newsinsight news insight
“
“
News Editor Abigail Connelly News Editor Emma Henry News Editor Daniel Kalish fhnews@gmail.com
THE FLAT HAT | Wednesday, April 19, 2023 | Page 2
THE BUZZ
I think there is such a beautiful opportunity to learn outside of the classroom. Travel, obviously, is a great way, but I think the other thing is just realizing that all of us are going to have different experiences. ̶ Jessica Nabongo FLAT HAT NEWS BRIEF
College releases Class of 2027 decisions, reports 32% acceptance rate
Friday, March 24, the College of William and Mary released regular decision results to prospective studentsʼ applicant portals. The College received over 17,500 applications this year with an 18% increase in Early Decision applicants, making for a total of over 1,400 applications across Early Decision I and II. Admission for Early Decision applicants increased 10% from last yearʼs class, with over 600 students offered admission through this process. Compared to a 33% overall admission rate for the Class of 2026, 32% of applicants gained acceptance into the Class of 2027. The College expects to welcome around 1,650 students this fall, 40% of which identify as students of color and 6% of which are international students. After the College announced on March 2, 2023 that it would extend its testoptional admission process indefinitely, around 30% of this yearʼs applicants applied without standardized test scores. Student Assembly president Sydney Thayer ʼ24 expressed her excitement following the admissions decisions in March. “With each new class of W&M students brings a whole new set of diverse experiences, interests and perspectives that allow our community to learn and grow,” Thayer wrote in an email. “We are so excited to hear their fresh perspectives and hope to do everything we can to support them as they find their community, explore their passions, and kick off their time here at W&M!” The College hosted its You Belong event on April 14 and Day for Admitted Students (DFAS) on April 15, 2023. READ MORE AT FLATHATNEWS.COM EMMA HENRY / FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR
A THOUSAND WORDS
EMMA HENRY / FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR
CORRECTIONS The Flat Hat wishes to correct any fact printed incorrectly. Corrections may be submitted in email to the editor of the section in which the incorrect information was printed. Requests for corrections will be accepted at any time.
THE FLAT HAT ʻSTABILITAS ET FIDESʼ | ESTABLISHED OCT. 3, 1911 Org #101 P.O. Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA 23187 Editor flathat.editor@gmail.com Managing flathat.managing@gmail.com Executive flathat.executive@gmail.com Magazine editor@flathatmagazine.com News fhnews@gmail.com Sports flathatsports@gmail.com Copy flathatcopy@gmail.com
Opinions fhopinions@gmail.com Variety flathat.variety@gmail.com Photos flathatphotos@gmail.com Online flathatonline@gmail.com Advertising flathatads@gmail.com Graphics flathat.art@gmail.com Ombudsman flathat.ombuds@gmail.com
Molly Parks Editor-in-Chief Jake Forbes Managing Editor Vivian Hoang Executive Editor Adam Jutt Digital Media Editor Myles Rescher Business Manager Sarah Devendorf Standards Editor
Anna Arnsberger Operations Coordinator Ryan Leventhal Webmaster
Abigail Connelly News Editor Emma Henry News Editor Daniel Kalish News Editor Miles Mortimer Variety Editor Agavni Mehrabi Variety Editor Ethan Qin Sports Editor Max Grill Sports Editor Avi Joshi Opinons Editor Mollie Shiflett Opinions Editor
Chris Schneider Videos Editor Lisa Coleman Data Editor Camila Anderson Social Media Editor Karis Koutsourelakis Social Media Editor Yelena Fleming Graphics, Podcast Editor Ryan Goodman Photos Editor Crystal Wang Copy Chief Hannah Ray Chief Staff Writer Betsy Mahoney Chief Staff Writer
