The Flat Hat January 22, 2025

The Flat Hat

The student newspaper of the College of William and Mary | Vol. 114, Iss. 15 | Wednesday. January 22, 2025 | flathatnews.com

Season of Change In this issue:

Muscarelle Museum of Art reopens next month p. 3 Professors at College are paid less than competitors p. 3 College celebrates Year of Environment in 2025 p. 4

KARENA RICHMOND / THE FLAT HAT

Profile News Opinion Variety Sports

2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10

Inside Sports

Inside Variety

Inside Opinions

Index

We donʼt need TikTok

Av i Jo s h i ’ 2 6 d i s c u s s e s t h e re c e n t ban of the highly popular social media a p p l i c a t i o n , Ti k To k page 6

Bringing composting to our community New Compost Club partners with Matthew Whaley Elementar y page 7

Green and Gold off to red-hot 5-1 start in conference play William and Mar y currently sits atop Coastal Athletic Association rankings page 10

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newsinsight news insight

News Editor Sam Belmar News Editor Mona Garimella News Editor Peerawut Ruangsawasdi fhnews@gmail.com

THE FLAT HAT | Wednesday, January 22, 2025 | Page 2

THE BUZZ

Right now, art seems to be confined to Andrews Hall, so I hope the space provides more opportunity for students to showcase their work on a larger scale and incites more curiosity and passion for art in general.

̶ Rebecca Garber ʼ27

FLAT HAT NEWS BRIEF

Board of Visitors to meet first week of February

Wednesday, Feb. 5 to Friday, Feb. 7, the College of William and Mary board of visitors will convene for the third time this academic year. The board aims to make a return to Blow Memorial Hall, after previous meetings met in different locations due to the renovations there.

The boardʼs agenda includes an evening celebrating the newly renovated Muscarelle Museum of Art and the dedication of the Martha Wren Briggs Center for the Visual Arts. According to the Collegeʼs website, the new museum will contain a larger event space, banquet hall, a courtyard, expanded gallery space, among other significant improvements.

The Muscarelle Museum renovation began in March of 2023, paid for by private funding, costing approximately $44 million. The project officially concluded in December 2024, and its dedication will further be celebrated as a part of Charter Day festivities.

Suzanne Clavet, the Collegeʼs communications director, shared in an email to The Flat Hat that the board will continue conversations about the Collegeʼs strategic vision, which began during the boardʼs September meeting.

“Each committee is spending time this year discussing what it means and what the challenges are for William & Mary to achieve national preeminence,” Clavet wrote.

College President Kathy Rowe introduced the goal of achieving “national preeminence” as an institution at the boardʼs November meeting.

Clavet mentioned that in the February meeting, the committee on Financial Affairs is expected to make no significant decisions or changes will occur regarding tuition. These decisions are typically handled during the boardʼs April meeting.

“Last year, however, the board acted on tuition for a twoyear period covering both the 24-25 and 25-26 academic years,” Clavet explained.

MOLLY MARTIN / THE FLAT HAT

A THOUSAND WORDS COURTESY IMAGE / AYANNA WILLIAMS

Ayanna Williams ʼ26 was supported by multiple campus organizations in her victory, such as Williamsburg for All, Alpha Kappa Psi and Sigma Phi Epsilon.

Ayanna Williams ’26 shares excitement for City Council term, dedication to greater Williamsburg community

Williams describes growing up visiting Williamsburg area, focus on student-centered issues

ABIGAIL FURCY // THE FLAT HAT

RICHARD CHILDRESS / THE FLAT HAT

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.

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Tuesday, Nov. 5, Ayanna Williams ’26 scored a major election victory, winning a spot on the Williamsburg City Council. Originally from Richmond, Williams has always had a special place in her heart for Williamsburg, a middle ground between her home and family in Hampton. Now a student at the College of William and Mary, Williams has developed even more appreciation for the local community that fosters meeting new people at every turn.

Before running for City Council, Williams served on Williamsburg For All as a finance director.

Williamsburg For All is a political action committee that advocates for increased student involvement in Williamsburg local politics. In her time with this group, she grew aware of a range of student issues that often go unaddressed.

“What motivated me to run was bringing to light some of those issues that haven’t been prioritized in the past and making sure that everyone has a seat at the table to be heard on issues that matter to them,” she said.

Williamsburg For All supported Williams’ campaign financially and provided guidance throughout the campaign process.

Williams focused on a variety of different studentcentered issues throughout her campaign, using them to connect with the student body. She advocated for more affordable and accessible housing that is not broken down or in rough condition. She also promoted investing in education and protecting the environment since green space is a prominent attractive feature of Williamsburg. To make these goals a reality in the future, Williams is planning to take a collaborative approach with fellow council members and the city at large.

“I believe that a lot of the times, our answers to challenges are found with having conversations with people that might not see eye to eye, but create a well diversified perspective on an issue,” she said.

“So that’s my plan, is to have conversations, really brainstorm and put things into action.”

The process of running for city council began in June, and once she decided she wanted to run, Williams had to collect 125 required signatures from Williamsburg residents to be put on the ballot. Friends who were involved in past campaigns made up the core campaign team, and there were an additional 10 to 12 interns at any given time working on tabling, speaking to clubs and knocking doors around town.

Wi l l i a m s s p o k e o n t h e t wo s i d e s o f t h e c a m p a i gn : t h e c a m p u s o p e rat i o n a n d t h e gre ate r William sbu rg o peratio n.

“In Williamsburg, that included knocking on doors, attending events. There were also several, several forums and one actually being on campus, which was very exciting,” she said. “ That happened as well.

So really just meeting with different members of the community and talking through what are some of the best ways that we can approach an issue. I believe that issues aren’t always black or white. There’s several different perspectives and ways that we can approach any problem.”

Fundraising was a major endeavor for the campaign, and occurred mostly during the summer months and into September. The majority of fundraising came from reaching out to different people in the community through phone calls, along with some support from Williamsburg For All. The campaign took advantage of technology, including digital ads on Instagram.

In the end, the efforts of the campaign proved to be successful, but the journey to get to the finish line was not always smooth. One of the challenges for Williams was being able to trust that all her efforts were enough.

“As you can imagine, there’s always this kind of balancing act because we’re all students, like my team is all students,” she said. “Being a student is a full time job, so having that and also everyone placing in like hours and hours with the campaign. So just making sure that we’re balancing everything well and also, doing what we can to make meaningful connections.”

Williams was with her family when she found out she won, and it was a memorable experience she’ll remember for her entire life. The swearing in ceremony was Jan. 6, and after that, the real work began. There is no fixed time schedule for city council members, just two meetings per month and city events Williams will attend to meet with people in the Williamsburg community.

Williams is an active member on the College’s campus as well, formerly serving as the Undersecretary of Finance in Student Assembly. She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Psi, the business fraternity, and is grateful for the support of her brothers throughout the entire campaign. They came to her campaign launch and made sure people voted across campus.

Williams’ future aspirations potentially include law school. Although still pursuing her undergraduate degree, Williams has already experienced success both in school and at the community-wide level. Her advice to other students who want to make a change is to just take that initial jump.

“I got to a point where I was like, we need to stop talking about the things that we want to see change and actually take action on it. And I think that’s like the main premise because that can be scary. It’s so easy just to have conversations and talk about the things that we need to change, but actually doing the work can be a little scary and it’s hard work. So I would just encourage anyone that wants to see change in any area to, you know, start looking into ways of implementing change,” she said.

Page 3

THE FLAT HAT

Wednesday, January 22, 2025

POLITICS

College students, local community react to Trump’s return to White House Hard-line immigration, economic policies among chief concerns, administration picks also create uncertainty

MADIGAN WEBB THE FLAT HAT

Monday, Jan. 20, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. After Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election and leading up to his inauguration, College of William and Mary students and Williamsburg community members expressed mixed opinions regarding his upcoming term.

Students at the College raised concerns about Trump’s immigration policy. Young Democrats Treasurer Adrian Ryan ’27 pointed out the negative effect on the workforce that mass deportation would trigger.

“There could be a lot of negative, practical implications with deporting millions of immigrants,” Ryan said. “We could see large problems with construction workers and agricultural workers. We could lose a lot of our workforce, especially in places like California’s Central Valley, where there’s a lot of farm workers who come from Mexico and are probably undocumented.”

Hunter Steele White ’27, issues director of the Young Independents, agrees with implementing stricter immigration measures, but thinks there are more effective ways to address the problem.

“I do understand the merits of having some stronger activity and partnerships with Mexico against cartel organizations and against organized crime,” White said. “I’m all for that, but I think that [Trump] is focusing so much on innocent people who are just trying to make their livelihoods here. I think that’s unfair and not really in the spirit of the United States. He’s not focused on why there are so many people coming here. It’s because there’s no job opportunities, or it’s unsafe, or it’s corrupt, or there’s other kinds of persecution. I think that he really needs to settle into the idea of much more U.S. aid to Central America.”

