InGeneral Fall 2020

speaking tradition inhibitory device exposed mouth

protective face disguise

zoom machine

Fig. 1 – studentus dubyuhnelliae

EVOLUTION THE

FALL 2020 ISSUE



VOL 18, NO 1

The InGeneral staff explores the ways in which the past six months are forcing W&L to evolve.

COVER STORY

06

of

W&L

LOVE, SEX AND COVID

F#*K RESLIFE

DISPATCHES FROM BAKER

Has social distancing affected students’ ability to find love?

ResLife finds itself in a difficult position, having to enforce covid guidelines.

09

Students tell of the dismal quarantine life in former dorms Baker and Davis.

04

03

ISSUE 18.1 FALL 2020

InGeneral is Washington and Lee’s only student life magazine. We are an entirely student-run publication (independent of the Journalism Department) dedicated to showcasing the activities, opinions and interests of W&L undergraduate students. InGeneral is published biannually, releasing one issue at the end of both Fall and Winter Term.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Killian Green ’21 MANAGING EDITOR

Elizabeth Bell ’21 ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Ann Douglas Lott ’22 PUBLICIST

Isabel Chiodo ’21

STAFF

Lizzie Figueiras ’21 Gabriela Gomez-Misserian ’21 Coleman Martinson ’21 Gavron Campbell ’22 Katie Larkin ’22 Jamie Spanfeller ’22 Emery Wright ’22 Merrill Dowdy ’23 Simona Radeva ’23 Ellie Thornton ’23 Kaylin Jury ’24 Shauna Muckle ’24 Julia Raskin ’24 Emma Smith ’24 PHOTOGRAPHERS

Emma Coleman ’21 Ann Douglas Lott ’22 Cover illustration by Missy Barro '21.

Back cover collage by Gabriela GomezMisserian ’21 and Ruth Dibble '22.

TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR OR FOR ADVERTISING INQUIRIES, PLEASE CONTACT

ATTN: InGeneral

Magazine John W. Elrod Commons Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA 24450

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR DEA R REA DER S,

L

ife in Lexington has been very different this year, as it, no doubt, has been for all of us. These past few months have really shown me that which I once took for granted––from social gatherings with friends to even the smallest things like chit-chat before class begins. As my time at W&L comes to a close, I’m glad that I've had such an amazing opportunity but also sad that my final year looks so unrecognizable to those before. We’ve all had to sacrifice this year, and it hurts to look back on the things we’ve lost. There has been so much change, and there still exists so much more to come.

I think that’s been the theme of this year: change. As humans, we’re accustomed to change, although we’re more receptive when it’s gradual.

Sudden change is always difficult, especially when it involves giving up that which is near and dear.

But with change comes new beginnings and greater potential. Change affords opportunities to be something that you couldn’t before––to evolve, for better or worse. And this is the mindset with which I approached the 18th run of InGeneral.

COVID gave us the time to rethink the magazine’s role and where we wanted to go. Last year, we started our transition, altering a few things on the surface of the magazine like our title script and fonts. But this year, we started over.

Completely from scratch. We opened a blank spread with nothing on it and rebuilt InGeneral from the ground up, daringly ignoring whatever it had been before. There were no templates.

Every story dictated its own presence on the page and forced us to push the creative limits of the magazine further than before. From the cover to the font treatment and coloring, we’ve changed.

But, our change wasn’t simply in regard to our

visual presence. I challenged our staff this year to push themselves in their writing. To cover topics that are hard-hitting, intriguing, and integral to the modern W&L experience. To write stories that actively court you, the reader.

However, we’re by no means finished. We’ve come quite a long way from when I joined staff four years ago. But that’s the funny thing about change––it never stops. Next semester’s issue will be even better than this one. And next year’s will be even better than that. My goal was not just to make the best InGeneral but to position the magazine so that it can continually be the best it possibly can in the future.

But I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without those that came before me. Caroline, thank you for seeing the promise in me and letting me be a part of a publication that has brought me a creative outlet and so much joy. Kara, you have a heart of gold, and you too believed in the potential of this magazine. I saw how much you put into InGeneral behind the scenes, and I’m sorry that you weren’t able to see that vision all the way through.

This one’s for you. To Elizabeth, innumerable thanks for the many hours you put in to these stories. Ann Douglas, you have creativity and drive that has served the magazine well and will continue to do so. I couldn’t have done it without y’all.

I think such a point in time couldn’t have been better for change. This issue represents both an evolution of the magazine and of W&L as we know it. While the future is uncertain, I’m excited to see what lies ahead.

Without further ado, I present Volume 18, Number 1 of InGeneral.

C O NTE NTS

COVE R STO RY

THE



EVOLUTI O N OF W&L

Much has changed in 2020, both on and off campus. InGeneral writer Gavron Campbell explores how COVID has caused W&L to evolve, both this year and permanently.

06

LOVE, SEX AND COVID Dating in college is difficult enough, but COVID has added a new host of complications. Some students have found that the need for human connection outweighs the risks.

