I admire. It is simply the frustration of someone who wants films about the reality of most people’s lives to get the credit they’re due. After all, it is something that we can all relate to, something accessible to everyone, something that might give you another perspective on the life you are leading and the relationships you have with other people.

You might say this is possible with “Oppenheimer”, but is it really? Did you come out of the cinema thinking about what your friends meant to you, what your past relationships meant to you, being calm or unnerved about the fact that you might be together in another or in a past life? Or were you simply in awe of Cillian Murphy’s piercing blue eyes and Christopher Nolan’s directorial mastery? Both are equally valid, you know — I just have my own preferences.

Going back to the whole idea of inyeon that runs throughout the film, let’s talk about it more because I think it’s worth considering after or even before watching Celine Song’s directorial debut. This idea from the film is that, “It’s an inyeon if two strangers even walk past each other in the street and their clothes accidentally brush, because it means there must have been something between them in their past lives.” Obviously, it made me contemplate a lot of relationships in my life, but it also provided some sort of comfort. Isn’t it nice to think that you know someone because of a connection formed before you were even born? That perhaps nothing is accidental and even the serendipitous links you make with people, are not serendipitous at all? That even if something doesn’t work the way you wanted it to in this life, that means in your other lives, you are bound to be connected to that something in yet another, maybe even a better, more meaningful way?

Rewatching “Past Lives” now, as part of my ‘research’ for the article, I’ve realized another iteration of inyeon. Because if “Past Lives” was nominated for an Oscar in this life, this close of a connection to the biggest film award in the industry, it must be closer to it in another life, surely? Maybe even in another life, it got the recognition it deserves, it won the Oscar, I didn’t have to write this article and most people love it just as much as I do. But even if it didn’t do any of this in other iterations of this existence, it is still a movie that changed my perspective on many things and, hopefully, it will soon change yours.

LanaAltunashvili’27isaprospective biology major. She is a James Monroe Scholar and a member of ClubTennis.Contactheratlaltunashvili@wm.edu

Chilled speech:

Students for Justice in Palestine and the right to protest

Free speech and peaceful protest are prerequisites to democracy that must always be defended.

At the College of William and Mary, a public university, they are not only ideals to uphold but also rights under the First Amendment to the Constitution. Students, like faculty, do not lose these basic rights at the schoolhouse gates, even if their opinions are unorthodox, unpopular or controversial. And yet, at least for Students for Justice in Palestine, the administrative restrictions have chilled student speech.

The Flat Hat reported on Jan. 23 that the College’s Community Values and Restorative Practices department, part of the Dean of Students office, placed the SJP on probation because some students temporarily blocked a crosswalk near Blow Memorial Hall after a protest outside a Board of Visitors meeting. Despite crosswalk loitering not being part of the protest or approved by the group, the College nonetheless put the organization on probation.

One member of SJP, who was so fearful they requested anonymity from The Flat Hat, felt like they were under “constant targeting,” and that “other members of the community aren’t always given the same treatment.” At a student walkout on Feb. 8, another member of the group called the probation deci-

sion “petty” and “unjust.” At a protest on March 1, professor William Fisher said that “intimidation” is discouraging students and faculty from speaking freely.

To evaluate concerns that SJP has been treated differently than other registered student organizations, I requested — and received — the public records of decisions by Community Values and Restorative Practices to warn, discipline, suspend, put on probation or revoke recognition of any student organization, from July 1, 2021 to Jan. 30, 2024. These records suggest that protestrelated policy violations are treated more severely than others.

Out of 32 decisions, 28 of these involved fraternities, one involved a sorority, one involved an athletic team and two involved SJP. Out of 15 organizations, five received probation. Only the two decisions against SJP involved protest-related policies. The other decisions ranged from hazing to alcohol to drugs to weapons to damage to disruption.

Except for SJP, probation was only given for alcohol and hazing. 10 other organizations received only warnings — several received multiple warnings –for violations involving hazing, alcohol, drugs, weapons, damage to facilities and class disruption. Regardless of the violation, most groups were punished less severely than SJP.

In other words, the College’s own public records indicate that the administration may not be as protective of “the right to peaceful political expression” as President Katherine Rowe stated on Nov. 1, 2023. The “Use of Campus Facilities” policy is also more restrictive than it should be, stating that constitutionally protected expression is protected “in university-controlled facilities” while prohibiting student protests and demonstrations everywhere except “on outdoor property.”

Members of SJP and organizations with similar political viewpoints are right to be concerned that the College has punished protest-related violations more severely than other violations and that it has punished SJP more harshly than other groups. Thus, it comes as no surprise that students and faculty are afraid to express their views.

Admittedly, it is difficult to discuss the barbaric massacre of 1,200 Israelis by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023 and Israel’s retaliatory invasion of Gaza, which has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians, displaced two million Palestinians and caused children to die from malnutrition and dehydration.

Yet it is worse to ignore what President Joe Biden acknowledged in the State of the Union is a “humanitarian crisis.” Despite opposition from Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the U.S. must push for a ceasefire, prevent famine and take real steps toward a two-state solution.

Protests calling for a ceasefire, protest votes in the primaries and images of starving children in Gaza pushed Biden to finally propose a “ceasefire” and draw a “red line” against Netanyahu’s plan to attack Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have sought refuge.

That is the power of peaceful protest, and that is why the College’s decision to punish SJP for unauthorized, isolated acts by some group members is so problematic.

AlanKennedyJ.D.’09,M.A.’09, Ph.D.,isanassistantteachingprofessor ofpublicpolicy.Theviewsexpressed arehisown.Emailhimatahkennedy@ wm.edu.

Bits & Pieces: Drive-Thru Meal

COMIC BY ARIANNA STEWART / THE FLAT HAT

Let the race begin: Student Assembly elections need more engagement

A year and a half ago, I entered the College of William and Mary brighteyed and ambitious, eager to meet new people and immerse myself in the many extracurricular activities this college had to offer. I also wanted to make some kind of a difference — one that, in part, would look nice on a resume (I’m not afraid to admit it). So, I did what any former high school senior council member would do: I ran to be a senator for the class of 2026.

That did not pan out very well. Ultimately, I came in fifth place by three votes. Little wonder that I lost. Frankly, I ran a misguided campaign without a clear message and lacked realistic policy proposals. I made serious blunders throughout the two week sprint to the election. Instead of talking with my peers, I spent time and energy making Instagram posts on Canva that no one would engage with. Worst of all, I reneged on a promise to endorse a friend who was running for class president, a conniving decision I regret to this day.

Thursday, March 28, students at the College will have the opportunity to once again elect their class senators, class presidents and student body

STAFF COLUMN

president. As the election nears, I’ve been reflecting on my experience. I remember sitting in my 15-person COLL 150 on the morning of the aforementioned election. It just so happened that two of my competitors were in the same class, and it was tense. I remember the disappointment of defeat. But more than that, I remember the valuable lessons that running, and losing, taught me.

Competitive student government elections are sure to bring some degree of pain to those who choose to run or support failed candidates. Even so, the upcoming election will serve as a positive catalyst for meaningful discussion and personal reflection. That’s something we can all look forward to.

The candidate declaration form was due last week on March 14, and as of writing this article, the complete list of candidates has yet to be released. One can only hope that the student body president race will be contested this year. That would be a departure from the trend in recent years of practically uncontested races. For example, Sydney Thayer and Taylor Fox won the race last year against an unserious write-in campaign which garnered under ten percent of the vote. In contrast, Thayer’s predecessor, John Cho, won the 2022 race against two serious candidates.

