The Flat Hat April 14, 2015

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Tribe holds spring football game Stationary food truck stalls Tribe thrashes Hofstra

New andTarpey veteran talent show promise for fallwin 2015 season. Prewitt, help College pick up a 78-62 in front of aatpacked Dixon’s six three-pointers key a 100-79 rout for the College KaplanKaplan Arena.Arena.

Vol. 104, Iss. 41 | Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Wholly Habaneros has dissatisfied students since November.

The Flat Hat The Twice-Weekly Student Newspaper

CAMPUS

Student found dead on campus Ambler notifies community

of The College of William and Mary

Flathatnews.com | Follow us:

STUDENT LIFE

Going mold school Student files legal complaint due to reported mold in Ludwell

MADELINE BIELSKI Flat hat NEWS EDITOR

Paul Soutter ’17 was found dead at the College of William and Mary Monday morning. The cause of death has yet to be confirmed, but according to an email sent by Vice President for Student Affairs Ginger Ambler ’88 Ph.D. ’06, he appears to have taken his own life. Ambler notified the College community of the death in an email sent at 6:42 a.m. She stated that the William and Mary Police Department responded immediately to a 911 call from one of Soutter’s friends. Ambler Ambler’s email said that Soutter was a sophomore at the College, originally from Arlington, Va. He had yet to declare a major. According to Ambler’s email, Soutter was a talented student and a gifted performer, involved in many campus performance groups. “In January he played one of the swashbucklers in Sinfonicron Light Opera Company’s ‘The Pirates of Penzance,’” Ambler said in the email. “He was to have performed this month in the premiere of a new W&M student-written, faculty-directed play. Many on campus have delighted in Paul’s talent and wit, enjoying especially his comedic flair as a member of the university’s Improvisational Theater (I.T.).” In her email, Ambler also reminded students of resources available on campus. Counselors are available 24-hours and the Dean of Students Office, the Counseling Center, Residence Life, campus ministers and Ambler’s office are available to those in need. “At times like this we naturally ask ourselves, ‘Why did this happen?’ We may never know the answer to that. In the face of such a terrible loss, it is important that we all take the time to reach out to each other, listen to each other, and offer strength and comfort where we can,” Ambler said in the email. “Paul’s death reminds us of how close we are to one another at William & Mary. What affects one of us affects us all. I know you join me in extending our deepest sympathies to the Soutter family and to Paul’s many friends.”

Emily Nye Flat hat CHIEF STAFF WRITER

statement regarding the College’s policy with dealing with mold on campus. “We care enormously about the health and safety of members of our community,” Whitson said in an email. “It’s also important to understand that mold and/or mold spores are present in all buildings in eastern Virginia. If there is a concern about mold, a full inspection is done, including air quality checks by our Office of Environmental Health and Safety. If it is determined there is excessive mold, we follow all necessary steps to remediate it and conduct follow-up inspections to ensure the issue has been resolved.” This is not the first reported alleged incident of the College mishandling instances of mold in residence halls. Four students at the College, Kaitlan Shaub ’17, Hannah Reach ’17, Sarah Duska ’17 and Lauren Dybel ’17 claim that the College took almost four months to remove the mold from their room in Fall 2014. The four women live in the basement of Landrum Hall. “Last fall when we moved in, we noticed that some of the paint layers on the ceiling above our bathroom shower were peeling back and kind of growing worse and worse,” Dybel said. “About half way through the semester, we thought we noticed some mold because there were black dots along the ceiling.” Dybel’s roommate,

TThe College of William and Mary is facing allegations of excessive mold in residence halls. One student, Mary-Beth Berg ’15, is pursuing legal action against the College for injuries she asserts were due to the presence of mold in her residence in Ludwell Apartments. “[Berg] went extensively into reporting the mold and requesting that it be repaired,” Brad Miller, Berg’s attorney, said. “It took them quite some time to address it.” According to Miller, the College was aware of the mold in Berg’s apartment even before she moved in. “It is our position that they had prior knowledge that it was there before she moved in,” Miller said. “I don’t believe they handled it as they should have.” At this time, the College has not been served with a lawsuit, but is aware of Berg’s complaint. The College maintains that there is no evidence that the mold in Berg’s room was above safe levels. “William & Mary’s Office of Environmental Health Safety, once notified, conducted multiple inspections and also hired a third-party specialist,” Associate Vice President, Communications and University Relations Brian Whitson said in an email. “We have no evidence of mold and/ or mold spores above normal levels in the apartment while the student was living there.” KAITLAN SHAUB / THE FLAT HAT Whitson also released a Four Landrum residents waited approximately four months to have their mold issues fully addressed.