03

S’MORES

COOKIES The Dairy Queen Kylie Piotte '21 shares one of her favorite recipes –– a sweet treat sure to cure any amount of Zoom fatigue.

02

Dispatches from Baker The InGeneral staff connects with students while they were quarantined in Baker and Davis Halls. Learn what it's really like on the inside, how quarantine affects students' academics, and what necessities to bring if you find yourself having to quarantine.

A CON VERSATI ON W/ 04

@dearwlu In response to the killing of George Floyd, @dearwlu emerged to shed light on stories of inequality on campus.

The Instagram account answered InGeneral’s’s questions about the impetus InGeneral behind and future of their platform.

FOREVER SISTERS

Greek Life is a cornerstone of W&L. But with students unable to attend social gatherings, some have begun to question the value of their decision to join Greek life, even going so far as to disaffiliate from their organizations.

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11

A LOOK INTO LEXINGTON BUSINESSES ON SURVIVING A

OUTLET FINDING AN

PANDEMIC CA's and RA's usually face a difficult job of coordinating their residents, but this year this it's been even so. Under the stress of COVID guidelines, students have, quite literally, fought back.

09

InGeneral sits down with Pronto owners about their decision to open TONIC in the middle of a pandemic. Hear from other local businesses about the struggles they've faced thus far this year.

Artistic Director Ann Douglas Lott '22 sh ares some of her favorite photographs of Ro ckbridge and some of the best places to visit to break the monotony of the semester.

12 INGENERAL

1

FOOD

THE SWEETEST ZOOMBREAK

The Dairy Queen herself (Kylie Piotte ’21) shares one of her favorite evening desserts –– tried, tested and scientifically proven to combat Zoom fatigue.

A BALANCED DIET IS A COOKIE IN BOTH HANDS.

THESE COOKIES HAVE IT ALL––MARSHMALLOWS, DAIRY FREE CHOCOLATE, GRAHAM CRACKERS… ALL PACKED IN ONE DELICIOUS AND ALLERGYFRIENDLY BITE.

—KYLIE PIOTTE ’21 @THEDAIRY.QUEEN

MARSHMALLOWS

S’MORES COOKIES (MAKES APPROX. 18)

I N GR E D IE NTS

3/4 cup dairy free butter (softened) 1/2 cup cane sugar 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 1/4 cup flour 1 1/4 cup graham crackers (crushed) 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 1/2 cup dairy free chocolate chips 1 handful mini marshmallows 2

FALL 2020

INSTRU CT I O N S

1. Preheat oven to 375F. 2. Melt the butter on low heat on your stovetop. Once completely liquified, stir into white and brown sugar in a medium bowl.

3. Add egg and vanilla extract to sugar and butter mix. Stir well.

4. Crush approximately 1/2 of a clear package of graham crackers until fully pulverized.

You should have about 1 1/2 cup of crumbs.

5. Mix the crumbs in a large bowl with the flour, baking soda, and salt. Then, stir the solids into the liquids.

6. Add the chocolate chips into the dough, folding gently. The batter should be thick and shiny.

7. Make tablespoon size balls and lay them on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.

Cook for 6 minutes, then remove promptly. Next, press a few marshmallows into the top of each cookie. You'll then put the cookies back in the oven for 3-4 minutes. Viola!

ELIZABETH BELL ’21

LOVE, SEX AND COVID DAT I N G I N C O LLEGE I S DI F F I CU LT EN O U G H , B U T COVI D HA S A D D E D A N E W H OST OF C O M P LI CAT I O N S.

S

A F E S E X D U R I N G A GLOBAL PA N D EM I C I S MORE CO M P LI CAT E D TH AN JUST CO N D O M S .

Washington and Lee’s COVID-19 guidelines are designed to limit close contact between students. And limits on social gatherings have derailed much of the typical college “hookup culture.”

Dance floor make outs and date functions aren’t part of our so called “new normal.”

“Parties were a good way to meet people at W&L that I never really knew before,” said one student. “Obviously, that’s not happening this year, so I really haven’t been meeting many people.”

For students who are single, the prospect of dating during coronavirus is daunting and challenging.

“It’s been very difficult. You can’t just go out and run into a stranger and ‘hit it off’ because it’s risky to interact closely with strangers,” one student said. “My friends have downloaded dating apps and have been having conversations with people that way. I’ve personally never been a big fan of dating apps, so I am currently not really dating. I’m just hanging out with the same circle of friends to stay within the guidelines.”

Meeting new people is difficult enough, but dating in-person poses significant safety risks.

“Even dating apps come with extra complications because you never know where people have been and if they’ve been smart about COVID-19 guidelines,” the student said.

Even for students already in a relationship, love in the time of COVID-19 hasn’t been without its challenges. The risk of COVID-19 transmission is high even in a monogamous relationship.

And it’s been uniquely challenging for students in a long-distance relationship.

Having visitors and traveling outside of Lexington are both limited by W&L’s COVID-19 guidelines.