Cho’s race featured a debate between the three candidates, fostering critical discussion on issues like diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and mental health. Clearly, this competitive race stimulated critical discourse and elevated the quality of student government. It provided platforms for candidates to articulate their visions and engage with diverse perspectives, and it ultimately enriched the democratic process on campus. After all, Cho was widely praised by students at a level we do not see with the current administration.

In my race, competing policy proposals and visions served the student body well. It forced me and others to reconsider our ideas, critically evaluate our platforms and better align ourselves with the needs and aspirations of our peers. Although I came up short, I would have lost by more, had I not responded to the changing climate.

There is no better time than now to have a competitive race up and down the Student Assembly ballot. These past two semesters have been a trying time for our community. We have grappled with ongoing division

Adam’s Apple #3: Managing money

Adam Jutt FLAT HAT OPINIONS ASSOC.

A bunch of physicists once wrote a book called “One Hundred Authors Against Einstein,” which comprised short essays arguing against the theory of relativity. Einstein’s response upon hearing about this book was, supposedly, something to the effect of:

“Why 100? If I were wrong, one would have been enough.”

That apocryphal story, like many apocryphal stories, comes with a clear message: quality is more important than quantity. It is better to have one good point, idea or suggestion than a slew of bad ones.

Wrong! I am going to have to respectfully disagree with Einstein here. Quantity is way more important. Who do you think would win in a soccer match between a team of eleven pretty bad soccer players and a team of JUST legendary physicist Albert Einstein? No offense Al, but I don’t like your odds.

Actually, now that I think about it, I disagree with Einstein about a LOT. If the theory of relativity were true, would ONE HUNDRED other physicists have disagreed with him? I didn’t even know there were that many other physicists out there — that’s a ton! Statistically, about fifty of those other physicists were probably wrong to disagree with him, but that means around half of them were right! Even if ninety-nine of them were wrong, one was still correct that Einstein was misguided.

If I ever say something and one-hundred people proceed to co-author a book explaining that I am off base, I will have the intellectual humility to admit that. Not Einstein. So full of himself. Always more focused on saying something witty than on doing real science like Hans Israel or Erich Ruckhaber.

Anyway, today I’ll be providing a record-setting eight pieces of advice to our question-submitter of the week, who asks:

How should I manage my money while in college?

Great question! Let’s dive in.

Join the new Subway MVP Rewards Program to earn points on every order. This one’s really important. I think a lot of people are under the mistaken impression that the Subway MVP Rewards Program only allows members to earn points on some orders, but that simply isn’t true.

Get your Flat Hat advice columns sponsored by a major sandwich chain. That might seem implausible, but it’s crazy how much money some of these institutions have to burn. I guess it makes sense when you consider that some of them have over 37,000 locations across more than 100 different countries.

Minimize eating out at expensive sub restaurants like Jersey Mike’s, Potbelly Sandwich Shop and Jimmy John’s. Restaurants like these are super expensive, and the ingredients are definitely not fresh enough to merit the prices. Gas is expensive! Try to avoid long drives, especially unnecessarily long drives. As a random example, if you

John Powers CHIEF OPINIONS WRITER STAFF COLUMN

are considering driving to Jersey Mike’s for dinner, located 3.2 miles from campus, you should instead head to the Subway at 1430 Richmond Road, which is a mere 1.3 miles away! That’s almost two miles saved, which — at $4 a gallon for gas — adds up to $8; $16 if you consider getting there and back!

Budget! Budget! Budget! Believe me, I know that there’s nothing sexy about a budget. It is never any fun to make one, and sticking to it sometimes requires missing out on fun things. However, it’s important. Without one, there’s a good chance you’ll spend an unsustainable amount of money on things you don’t need. Or, on the flip side, maybe after laying out your finances and budgeting, you’ll realize that you have more money to spend than you thought! Here is a simple budget template you can use to get started, which assumes you have $1000 to spend per month, after accounting for tuition, meal plan and rent: Groceries - $150, Car Expenses - $250, School Supplies - $50, Subway - $300, Clothing/Shopping$100, Entertainment - $50, Other - $100.

A lot of times, you can get paid for participating in studies on campus. Sometimes these studies require a lot of active work, such as those being done for psychology or behavioral economics research, but if you don’t have the time to commit to a multi-day, large time commitment — don’t worry! You won’t get as much money, but often you can get paid a few bucks for spending a couple minutes filling out a quick little survey. Something like this: https:// docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdvgNZASt KLYfDEXSRl6LOehiQJTJB0Wxe5V-ZIpw6btiqCSQ/ viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0

Read the contracts you sign with large sandwich chains VERY carefully. A lot of times, it isn’t as great a financial move as it seems initially. A lot of times, they imply you will be paid in U.S. dollars, but after you notice that no money has hit your bank account you reread the contract and realize that you are actually being paid in MVP Rewards Program points. A lot of times, they will promise you that you will meet people who have done commercials for them in the past, but instead of meeting Tom Brady, Serena Williams or Steph Curry, you head to the address they give you and end up at the house of the guy who directed one of the commercials. And he was NOT expecting you. Additionally, there are almost always “weekly meal quota” clauses in the contract, which require you to eat at the sandwich chain at least seven times a week. That might not sound that bad, because after all you have all those MVP Reward Points, but then you read further and learn that MVP Reward Points cannot be spent on purchases which go toward the weekly meal quota. In other words, you can only use the points once you go to the sandwich chain for the eighth time in a given week. And those first seven trips can’t just be to get a cup of water or something. We’re talking sub, chips, cookie and a fountain drink. Every day.

Roth IRA.

Hope that is helpful! Remember, we are always in the market for new questions here at Adam’s Apple; if you need advice, please reach out! And if any of you know a lawyer who specializes in contract nullification, reach out about that too! That would actually be significantly more valuable to me at this particular moment. See you in two weeks. Until then, eat fresh.

-Adam

AdamJutt’25isamathandeconomicsmajor

fromCincinnati,Ohiowhowritesarticlessometimes.

Contacthimatadjutt@wm.edu.

about war in the Middle East, and concerns about free speech will certainly remain as our country votes in the 2024 Presidential election this November. Students need people to advocate for their interests, given a housing crisis and construction concerns, to name just a few issues.

Besides elevating the quality of discussion and improving policy proposals, competitive races have the advantage of diminishing complacency. Last year, every single incumbent was re-elected. Less than one in five students voted for the current student body president, which is abysmal. In a more competitive race, incumbents are prompted to work harder to earn the support of students and engage in more effective work in SA. The heightened sense of competition means students will be more likely to engage with the electoral process, since they feel their participation can make a meaningful difference. This eventually contributes to a healthier and more representative student government that better serves the needs and interests of the entire student body.

Competition can also knock the status quo. In this election, like others, SA insiders are going to be pulling hard for their preferred candidate so that they could be appointed to executive branch positions. Don’t let the bureaucracy have a coronation this year. While it may seem like it is a prerequisite to have SA experience to run, no such requirement exists. Could a competitive race this year finally elect a student untethered from the inner workings of the student assembly? Could it usher in a new era of fresh perspectives and untapped potential? That is a promising possibility.

The most important point is that competitive races spark personal growth. That is obviously true for those who go on to win, but it also applies to those like myself. Losing is a humbling experience which can drive you to continually improve. As I noted before, my leadership style during the campaign prized superficial elements over human connection. It prioritized aspiration over friendship. Even though I lost, I gained valuable insights on how SA operates. Others will have that experience too. Competitive student races —whether they end in victory or defeat–enrich our Student Assembly and our own personal development.