Friday, Jan. 17, founder and director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics Dr. Larry Sabato delivered a community talk at the Williamsburg Lodge in partnership with the Greater Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce. He agreed with students that a central

pillar of Trump’s presidential campaign and electoral success last November was his stance on immigration.

“Nothing turned out the Trump base like immigration,” Sabato said. “Whether you agree or disagree with the points he was making, [immigration] motivated Republicans more than anybody else in the magnet base. It worked.”

However, Sabato argued that Trump’s plan to detain and deport millions of immigrants is flawed and unattainable with existing infrastructure.

“It’s just impossible because you have to build those detention centers unless you’re going to use the ones in Texas that are not anywhere close to [holding] the number of illegal immigrants he’s talking about,” Sabato said. “You can’t get rid of 11 million people.”

Sabato explained that, like most elections, the result was largely determined by voters’ concerns about the economy and the rising costs of living.

“Voters don’t sit there, study unemployment statistics or GDP growth,” Sabato said. “They see what the price of gas is. And you can call it shortsighted and unfair and this and that, whatever you want to, but that’s the basis of people voting in a year when they’re unhappy about the economy.”

Ryan reflected on Trump’s past economic policies with respect to China and how they have grown to include other countries as well.

“We saw his trade war with China, which was the culmination of a bunch of back-and-forth tariffs being implemented,” Ryan said.

“In my opinion, that was problematic because it only raised the cost of goods for both consumers in America and producers in China or consumers in China as well. It really wasn’t beneficial to anybody.

He has also threatened tariffs on other random countries. He might put tariffs on Denmark, which is just a strong-armed approach, and it’s not smart and could really damage a lot of our alliances with other countries.”

Steele has mixed thoughts on Trump’s economic policy. He believes that stock market growth could be beneficial for Americans, but that high tariffs would have a boomerang effect on the cost of

goods, and that climate concerns would be deprioritized.

“I’m sure that in the stock market, he’ll be beneficial for a lot of people, but I worry about housing with him,” Steele said. “I think energy prices will go down, but it will be at the cost of probably some pretty serious climate change. He wanted a pretty high tariff on a lot of European goods. I don’t think that’s a good idea, in part because it doesn’t improve our goodwill with people who I think are allies, and also because it’s going to increase the cost of goods for a lot of people who want high-quality goods, who might not be able to get them from another market. That being said, I’m okay with targeted tariffs on a lot of Chinese goods, especially when they’re taking advantage of a lot of American industry.”

While the policies Trump will enact in his second term remain uncertain, students have begun discussing his cabinet administration picks.

Ryan emphasized that the biggest difference between Trump’s first and second term is the makeup of his administration.

“In the first administration, there were more traditional Republicans that provided some guide rails for Trump,” Ryan said.

“But in the second administration, he has purged a lot of those traditional Republicans and replaced them with loyalists. So in that sense, he might be able to do more of exactly what he wants without facing any pushback, which I believe could be dangerous.”

Steele shared his thoughts on Trump’s cabinet picks, asserting that some of his choices are well-informed and beneficial, while others favor highly under-qualified candidates that may ultimately do more harm than good for the country.

“It’s a mixed bag,” Steele said. “I am very on board with a couple of people in his National Security sphere. Those being Secretary of State Marco Rubio — I think he will do a very good job. His National Security Adviser, Mike Waltz, I think, is another guy who’s very similar to Rubio. He’s going to be very much on the ball in terms of maintaining a power balance between us and the CCP. But I am worried about people like Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. They’re just distractions at best, and at worst, they’re willfully unqualified and malevolent individuals.”

DATA

Faculty assembly data reveal lower professor salaries than peer institutions College has lowest median salary of top-three Virginia public universities, comparatively low tenure pay ANDREW HENRICKSON THE FLAT HAT

Ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the country’s sixth best public university for undergraduate teaching, the College of William and Mary is recognized as a prestigious institution of learning. The College relies on its educators to uphold the quality of education, but a question stands: How does the College compensate its professors? We collected publicly available salary data to assess how the salaries of professors at the College compare within the school and across other comparable institutions.

In 2022, the Faculty Assembly outlined seven priority areas where they identified a need for dialogue and progress at the College. One of the seven was to increase faculty salaries. In a statement, the Faculty Assembly pointed out that salaries did not increase in the 2018-2019 or 2020-2021 academic years.

They also insist that low faculty salaries make it hard to recruit talented faculty, retain the talented faculty that the school currently has and reduces the morale of the current faculty.

The professors at the College generally reside under the umbrella of three different categories: teaching professors, tenure eligible professors and tenured professors.

A teaching professor is someone who is hired for the sole purpose of teaching, with no research responsibilities. Before 2024, a teaching professor would have the title “Lecturer,” “Senior Lecturer” or “Instructor.”

A tenure eligible professor is someone hired on the tenure track, who may be eligible for tenure after their third year at the College. They additionally have research responsibilities. A

tenure eligible professor will have the title “Assistant Professor.”

Tenured professors at the College include any professor with the title “Associate Professor” or “Professor.” After their sixth year, an associate professor is eligible for full tenure and to be granted the title of “Professor.”

The data displayed and discussed in this article was gathered from OpenPayrolls and Glassdoor. OpenPayrolls is a publicly accessible website that annually requests payroll data from public universities across the nation. In order to access the data at a large scale, The Flat Hat used web scraping to acquire salaries from 2022-2024. Each professor subcategory was filtered by title, and professors with certain titles were excluded because it would result in unrepresentative data. Glassdoor’s data relies on voluntary submissions and was collected by hand.

In 2024, the median pay for a teaching professor was $61,921, which saw an increase of 3.61% compared to 2023. The standard deviation of salaries of teaching professors in 2024 was $15,193, the lowest of the three types of professors. This is due to the salaries following a tight spread, with the minimum salary received by a teaching professor being $45,900, and the highest being $120,936, leaving a difference of $75,036 between the two.

As for professors on the tenure track, the median salary in 2024 was $91,560, seeing an increase of 10.48% and 11.58% compared to 2023 and 2022, respectively. The standard deviation of tenure eligible salaries is second highest at $33,978, following a wider spread compared to that of the teaching professors. The minimum salary received by a tenure eligible professor in 2024 was $45,000, with the maximum being $267,597.

Lastly, for tenured professors in 2024, the median salary was

$126,361, which saw an 8.25% increase compared to 2023 and a 10.58% increase compared to the 2022 school year. Tenured professors in 2024 have the highest standard deviation of all the professor types; $57,621 with the minimum salary received by a tenured professor was $71,400 with the highest being $467,246, leaving a difference of $395,846 between the two.

Time spent working at the College and additional titles are potential causes of this fluctuation. Professors can be first tenured as early as their third year and continue until retirement.

Additionally, professors can hold additional administrative positions. For instance, Emeritus Professor of Classical Studies Dr. Michael Halleran, who formerly held the position of the “Provost” from 2009-2019, is currently the highest earning professor at the College.

Compared to Virginia’s other research oriented public universities, the College pays significantly less in each of the three umbrella categories. For tenured professors, William and Mary pays 26.82% and 18.13% less than the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech, respectively. As for tenure eligible professors, William and Mary pays 14.26% and 17.29% less than UVA and Virginia Tech, respectively.

This trend is lastly upheld in the pay of teaching professors across the three institutions, with the College paying 10.27% and 15.66% less compared to UVA and Virginia Tech, respectively.

However, economics professor David H. Feldman, whose research focuses on the economics of higher education and is the current president of the Faculty Assembly, pointed out that this may be an unfair comparison when looking at factors such as the size of school.

“William and Mary wishes that we are on the same level, but we are not,” he said.

Geology professor and department chair Christopher Bailey, who serves on the Faculty Assembly added that this data may be unrepresentative due to Virginia Tech’s engineering school and UVA’s medical school. Feldman said that it may be more accurate to compare the College to the institutions in the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia’s published peer group.

SCHEV peer groups are formulated using enrollments, academic program offerings and degrees awarded, research funding and classifications created by higher education research.

SEE DATA PAGE 4

CAMPUS

Renovated Muscarelle Museum of Art grand opening set for Feb. 8

Martha Wren Briggs Center for the Visual Arts will feature all-new design, spaces, exhibits, café SAM BELMAR FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

The College of William and Mary’s newly-renovated art museum, the Muscarelle Museum of Art, will soon reopen for the first time since the fall 2022 semester. The community grand opening is slated to take place Saturday, Feb. 8 at 10 a.m., showcasing brand new exhibits, a modernized architectural design and a new café.

Funded entirely through private donations and named after lead donor Martha Wren Briggs ’55, the Martha Wren Briggs Center for the Visual Arts adds over 42,000 square feet to the previous design, making room for three times as much exhibition space. The museum will expand from five galleries to 14.

Muscarelle Museum of Art Marketing and Events Manager Julie Tucker ’01 highlighted that the increased capacity will allow a mix of special exhibitions and permanent curations from the

previous space to remain on-display throughout the year.