“Throughout the pandemic [my boyfriend and I] have been safe about visiting each other and monitoring our symptoms but as soon as I went to W&L it felt like we weren’t able to drive just 2 hours to see each other even if we took the proper precautions which is so frustrating and hard to understand,” said one student.

Before returning to campus, students agreed to the statement of community expectations. “I will not host anyone who is not a W&L student in on-campus student residential facilities,” says the statement. And personal travel outside of Rockbridge County is “strongly discouraged,” says the W&L COVID-19 resources website. “It is recommended that you self-quarantine for 14-days upon your return.”

The constantly changing guidelines have made being in a long-distance relationship even more difficult, said one student.

W&L’S COVID RESTRICTIONS HAVE NEGATIVELY IMPACTED MY RELATIONSHIP NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF HOW STRICT THEY ARE BUT ALSO BECAUSE OF HOW UNCLEAR THEY WERE FROM THE BEGINNING WHICH MADE IT REALLY HARD TO PREPARE. —ANONYMOUS

“W&L’s COVID restrictions have negatively impacted my relationship not only because of how strict they are but also because of how unclear they were from the beginning which made it really hard to prepare,” she said. “My boyfriend lives in Virginia and works from home and since I live off-campus we were under the impression that we would be allowed to see each other throughout the semester. This changed about a week into school and it was really hard to adjust to a long-distance relationship with no preparation that was really unexpected.”

Without being able to see each other, students in long-distance relationships have used FaceTime to stay connected.

“Even if we aren’t allowed to see each other, we still are just lucky to have each other to depend on during this stressful time and are always happy with any time we have together, whether that’s in person or just on FaceTime,” she said. “And while we are grateful, it is very angering and unfair that the school doesn’t allow us to see each other when other professors and university staff are able to see their loved ones and leave the county. It’s unfair.”

Dating in college is difficult enough, but COVID-19 has added a new host of complications.

And while there are public health concerns that come with dating in-person, some students have found that the need for human connection outweighs the risks.

INGENERAL 3

EMERY WRIGHT ’22

H AT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU HA D TO S P E ND T WO WEEKS COM PLE TELY

For many Washington and Lee University students this fall, the answer was take midterm exams.

A year ago, self-isolation seemed a far-fetched hypothetical. For many W&L students this fall, quarantining on campus—or at the Holiday Inn—has become a reality.

As emails and the testing dashboard provide community updates about rising COVID-19 cases, students disappear from dorms and classrooms. Their lives are at a standstill for 14 days, while the rest of campus carries on as usual.

“Stressful. Emotional. Necessary.” These are some of the words Elle Varner, ’23 used to describe her experience. After close contact with a positive case, Varner began her quarantine in Baker Hall, where residents have private rooms, but share communal bathrooms with other students who have been exposed to COVID-19.

“My room had a twin bed, fridge, microwave, desk chair and collapsible table that I used for a desk,” said Charlotte Dross ’23, who lived in Baker Hall for 12 days. “We were supposed to stay in our rooms unless we were going to the bathroom or getting our food from the drop off location.”

The Health center advises students moving into quarantine to pack two weeks of clothes and medications, toiletries, a pillow, materials to continue remote classes, entertainment items, including “whatever will help you pass the time” and comfort items like “tea, music, and a water bottle.”

ALO NE ?

.

.

(according to students in Baker)

E XTRA TOWELS

M ATTRESS PAD

Not a necessity, but it definitely makes your stay more comfortable.

.

as a close contact and never tested positive for COVID-19, Varner and four others were moved to quarantine in the Belfield House after testing positive six days later. Elegantly adorned bedrooms and a spiral staircase conveyed Belfield as a huge upgrade from empty dorm rooms in Baker Hall. But the additional time in isolation was far from easy.

“School pressure is all you can think about,” said Varner. “If you’re not doing work, you’re thinking about how you should probably be working. I’ve been wearing the same 3 pairs of sweatpants for 3 weeks.”

WH I LE D RO SS I S O L ATE D IN BA KE R HA LL

4

FALL 2020

YO U R FAVO RI T E S N ACKS

D-Hall and Evans will get old pretty fast.

Varner’s quarantine and isolation periods took pace during peak midterm season.

While students in isolation and quarantine were initially allowed to take walks, complaints from community members have clouded rules surrounding outdoor allowances.

Students in quarantine have daily access to medical attention, but most students don’t need it. Neale’s course of treatment instead involved connecting with friends and family through Facetime calls.

“The highlight was probably when all of my friends tested negative for the second time, so I had the relief of knowing that I didn’t spread it to anyone,” said Neale, whose roommates left campus to self-isolate.

However, as waves of positive tests increase, the University has placed overflowing numbers in the local Lexington Econolodge hotel, while others also seek their own arrangements. As a close contact, Keslie Westmoreland, ’24, moved from dorms to check into an empty hotel room in the Holiday Inn. The rest of her hall left to quarantine elsewhere.

“Moving out was hectic because everyone was going in all different directions to figure out what they were going to do. Some went home and others went to Atlanta and New Orleans as groups to friends’ houses,” said Westmoreland. “I am by myself. There is another student here too, but I think that we may be it.”