JohnPowers’26isapublicpolicymajorfromBrooklyn,NY.Heis aresidentassistantandamemberoftheUndergraduateMootCourt Competitionteam.Emailhimatjdpowers@wm.edu.

Internship or die

Tessa Catalano FLAT HAT OPINIONS ASSOC.

Applying for internships is not for the faint of heart. With the season of applications upon us, I thought acknowledging this tumultuous time of dealing with rejection should be addressed. Not only are we dealing with the loss of prospective job opportunities, but the wistful lure of one last summer of childhood is slowly dissipating. What do you do when the world is telling you to stop applying for internships, but your parents are telling you the opposite? How do you cope with the insatiable need for the ignorance of childhood and the seemingly mandatory thirst for a job, where you’re underpaid and overworked? These are the questions I keep asking myself as cover letter after cover letter litters my desktop and leaves me dreading the possibility of rejection. I hope I am not alone in this constant anxiety that colors my everyday life as I wait for my plans for the summer to come to fruition. I also hope I’m not the only one who unknowingly signed up for daily emails from Tribe Careers; though appreciated, they seem overzealous, with the onslaught of emails I get. Before cementing my summertime plans, I have to first cope with the daunting prospect that I don’t know where I will be in two months’ time.

Recently, nagging from parents and relatives, who seem to have a step-by-step agenda that will guarantee me a job for the summer, has been wearing me down. Yet, this article was not written to be a pity party but, in fact, quite the opposite. What job prospects may or may not lay ahead for me are in no way indicative of my success in life at this moment. Commiserating with friends has led me to believe that the wanton days of youth and restless summers filled with boredom and bike rides are not the hell that I’ve deemed them to be by shoving them into the box titled “rejection from internships.” I wanted to write an ode to a summer that might just be my last in the scheme of things. Having an internship is a great and useful experience, but working as a waitress in my hometown is too.

It is so easy to compare your experience of rejection to seemingly everyone else’s experience of acceptance and say that a summer spent babysitting is somehow a failure.

I argue that learning to cope with rejection is a skill that is as valuable as learning to put action verbs in your resume. Rejection, I am realizing, is a normal part of life that most of us will experience at some point, but responding to it becomes harder and harder as we become even more invested in the prospects we apply for. There can be just as much value in opportunities you didn’t imagine for yourself this summer. Coming to terms with a summer that doesn’t fit the mold of internships is a necessity as the rejections come rolling in.

I can learn time management not only as an intern in an office, but also as a waitress juggling multiple orders. Each teaches a valuable skill, yet one is alarmingly undervalued with today’s standards of summers spent efficiently. Why is it that capitalism and its hustle culture have perverted our once lazy months of quintessential ‘summer’ jobs into markers of failure? These jobs supply as many employable skills involving teamwork, child-care, problemsolving skills and many others, so why let them go undervalued?

I will no longer view a summer spent back in my hometown as unproductiobe use of time, but as a chance to relish a luxury I might not have post-grad.

Rejection should not color our experiences of summer as inefficient in terms of career trajectory; rather, they should be accepted as universal and as useful learning experiences. I will no longer view a summer spent back in my hometown as an unproductive use of time, but as a chance to relish a luxury I might not have post-grad. It’s so easy to get caught in the culture of needing to begin the first steps of your career as soon as possible. When companies want people with experience only, it’s easy to think the answer is that you must start now. Time spent outside of mercilessly hazing career goals is not something to settle for, but something to prize. It is easy to forget that summer has already become a relic of our childhoods.

If you have been dealing with rejection this internship season, know you are not alone and it will only make you a stronger applicant as you learn from your mistakes. Changing your perception of what rejection means is also an important part of learning to cope with setbacks.

Rejection is a part of life, and I am realizing that I should be thankful for the grace that I have, in not letting that rejection define the kind of summer I will have. Embracing rejection is hard, but when the alternative is embracing the nostalgia of a childhood that is passing too fast, it becomes an easier pill to swallow.

TessaCatalano’26isanEnglishmajor withaminorinarthistoryintheJointDegree Program.SheisalsoamemberofPiBetaPhi sorority.Contactherattccatalano@wm.edu.

GRAPHIC BY ZOE DAVIS / THE FLAT HAT

GRAPHIC BY ANGELINA JOA / THE FLAT HAT

BEHIND THE BRICK WALLS: Ewell Hall

Multi-purpose building evolves, maintains historical character

Whether for secretive meetings or piano recitals, Ewell Hall has adapted to serve the College of William and Mary for almost one hundred years. Completed in 1926, Ewell Hall was one of the first buildings constructed to fulfill the master plans of Charles M. Robinson and Charles F. Gillette, and it was an important addition to the campus of a university looking to become larger and more relevant in the 20th century.

“The building holds a great degree of significance as one of the 11 buildings included in the original plan which defined the new American college as a transition from ‘court to campus,’” University Architect Dan Pisaniello said in an email to The Flat Hat.

According to Swem Special Collections Research Center, Ewell Hall wasn’t always known as Ewell Hall, as it was originally dedicated as Phi Beta Kappa Hall, not to be confused with the current auditorium building which holds the PBK dedication today. Ewell Hall once filled the role of a large performance auditorium space and served as a living memorial to its original namesake, the Phi Beta Kappa Society, which was founded by students at the university in 1776 and has since become a well-known honor society. The building still bears the mark of its original dedication, with the large circular seal of PBK still present at the front of the building.

Ewell was built to include meeting space for PBK in the front section of the building, with a re-creation of the “Apollo Room,” in which the organization originally met at the Raleigh Tavern in Williamsburg. The reconstructed Apollo Room now serves as the Dean of Arts and Sciences’s personal office, in the left-front wing of the building. Ewell also included guest rooms for visiting PBK members.

Through the years, Ewell adapted, continuing to serve the College as the main auditorium and as a movie theater and radio station. Some of the guest rooms upstairs were converted to women’s dorm rooms to fill the need for housing. In 1952, the PBK national headquarters were located in the leased, formerly-residential upstairs rooms.

The auditorium portion of the building was destroyed by fire in December of 1953, and a new rear portion of the building was constructed in 1955, which became the home of the music department. It was also around this time, in 1957, that the building would be re-dedicated to honor the 16th president of the College. Another wing, which includes the Ewell recital hall, was later added and completed in 1989.

These changes to Ewell Hall have left the building with no connection between the front portion that houses the offices of the Dean of Arts and Sciences and the rear, which housed the music department until the opening of the new music building this year.

This has confused generations of students and visitors alike, who tried to reach the classrooms or recital hall, ended up in the front offices and were pointed in the right direction by the Dean’s office. Even after the music department’s move, this confusion has remained an issue at Ewell.

“When music left, we had such an influx of people trying to get to the music classes, not realizing they had switched down to the new building, that we had multiple signs set about on the front patio, just helping to try to redirect folks, and we actually kept maps of everything here so we could redirect accordingly,” Dean’s Office Manager Amy Detwiler said. Unlike the academic portion of Ewell, much of the front remains similar to when it was constructed in 1924, with original woodwork and high, ornamented ceilings.

The historic nature of the office space provides an authentic feeling, according to those who work in the Dean’s office, and may partially contribute to their harmonious work environment.

SHORT // FLAT HAT VARIETY ASSOC.

“I genuinely enjoy walking up to this building every morning,” Detwiler said. “It just reinvigorates me and it makes me excited to come to work, which I’ve never really had that feeling before about a building. I’m grateful for that, and I think the people in the building make up the space as well.”