“In terms of exhibition space, we’ve gone from five galleries to 14, so we’ll have much more space to show art — it will be a combination of special exhibitions and permanent collection displays that will keep things interesting for visitors with something new to see all the time,” Tucker wrote to The Flat Hat. The museum will include seminar rooms for study and research, as well as a library and study center accessible year-round to the campus community. Tucker expressed her enthusiasm for the Muscarelle’s new art education programs, which will support increased student engagement with the arts on campus.

“We have some wonderful new educational spaces so that classes and other groups can engage with the art,” Tucker wrote. “This was an integral part of the vision of our lead donor Martha Wren Briggs ’55 – that the

visual arts be a part of every student’s experience at W&M.” The museum’s Event Hall will host lectures, art-making workshops and special events for arts classes and the greater community, while the inaugural café and museum store will further enhance the student and visitor experience.

“Our café will be a really lovely, lightfilled space for a coffee or lunch break,” Tucker wrote. “And we hope many classes will visit to engage with the art.”

The Muscarelle intends to collaborate with art and art history professors at the College to incorporate exhibition studies into their curriculums, enabling classes to visit regularly.

“We’re working hard to collaborate with faculty across the disciplines to incorporate a visit to the museum and study of our collection into their curriculum,” Tucker wrote.

SEE CAMPUS PAGE 4

COURTESY PHOTO / JULIE TUCKER

Architect computer rendering depicts what Muscarelle museumʼs front courtyard will look like.

Page 4

THE FLAT HAT

Wednesday, January 22, 2025

CAMPUS

College enters 'Year of the Environment' with Rowe annoucement Designation aims to heighten Collegeʼs sustainability efforts after ʻYear of the Artsʼ extended to end of 2024 ABBY FURCY THE FLAT HAT

While the College of William and Mary celebrated the colorful Year of the Arts in 2024, administration is taking a more green approach this year. For 2025, the November Board of Visitors meeting announced a Year of the Environment theme. Students involved in environmental organizations on campus have mixed hopes and goals for this coming year, in their individual clubs as well as for the greater College community.

According to the College’s website, the designation was created to showcase the College’s commitment to safeguarding the health and resilience of the environment.

“The yearlong observance will focus on advancing sustainability efforts on campus and furthering William & Mary’s environmental impact around the world,” the College’s website reads.

Courtney Hand ’25 is the president of Citizens Climate Lobby and has been with the organization since its creation in her freshman year. CCL is a nonpartisan climate lobbying organization that works to enact common sense climate policies into legislation, with an emphasis on policies that would be appealing to Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike. Every year, there is a lobbying conference in June where students can go and lobby their representatives in person, complete with prior training.

Hand also works in the Office of Sustainability, which has not had a director of sustainability for a few years. Because of this, she hopes the Year of Sustainability will shine a spotlight on the realities of green efforts at the College, and what

could be improved.

Though the College is pledging to put an emphasis on environmental efforts this year, Hand already sees positive signs that people are involved in sustainability. The abundance of construction on campus is a negative, but there are plenty of students who care about enacting change.

“I think that’s what’s been really great is that the people that are engaged with sustainability on campus are like engaged wholeheartedly,” she said.

“They’re engaged in like all aspects on campus are engaged in at least one club or the Sustainability Council or different parts of that so that people are very much in the know and are doing a lot.”

Raquel Mandojana ’25 is the primary contact for the College’s Student Environmental Action Coalition, which is a non-hierarchical organization that emphasizes accessibility. Any student can join even without majoring in environment and sustainability, and anyone can volunteer to lead a meeting. SEAC has a campus focus and an education focus, and does activities like campus cleanups every semester in collaboration with other clubs. They orient themselves on campus and participate in campus-wide environmental celebrations, such as the Earth Day Bash.

In terms of academics, Mandojana views the College as stacking up nicely in comparison to other institutions.

“I think that specifically the undergraduate programs have grown significantly even in my last like four years,” she said. “You know, when I first got here, they just had what is ENSP, two tracks, science and policy. And that was it in regards to major. But then they started

plans for integrated conservation becoming a major. And there’s like the whole research program with that and that’s like really been growing a lot. And of course they’re going to have the marine science school.”

Even with the College’s sustainability courses, there are opportunities for even more growth.

“I know that there’s been talk about sustainability being put forth like a required concentration for an elective because we have ALV and those kinds of things. Doing one that is sustainability-oriented, so that requires, you know, I mean there’s so many different classes that would probably fall into that category so wouldn’t it be hard to have a class, but to put that as part of the curriculum,” Mandojana said.

Mandojana remembers the activities the campus held during the Year of the Arts and hopes 2025 looks similar.

“I think it’d be really cool to have environment-related activists or whatever, that kind of stuff. I know for us we’ve put on a few like faculty, information, Q&A sessions to talk about environmental careers and their journeys and stuff, which have been really informative. But I think it’d be really cool if William and Mary as a whole would get people outside of the school who work environment and have those kinds of panels or like informational talks, something like that. I think that would be really great,” she said.

In terms of how the College’s campus can improve upon sustainability, Hand would like

to see more students show up at club events to learn more about the options available.

Even for students who aren’t going to make environmental policy or activism their life’s work, it can still be beneficial to think about it a little more when it’s visible in front of them.

After recent climate disasters such as the wildfires in Los Angeles, an emphasis on the environment feels timely for campus.

Mandojana believes in staying informed, and sees education as the inception for movements and real change. Finding an avenue within the realm of sustainability that one is passionate about and sticking with that is a good way to start for Mandojana, because that can lead to tangible results.

Taking an environmental class changed the priorities in Hand’s life and steered her towards a passion for the environment, and she urges all students to dip their toes into the subject of sustainability. Aside from coursework, Hand recommends staying up to date with current events and trying to keep one’s eyes fixed on the facts throughout the thick fog of overwhelm and despair.

“A lot of people, when they feel hopeless, they just disengage with material and they don’t want to check on it,” she said. “Like I know myself, I can get overwhelmed by things and it’s just easier to look away sometimes. But I think it’s really important to pay attention to the kind of policy that’s being passed and what’s actually happening. Keeping up to date with the news and other reliable sources that you have access to, I think is also important.”

CAMPUS

Founded in 1983, art museum to be dedicated by board of visitors

New exhibits will be open to the public, Michelangelo to be one of many featured artists

CAMPUS from page 3

Several new exhibits will make their debut next month, including original silkscreen prints by renowned artist Jacob Lawrence. Tucker shared that art history students at the College curated the exhibition last fall as part of a higherlevel curatorial project class.

“We’ll have ‘Haiti to Harlem: Toussaint L’Ouverture & Jacob Lawrence,’ which is a series of 15 silkscreen prints by artist Jacob Lawrence providing a visual narrative of the Haitian Revolution,” Tucker wrote. “A group of W&M students in the Curatorial Project (ARTH331) created this exhibition last fall, and we’re thrilled to have it on view in the new museum.”

Notable works from the museum’s permanent collection, which had been temporarily housed in the Campus Center during renovations, will make their return to the galleries. These include original works from Georgia O’Keefe, mid-century abstract art and contemporary Native American pieces, among other exhibits.

Muscarelle student intern Sierra Manja ’26 has been working alongside fellow interns to launch Museum University Student Engagement, a volunteer-based student group aiming to boost engagement with the arts and the museum. All students

COURTESY PHOTO / JULIE TUCKER

Michelangelo: The Genesis of the Sistine will offer viewers an unprecedented opportunity to experience the artwork.

can join the organization, which will be hosting an inaugural Jazz Night in late February, as well as an art-themed lecture series with guest speakers over the course of the semester.

Manja is especially looking forward to the addition of an original Michelangelo exhibit to the museum’s collection, which she feels will broaden the Muscarelle’s campus appeal.

“As an art history major, I am greatly anticipating the Muscarelle’s

Michelangelo exhibit, ‘The Genesis of the Sistine,’” Manja wrote to The Flat Hat. “This display of Michelangelo’s early drawings and plans for his most recognizable masterpiece will intrigue a wide audience.”

Manja also shared her excitement for the Muscarelle interns’ brand new workspace inside the museum, which she hopes will enhance collaboration with full-time staff and further promote student engagement with the arts.

“The Muscarelle interns are so excited to collaborate in a new work space,” Manja wrote. “I think having a more permanent space will allow us to better connect with each other and our amazing staff.”

Rebecca Garber ’27 is a prospective studio art major. As a recent transfer to the College last spring, she’s greatly looking forward to having a new building focused entirely on the arts, recognizing the benefit for her and

others’ artistic exploration.

“I transferred here last spring, so I haven’t had the opportunity to be on campus before the Muscarelle shut down,” Garber wrote to The Flat Hat. “I’m really excited to see how a dedicated art space will bring more life to the arts here on campus. Right now, art seems to be confined to Andrews Hall, so I hope the space provides more opportunity for students to showcase their work on a larger scale and incites more curiosity and passion for art in general.”