.

.

.

This has been Westmoreland’s schedule as she recovers from sinusitis-like symptoms and orders delivery from Kroger and local restaurants.

Advice from students who have emerged from quarantine? Bring entertainment materials, like a speaker and coloring book.

And perhaps most importantly, don’t underpack.

ZOOM , REST, REPEAT.

EN T ERTAI NM E N T

A speaker and Netflix go a looong way.

E N O U G H CLOTHE S

You will need more than you think.

Dross agreed that the prolonged confinement was extremely challenging, but for her the experience wasn’t all negative. At first she enjoyed “having those 12 days for myself to just kind of relax and unwind.”

As one of the first positive cases, Sam Neale ’22 also spent his 14-day quarantine in Baker Hall when it was otherwise empty.

Neale tested negative during arrival testing, but woke up days later with chills and a fever. One positive rapid test later, Neale checked in to the empty building. It was more difficult to stay in the single room after his symptoms subsided, he said.

A FITTE D SH EE T

Students reported only being given two top sheets.

E X P O M AR K E R S

There are whiteboards in Baker, and you’ll want to find something to occupy your time.

INGENERAL

5

C OV E R STO RY

GAVRON CAMPBELL ’22

UNMINDFUL OF OUR FUTURE?

6

FALL 2020

THE WASHI N GTON AN D LEE E XPERI EN CE CAN BE AN UN COM F ORTABLE REALI T Y FO R M AN Y BECAUSE OF THE CON STAN T CHAN GE AN D UN CERTAI N TY. BUT AS H UM AN B EI N GS , WE KN OW CH AN GE. WE UN D ERSTAN D ADAPTATI ON AND WE ARE

No longer is it just our character that’s changing; the world around us is shifting day-by-day, too. Nonetheless, W&L students manage to attend class, scavenge for a seat to eat their lunch, and say hey to each other through a mask.

After Washington and Lee students were abruptly sent home in mid-March, they picked up a few new norms during the 5-month summer “vacation.” Several learned various COVID-19 terms, such as “herd immunity” or gained a newfound interest in vaccine development processes. Many are now Zoom experts, while others still struggle to find the unmute button.

Almost the whole world thought we would be returning to normalcy after the summer. But here we are; mask-wearing and social distancing.

Change is difficult-who knew? Every single day, every moment, and second, we evolve. Who we were yesterday is obsolete and who we are tomorrow is an ongoing mystery. This doesn’t come as a surprise—of course we change at a personal level. Today, however, we are witnessing the demand for change at a global level due to the transforming environment.

So the W&L community is evolving.

F LE XI BLE TO OUR EN VI RON M EN T.

OVI D -19 I S SHAPI N G OUR ENV I RO N M EN T

The only way of survival, literally, is to adapt alongside it.

The Washington and Lee community of about 2,000 students and 250 faculty members are adapting to the new normal.

We said we’d be back to normal in the fall, right? Well, here we are—only with a slight adjustment to our typical definition of “normal.”

We went from feeling weird wearing masks in public to feeling even weirder not wearing a mask in public. We’ve started saying phrases like “mask on” or “catch you on Zoom.”

How are W&L students changing mindsets so quickly? Is it the fear of getting COVID-19, fear of receiving a citation, or is it the fear of being the outlier? Or is it because students are adapting to this “new normal” by now?

I N TO AN EN I G M ATI C UN KN OWN .

CONT INU E D O N N E X T PAG E



INGENERAL

7

There are moments in the day that feel identical to years previously—moments, no matter the scale, students are holding onto most closely.

“Even though I only have one class in person,” Allie Schwab ’23 said, “I still make my way to the Colonnade.” It’s her favorite spot to go after class.

For her, this little action of laying in the grass with her head resting against the columns balanced her.

THERE ARE MOMENTS IN THE DAY THAT FEEL IDENTICAL TO YEARS PREVIOUSLY— MOMENTS, NO MATTER THE SCALE, STUDENTS ARE HOLDING ONTO MOST CLOSELY. As the entire student body grapples with the fact that they’re not living the expected “college experience” their parents grew up telling them about, students are instead constructing a unique experience for themselves. Who wants to live their parents’ memories anyways?

W&L is eagerly normalizing this year through music on Cannan Green, countless Outing Club trips, and virtual speakers and events. Perhaps, this is the year we recognize the magnitude of every little moment in our day.

Steve Warren ’22 hasn’t been able to see many of his friends this year, but those little coincidences of running into people are 10 times more meaningful than they were before, he said.

Weekends consist of adventures and activities students hadn’t ever thought to do, or had time to do, before now. COVID-19 is uncomfortable for everyone. We’re in a situation we’ve never lived before; it’s pushing us outside our comfort zone and outside closed doors.

Carson Allsteadt ’22 recounts the adventures her and her roommates so far: “We have done a new activity every weekend and it’s genuinely been the most rewarding. We either go on a hike, explore a new restaurant or vineyard, find the sunrise or sunset, and make it to Hull’s Drive-in Theatre— which is our favorite,” said Allsteadt.