Erica MacLeod, executive assistant to Dean Suzanne Raitt, recalled having always been interested in history, and described living and working in Williamsburg as a dream come true.

“I’m one of those rare people that you’ll meet in life that is literally living the dream,” MacLeod said. “I love working every day.

Still, when I walk across this part of the campus and I walk by the Wren Building, I will pinch myself.”

For MacLeod, the architecture of Ewell contributes to the enjoyment of her work, as well as some humorous ghost stories.

“Being able to walk into this historic building, into this beautiful office, one of the few offices with the high ceilings and the crown molding, I’m just so blessed,” MacLeod said.

“We also have a filing cabinet door that opens on its own down the hall by the dean’s office.”

Unlike the front of Ewell, the rear portion has recently found itself with neither a department to call it home nor a distinct architectural character. The building, which had previously been run-down but active with housing the music programs, is now mainly used by student organizations for its recital hall. Gillian Oliver ’26, who plays the cello in the William and Mary Symphony Orchestra and is the vice president of TBD Theater, has experienced the building in both its bustling and dormant states.

“Last year, Ewell was our music building, it was a little dingy, but it was nice, it had a charm to it,” Oliver said. “It’s just so empty and abandoned and it’s just kind of sad at this point. I just miss the old charm that it used to have when it housed something that people were so passionate about.”

More recently, Oliver and TBD Theater have had to use the Ewell recital hall as a rehearsal space, and they will be in the hall for their spring performance of “The Adventures of Rodent Boy,” which was written by Oliver herself. TBD had attempted to rebook the Commonwealth Auditorium in the Sadler Center, where last year’s performance was held, but it was already completely reserved, underscoring what many students perceive as the issue of the college’s lack of performance spaces for non-theater students (as PBK is only available for department productions and Sinfonicron).

With a small stage, no access to the lighting control booth and a small number of seats, Oliver remarked that the recital hall doesn’t really fit the bill of a performance space, but could fill that need if renovated and enlarged.

“It would be great to have a place for student organizations in general to perform, not even just student theater, but the comedy groups, the acapella groups, the cultural organizations, all of those,” Oliver said.

The College has yet to announce concrete long term plans for the rear portion of Ewell, other than as a building to relieve others that are getting renovations.

“The vacancy provides an opportune time to complete necessary renovations to the building with the least disruption to campus,” Pisaniello said. “Once renovated, the space would provide academic department space as well as administrative space that would allow W&M to consolidate functions into one larger building rather than spreading those functions across multiple buildings. This strategic move would pave the way for renovations needed in other academic buildings and optimize the academic use of these spaces.”

While an uncertain future and designation as a “swing space” may seem demeaning, Ewell Hall heads into its second century, continuing to adapt, just as it always has.

LORENZO

Reel talk: Dune Two too good, anticipated blockbuster stuns with visuals, writing, cinematography

RYAN GOODMAN // FLAT HAT DIGITAL MEDIA EDITOR

I’m a big fan of Denis Villeneuve.

Hot take, I know. A guy writing a movie review is a fan of the 2010’s most prolific science fiction director? Say it ain’t so. But as basic as my taste might be, I can’t help it. Even on my tiny Macbook screen in my freshman dorm, “Dune: Part One” was a fantastic experience. “Arrival” and “Blade Runner 2049” are both excellent examples of what science fiction should strive to be as a genre, and there are multiple scenes from “Sicario” that permanently altered my brain chemistry (Glasses guy? The sunset shot? Hello?). So

needless to say, I had pretty high expectations for “Dune: Part Two.” And unsurprisingly, the movie delivered in spades.

Part Two picks up almost immediately where Part One left off, following Paul Atriedes, played by Timothée Chalamet, as he struggles to find his place as a Messiah figure to the Fremen people — the native inhabitants of the film’s primary setting, planet Arrakis — while also leading them in a guerilla war against the occupying forces of House Harkonnen.

Even with my somewhat limited knowledge of the book (I skim-read it back in high school), I could feel how much Villenueve just gets it. Part One received some well intentioned criticism regarding its portrayal of subject matters such as colonialism and religion, but Part Two demonstrates that the crew completely understands exactly what Dune is about. Paul and his family are colonists, they are “white saviors.” It’s the inverse hero’s journey, the anti”Star Wars,” and Paul’s ascent towards religious leader is enthralling and heartbreaking. From Jessica being carried in an imperial-style litter and manipulating ancient, religious rituals for her own agenda, to Gurney Halleck being giddy at the thought of using nuclear weapons, and to Paul declaring himself as the undisputed leader of the Fremen and the Duke of Arrakis; the movie is not at all subtle when it comes to its themes. Paul’s fall into villainy could not have been more clear, and yet part of me was still rooting for him because of how captivating Chalamet was.

But it isn’t just an incredible lead performance. Absolutely everyone involved gave it 110% effort from start to finish. Zendaya, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Florence Pugh, everyone was great. But there were two that stood above the rest for me. Throughout the film’s release, Rebecca Ferguson’s press tour interviews were infused with this unhinged, chaotic energy, which makes her performance in the film all the more impressive. She’s cold, she’s calculating and she’s absolutely terrifying as Lady Jessica. Austin Butler is equally terrifying, but in a far more direct manner. He completely sheds the goofy Elvis demeanor fans have boxed him into, making Feyd Rautha into an appropriately horrific and unexpectedly horny character.

But what really brings the movie over the finish line for me is its presentation. I’ve always been a believer that your story isn’t what matters, but what matters is how you tell it. A good story told poorly won’t be very enjoyable, whereas a bad story told well can trick people into thinking it’s good. Thankfully for us, “Dune: Part 2” is not just a good story, but a good story told by some of the industry’s best storytellers.

As per usual, Hans Zimmer creates a fantastic score, building on his work from “Dune: Part One” and infusing every scene with otherworldly instrumentation. The track “Arrival” specifically has been stuck in my head since I first heard it, and I don’t expect it to be leaving anytime soon.

The MVP award, however, must go to cinematographer Greg Fraser. I first learned his name after watching 2022’s “The Batman,” but he’s also worked on projects like “Rogue One,” “Zero Dark Thirty,” episodes of “The Mandalorian” and “Dune: Part One.” Fraser brings an unmatched sense of scale to the film, delivering more jaw-dropping shots in the first couple of minutes than most blockbusters can manage in three hours. The work is so good it cannot be genuinely conveyed by words, but the specific shot of Paul walking through the enormous crowd in the desert (you see it in one of the trailers) is especially mesmerizing.

Cinematography is a category I put some serious weight on when it comes to judging movies. Photography is my usual domain when it comes to this paper, so forgive me for getting a bit into the weeds here. When you shoot on a digital camera, the image tends to come out looking quite gray, lacking in any sort of real contrast. As of late, more and more blockbusters have developed this ugly, uniform style to them: desaturated gray images, actors who were clearly filmed against different green screens and edited together later and a general lack of care given the visuals. Three hundred million dollar blockbusters (hi, Marvel Studios) have the same filmic flair as commercials for cars or candy bars, and it’s just sad. “Dune: Part Two” breaks this pattern, and audiences have noticed: the movie has made over $450 million in global ticket sales.