Veronica Bondi Copy Editor Lindi Li Variery Assoc. Editor Samuel Li Photos Assoc. Editor Anu Desai Copy Editor Phebe Fahmy Variety Assoc. Editor Justin Sherlock Photos Assoc. Editor Anastasia Rubis Copy Editor Emma Halman Variety Assoc. Editor Elliott Lee Chief Sports Writer, Annabelle Glassman Copy Editor Ava Edwards Variety Assoc. Editor Photos Assoc. Editor Maddie Harris Copy Editor Ashley Cohen Variety Assoc. Editor Ryan Cody Sports Assoc. Editor Caitlin Noe Copy Editor Gabriel Black-Planas Chief Features Catherine Storke Graphics Assoc. Editor Joe Wehmeyer News Assoc. Editor Writer Jonah Randell Ombuds Assoc. Aafreen Ali News Assoc. Editor John Powers Opinions Assoc. Editor Editor Sonia Samantaroy News Assoc. Editor Ellie Kurlander Opinions Assoc. Nora Keely Ombuds Assoc. Editor Ian Harman News Assoc. Editor Editor Shradha Dinesh Data Assoc. Editor Peerawut Ruangsawasdi News Lauren Meyer Opinions Assoc. Abhayprad Jha Data Assoc. Editor Assoc. Editor Editor Jenine Samara Podcast Assoc. Grace Martin News Assoc. Editor Bushra Bablu Opinions Assoc. Editor Grace Saunders Variety Assoc. Editor Maddie Cassidy Fact Checker Editor Damien Kanner-Bitetti Opinions Alisha Khodabocus Fact Checker Summer King Variety Assoc. Editor Assoc. Editor Jana Smith-Perry Fact Checker
COURTESY PHOTO / S. DOUGLAS BUNCH
Bunch currently serves on the Collegeʼs Board of Visitors and was appointed as a public delegate for the U.S. to the U.N. General Assembly by President Joe Biden in 2022.
“It’s been a privilege to be at the table”
College alumni S. Douglas Bunch ʼ02, J.D. ʼ06 emphasizes education, professional achievements
JOSEPH WEHMEYER // FLAT HAT NEWS ASSOC. After graduating from the College of William and Mary, Board of Visitors member S. Douglas Bunch ’02, J.D. ’06 still centers education within his career. Whether working as a partner at Cohen Milstein Sellers and Toll PLLC or as a U.S. representative at the United Nations, Bunch continues to emphasize the importance of learning. “I think education may be the number one factor in advancement and mobility, socially, economically, in terms of the progress of humankind in general,” Bunch said. “I think it’s the way that we can do the most to improve our own ability to help the rest of the world and advance our common interests as human beings.” Bunch’s desire to improve opportunities for others is rooted in his personal experiences. “I grew up in Augusta County, Virginia,” he said. “My dad drove a UPS truck and my mom was a public school teacher. I was the first person on my dad’s side of the family to graduate from college. For me, William and Mary was truly transformative. It inspired me to think critically, creatively and globally.” When investing in the education of others, Bunch thinks big and does not shy away from ambitious projects. As a Monroe Scholar in 2000, he founded Ascanius: The Youth Classics Institute, a nonprofit organization which teaches classical studies to elementary and middle school students. In 2006, Bunch co-founded Global Playground, a nonprofit which has built educational infrastructure in 11 underdeveloped and developing countries. “We run Global Playground on less than $75,000 per year,” Bunch said. “That allows us to build roughly a project a year. Normally classrooms or sometimes an entire school, sometimes a community center or a library… We’ve had a huge impact with a very small investment, and that’s been really fulfilling to see.” Global Playground hosts students from the College participating in Freeman Intern Fellowships in East Asia. Starting in 2018, the Charles Center for Academic Excellence began sponsoring unpaid internships in the region. “Both last summer and this coming summer there will be Freeman Fellows from William and Mary who are residents at our school in Northern Thailand,” Bunch said. “That alone has a significant impact.” In 2022, President Joe Biden appointed Bunch as a public delegate of the United States to the 77th session
of the U.N. General Assembly. In this role, he has made several statements in the UNGA Third Committee, which addresses social, humanitarian and cultural issues. In this role, Bunch organized a consortium of colleges and universities to regularly engage with the U.S. mission at the U.N. According to Bunch, the U.N. hosts monthly briefings on “significant issues of mutual interest,” such as climate change, the one year anniversary of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, water and food insecurity. “It’s been a privilege to be at the table and in the room when we advance U.S. policy interests, which very often are the policy interests across many other member states,” Bunch said. Governor Terry McAuliffe appointed Bunch to the College’s BOV in 2016, and he was reappointed by Governor Ralph Northam in 2020. As a member of the BOV, Bunch has a say in critical decisions at the College, including choices regarding tuition rates, granting tenure and hiring the