Thursday, Feb. 6 at 6 p.m., the College’s Board of Visitors will hold a Muscarelle dedication ceremony in the Glenn Close Theatre at Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall. The Board will then receive a tour of the new building and hold a reception at the museum.

In addition to the Feb. 8 community grand opening, the Muscarelle will be hosting an open house for students Feb. 20 from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tucker highly encourages all those interested in the arts to attend and take part in a wide array of activities.

“That event will be geared specifically for W&M students with a scavenger hunt, free refreshments, art activities, live music by student groups and more,” Tucker wrote. “We’ll have more details about this event in the coming weeks!”

DATA

College ranks sixth lowest median salary compared to peer schools State government committed to keep research-oriented public universities in 60th percentile

DATA from page 3

In the past, SCHEV and the state government made a commitment to keep Virginia’s research oriented public universities in the 60th percentile of their peer group, which would mean that these schools would have higher salaries than at least 60% of comparable institutions, but now SCHEV has backed off of that goal.

“There is a reason why they do not want to talk about the 60th percentile anymore, because we [the College] have fallen to the bottom. Compared to our peer group, we are either last or next to last when they stopped calculating it [in 2017],” Feldman said. “They committed us to getting to the 60th percentile, but year after year after year we have fell and fell and when we got to the rock bottom, they [SCHEV] said we aren’t going to talk about the 60th percentile anymore.”

Feldman explained that this has been making hiring new

professors difficult.

“If Clemson is offering $20,000 higher starting salary than we are, it is going to be hard to hire a junior economist away from Clemson. You are probably going to have a lower teaching load at Clemson. So you are going to have a lower teaching load, a higher salary, a larger department, so we lose,” Feldman said.

However, Feldman remarked that the College has been actively cognizant of the gap between its starting salaries and competing universities.

The College has the sixth lowest median salary compared to its peer institutions.

Feldman cites reductions in state funding as a key cause of the College’s comparatively lower salaries.

“We were appropriating less money for higher ed, per student, in 2015 than we were in 1995,” Feldman said.

The College has had to adapt to this reduction in funding without compromising its quality of education, to avoid

the “death spiral” given by reduced state funding.

Alternatively, the college has begun to push more “levers,” charging higher tuition, facilitating more private fundraising and ultimately, spending less on professors.

A teaching professor, who opted to remain anonymous, shared challenges he has experienced in his position due to its heavy workload.

He explained that the job search process for a professor is extremely difficult, with him specifically applying to around sixty positions and only getting back two; one from the College and one from a university in Turkey.

“They [the university in Turkey] were offering me way more, offering me housing even and a much higher salary,” he said. “They were only requiring me to teach one, maybe two classes a semester, where here I teach three classes every semester, so I definitely do a lot of teaching which makes it difficult to do any research.”

The teaching professor also described that the capacity of students they were teaching creates a difficult workload.

“One hundred ten students to keep track of with emails. When someone is sick, or has to miss something, I have to coordinate with them and help them make everything up, and that’s what takes a lot of energy,” he said.

Additionally, he mentioned that although professors have graders and

TAs, which take care of homework and labs, a large majority of the work is still put onto the professor.

“Every year, [ the College] keeps increasing the number of students in the classes too. I think a better solution would be to add more sections of the class, and hire more people to teach them rather than using the people we already have to do more, with not necessarily more pay,” he said.

This topic is not being

entirely shoved under the rug however, with Bailey and Feldman starting a formal process to look at professor compensation at the college.

“We would like to talk about it again” Bailey said.

“This is not meant to be a study that is aimed at ‘ha ha we told you so,’ but to collect the information and see where we stand — something informative.”

opinions

Opinions Editor Mollie Shiflett Opinions Editor Avi Joshi fhopinions@gmail.com // @theflathat

THE FL FLAT HAT | Wednesday, January 22, 2025 | Page 5

STAFF COLUMN

A very Babygirl and Nosferatu Christmas Elizabeth Brady

STAFF COLUMN

A note on photo culture Mollie Shiflett

FLAT HAT OPINIONS ASSOC.

FLAT HAT OPINIONS EDITOR

GRAPHIC BY CATHERINE STORKE / THE FLAT HAT

GRAPHIC BY CATHERINE STORKE / THE FLAT HAT

December 25th is usually a pretty big deal to people. It’s the birthday of both Jesus of Nazareth and Jimmy Buffet (two of my favor ite Capr icorns)! This year, it was also the day of the double-release of Robert Eger’s “Nosferatu” and Halina Reijn’s “Babygirl.” A sort of Barbenhiemer for freaks, if you will.

I committed fully to the double feature. “Nosferatu” knocked my socks off and freaked me out so bad. It was well-paced, well-acted and great to look at. I can’t imagine anyone but Lily Rose-Depp playing Ellen, and I always love to watch Willam Dafoe be a strange, strange old man.

“Babygirl,” on the other hand, is more of a mixed bag. Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson are both convincingly awkward and engaging enough to keep you locked in, but not so much so as to put you at ease. It’s certainly script-heavy, visuals are deliberate and artful but nothing crazy and the pacing lags a bit in the second half.

Both “ Baby g i r l” and “Nosferatu” are certainly movies for freaks; they're movies about sex, but more importantly, they’re movies about shame.

There’s the old film-analysis adage that the horror in a horror movie reflects the collective fears of the society that

produced it. In “Nosferatu” the horror, the creature, the evil, is a manifestation of Ellen’s shame; shame for being strange, shame for her desire, shame for the parts of herself that can’t be corseted into comprehensibility. When she is overcome with attacks of paralysis and epilepsy, the people around her try and fail to understand them within the limits of what they already know. Only in Professor Franz (Dafoe), is she able to find someone who takes her seriously, and he allows her the agency to fully defeat what plagues her.

Although it doesn’t have Bill Skarsgard in a big weird bald cap and a mustache, “Babygirl” contends with similar themes. Romy (Kidman) is unsatisfied in her marriage and unable or unwilling to communicate with her husband (Antonio Banderas (!!!!!!!!)) about it. The first scenes of her affair with Samuel (Dickinson) are stilted, awkward and hesitant. Their dynamic is tenuous and mercurial. Power games are played, blackmail is mailed, careers are threatened, cigarettes are smoked and at one point Kidman drinks milk out of a bowl on the ground.

“Babygirl” makes you very aware of how awkward sex (especially kinky sex) can be, and it doesn’t pull any punches about how painfully debasing asking for what you really want can be.

The Babygirl/Nosferatu combo is an interesting development,

COMIC

Willy and Mary #5 COMIC BY MICHAEL GABRIEL / THE FLAT HAT

especially after the popular antisex-scene discourse of late. The idea that Gen-Z is more prudish than past generations is almost entirely at odds with the accessibility and ubiquity of graphic sexual content on the internet and with hookup culture as a whole.

Movies about sex, shame, repression, power dynamics and vulnerability couldn’t be more timely as we try to navigate a world where communication and connection have been fundamentally changed by technology.

Ne i t h e r “ Baby g i r l” nor “Nosferatu” are sober treatises on the importance of sexual health, they’re movies! They’re a little sexy sometimes! They’re interesting to watch! They’re funny to read and write tweets about! They are films that can and will elicit different reactions from different audiences. So I encourage you to go in with an open mind and to think deeply about what makes you lean in and what makes you shrivel into your seat.

If you choose to engage in the Nosferatu/Babygirl double feature, make sure it’s in a setting you’re comfortable with, with someone you trust, and if you’re streaming it illegally, make sure to use protection.

Elizabeth Brady ’25 is a public policy major and an English minor, and she is a member of Alpha Chi Omega. She loves art, music and movies. Email her at eabrady@wm.edu.

This article is going to sound a little ridiculous, and to be fair, any article about pet peeves sounds ridiculous to any person who doesn’t share that random dislike. For context, I just spent three weeks in Rome, and I did all of the things that tourists are supposed to do: I ate pasta, I ate pizza and I took a lot of pictures.

In the digital age, pictures are status.

A teacher of mine in high school always liked to say “pics or it didn’t happen,” which is a bizarre thing for an English teacher to say, but it demonstrates how much of a premium younger people have put on pictures. Pictures go on our Instagram pages or they get sent to our friends and they seem to be serving less as a reminder of the beautiful things and places we’ve been and more as a status symbol. “Look where I was,” then slowly devolves into “look at me.”

I’m not saying that taking pictures is inherently a bad thing. I take pictures, so a lot of this article will be tainted with a whiff of hypocrisy, but there just seems to be a particular kind of picture taking that seems to come from a place that values appearances over substance.

My friends and I woke up — a little too early, in my opinion — to go to the Trevi Fountain two days before we left.

It’s one of the things you just “have” to do if you’re in Rome. You have to toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain and you have to take pictures (or a video) while you do it. And this is where my issue is.