It joins a recent lineup of films such as “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Avatar,” “Barbie,” “Oppenheimer” and “The Batman,” in the sense of being a blockbuster that feels like someone’s genuine vision. It’s an expensive movie that looks expensive, it has style, it has flair. The last couple of reviews from this paper haven’t been especially positive, and it’s not hard to see why. Audiences are tired of musicals that look indistinguishable from TikToks, or superhero movies that look like they were filmed in a garage. People aren’t burnt out on remakes or sequels (my list at the top of this paragraph contains a grand total of zero original ideas), we’re just tired of bad movies. “Dune: Part Two” is an uncompromising look into a director’s vision for his work, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who cannot wait for the next installment in the series: “Dune: Messiah.”

As

The film, along with “Dune: Part Two,” is one of two major March blockbuster flicks available for movie lovers at the College of William and Mary, but while the latter focuses on being a more serious science fiction spectacle, “Kung Fu Panda 4” seeks to be a more lighthearted and fun adventure (although it would be very concerning for more than a couple reasons if the inverse were to be true). The movie sees the titular panda Po, once again voiced by Jack Black, paired with Zhen, a gray fox-thief voiced by Awkwafina, travel to Juniper City to challenge a shapeshifting sorceress simply named the Chameleon, voiced by Viola Davis.

Noticeably absent from the film, though, are the members of the “Furious Five,” who were major characters in the previous three movies’ supporting cast. Although they do make a very brief voiceless cameo during the end credits, their absence is definitely noticeable. The beginning of “Kung Fu Panda 4” does address this, though, by saying the five are away doing individual escapades, with there even being a quick scene containing cardboard cutouts of the group, in one of the film’s, admittedly, more funny gags.

Another noticeable absence from “Kung Fu Panda 4” is in its variety of locations as the plot goes on. While I mentioned that the two main characters Po and Zhen travel to a new region called Juniper City, the movie’s primary setting, what quickly becomes apparent is that after the first 15 minutes or so, this also becomes the

flm’s only setting if you don’t include the fnal few scenes. While the town includes enough to keep the viewing interesting, such as an underground network of criminals and the fortress of the main antagonist, it nevertheless gives “Kung Fu Panda 4” a jarringly self-contained feel. For their parts, Black, Awkwafina and Davis themselves all give great performances as the voices of the main characters, although the writing of the characters themselves can leave a lot to be desired. Now, while I definitely didn’t expect “Kung Fu Panda 4” to shatter and reconstruct my entire worldview in a way akin to a Shakespearean tragedy, I still found myself scratching my head at its writing a few times. Po is probably the most cohesive of the three main characters, as he changes very little from his previous three theatrical appearances. His main arc this time is around working to become a so-called “spiritual leader,” which is a title above the “Dragon Warrior” moniker the previous installments gave him. The movie tries to push this home by having Po seeking to solve problems nonviolently, which is an interesting idea in theory, but it only happens one time throughout the film.

Another thing that “Kung Fu Panda 4” focuses on is Po trying to find a successor “Dragon Warrior,” as it’s stated he can’t have both roles at the same time. Awkwafina’s character of Zhen, who within thirty seconds of being introduced can be plainly deduced as the person the movie will set up as the next “Dragon Warrior,” has the arc of starting the film as a distrusting and deceitful street thief but slowly becoming a better person by spending time with some of the main characters. While I thought the idea was well executed for the most part, one gripe is about how quickly the character switch comes in the movie. Without delving into too many specific spoilers, Zhen sheds her other more nefarious allegiances at an extremely alarming rate, especially considering the backstory the

film sets up for her. The writing of the Chameleon, however, is where most people would find complaints — specifically in regards to her motivation. While I never expected to be completely blown away by the motivation for the main villain in “Kung Fu Panda 4,” I was expecting it to be something a little better than… being short? I mean, I’m a little short, and I’ve never tried to launch a hostile takeover of China before. To go into more detail, the Chameleon was denied from several kung fu schools and academies due to her height and perceived lack of talent, so she decided to study shapeshifting sorcery as a means of revenge. However, aside from the height thing being, let’s be honest, a little ridiculous, this premise is undercut by the existence of the aforementioned “Furious Five,” as one of the members of the group is a literal praying mantis (named Mantis). Maybe that’s why they weren’t shown in the movie?

On top of this, though, this character’s shapeshifting powers are woefully underutilized. Tere are only two scenes in the movie of the Chameleon actually using the ability for imaginative deception and only one of those is relevant to the plot. And during the fnal fght, once again, without delving into too many spoilers, the villain shapeshifts into a variety of past characters and creatures in a legitimately interesting action sequence, only to unexplainably not use the transformation power at the tail end of the scene when the protagonists are working to get the upper hand.

However, the visuals on not just the Chameleon and her transformations, but the rest of the movie, are definitely a key positive aspect. While it is undeniably pretty riskaverse with its art direction, with no shots that will “wow” you like last year’s animated flick “Across the Spider-Verse,” the film’s action sequences are still very well animated. There are a few other parts of the film that stood

out as well, such as Po’s biological father and adopted father, voiced by Bryan Cranston and James Hong respectively, teaming up to travel to Juniper City. However, aside from some comic relief scenes, the duo only has a minimal impact on the overarching storyline, and it feels a little disharmonious whenever the movie cuts away to the two.

At the end of the day, my main takeaways and thoughts from “Kung Fu Panda 4” could probably best be summed up by this: it is the absolute best afterthought, direct-to-DVD sequel you’ve ever seen. The movie is enjoyable, with good visuals, voice acting and general pacing. However, the bizarre, self-contained and isolated nature of the film, with the absence of several franchise staple characters and the various holes and nitpicks with the characters and plot, can begin to add up. So, was it just another forgettable Hollywood cash grab? Well, I’ve seen worse.

GRAPHIC BY MONICA BAGNOLI / THE FLAT HAT

sports

Thursday, March 14, William and Mary women’s basketball (15-14, 12-6 CAA) lost to Hofstra (11-21, 3-15 CAA) 57-53 at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, D.C. This tightly-contested game was a second-round matchup in the 2024 Coastal Athletic Association Women’s Basketball Championship.

The Tribe entered the postseason tournament as the fifth seed, receiving a first-round bye. Thirteenth-seeded Hofstra defeated 12th-seeded Hampton (3-26, 3-15 CAA) 71-55 in the first round before moving on to face the Tribe.

William and Mary swept Hofstra in the regular season series 2-0, winning the matchups 48-46 and 61-50, respectively.

Prior to tipoff against Hofstra, the Tribe’s freshman guard Cassidy Geddes and graduate student forward Nylah Young were presented postseason honors by CAA Commissioner Joe D’Antonio.

Geddes earned All-Rookie Team honors, while Young was awarded All-CAA First Team.

William and Mary fielded a starting lineup of Geddes, sophomore guard Alexa Mikeska, junior forward Anahi-Lee Cauley, senior forward Rebekah Frisby-Smith and Young.

Hofstra opened the scoring with a three-pointer by senior guard Ally Knights from the top of the key. The Tribe responded on the next possession, feeding Young in the paint for a layup.

The Tribe’s next score also came from a pass to Young in the paint, who made an and-one layup but missed the free throw. It was clear that finding Young in the paint was William and Mary’s main focus throughout the game in the front court.

The Tribe struggled early on offensively, especially with two turnovers in the first few minutes, one by Mikeska losing the ball and another from a traveling violation on Young.

On the other hand, Hofstra started strong by scoring in bunches. This offensive stint was topped off with two consecutive scores, a three-pointer by Hofstra sophomore guard Emma Von Essen and a layup by Hofstra graduate student guard Sorelle Ineza. This 14-4 Hofstra run to start the game forced a Tribe timeout with five minutes, 44 seconds left in the first quarter.