Even though students manage to find fun on campus, anxiety and stress also exist.

A LL O F 20 20 I S T H E FIRST YE A R students will finish their fall semester without any sufficient break. W&L students typically have reading days

8

FALL 2020

to prepare for midterm exams, Parents Weekend to have some fun with family, and Thanksgiving break to recharge before final exams.

Elizabeth Grist ’22 says this is extremely difficult because “there’s no reset button.” On top of no break, Grist says, the workload is not adjusting. Students are expected to perform equally as well despite virtual classes and perpetual isolation.

Due to the continually changing guidelines and increasing cases on campus, W&L students are coping with serious consequences to their mental health.

WHEN STUDENTS HAVE COME TOGETHER IN THESE FIRST SIX WEEKS TO TALK ABOUT THEIR STRUGGLES...

IT OPENS THE DOOR FOR GREATER EMPATHY, —RUTH DIBBLE ’22

One junior said this is the first year she’s been homesick. “It could be several different factors—not having Parents Weekend, the stress of either getting COVID-19 or being sent home, or the constant loneliness.”

Yet, creativity is what aids adaptation in humans, and W&L is undoubtedly getting creative with solutions. Several clubs and organizations are developing on campus to combat mental health, one of which includes Active Minds.

“When students have come together in these first six weeks to talk about their struggles— shared and those they face alone—it opens the door for greater empathy,” said Ruth Dibble ’22, a member of Active Minds. “Active Minds has been a haven for these sorts of discussions so far this semester. While we normally end up talking about stress and anxiety that come with school, we don’t shy away from discussions about depression and hard days. It’s even more

important that we are tune with ourselves, especially our minds, now more than ever as the pandemic keeps us from seeing others.”

W&L students are implementing to adapt to their new environment from the macro and micro perspective. Students must positively appreciate the minor, yet beautiful, moments in their day and hold on to them until tomorrow. Secondly, students must remind themselves that the whole world is enduring social isolation and unfamiliar environments.

No one is alone in this—we must look out for each other and value each little connection.

“We are temporarily adapting and will return to our comfortable habits in a year,” said Assistant Professor of Business Administration Jeff Schatten. The college experience post COVID-19 will look just like it did before,” he said.

On the surface, the mask wearing, and social distancing will likely not persist after COVID, but the lessons we learned will endure.

Creativity is aiding our adaptation to this strange environment; without creativity, virtual classes, virtual events, socially distanced games, etc. would not be possible. Students are getting outside closed doors and diving into the uncertainty with grace and gratitude.

HERE ARE T WO M AJOR ST EPS

Nyla Gavia ’22, loves to help people.

That’s why she joined Washington and Lee’s residential life staff at the start of her sophomore year.

Last year, Gavia was the resident adviser for the all-female hall in the Francis P. Gaines Hall first-year dormitory. She hosted regular hall events to get closer with her residents-events like watching Disney movies together or going out to dinner, she said. And her residents loved it. Some even viewed her as a mother-like figure, she said.

expect: face-coverings at all times, no large gatherings, no out of town guests at your residence, to name a few. But an initial guideline that has since been rolled back struck a nerve among students arriving to campus.

“No non-resident visitors, including residential halls, townhouses, apartments, Greek houses (with the exception of meals) and off-campus housing,” an Aug. 8 email from Dean of Students Sidney Evans said.

Essentially, no student was allowed to visit other students outside of their “home group”.

—NYLA GAVIA ’22

COLEMAN MARTINSON ’21

Different years pose different challenges for members of the residential life staff. The biggest problem facing resident advisors last year was rowdy residents. This year-it’s much more.

Residential staff have been tasked with enforcing the COVID-19 compliant rules across all of the on-campus housing groups.

“We can’t support [first years] if they’re afraid [of us],” Gavia said in an interview conducted via Zoom. “We joined [residential life staff ] not to be police officers, but to make meaningful connections.”

Gavia struggled to find the balance between being a friend and a superior and said it took a while for her residents to warm up to her this year. “It creates an us versus them,” she added.

And the rules weren’t always straightforward, which led to confusion and anger among some students and residential life staff. arrived on campus expectating the guidelines to be as strict as they are currently, he said.

But he didn’t know how they would be enforced in upper division housing.

“People get in trouble for the smallest of things,” he said.

These guidelines are what you’d ROB E RTS ON RE E D ’ 22

the job of policy-enforcer against your friends? It’s an internal struggle that many members of the residential life staff felt at the beginning of the school year.

H OW DO YOU BAL AN C E

IT’S HARD TO ENFORCE SOMETHING THEN TEXT SOMEONE THE NEXT DAY TO HANGOUT.

INTO

B UT THE N C OV ID- 19 HA P P E NE D.

lot of people were adjusting to the new normal,” he said. “People were happy to see their friends. Not a lot of people were aware of the rules.”

Student self-governance is a hallmark of Washington and Lee. Students have faced the challenge of governing, leading and even policing their peers for more than a century.