College’s president. “We also set the vision and mission of the institution,” Bunch said. “We’re a constant sounding board for the president and other senior staff as they make important decisions.” Bunch’s engagement with the College is extensive. As an undergraduate, he was an aide to former College President Timothy J. Sullivan. Bunch also received the inaugural W. Taylor Reveley Award in 2011, recognizing his commitment to public service, and spoke at the College’s first Lavender Graduation ceremony in 2018, celebrating the achievements of its LGBTQ+ graduates. “The institution has progressed far beyond where it was when I arrived in 1998 but also when I graduated in 2002,” Bunch said. “We’re far more diverse, inclusive, [and] forward looking… [We’re] demonstrating to the rest of the world what a special place we are. A place that truly values undergraduate research. Where community means something. Where people have each other’s backs. Where the alumni community is strong and loyal. Where there’s a focus on development of your entire self as an undergraduate.” Bunch attributes his experiences and perspective gained as an undergraduate at the College for his achievements as a lawyer and diplomat. He spoke optimistically about the College’s current state and its future. “We’re in a really special place as an institution,” Bunch said. “President Rowe has been fearless in her leadership and bold in all the ways we needed. Entrepreneurial in ways that we asked her to be. She’s truly taken us to the next level and then some. We’re heading towards an exciting place.”
ACADEMICS
Faculty members ask candidates about College’s future Raitt, Jackson, Thomas vie for dean of Arts and Sciences position at campus town halls ACADEMICS from page 1
Faculty and staff morale was another focal point of discussion during the town halls. Raitt discussed a time where she met with some staff members and the expressed their concerns as she was putting together a white paper on the strategic plan. “There’s a group of housekeepers who used to always have breakfast in the lunchroom in Tucker Hall where the English department lives,” Raitt said. “I went and I had breakfast with them. I mean, you know I asked if I could, obviously. And we had a long conversation about the strategic plan. And I said to them, What do you enjoy about coming to work? And you know what they said? They said, ‘going home.’” A faculty member at the town hall told Raitt that it felt like faculty and staff morale was at an all time low and added that it felt low in ways that may have a ripple effect across campus.
Raitt said that low morale is a difficult issue and may stem from the COVID-19 pandemic and the significant number of transitions in the dean of Arts and Sciences office. Another faculty member highlighted his concern over the future of humanities programs at the College. He noted his concern for whether the administration’s decisions will benefit the College in the long run. He also pushed back on the notion that morale issues stem from the COVID-19 pandemic, and instead said that they are more linked to administrative overreach, such as hiring decisions without consultation from the faculty. The faculty member highlighted other issues such as research funding being taken from their department and bureaucratic issues in interdisciplinary studies. “There is a narrative out there that the humanities are dying and that nobody is signing up for the humanities majors,” Raitt
said. “I’ve looked at the numbers across the nation. It’s not true. It’s just not true. At William and Mary, we’ve seen an increasing number of STEM majors and we’ve seen a decrease in the number of arts and humanities majors. What we have not seen is a decrease in the number of students who are desperate to get into the arts and humanities courses. And to me, majors are nice and all, but what really matters is that students can take courses outside of their major, and most students who are STEM majors or econ majors, whatever it might be, are still really eager to take arts and humanities courses.” Raitt emphasized the importance of investing in the arts and humanities. “I would see it as my responsibility to our students, and to a concept of the liberal arts and sciences education that is really expansive, to invest in the arts and humanities,” Raitt said. READ MORE AT FLATHATNEWS.COM