William and Mary finally got on the scoreboard again with an elbow jumper by Nascimento. Hofstra answered with a wing three-pointer from senior guard Janaia Fargo, extending the Pride’s lead to 17-6 at the 2:23 mark.

Young found more success offensively, scoring four points on back-to-back possessions. The first was from cleaning up a Nascimento miss, and Mikeska found a cutting Young for an easy layup on the second.

Hofstra ended the first quarter with a three-pointer from sophomore point guard Alarice Gooden, setting the score to 2010 in favor of the Pride.

Starting the second quarter, Hofstra committed a shooting foul on Young, sending her to the line where she converted both free throws.

The Pride then went on an 8-0 run, with buckets from Gooden, Ineza, senior center Zyheima Swint and senior forward Brooke Anya. This run put Hofstra up 16 points — the largest deficit of the night — and forced a Tribe timeout with the score 28-12 at the 5:41 mark of the second quarter.

A technical foul was called on Anya after a contentious fight for a rebound on the Tribe defensive end. Geddes was sent to the line, where she sank both free throws.

The Pride also received free throws, following a foul on Dance. Knights was sent to the line, where she went one for two.

William and Mary answered by feeding Beckwith in the paint for two points. On Hofstra’s next possession, Von Essen found Knights in the corner for a three-pointer to settle the score at 3216 with 3:35 left in the half.

Out of the Hofstra timeout, the Tribe found Young in the paint for two points. With Hofstra in the bonus and Beckwith committing a personal foul, Anya was sent to the line for Hofstra, knocking down one of two free throws.

On next possession, the Tribe found Young in the post once again, where she converted an and-one layup with the free throw.

After a solid defensive possession that ended with a Young block, William and Mary went out into transition through Mikeska, who kicked the ball up to Geddes for a corner three. Momentum began to shift in favor of the Tribe, cutting the Pride’s lead to 33-24 and forcing a Hofstra timeout with two minutes left in the half.

Both teams remained scoreless on the next few possessions with a great defensive stint from the Tribe, highlighted by a Geddes chase-down block on Knights.

With 27 seconds left in the half, William and Mary found itself with the last possession. Young was facilitated the ball in the paint when Hofstra was called for a shooting foul, sending her to the charity stripe. Young converted one of two free throws to cut the Hofstra lead, and both teams entered the locker room at halftime, 33-25.

The Tribe entered the second half with the same starting lineup. After its first offensive possession, Nascimento subbed in for Frisby-Smith, opting for a small ball scheme. William and Mary opened the second half scoring after Cauley found Nascimento in the corner for a knock-down three-pointer, closing the deficit to five.

After another unsuccessful Hofstra offensive possession due to a Nascimento steal, Young was fed the ball in the paint once again. As a result of being fouled, she was sent to the free-throw line but missed both shots.

Young’s presence was also felt on the defensive end, forcing a turnover on Knights and then finding Mikeska on the fast break. While attempting a layup, Mikeska was fouled and converted both following free throws. Hofstra’s lead was cut to three, with the score at 33-30 by the 7:13 mark.

Hofstra finally scored its first points of the half with a midrange pull-up jumpshot by Ineza to extend the Pride’s lead again, 35-30.

The Tribe answered with a mid-range jump shot from Cauley,

Ervin also won the women’s 200-meter dash, recording a time of 24.43 seconds, which puts her 14th overall in program history. Other notable finishes include freshmen sprinters Jamison Gilmore and Katriel Amoyaw, who finished in sixth and eighth places, respectively.

In the women’s 100-meter hurdles, the Tribe placed third, fourth and fifth. Amoyaw led the Tribe with a time of 15.38 seconds, followed by freshman jumper/sprinter Aurora Schwaner and junior jumper Elizabeth Dupras.

runner Jenny Gerson. For the women’s 4x400-meter relay, the Tribe placed first and third. In first place was the team of Gilmore, Howard, Brantley and Ervin. Harkness, Wallis, Tsai and Gerson comprised the thirdplace team.

bringing the deficit back to three points. Hofstra responded with a drive from Ineza that resulted in her being fouled and sent to the free-throw line, where she converted both shots.

On William and Mary’s next offensive possession, Nascimento was given too much space on the wing and pulled up for a shot behind the arc. On the defensive side, Geddes once again came up with a block, this time on Hofstra freshman point guard Micaela Carter. The Tribe went into transition following the block, with Nascimento finding Cauley in the paint for two points. This score tied the game at 37-37 with four minutes left in the third quarter.

Hofstra looked to respond through Anya but instead was fouled by Mikeska. Anya converted both free throws, sending the Pride up by two again.

On the next possession, a steal by Von Essen led to a layup from Anya, which extended Hofstra’s lead to four. Both teams remained scoreless for the remainder of the third quarter, ending with Hofstra up, 41-37.

Entering the fourth quarter, Hofstra struck first with a drive from Swint, whom Nascimento fouled on the way up. Sent to the charity stripe, Swint knocked down both free throws, increasing Hofstra’s lead to six.

The Tribe finally got on the scoreboard in the quarter after a Cauley miss resulted in an offensive rebound for Young, which she put back up for two points. On the Green and Gold’s next possession, Young cut the Hofstra lead to two points, 43-41, with 8:39 left in the game.

Hofstra answered the Tribe’s run with an emphatic and-one score in the paint by Swint, who converted the free throw to give the Pride a five-point lead.

On the Tribe’s next possession, Hofstra’s Gooden fouled Cauley, sending the latter to the free-throw line, where she went one for two. Hofstra still remained in the lead, 46-42, with 7:21 left in the game. The Tribe continued to find Young in the paint, where she made a move to the basket with a pump fake to draw a foul, sending her to the free-throw line. Young converted both free throws to close the Hofstra lead back to two points.

After a failed offensive possession from Hofstra, the Tribe was sent to the free-throw line after Geddes made a strong drive to the hoop, resulting in her being fouled by Carter. Geddes converted both free throws to tie the game at 46-46 and forced a Hofstra timeout with 6:02 remaining in the game.

Out of the timeout, Hofstra was sent to the free-throw line — a foul on Cauley resulted in Anya making one of two free throws, giving the Pride back a one-point lead. READ

distance of 11.91 meters.

In the women’s shot put, sophomore thrower Ella Carlson placed second for the Tribe with 13.33 meters.

steeplechase. Sophomore distance runner Catherine Garrison took first with a time of 6:45.24, followed by junior middle distance/distance runner Lucy Young in second and junior middle distance/ distance runner Annika Griggs in third.

The Tribe swept the first two places of the women’s 1,500-meter run. Senior distance runner Kyra Holland led the Tribe with a time of 4:33.78, followed by junior distance runner Arianna DeBoer, who recorded a time of 4:38.81. Junior sprinter Emily Ervin led the women’s 400-meter dash with a time of 56.25 seconds. Ervin holds the thirdbest time in program history of 54.69 seconds, and with this victory, she is on track to beat this record this season.

As for the women’s 400-meter hurdles, junior sprinter/hurdler

Clare Howard placed first with a time of 1:03.50, followed by freshman hurdler Evelyn Brantley in second. Howard’s time places her 13th in program history for the women’s 400-meter hurdles.

The Tribe swept the women’s 800-meter run, taking the top six places. Freshman distance runner Rebecca Harkness led the Tribe with a time of 2:15.19, followed by senior distance runner Kyra Holland, sophomore distance runner Lydia Wallis, sophomore distance runner Jennifer Tsai, senior middle distance runner Hannah Holland and senior middle distance

The Tribe swept the top three places in the women’s 3,000-meter run. DeBoer took the lead, followed by graduate student distance runner Heidi Fortin and senior distance runner Emily Sell. The Tribe also placed fifth with sophomore distance runner Kelly Ann Sutterfield, seventh with sophomore distance runner Tessa Dobrinski, eighth with freshman distance runner Taylor Gibson and ninth with graduate student distance runner Olivia Haller.