In September, the policy was changed to allow for small gatherings both inside and out, so long as students followed other guidelines. Caps on gatherings have ranged from 6 to 10 people indoors and 10 to 25 people outdoors as the campus environment level has waivered and COVID-19 cases have fluctuated.

Everyone knew that the global pandemic caused by the new coronavirus would mean a “new normal” on campus.

But some students did not want to follow the rules.

“There were real frustrations with getting on the same page,” Julia Habiger ’21, said. She’s been a member of residential life staff for three years and is the community assistant for the sustainability house.

“People came from different places and it’s hard to put everyone in the same box,” she added.

As a result, members of residential life staff struggled to make the adjustment-especially community assistants.

“I think the CA role was 80% being helpful and 20% enforcement [in the past]. And [now] I think the 80/20 has switched,” Habiger said.

Brian Wickman ’22, the head community assistant for the village this year, said it’s awkward to correct your peers.

“Initially, it was a challenge and a

When you’re a resident advisor in the first-year dorms, you are automatically older than your residents. But community assistants face a different challenge of having to monitor their friends and classmates in upper-division housing. And students fought back.

Multiple reports of students “harassing” members of residential staff were reported to the school administration, according to multiple members of res life. On Sept. 5, Evans sent another emailing warning students.

“Failure to be respectful of Residential Life staff will result in an additional conduct charge,” the email said.

Like Gavia, many members of residential life staff joined because they wanted to help students, not get other students in trouble. But now they’re at a crossroads.

“It’s hard to enforce something and then text someone the next day to hangout,” Gavia said.

INGENERAL

9

G R E EK LIF E

FOREVER SISTERS

KATIE LARKIN ’22

A

long with Tiger King, murder hornets, whipped coffee and a presidential election, 2020 has been marked by more than six months of COVID-19 restrictions and multiple social justice movements for racial equality.

These changes have gone from “unprecedented times” to “a new normal” and have impacted nearly every aspect of life. Life at Washington and Lee is no exception.

Campus has been redesigned to force social distancing, co-op closes at midnight, and dozens of petitions have made their way around the student body as stresses rise. Likelihood of a “normal” school year had dwindled in the months leading up to August, so these changes were not unexpected, but they still contribute to a “different” feeling on campus.

On a campus where about 75% of students are involved in Greek life, Monday night chapter dinner and themed mixers are a thing of the past. Adjusting to the “new normal” has included holding chapter meetings on Zoom, cancelling formals and mixers, restricting access to Greek houses and attending mandatory diversity training.

WIT H ST U D E NTS U N AB LE TO ATTE ND S OC IA L

some have questioned the value of their decision to join Greek life – maintaining involvement is much harder if you aren’t able to spend quality time with others. Some have reconsidered their role in the predominantly white Greek system. As protests against racism spread throughout the nation, so did a push for the abolishment of Greek life on college campuses.

Since June, Washington and Lee students and alumni have described experiences with racism, homophobia, exclusivity and microaggressions on campus and within the Greek system on social media.

This multitude of factors in combination caused many students to rethink their involvement in Greek Life on campus. A number of disaffiliations ensued both on Washington and Lee’s campus and on others.

A number of college students, including Washington and Lee students, have decided to disaffiliate from Greek life. Northwestern University’s Sigma Nu chapter lost around 75% of pledges this summer, many citing G AT H ER I N G S ,

10

FALL 2020

discomfort surrounding involvement in the Greek system. My twin sister, a student at the University of Richmond, was one of multiple women who disaffiliated from the school’s chapter of Kappa Delta, which was soon followed by a mass resignation of women serving on UR’s Panhellenic Council. Similar movements took hold at American University, Duke University, Northeastern University and Vanderbilt University, among others.

As one of the students who disaffiliated here, I found this nationwide phenomenon to be interesting. It seems that many young people are motivated by common goals. My own decision to disaffiliate was a combination of the factors I listed plus a few personal ones, as most are. Making that choice requires

IT BECAME PRETTY OVERWHELMING TO FEEL ENTRAPPED INTO MULTIPLE BOXES THAT I FELT DIDN’T FULLY REPRESENT WHO I AM. —SUNGHEE KIM ’23

a great deal of thought, something that many of us had plenty of over the summer.

Chatting with some of these students opened up my eyes to this unity of thought and diversity of experience.

“I often say I wouldn’t have rushed at any other school,” said Mansi Tripathi, ‘22, who

disaffiliated in April. “[But] I was scared to be a woman of color on a campus that had a reputation like W&L’s, so out of social pressure and anxiety, I decided to rush”.

She eventually hit a breaking point.

“I began to grow increasingly uncomfortable about the fact that I was participating in and perpetuating a system that I disagreed with,” Tripathi recalls.

Sunghee Kim ’23, a sophomore, expressed a discomfort with the control Greek life holds on Washington and Lee’s campus.

“It became pretty overwhelming to feel entrapped into multiple boxes that I felt didn’t fully represent who I am,” Kim said.