My friends and I came prepared with our phones — which, if you were wondering, is the absolute max you need — and stood in line until 9 a.m. However, while we just had our cell phone cameras, other people had EQUIPMENT: selfie sticks and collapsible stands and

all kinds of other things that I have never seen before in my life. All of this to take pictures of themselves standing alone. Not even with family or friends, although some were with friends and family (and these people are definitely less annoying than those who were going to all this effort for a solo shot).

What my critique boils down to is this: Taking a picture should never become more of an event than the subject you’re trying to capture. Pictures are there to serve our memories, to bolster them when they grow hazy and the corners of the mental images fade. What we take a picture of is what should matter. I’m not sure that all of that extra effort to make sure that you’re in the picture is worth it. But maybe that’s just me.

I guess what’s most important is that you like the pictures you take, but I don’t know what it says about us as a society if having a picture of us in front of one the greatest artistic marvels is more important than a picture of the marvel on its own. To me, these kinds of pictures seem to do more to service our own brand of vanity — the 21st-century Narcissus that all of us seem to embody — than they do anything else.

I don’t often take pictures of myself, but I know that lots of other people like to. All I want people to do is take a minute to feel all of the emotions and all of the wonder and all of the things that we can blunt within ourselves when we spend too long focusing on ourselves instead of the world around us.

Mollie Shiflett ’26 is a double major in history and linguistics, not that she knows what to do with that. She is one of the captains of Women’s Club Soccer Gold for the College of William and Mary and is an avid fan of most sports — except golf.

Email Mollie at mrshiflett@wm.edu.

THE FLAT HAT

STAFF COLUMN

Wedneday, January 22, 2025

Page 6

Perceptions of Climate Need to Change Too Damien Kanner-Bitetti FLAT HAT OPINIONS ASSOC.

JAMIE HOLT / THE FLAT HAT

The consequences of the climate crisis have never been more real or evident than they are today. Over the last year, communities across the United States have been devastated by catastrophic environmental disasters. The severe damage inflicted by multiple hurricanes in the Southeast, the widespread harm caused by the second-most-active tornado season in recorded history and the recent horrors of the Los Angeles wildfires demonstrate both the severity and range of environmental collapse. The fact that scientists have linked each of these extreme weather events to a climate that is continuing

to change adds urgency to the issue — the threat posed by events are widespread and reach communities across the natural disasters has never been higher. world. Thus, many students at the College can personally Despite this evidence, many Americans downplay the testify to the very real and current nature of the climate cridanger. Most adults describe climate change as “a major sis. Furthermore, these calamities have demonstrated that threat to the country’s well-being,” but few have taken indi- nowhere is safe from environmental disasters. Far too many vidual steps to prepare for this threat, and even fewer express “once-in-a-thousand-year” calamities have occurred for interest in helping their communities prepare. Although people to not be preparing, at least a little bit, for the worst. almost two-thirds of Americans say they believe that the This type of preparation is largely dependent on the clieffects of climate change will worsen over their lifetimes, mate of a specific location; as students, we have to be prevery few believe that they will have to make changes to their pared both at home and at school. For Williamsburg, experts own lives or lifestyles. predict that heat waves and flooding are the main concerns.

This disparity is due in part to a widespread perception Both the city government and the school administration that, if climate change is real, it will mostly happen in other have taken steps towards sustainability, but they will likely places and mostly affect other people. This attitude con- need to invest in green infrastructure and flood mitigation flates the very real inequity of climate change with the con- in order to defend against changes in the local environment. clusion that America is invulnerable to its impacts. Others Students, meanwhile, are able to participate in local disasbelieve that climate change will be stopped before it can ter preparedness trainings via the Williamsburg Community harm them. However, even people who see climate change Emergency Response Team, can get involved with clubs on as inevitable are unwilling to act on it, choosing instead to campus such as Citizens’ Climate Lobby and the Red Cross, believe in the certainty of the status quo. Indeed, this confi- and should think about building an emergency survival kit. dence that “nothing ever happens” is fundamental to many We are at a point where action cannot come from individuals people’s perceptions of the climate. or institutions alone: everyone must be involved.

Here at the College of William and Mary, it can be easy to For such action to happen, it is crucial for our community fall into this type of mindset. Our school is situated in a rela- to come to terms with the fact that we are living in a changed tively mild climate, with little risk of direct devastation from climate. The alternative is willful ignorance and submismost types of extreme weather. We are in a comparatively sion to fate. The commonly-repeated assertion that climate well-prepared community, with a wealth of resources avail- change will manifest as a series of disasters viewed through able to us that are not accessible everywhere. We have our phones, with footage that gets closer and closer to where you youth, and each other, and bright futures ahead. Under these live until you’re the one filming it, will become more and circumstances, it is more than understandable to be con- more relevant every day unless people acknowledge the fact cerned with exams and friendships, and to avoid the addi- that climate change is already here. tional stress that imagining cataclysmic scenarios brings.

Damien Kanner-Bitetti ’25 is an English major and And yet, many in our community have already been American studies minor from Arlington, Va. In addition to directly affected by the tragedies of the last year, or have the Flat Hat, he is a member of Club B Soccer, Jewish Voice friends and family who have been. Far from being confor Peace, a librarian for the Meridian Coffeehouse and a tained to certain parts of the country, the impacts of such DJ for WCWM. Email him at dskannerbitett@wm.edu.

STAFF COLUMN

Airports: The Secret to Controlling Time

STAFF COLUMN

We don’t need Tiktok

Lana Altunashvili

Avi Joshi

FLAT HAT OPINIONS ASSOC.

FLAT HAT OPINIONS EDITOR

GRAPHIC BY CATHERINE STORKE / THE FLAT HAT

Airports — places that thousands of people pass through daily on their way from point A to point B. Places where somehow time seems to simultaneously stand still and yet fly by. Many of us have been at an airport, whether right now on our way back to the College of William and Mary or at some point during an overseas family vacation — time is a concept you cannot quite grasp there. And if you let me explain myself, I’ll show you just why I think we have much to learn from a place that temporarily houses a wide variety of people from different countries, of various religions and beliefs — a place that pays no attention to time at all and makes us realize its importance.

After about 24 hours of travel, four hours of sleep, three hours of perusing the duty-free perfume aisles, drinking some coffee and watching a few Instagram reels — I am quite honestly exhausted. The words “crashing out” have never looked so alluring as they do right now. But it is in these moments that the weirdest and maybe most bizarre metaphors come about, which is also how this article came to be. I’m not going to lie to you, I was planning on writing this at the Munich Airport during my five hour layover (a much better alternative to the 10 hour one at the beginning of winter break). But this apparent disorganization only proves my point and here’s how.

Whether it’s the change in time zones, the messed up sleep schedules or the presence of so many stores you can hardly stay away from them — the airport is a place where people can drink alcohol at 6 a.m. with nobody batting an eye; where upon entry you hope time goes by quickly and the next minute you’re already landing at your destination; where one minute trying to choose a gift at the store turns into you being on call with your relatives for an hour trying to decide what to bring. It seems to me that the faster we want time to go by, the slower it actually happens.

Remember waiting in line for customs? Yeah, how about that for time going by at a snail’s pace? But then the slower we want time to go by, when we’re running late and we hear our names being announced, time flies by and we either barely make it or have to deal with the consequences of not paying attention to the clock. You can never win — you want one thing and the complete opposite happens. How is that fair?

This makes you think. There is a commonly held

belief that you cannot stop or control time at all. But what if you could? Speaking for myself, while waiting for a flight during a long layover, walking around stores, reading, doing random things — it just helps.

It helps so much that I had no time to write this article before I boarded my nine hour flight to Washington, D.C. Now, at this point in the article is where I would say, “this is how you live in the moment.” But the truth is I don’t know what would work for everyone. One thing I know to be true is that by not thinking about it, time goes by quickly, and sometimes, by thinking about it, time is painfully slow at moving forward. So, correct me if I’m wrong, but the only way to control time seems to be giving up on the attempt as a whole.

I know none of us are stupid enough to think we could ever control time, but we still try to do it by wishing hangouts to be longer, classes to be shorter… it’s not a genuine attempt, but it’s a wish we take quite seriously. What if the secret to enjoying it all, is to let go of the futile efforts of improving it and just experiencing it instead?

This is the start of a new semester. New classes, new majors, new minors, new research labs, new papers, new assignments, teachers, classmates, roommates, friends — it is a chance to either build on what you already have or start anew. I hope at least some of my rambling here made sense, but in case it didn’t, here’s a brief summary: Stop trying to control time and enjoy being where you are. That moment will not happen again the way it’s happening right now — you might miss it.

Remember the airports, where time doesn’t exist?

Without time, there are a precious few things to worry about and a myriad of things to enjoy. Every day, you will be passing through buildings, classrooms, dorms where people walked before you and will walk after you, so many stories happening all at once, nobody can keep track of them. But I guarantee you, most of them realized, probably even too late, that the only way to enjoy things, is to let go. So this semester, let things go just a little bit. I know that’s what I will try to do.

Lana Altunashvili ’27 is a prospective international relations major. She is a James Monroe Scholar and a member of Club Tennis. Contact her at laltunashvili@ wm.edu.