As for the field, fifth-year thrower Keeley Suzenski led the Tribe in the women’s hammer throw with a distance of 53.08 meters. Sophomore thrower Talia Anderson recorded a third-place finish of 46.32 meters.

In the long jump, senior jumper Megan Heidebrecht placed first with a distance of 5.54 meters, followed by Dupras in fifth and Schwaner in seventh. Heidebrecht also finished first in the women’s triple jump, recording a

As for the women’s pole vault, the Tribe swept the top four places with freshman pole vaulter Elizabeth Strobach in first with 3.97 meters, followed by senior pole vaulter Elizabeth Upright, junior pole vaulter Sophie Fernandez and junior pole vaulter Fiona Basewitz. Strobach’s impressive performance made her the third woman in Tribe track and field history to clear 13 feet and set a freshman program record.

On the men’s side, notable performances in the 1,500-meter run include a fourth-place finish by sophomore distance runner Lucas Thompson and a ninth place finish by junior middle distance/distance runner Owen Lipps. Thompson and Lipps recorded times of 3:59.59 and 4:13.07, respectively.

In the men’s 2,000-meter steeplechase junior middle distance/ distance runner Luke Ellwood led the Tribe with a time of 6:02.71, followed by sophomore distance runner Luke Henkel in sixth.

In the men’s 110-meter hurdles,

junior sprinter/hurdler Gabriel Albers placed second with a time of 15.18 seconds. As for the men’s 400-meter Hurdles, freshman hurdler David Seekford placed second, recording a time of 55.03 seconds.

For the men’s 400-meter dash, sophomore distance runner Jonathan Kumer placed third with a time of 50.02 seconds, followed by fifth-year middle distance/distance runner Stephen Larson in sixth with a time of 51.44 seconds.

In the 200-meter dash, freshman middle distance runner Jacob Robinson placed first with a time of 21.61 seconds, followed by sophomore sprinter Austin Rice in seventh.

In the men’s 4x400-meter relay, the Tribe placed second and third. In second place was the team of Rice, Kumer, junior jumper/sprinter Cole Harris and Larson. In third was the team of Robinson, Seekford, freshman jumper Brian Walsh and junior sprinter/ hurdler Gabriel Albers.

In the men’s 3,000-meter relay, senior distance runner Sam Pritchard placed second, recording a time of 8:22.29.

Out of the timeout, the Tribe subbed in freshman guard Monet Dance, junior guard Bella Nascimento and senior center Kayla Beckwith. After one possession, sophomore forward Kayla Rolph was subbed in for more size.

SYDNEY WITWER THE FLAT HAT

ETHAN QIN / THE FLAT HAT

The Green and Gold, who lost to Hofstra in the second-round of the CAA tournament this year, beat the Pride 74-64 in its first-round game in 2023.

ETHAN QIN/ THE FLAT HAT Freshman guard Cassidy Geddes became a regular starter for the Tribe this season, averaging 9.9 points, 2.1 assists and 1.7 assists in 28 games for the Green and Gold.

sports

Sophomore Chase Lowe records career-high 16 rebounds against N.C. A&T Tribe wins frst CAA tournament matchup, loses second

MADDIE MOHAMADI FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR

Friday, March 8 and Saturday, March 9, William and Mary men’s basketball (10-23, 4-14 CAA) competed in the 2024 Coastal Athletic Association Men’s Basketball Championship at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, D.C.

The Tribe emerged victorious Friday, defeating North Carolina A&T (7-25, 5-13 CAA) 79-62. Junior guard/forward Gabe Dorsey and sophomore guards Chase Lowe and Trey Moss led the Green and Gold in scoring, recording 18 points apiece.

Lowe’s career-high 16 rebounds — which set a new CAA tournament program record for the Tribe — and six assists proved vital to the Green and Gold’s success.

“Coach Howland and Coach Fischer were telling me that I could be effective by dribbling and handing off and being a screener out there and trying to get others involved,” Lowe said. “I definitely think it was the best game of my career.”

William and Mary head coach Dane Fischer praised Lowe’s skills, emphasizing his unique playing style.

“He has an unbelievable knack for going and getting rebounds on both sides of the floor,” Fischer said. “When he’s at his best, he’s facilitating like he did today as well and getting everybody else going.”

Following two missed shot attempts, the Aggies finally got on the board in the second minute with a jump shot from freshman forward Nikolaos Chitikoudis. Assisted by Lowe, Gabe Dorsey responded with a three-pointer just over 20 seconds later, putting the Tribe on the scoreboard.

One minute, 50 seconds into the matchup, Aggies sophomore guard Landon Glasper knocked down a three-pointer, assisted by sophomore guard Camian Shell. Ten seconds later, Moss equalized the score 5-5, making two free throws after he was fouled on the shot.

With 16:04 left in the first half, William and Mary junior guard Matteus Case pulled the Tribe ahead with a layup. Though N.C. A&T responded with a layup of its own, Gabe Dorsey scored his second three-pointer of the game in the fifth minute, putting the Green and Gold back in the lead 10-7.

The next five minutes saw back-and-forth action from both teams.

After Lowe’s defensive rebound in the 10th minute, Gabe Dorsey’s jump shot extended the Tribe’s lead to four points. The

Aggies pulled ahead with a jumper and a three-pointer from Chitikoudis, but a three from Case tied the score at 24-24.

The Tribe dominated the last two minutes of the half, extending its lead to five heading into the break.

Moss converted a layup to tie the score 30-30 with around a minute left in the half. Following a defensive rebound from graduate student guard Sean Houpt, Lowe scored yet again on an explosive fast break. With 35 seconds left in the half, Moss’s three extended the Tribe’s lead to 35-30.

Though Chitikoudis scored the first point of the second half, N.C. A&T failed to erase the Tribe’s lead for the remainder of the matchup.

With 16 minutes left in the game, Lowe scored a jump shot in the paint and converted a free throw. Thirty seconds later, Houpt’s three-pointer further solidified the Tribe’s lead.

The Aggies came close to taking back the lead in the middle of the second half, when freshman guard Jalal McKie knocked down a three-pointer with just over 10 minutes left remaining. Following fouls by Houpt and Tribe sophomore guard Miles Hicks, Glasper converted a free throw, narrowing the Tribe’s lead to just three points.

With nine minutes left, Gabe Dorsey passed to Lowe, who scored a layup. Assisted by Case, Moss scored another threepointer with 8:09 left in the matchup. After subbing back in, Lowe scored another layup inside the paint. Lowe’s subsequent free throw cemented the Green and Gold’s double-digit lead at 61-50.

Gabe Dorsey and Houpt scored back-to-back three-pointers in the 35th and 36th minutes, respectively.

The Tribe fired on all cylinders for the last three minutes of the game. The team converted five free throws and a steal followed by a fast break dunk from Lowe extended the Tribe’s lead to 19 points. Chitikoudis closed the game with a jump shot in the paint and William and Mary ended the afternoon with a 79-62 victory.

“I think that there’s a little bit of renewed confidence in our locker room right now,” Fischer said after the victory.

Lowe echoed this sentiment.

“Coach Fischer and Coach Howland were making sure that we came to the game with the mentality to pop the ball and get everyone involved,” Lowe said. “It was great to see the culmination of all of our hard work come together.”