“For the sake of my mental health as well, I had to leave.”

Both women made educated decisions based on their own personal values and needs, a reasoning which should be widely accepted and normalized. There are certainly many students who find great value in Greek life, but it is not an institution for everyone.

My hope is that these students, and others who choose to disaffiliate in the future, are met with nothing but acceptance; everyone’s experiences are different, but there appears to be central issues sparking these decisions. adjusting to this “new normal” takes time, and hopefully these organizations will find a fair and inclusive way to celebrate bonds of friendship.

ON E TH I N G I S CLEAR:

A CO NV ERSATION W/

@dearwlu LIZZIE FIGUEIRAS ’21

What caused you to start this account?

I

started this account because I saw the success of @dearPWI and realized that the W&L community would have a lot of stories to share, if given the opportunity. Students have been sharing their stories in task forces, committees, board meetings, etc, but the individual nature of that has led some to believe that it is an individual problem and not wide-spread.

This account proves the opposite: W&L has had a problem with racism, sexism, classism, religious intolerance, and other forms of exclusivity for generations. Given the changes students and alumni alike are pushing for (and have been for a long time), it felt apt to have a public platform to support their work and stories.

How has your message evolved thus far and how do you see it changing in the future?

I

feel like it is less of a message and more of a digital archive of students sharing their stories. Whenever we get an angry DM accusing us of an “agenda” we ask them earnestly: what agenda? There’s no agenda beyond providing a space for marginalized students to share their stories. We want people to make ethical and moral decisions based on reading these stories, and certainly we are interested in an equitable and inclusive student experience.

In the future, we hope to pass it off to current students who are doing similar work on campus and are more directly involved with advocating for themselves and their peers. I hope they can sustain it for as long as they see fit, or change it to suit their needs. We see it as a fluid

project, that can and will shift to the community’s needs and discussions.

What constructive criticism have you received in the creation of @dearwlu?

C

onstructive criticism has been people asking for it to move beyond just stories and provide solutions and other forms of content. A small handful have accused it of being “trauma porn.”

This is something we’ve struggled with a lot—is it our responsibility to go beyond what we’re doing?

Many of the stories provide solutions, if you read carefully. And we wholeheartedly disagree that it is trauma porn, as there is agency involved—people submit their stories knowing they will be shared.

There is buy-in there. Some use the form or DMs as a space to share their story, but don’t want it to go beyond that, which, of course, we respect. Ultimately, we decided that this project is a digital archive that uplifts and shares others’ efforts, and cannot take on the additional work of expanding our purpose at present.

We are people who frequently take on too much, and are prone to burn out, so this has been a practice in knowing our limits and exercising boundaries in order to maintain the platform.

How has the student body reacted? Faculty?

Alumni?

S

tudent reaction has been mixed but mostly positive, but we know that is where some of the fake stories come from, too. Of course, there are people who are invested in maintaining the status quo. Asking for all students to have an equitable experience, and exposing the ways they do not, really shouldn’t be that

TH IS PAST SUM M ER, IN RESP ONSE TO TH E KILLING OF G EO RG E FLOYD A ND A DVA NCEM ENT OF TH E BL ACK LIVES M ATTER M OV E ME N T,

members of the Washington and Lee community took to social media to create spaces of advocacy for change on campus. One of the accounts, @dearwlu, answered InGeneral InGeneral’s’s questions about how and why they are using their platform to open discussions about our university’s culture and history and promote a more inclusive, diverse and open-minded community. radical. But to some, it is.

We try not to dwell on the bad, though. The hundreds of DMs and emails of support far outnumber the angry folks. Students have expressed gratitude for being able to safely and anonymously share their stories, and for the knowledge that they are not alone. Alumni have been really encouraged by the account, it seems, because finally people are talking about all the things that went unsaid during their time. But, similarly, it is disillusioning for many to see how little campus has changed since their time. We haven’t heard much from faculty directly, but indirectly they seem supportive and interested in the movement it has created, and the implications of it. We’ve heard it’s been brought up in a few classes as a topic of discussion, which has blown our minds a little.

Overall, the feedback has been positive––hundreds of DMs of support and people sharing their stories and realizing they weren’t “crazy” or alone, they were gaslit and separated from others who shared their experience. It is really sad to see the ways W&L intentionally and unintentionally achieves this, but I think it has brought a fractured community back together in some ways.

unless the administration actually listen to student’s experiences and do something about them.

THE LONGER W&L GOES WITHOUT EVEN ACKNOWLEDGING THE ACCOUNT’S EXISTENCE, THE LONGER THAT ROAD WILL BE. The longer W&L goes without even acknowledging the account’s existence, the longer that road will be.

It’s been supremely disappointing that they haven’t even acknowledged the stories, or said they’re paying attention.

We started the project on June 29, and still, not a public word has been uttered. To not even acknowledge the problem is itself a problem.

What is the end goal of the change you hope to facilitate through sharing these stories and information?

W

e hope that sharing these stories wakes up the administration and student body at-large to the problems of racism, sexism, classism, religious intolerance, and all other forms of exclusivity on campus.