COURTESY IMAGE / PLANN

Besides the LA fires, some of the hottest news out right now revolves around the recent TikTok ban. On Saturday, January 18th, TikTok went dark and as of right now, the app cannot be downloaded but can be accessed by those who still had it downloaded. Those who could use the app after the brief period it was down were met with a message that says, “Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the US!” Now, personally, I hate TikTok. In my experience with the app, I found a constant sense of panic every time I opened it ; I could never find what I was looking for or what I was even trying to find. Yeah, some of the videos were funny and honestly, I saw a lot more news on there — from various sources — then I ever did trying to find news myself. However, none of that changes my opinion that the potential of TikTok being permanently banned (Trump may have saved it for a brief period, but it will take a lot of work to reverse the bill that banned TikTok) should be looked at as a breath of fresh air.

I first uninstalled TikTok at the beginning of last semester. Originally, I thought it would be a little difficult, just because of how natural it was to pull out my phone and get my fix. However, I found myself realizing how little I felt like actually going on it. I started to look back and see the app in a very negative light, as more of a tool for control. I asked why the hell does TikTok have such a grip on younger generations (especially mine)? I understand the argument that TikTok and other social media apps are tools for connection, but I would also say they are tools for distraction.

LA is burning, people are dying left and right all over the world, but we need to talk about TikTok. And the 60 rich, old lizards that own this country — who don’t give a sh—t about TikTok, politics, you and most certainly me — are laughing at us. But let’s not get into conspiracies; the point is that we have wasted too much time scrolling (on TikTok and other apps). It has fried our brains and placed us into tech prisons that slowly sap the energy from our lives. A comfortable prison but a prison nonetheless.

The other thing I want to address is Trump’s involvement with the app. I don’t like Trump and I found the message that appears for those who can still use the app quite alarming. Whether I like it or not, his “save” of TikTok is going to get him a lot of brownie points with young people. When I see that message, I don’t think, “Oh nice, TikTok’s up.” I go, “Oh no, the rambo-like image that Trump has been creating for years is only going to be fueled even harder, and millions of young Americans are going to give this guy a pass because he brought back our favorite drug.” Yes, this is a bleak generalization, but is it really that hard to imagine? A lot of us didn’t even imagine Trump getting back into office, so I don’t see this generalization as being that off.

Whatever happens with TikTok, I think you should keep it off your phone. I think you should stop watching car crashes on reels. The only creator who gets a pass in my head is Vsauce on Youtube shorts, that guy rules. In all seriousness, let’s let TikTok go, people.

Avi Joshi ’26 is a prospective English and education major. He is a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and Wind Ensemble. Contact him at asjoshi@wm.edu.

variety

Variety Editor Miles Mortimer Variety Editor Megan Rudacille flathat.variety@gmail.com // @theflathat THE FLAT HAT | Wednesday, January 22, 2024 | Page 7

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TØ ØÜR ÇØMMÜÑÏTÝ New Compost Club partners with Matthew Whaley Elementary MEGAN RUDACILLE // FLAT HAT VARIETY EDITOR

By working to combine community volunteering, sustainability education and hands-on work, the College of William and Mary’s budding Compost Club hopes to enrich the greater Williamsburg community and grow something beautiful.

The College already has its own compost system via various green bins on and around campus, so Compost Club has a different mission regarding composting, or the sustainable practice of turning organic matter into fertilizer. The organization partners with the Matthew Whaley Elementary School, just a 15-minute walk from the College, and it aims to educate third through fifth-graders on sustainability and composting.

Compost Club President Chloe Thompson ’27 developed the framework for Compost Club during her senior year of high school.

There, Thompson created a system in which she gathered student volunteers to use the compost at her former elementary school garden.

After getting her footing at the College her freshman year, Thompson knew she wanted to create a similar system in Williamsburg.

“I definitely still had this interest and this want to be able to engage younger students with discussions of climate change and more positive feedback about individual change and choices you can make, especially at a young age,” Thompson said This fall, Thompson’s focus was on getting the club registered as an official student organization, a process she said the College made easy for her. She also looked for an elementary school to partner with, and landed on Matthew Whaley because of their existing community garden.

Meanwhile, Thompson worked on building a presence on campus to have the volunteer support ready for school visits by spring. Mia Kehler ’27 came into the Compost Club early on as a friend of Thompson’s, and as the Head of Student Outreach, focused on recruiting college students with efforts ranging from running the organization’s Instagram page to making fliers.

Compost Club began meeting weekly during the fall semester, primarily to plan lessons for the elementary schoolers, which range from an overview of composting to individual contributions to sustainability to plant identification. Many members further came up with their own lesson topics that sparked their interest.

“Exec especially, it is pretty open to ideas, especially because we’re such a new club, so you can kind of help form it in whatever direction you’d like to see it go,” Kehler said.

In the spring, Compost Club will begin weekly trips to Matthew Whaley on Friday afternoons. About five volunteers will deliver lessons and work on collecting and creating compost. Thompson hopes to find elementary school students to serve as “compost ambassadors” and collect compostable waste during lunch. The club will then use the compost system of the College’s Dining and Sustainability program or drop it off at Fill Happy, a local business with a composting service.

As the weather gets warmer, the club will also begin taking students to Matthew Whaley’s garden to make use of the compost they make. Thompson thinks this hands-on practice will be a rewarding experience all around.

“The kids can compost, and then go out in the garden and plant a plant, and use the compost, and see it growing and visualize the change in front of them that they’re making,” Thompson said. “I think it’s a very similar effect for the students at William and Mary to be able to see the students get excited about something, or to see their interactions and relationships and the way they teach them actually have an impact.”

Despite their environmental focus, many members of Compost Club are not, in fact, environment and sustainability majors.

Thompson herself is a public policy major with a conservation focus. Meanwhile, Compost Club member Chris Tillotson ’26 is a data science major who is

nonetheless passionate about sustainability in his personal life.

On the other hand, membership has plenty of crossover with other environmental student organizations at the College, including the Student Environmental Action Coalition and Veggie Society. Thompson promoted her club to other eco-conscious organizations’ meetings and in environmental science and policy classes. Tillotson, for one, was recruited when Thompson visited a Botany Club meeting.

With Compost Club, Thompson wants to make it easier to enter what she called the “sustainability bubble” of environmental groups.

“I think it can be really daunting to join one, and it feels like everyone knows everything there is to know about sustainability,” Thompson said. “Also, I think there can be some toxicity about it, like if you don’t do this, you’re not doing your part, which is not how it should be.”

New to composting herself, Kehler added that one of Compost Club’s strengths is its openness to different types of students, whether they have experience with sustainability or not.

“I think everyone, especially our age, is pretty aware of how important it is to be greener in ways that you can,” Kehler said. “So, I think everyone has some sort of a stake in it for sure because we all deal with the consequences of not doing that.”

One opportunity to expand Compost Club’s campus connections was WCWM’s Radio Listenathon. There, Compost Club members sold cookies and made collages out of magazines to fundraise. Thompson and Tillotson both noted the event as a favorite memory with the club so far.

“I saw a few

people from that day show up to meetings later, so it worked well,” Tillotson said.

Thompson collaborated with Matthew Whaley’s head of afterschool programs and the volunteer master gardener who runs the school’s garden to hone her activities for the kids and make sure they would be doable.

“That’s always my fear, is like, maybe these lessons will be boring or too much, or things like that, because I’m not an educator,” Thompson said. “So, it was nice to get reassurance from them.”

Kehler said Compost Club’s main mission — making the climate crisis less scary — is one that both children and students at the College can benefit from.

“For me personally, when I start to think too much about it, it freaks me out, and I freeze and I can’t think straight,” Kehler said. “So, I think it’s good to just slowly ease them into the topic and say, ‘it’s a big deal, but you can do something about it. It’s in your hands.’”

In the future, Thompson hopes to promote more collaboration with other sustainability organizations at the College and partner with more local schools or gardens.

Those interested in joining Compost Club can keep up with it on Instagram through the handle @ compostclubwm, join its email list through TribeLink or simply show up to its meetings. The spring interest meeting will be held Monday, Jan. 27 at 8 p.m. in Chancellor’s Hall 113.

Thompson says students can join at any time in the semester and that regular attendance isn’t necessary to come volunteer.

COURTESY PHOTOS / CHLOE THOMPSON

THE FLAT HAT

Wednesday, Janurary 22, 2025

Page 8

Reel Talk: Can “CarryOn” carry your weekend?

New “Die Hard” inspired Netflix original film entertains with simple, turn off your brain style action MILES MORTIMER // FLAT HAT VARIETY EDITOR So long as movies have existed, directors have sought to challenge themselves with both the story they tell and the ways they tell it. In 1939, “The Wizard of Oz” sought to challenge conventions by being one of the first in-color movies to be produced. In 1968, “2001: A Space Odyssey” sought to challenge conventions through groundbreaking special effects and a compelling aesthetic.