CAMPUS EVENTS

See MOLD page 3

ACADEMICS

HOPE to host Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Andrew W. Mellon foundation ROTC, VOX, the Haven, Lambda unite to combat sexual assault grants $2.6 million to College Grant to allow faculty to work across disciplines

AlLISON ROHRER THE FLAT HAT

This month, HOPE in conjunction with ROTC, VOX: Voices for Planned Parenthood, and the Haven will present Sexual Assault Awareness Month at William and Mary – a

time “dedicated to support and healing for survivors,” according to the William and Mary Sexual Assault Awareness Month website. “We are working with ROTC and Someone You Know to do a photo campaign in support of survivors of sexual assault,”

COURTESY PHOTO / WMSAAM FACEBOOK PAGE

Sexual Assault Awareness Month will include a photo campaign by ROTC and Someone You Know.

Index News Insight News Opinions Variety Variety Sports Sports

Today’s Weather 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

HOPE President Kelly Gorman ’16 said in an email. “We are also working with a new alumni group called W&M ASAP (Alumni for Sexual Aggression Prevention) to put on a collaborative workshop about bystander intervention for fraternity men.” This week, HOPE will sponsor an event called Love on the Rocks, which will discuss alcohol and consent. HOPE will also be hosting a speed dating night to encourage people to talk to each other with respect. Dates will not be separated by gender or sexual orientation. The last public event this month is called Take Back the Night and will take place April 23. Survivors of sexual assault are welcome to submit their stories to HOPE, which leaders of HOPE will read in an effort to put a face to the discussion that has been going on all month. “Sexual assault affects everyone and it is happening right now within our own community,” Gorman said. “It is only with the collective action of every member of the student body and William and Mary community in general that we can end sexual assault and create a place where everyone feels safe.” For VOX’S part in the event, they will be sponsoring performances of the Vagina

A $2.6 million grant given to the College of William and Mary by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation will establish the W. Taylor Reveley III Interdisciplinary Faculty Fellows. College President Taylor Reveley served on the board of trustees for the Mellon Foundation until his retirement this spring. The foundation is a non-profit corporation, which focuses primarily on promoting the humanities and performing arts in higher education. Reveley said he joined the foundation as a trustee because he shares those same interests. “It was a wrench to leave after 21 wonderful years,” he said in an email. “The Mellon grant warmed my heart because it will help meet William & Mary’s need for more interdisciplinary efforts and because of my long association with the Mellon Foundation. I was on its board for almost 21 years and have great respect for the enormous good it does.” The Mellon Foundation wished to set up the endowment in honor of Reveley and asked the College to write a proposal for what the use of the endowment. Provost Michael Halleran collaborated with Reveley to develop the faculty fellowship, which had to be approved by the Mellon Foundation. Halleran said that the focus of the fellowship would be on teaching and designing interdisciplinary courses at the College. “It’s very deliberately imagined as bringing together faculty across areas, across boundaries, that generate new courses, that generate new approaches,” Halleran said. “I hope that it promotes and sparks intellectual connection.” Halleran said that these courses could be completely co-taught by

See SEXUAL ASSAULT page 3

See MELLON page 3

Inside Variety

Inside Opinions

The hidden fees behind science labs

Rain High 75, Low 54

AMANDA WILLIAMS FLAT HAT COPY CHIEF

Whether majoring in science or fulfilling a GER, students all must face a science lab at some point — along with their unexpected fees. page 4

Stroll call

Sigma Iota Alpha excited the campus with ‘Rock ‘N’ Stroll’ competition. page 5


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