We hope they finally see that these stories aren’t one-offs, but rather, years-long patterns of trauma that will only continue to repeat INGENERAL

11

L E X ING TON

PH OTO STO RY

TON I C TAPS

LEXINGTON BUSINESSES ON S U R V I V I N G A P A N D E M I C MERRILL DOWDY ’23

“N

o one ever tells you that you should plan for a pandemic,” said Franky Benincasa, while sitting on the porch of the recently opened restaurant and inn, TONIC. Since March, Franky and Meridith, the owners of Pronto Caffé and Gelateria have adapted to the changing COVID-19 restrictions on businesses and to the extended absence of students in Lexington.

Summer tourism and events at local universities, like Parents Weekend and graduation, typically bring an influx of customers and restaurant-goers to Lexington. But as events have been cancelled and consumers have prioritized personal safety, local businesses have lost out on some of their busiest weekends of the year.

But while many businesses across the country closed during the coronavirus pandemic, the Benincasas opened a new one.

12

FALL 2020

M ACAD O’S

Franky and Meridith transformed The Sheridan Livery Inn and Restaurant space, which is just a block down from Pronto Caffé and Gelateria on Main Street, into Tonic.

Why open a restaurant during a pandemic?

Well, they didn’t have much of a choice. When the management company occupying The Sheridan Livery Inn and Restaurant left the space over the summer, the Benincasa’s had to capitalize on the opportunity earlier than they anticipated, Franky said. Tonic had a quiet opening, Meridith noted, but has been well received.

Despite initial success, uncertainty still remains. The couple worries that if they hire a full staff, they’ll have to let them go later if the government mandates another shutdown.

Meridith and Franky said goodbye to half of their staff last spring at Pronto when students at nearby universities were sent home early for the summer.

N APA TH AI

B I ST RO O N M AI N

Other local businesses faced the same challenge or had to lay off employees when their business slowed down.

General Manager of Southern Inn Restaurant Michele Lang said that the restaurant laid off three-fourths of its staff in the spring.

Restaurants also faced delayed shipments for food and materials. The Benicasa’s struggled to bring together their newly renovated outdoor space because their furniture shipments were behind schedule. Frank’s Pizza, Pasta & Subs struggled to acquire yeast, along with other ingredients, said Owner Rino Guardafcione.

Amidst these challenges, however, downtown Lexington shops and restaurants adapted to the situation by being creative. The Benincasa’s focused their renovations of Tonic on the patio, adding furniture and wall decorations that have already become a popular photo op.

OUTLET FINDING AN

ANN DOUGLAS LOTT ’23

P RO N TO

CHE E S E TO YOU

HAY WO O D’S

Along with Tonic, Southern Inn Restaurant noticed the demand for outdoor seating and has set up a tent that serves as an outdoor patio. The restaurant has also added a family meal feature to their menu and has even hosted events like virtual wine tasting.

“We were able to keep our head above the water,” Lang said.

Some businesses, however, did not have to alter much about their operations to attract customers, other than standard COVID-19 safety precautions. Because Pronto serves mostly grab-and-go coffee and treats, the transition to all take-out was not drastic, said the Benincasa’s. Frank’s also maintained business because pizza and pasta carry out well.

“We really didn’t feel the burden like other businesses did” Guardafcione said.

Pronto’s business is typically slower during the winter, so the Benincasas fear what the future of COVID-19, as well as the longer university breaks will mean for their restaurants.

Guardafcione predicts that Frank’s business will drop around 20-25% when students go home.

Even after surviving the past six months, Lexington businesses share a common apprehensiveness towards the future of COVID-19 as we near winter.

E

very W&L student has a mental bucket list, and, for most of us, at the top of that list is to get outside more. This fall, the Outing Club has provided more opportunities than ever for students to check off that objective.

Many Outing Club key staff have been leading two to three trips each week, said key staff Annie Furr, ‘22. Some of these trips are more challenging, and others, such as trail walks, are easier.

“So many people graduate without getting to be in the outdoors as much as they’d have liked to because W&L has so many other things to offer as well,” Furr said. “Since there’s nothing else to do because of COVID, people find it’s a great time to get outside and do things that are on their bucket lists.”

All OC trips are adapted to the vpandemic with a limit of 10 people per trip. Trips also must be located within 15 minutes of campus to avoid any exposure between participants who carpool.

“I have three trips online right now, and all of them have a waitlist of around 28,” Furr said. “They’ve all been filling up almost immediately.”

Even President Dudley wants to get involved with the Outing Club. Recently, he and his wife joined Furr on one of her hiking trips to Devil’s Marbleyard and a stargazingtrip at the back-campus gazebo.

Furr’s advice to get on trips quickly? Turning on trip notifications on the OC website will send students an email immediately after a trip signup goes live so they can be ready to register.

For those looking for a COVID-friendly serotonin kick, the great outdoor adventure awaits.

 I N G E N E R AL MAG AZINE

John W. Elrod Commons Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA 24450