Fischer addressed the team’s struggle with injuries this season.

“The road to winning this thing is a little bit tougher for us than we were hoping coming into the season,” Fischer said. “We’ll turn the attention to Towson, look at the game we played against them, things we did well, things we need to improve on and go try to play our best game of the season tomorrow.”

Saturday, the Tribe’s season came to an end following a 67-56 loss to Towson (20-14, 11-7 CAA). Though the Green and Gold kept the game close in the first half of the matchup, it lost its steam midway though the second half.

Fischer identified Towson’s strong defense as the primary challenge for the Tribe after the game.

“In that stretch of the second half, they made it really hard for us to get any kind of advantage,” Fischer said. “That stretch obviously was the difference in the game, but I’m really, really proud of the group and the way that they stuck together and battled through it.”

Offensively, Gabe Dorsey led in scoring again, earning 18 points for the Green and Gold. The Tribe shot 57.1% at the free throw line and 33.3% from behind the arc, ending its season with 296 threepointers, the second-most in program history.

Towson head coach Pat Skerry emphasized the Tribe’s strong offensive production in the first half.

“I thought in the first half they made some tough shots,” Skerry said. “We did a good job of forcing difficult shots most of the game.”

Moss put William and Mary on the scoreboard in the second minute with a layup, but the Tigers responded with two converted free throws by freshman guard/forward Tyler Tejada. After a series of offensive rebounds by junior forward Caleb Dorsey and a defensive rebound by Towson junior guard Nendah Tarke, who scored a fast break layup, giving the Tigers a 4-2 lead.

With 14:45 left in the first half, a Houpt three-pointer evened the score to 9-9. Less than a minute later, Moss knocked down a three of his own, and the Tribe took the lead 12-9.

In response to a layup by Gabe Dorsey, Towson junior forward Tomiwa Sulaiman tied the score 14-14 with a three-point jumper in the 10th minute.

The latter part of the first half saw back-and-forth play from both teams, as no team led by more than three points heading into the break.

With 8:14 left in the first half, Gabe Dorsey passed to freshman forward Tai Hamilton, who dunked the ball and put the Tribe on top 20-19. Less than 30 seconds later, Tejada responded with a dunk. The Green and Gold regained its one-point lead with a jump shot from Gabe Dorsey with less than eight minutes left in the half.

The first half ended with a jump shot from Tarke in the final minute, narrowing the Tribe’s lead to 30-29.

Tigers graduate student forward Charles Thompson — who became the 30th player in Towson men’s basketball history to record 1,000 career points — wreaked havoc on the Tribe in the second half. Fischer identified Thompson’s presence on the court as a challenge for the Tribe.

“Where he probably makes the biggest difference for them is on the defensive end,” Fischer said. “I thought we were able to get some stuff offensively when he wasn’t out there and when he was, it was a lot tougher.”

Thompson scored 10 points off the bench for the Tigers and played all 20 minutes of the second half.

The Green and Gold held the lead for the first nine minutes of the half, only tying Towson once. Assisted by Thompson, Tigers redshirt freshman guard Dylan Williamson equalized the score 38-38 with a three-point jump shot. Gabe Dorsey quickly responded with a three-point jumper at the 24:48 mark, recovering the Tribe’s lead.

William and Mary failed to shake Towson’s offensive and defensive power after Williamson converted two free throws with 11:07 remaining in the game. For the next seven minutes, the Tigers scored 15 consecutive points, leading 58-44 until Moss scored a three-pointer with three minutes left in the matchup.

The Tribe failed to break Towson’s strong lead and scored nine points in the last few minutes of the matchup. Winning 67-56, the Tigers advanced to the quarterfinals and ended William and Mary’s season.

Sunday, March 10, William and Mary Director of Athletics Brian D. Mann announced the Tribe’s search for a new head coach.

Though Fischer will part ways with William and Mary, he remains optimistic about the team’s future.

“I’m really excited about the group that we have, what we’re going to bring back to guys that are hopefully going to come back healthy next year,” Fischer said.

Green and Gold defeats Quinnipiac in home series, secures 3-0 sweep

Freshman Josiah Seguin wins CAA Rookie of the Week following impressive performance

Friday, March 15 to Sunday, March 17,

William and Mary baseball (14-6) swept Quinnipiac (5-11) 3-0 in a home series at Plumeri Park in Williamsburg, Va. Graduate student pitcher Alex Markus started on the mound for the Tribe on Friday, holding the visitors scoreless through three innings and giving up just one run in the fourth. The Green and Gold scored its first two runs in the bottom of the first, and added seven more in the bottom of the second. Freshman infielder Josiah Seguin recorded his first home run of his collegiate career to build William and Mary’s momentum. Later in the same inning, he came back up and singled through the right side to push in the Tribe’s ninth run after a fielding error by the Bobcats. William and Mary made it 10-0 after the bottom of the

third, thanks to a sacrifice fly from sophomore catcher Jerry Barnes III to score graduate student outfielder Ben Parker.

Quinnipiac got on the board in the fourth inning and scored one more run in the sixth, but the Tribe came back alive in the seventh to score three more runs. In the top of the eighth, Quinnipiac had its best offensive effort of the day, scoring five runs, including a three RBI homer from senior catcher/outfielder Keegan O’Connor. It was not enough to bridge the deficit, however, and the Green and Gold recorded its first win of the weekend, 13-7.

Saturday’s matchup was an even more impressive performance by William and Mary, led by junior pitcher Carter Lovasz and graduate student pitcher Zack Potts. Together, Lovasz and Potts allowed just three hits, only one of which was earned. Potts threw for six innings — a team-high — and allowed just five hits while putting away seven strikeouts.

Lovasz came in for the save, his first of the year, but the 13th in his career, placing him third in program history for all-time career saves.

While Potts and Lovasz held it down on the mound, the Tribe offense was equally as dominant. A six-run fourth inning was led again by Seguin. Junior outfielder Lucas Carmichael, junior outfielder Christian Rush, Barnes and fifth-year outfielder Joe Delossantos all contributed to a massive 15run scoring effort for the Tribe. Quinnipiac was able to score just three runs that game, so William and Mary clinched the series with a 12-run victory.

The Tribe started off strong during Sunday’s game, scoring three runs quickly in the bottom of the first before senior catcher Nate Goranson homered to center field to tally three more. The Bobcats scored three in the third and two more in the fourth, putting them within one run of the Tribe. Barnes

responded in the bottom of the fourth with a huge two-run double to regain the Green and Gold’s lead, 9-6. William and Mary scored one more in the sixth, thanks to a Quinnipiac fielding error. In the seventh, graduate student infielder/ outfielder Henry Jackson singled to score Parker. Graduate student Luca Trigiani hit a three-run homer, sealing the Tribe’s victory and sweeping the series. Junior pitcher Nate Knowles and sophomore pitchers Mark Hindy and Owen Pierce split time evenly on the mound. Pierce threw a sensational last three innings, allowing no hits or runs and notching five strikeouts. Pierce was credited with the save, and Knowles was attributed with the win. Saturday’s matchup ended with a final score of 14-6.

The Tribe will travel to Marty L. Miller Field in Norfolk, Va. to take on Norfolk State (7-11, 4-2 MEAC) Wednesday, March 20.

LACI MILLER FLAT HAT SPORTS ASSOC.

ETHAN QIN / THE FLAT HAT

The Tribe shot 57.1% at the free throw line and 33.3% from behind the arc against Towson, ending its season with the second-most three-pointers in program history.