However, one of Netflix’s most recently released movies, the “Die Hard”-inspired action flick “Carry-On,” may have undertaken one of the greatest challenges any film has ever attempted: getting you to be on the side of a TSA agent.

Jokes aside, for students at the College of William and Mary looking for a fun movie to start off their semester, the action thriller in question follows TSA agent Ethan Kopek (Taron Egerton) who attempts to thwart a terrorist plot set by a dangerous professional criminal played by Jason Bateman. In the first few minutes, the movie establishes how Egerton’s character views his TSA job as a dead-end career and an unfulfilling position after being denied a job as a police officer.

After talking about his situation with his girlfriend Nora (Sofia Carson), Kopek asks his boss, played by Dean Norris, for an increased role at the airport. Also, yes, Dean Norris as in the “Breaking Bad” Dean Norris. It was all I could think about when he was on screen, too. However — unfortunately for the main character but fortunately for the entertainment of my Saturday afternoon — his first day in his new role sees Bateman’s character blackmailing him in the sequence that sets the main plot in motion.

Bateman’s character spends most of the first half of the movie trying to get Kopek to help him smuggle a bomb into the airport through blackmail and threats. The plot then turns to a cat-andmouse game where the protagonist tries to stop the bomb from being detonated. The main villain does have a group of people helping him — a la Hans Gruber’s gang in “Die Hard” — but one of the main twists of the movie is that one of them is likewise being blackmailed.

If this seems like an interesting watch for you, the main thing to understand is that this movie is not meant to be a movie designed to change your worldview or shatter your existing philosophy on life.

If it does, that probably says more about you than it does anything else. Ultimately, “Carry-On” is just meant to be a “turn off your brain” action movie and doesn’t really seek to be anything more. And while that may seem like a negative, the movie knows what it is and does a good job of being what it set out to be.

Yes, if you think too hard about certain parts, things might unravel a bit. Why does no one seem to care that a police officer died of a heart attack in the middle of an airport more than five minutes after it happened? Why does no one seem to notice the sketchy guy wearing a black outfit speedwalking away from the police officer who just died of a heart attack? Why does the main villain have a magic tool to give people heart attacks like a Mickey Mouse gadget? Who knows! But it makes for an entertaining experience, so I can’t complain too much.

However, probably the biggest highlight of the film was Bateman’s character as the movie’s main antagonist. First, one of the most interesting things about his character is the fact that he, along with the other terrorists helping him, aren’t given names of any kind. They aren’t even given codenames or an alias, and in the ending credits, he is simply referred to just as “Traveler.” While a very small thing that I didn’t even pick up on at first, this goes a long way in making him more intimidating, mysterious and unpredictable.

Additionally, another really positive aspect is how frequently Bateman’s character interacts with Kopek. Too often, action and thriller movies have the big bad guy act as some armchair terrorist who spends 95% of the runtime yelling at people through a walkietalkie and only coming face to face with the protagonist at the very end. However, in “Carry-On,” this is far from the case. Bateman and Egerton’s characters have a good deal of banter and action scenes together before the finale. Bateman also does a great job with a Giancarlo Esposito-esque cool and calculating mastermind vibe and succeeds in being a real threat until the end, where — spoiler alert — he gets killed by his own chemical bomb in a vacuumsealed chamber.

The side characters, while a little more generic, also do a good job of keeping the plot chugging along and have a few entertaining moments here and there. One of the other TSA agents had a bit about

wanting to become a rapper, which was admittedly a running gag that I found surprisingly entertaining. Norris’ character also does a good job throughout the movie, especially in one scene that involves the other person Bateman’s character is blackmailing.

Lastly, one of the other things to consider if you want to watch this movie is the fact that it’s streaming on Netflix instead of playing in a theater. Especially if you are feeling particularly lazy and/ or introverted and/or cheap, this can definitely be something to consider. The fact that you can watch it in your dorm room instead of driving (or Ubering) to a movie theater is definitely a pro for students at the College. Overall, while not a lot beyond a fun and simple action thriller, “Carry-On” is worth a watch for fans of action movies alone for its great acting, easy accessibility and, plainly, for being a movie that knows what it wants to be.

GRAPHIC BY CATHERINE STORKE / THE FLAT HAT

Reel Talk: “A Complete Unknown” tells artist’s rollercoaster life story Biopic gives unique perspective on highs, lows, unknowns of worldwide famous music artist Bob Dylan ABBY BORGESON // THE FLAT HAT Bob Dylan doesn’t want us to get to know him, so we don’t. And yet, we do get to know the world he sees. “A Complete Unknown” is a biopic completely told through Dylan’s stubborn eyes and stubborn mind; it doesn’t try to assert an impression of Dylan, but rather, lets him do the talking (and the non-talking as well). The film does what any music biopic sets out to achieve: help the audience appreciate the artist. You’re surely bound to want to go home and pick up the untouched guitar lying in the corner of your basement, write a lyric or two, or even just Google “Bob Dylan” and try to figure out the mystery man for yourself — an achievement you’ll find no success in after watching this film, for that would defeat the title, of course.

Since “A Complete Unknown” is told unapologetically through Dylan’s point of view, the development and characterization of other characters is naturally, intentionally sacrificed. The film doesn’t glorify Dylan as a person and the audience is sure to see his abrasiveness. Sylvie Russo, Joan Baez and Pete Seeger, all friends and important people in the story of the artist, are played how Dylan saw them: people he (kind of ) loved but eventually outgrew. They were placeholders in his life that served a purpose until they were pushed away into the shaded wings of Dylan’s mind to make more room for his amplified self.

Love, admiration and appreciation didn’t stick around long — the spotlight of the singer’s mind was always himself.

Instead of immortalizing Dylan as a glorified figure on a pedestal, “A Complete Unknown” immortalizes him as a figure on a pedestal you just might want to pelt with some rotten tomatoes.

Dylan, unlike his talent, was easy to dislike. “A Complete Unknown” doesn’t shy away from his raspy, hard edges, though it still emphasizes his legendary ascent in and disruption of the folk music world. We’re amazed at his evolution, his lyricism, his nimble guitar picking, but we see through prodigy and into the progeny of genius.

Dylan’s not a nice guy, and he doesn’t really care; he’s just fine going on knowing he doesn’t devote time or space to anything or anyone

other than him and his music. We’re allowed into the audience of Dylan’s brain, but not onto the stage itself. We can spectate, but we can’t get too close. It’s frustrating and it’s also how everyone else around him felt. With the pseudo father-son relationship between Dylan and Seeger that we were rooting for, the cord is unplugged, and Seeger’s left knowing Dylan

isn’t the same scrawny Bobby he took in back in the early ’60s. Dylan goes electric, and his sound doesn’t reach us the same way anymore.

There’s fire and rebelliousness in his chords and his voice; there’s stomp in his boots. The famous singer takes a perfectly counterculture ride away from his old-school folk roots in the film’s last scene, and we realize we don’t know

GRAPHIC BY CATHERINE STORKE / THE FLAT HAT

any more about this man than we did when we met him two hours ago.

In some ways, “A Complete Unknown” is an oh-so-typical biopic. We follow an artist’s seemingly overnight rise to stardom and musical evolution, listen to a medley of the classic hits, and trace failed relationships with the private and the public. But, instead of following Dylan’s descent or final days, the film appropriately leaves us on a cliffhanger. We can hear his mumbling drawl telling us to take his music or leave it. You can be in the front row clapping and nodding along to something new, or you can throw trash at him from your spot on the lawn.

There’s no time to mourn old folk; you gotta roll into rock. And it might be a little loud.

“A Complete Unknown” is left incomplete in the end, without the closure of death or a final concert scene customary of other music biopics, so maybe it does feel a bit unfinished. But the film doesn’t set out to “finish” Dylan. It doesn’t attempt to capture too much, nor does it fail by focusing on too little of Dylan’s life. Each song has its own space in Dylan’s growing repertoire, marking new changes in his world and his musicianship. A career spanning over 40 albums is impossible to present in two hours, musically or biographically, so no Dylan biopic would ever be representative enough of his legacy to please any self-proclaimed “Dylanologists” or “Bobcats” or music history puritans. Any film that tried to cater so much to nitpicking crowds would fail at maintaining Dylans’s antipeople-pleaser essence. This is why we watch fame chase Dylan, not the other way around.

We know he wants to make it big, but we never watch him grovel at the feet of record labels. He lets his music sing for him, and he sings for his music, not his fans. This is why we don’t closely track the reasons girls scream at his taxi car, why his songs resonate so deeply with young folk in bars. We, like Dylan, are just along for the ride.

We turn our backs on the too-eager press and turn our heads to new musicians and empty studios instead. Rebellion isn’t handed to us in the forms of peace signs, flower garlands, drugs and posters, but in Dylan’s silent, then electric rejection of controlling tradition.

sports

THE FLAT HAT | Wednesday, January 22, 2025 | Page 9

WOMENʼS BASKETBALL

Tribe turns corner, wins two consecutive CAA matchups Mental toughness propels Green and Gold past Monmouth, Northeastern MAX GRILL FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR

Sunday, Jan. 12, William and Mary women’s basketball (6-10, 3-2 CAA) bounced back with an impressive 83-74 win against interconference foe Monmouth (8-9, 3-3 CAA) at the OceanFirst Bank Center in West Long Branch, N.J. The Tribe entered Sunday’s matchup fresh off a tough 66-48 loss to Stony Brook (8-7, 3-1 CAA) just two days earlier, one that stung Tribed players and coaches harder than usual.

When asked what Sunday’s game meant to the team, head coach Erin Dickerson Davis explained how determined William and Mary was to shake the disappointing matchup against the Seawolves.

“I was just very proud of how they responded,” Dickerson Davis said. “Stony Brook was obviously a really rough night for us.

Practice the next day was a really rough practice for us. Shootaround today was a pretty tough shootaround for us. I wasn’t sure how they would have responded to that.”

Despite the uneasiness headed into Sunday’s Coastal Athletic Association matchup, William and Mary came out of the gates eager to add a much-needed win to its season total. Less than a minute into the first quarter, sophomore guard Cassidy Geddes started the scoring off for the Tribe, converting on an easy layup in the paint. As the quarter went on, all 10 of the Tribe’s first points came courtesy of easy layups, establishing an early dominant paint presence to the hosting Hawks.

With just over four minutes left in the first quarter, senior forward Anahi-Lee Cauley knocked down a jumper assisted by senior guard Bella Nascimento, increasing the Tribe lead to 12-7 before the first media timeout of the half. The Tribe’s offense seemed to overpower Monmouth’s defense in the quarter, and after a last-second 3-pointer from the Hawks, William and Mary finished the first quarter with a 17-12 lead.

In the second quarter, Monmouth’s offense came to life. Fifteen seconds into the second, graduate guard Kemari Reynolds knocked down a deep three for the Hawks, cutting the Tribe lead to two. Both teams traded layups, and after a Tribe foul, fifth-year

JULIANA GOMIEN / THE FLAT HAT

Senior guard Bella Nascimento had a night to remember against Monmouth, finishing the game with a career-high 27 points.

forward Taisha Exanor cut the Tribe lead to one with a made free throw. Nascimento then took matters into her own hands, scoring four unanswered points for the Tribe.

Nascimento, who finished Sunday’s matchup with a game and career-high 27 points, stepped up for the Tribe under pressure.

“I believe in being totally honest and transparent, and I told the starters today in shootaround, ‘if we don’t start well today, I’m changing the lineup,’” Dickerson Davis said.

“I think Bella remembers that from last year, and how hard it was for her to get back into that lineup once she fell out of it. So, kudos to her for taking that challenge head-on and saying somebody may come out of this lineup, but it’s definitely not going to be me.”

Nascimento finished the second quarter with eight points, just enough for the Green and Gold to hold on to a one-point lead heading into the half.

In the third, William and Mary’s offense started to slowly pull away from the Hawks’ defensive efforts. Geddes started the second half scoring with a made jumper, which Nascimento quickly followed up with a 3-pointer, extending the Tribe’s lead to 40-34.

When asked about the potential of the Tribe’s backcourt, Geddes explained how dangerous William and Mary can really be when she and Nascimento are playing well.

“When both of us can be on in the same game, defenses can’t plan for that, so we were really happy to see that come together today,” Geddes said.

After five consecutive points from junior forward Kayla Rolph, Geddes and Nascimento combined for seven of the Tribe’s final 10 points of the quarter, giving the Tribe a 55-51 lead heading into the final 15 minutes of play.

In the fourth, Geddes completely took over.

After scoring 11 points through the first three quarters, the sophomore guard exploded for 15 more in the fourth alone. Sunday’s 26 points marked Geddes’s career high as well, but to Dickerson Davis, Geddes’s and Nascimento’s scoring were only part of what made their play so impressive on Sunday. “[The team] responded. I think that’s a

testament to Cassidy and Bella stepping up in their leadership. That’s something that I talked about pregame — we’re waiting for someone to emerge as our leader, and not just with the points,” Dickerson Davis said.

Dickerson Davis also explained how Geddes’s play on both sides of the ball helped the team win on Sunday.

“Cassidy was leading,” Dickerson Davis said. “She was not only one of our best offensive players today but was by far our best defensive player.”

Geddes attributed her stellar play to the encouragement she received from coaches.

“My coaching staff and then my head coach’s father were telling me the whole practice before this that every shot I’m going to take is going to go in,” Geddes said. “I have to feel like I’m the best player on the floor, just getting back to that is knowing that I’m going to hit every shot when it matters.”

Additionally, a little added encouragement from her mom helped.

“My mom is from New Jersey, so she always tells me that I have to beat her home state,” Geddes said.

As the fourth quarter came to a close, timely free throw shooting from Geddes, Nascimento and Rolph secured the Tribe’s 83-74 win on the road.

Despite finally gaining some mid-season momentum, the Tribe was forced to wait over a full week before its next game, something it planned to use to strengthen its team intensity moving forward.

“I think [Sunday’s game] showed us what the toughness we need every night is going to be,” Geddes said. “Going into the bye, we’re going to take that into every practice because we know we can’t just relax in practice and turn it on in the game.

Sunday, Jan. 19, the week of preparation paid off, as the Tribe won its second consecutive CAA matchup on the road against Northeastern (1-13, 0-5 CAA) 74-66 at the Cabot Center in Boston, Ma. The surging Tribe looks to take down interconference opponent North Carolina Wilmington (9-9, 3-2 CAA) Friday, Jan. 24 at Kaplan Arena in Williamsburg, Va.

MENʼS BASKETBALL

William and Mary keeps ball rolling, beats Hampton in nail-biter

Last-second layup from junior guard Chase Lowe pushes Tribe past Pirates on road SYDNEY WITWER FLAT HAT SPORTS ASSOC. Thursday, Jan. 17, William and Mary men’s basketball (11-8, 5-1 CAA) defeated Hampton (9-9,2-4 CAA) 67-64 at Convocation Center in Hampton, Va. While the Pirates led 9-0 within the first four minutes of play, the Tribe managed to bounce back. Freshman guard Isaiah Mbeng put up the first points for the Green and Gold with a 3-pointer.

“

The Tribe slowly climbed back toward the Pirates as the half progressed. Graduate forward Keller Boothby tied up the game with four minutes, nine seconds remaining in the first half. The Tribe then went on a six-point run by graduate forward Malachi Ndur and junior guard Kyle Pulliam. Hampton junior forward Kyrese Mullen answered with a layup in the paint. The half ended with junior guard Chase Lowe going 1-2 in his free throws, and the Tribe led at 27-22.

The matchup allowed us an opportunity to grow while handling adversity in an away game environment.

- Junior guard Chase Lowe

”

William and Mary started off the second half hot, pulling ahead to a nine-point lead in the first five minutes of play.

Pirates graduate guard Wayne Bristol Jr. answered with a fastbreak layup, followed by a free throw.

The Tribe extended its lead to eight points following a layup from senior forward Caleb Dorsey. The away team held its lead for the majority of the half with contributions across the board.

The Pirates slowly climbed back to tie up the game in the last five minutes of play at 54-54. Free throws from Lowe and Pirates sophomore guard Trevor Smith continued the tied game at 56-56.

Dorsey faced back-to-back fouls by senior guard Tyler Rice and Bristol. He answered these fouls by making four consecutive free throws, giving the Tribe a one-point lead over the Pirates in the last two minutes of play.

A free throw from junior guard George Beale Jr. set the Pirates ahead by one point at 63-62. Boothby responded by stealing the ball, and Case nailed a layup in the paint. The Tribe held its lead to finish the game with a final score of 67-64.

“Overall, I don’t think our team performed our best, but I was thrilled that we were able to grind out a win on the road anyway,” Lowe said.

Lowe described Hampton’s offense as “methodological” and hopes that the team will be better prepared for it in the future.

“The matchup allowed us an opportunity to grow while handling adversity in an away game environment,” Lowe added.

The Tribe will face Hampton again Thursday, Jan. 23 at Kaplan Arena in Williamsburg, Va., this time with a home court advantage.

sports

THE FLAT HAT | Wednesday, January 22, 2025 | Page 10

MENʼS BASKETBALL

Green and Gold off to red-hot 5-1 start in conference play William and Mary currently sits atop Coastal Athletic Association rankings MATTHEW PERALTA THE FLAT HAT

William and Mary men’s basketball (11-8, 5-1 CAA) has been busy racking up victories as students enjoy winter break, riding a six-game winning streak to begin conference play in the Coastal Athletic Association.

“I feel very confident with how we stack up against conference teams,” junior guard Chase Lowe said after the Tribe’s final nonconference game against Navy (5-14, 2-4 Patriot League). “I think our system is going very hard for other teams to guard because we’re sending waves of guys at people.”

“ I think our system is going to be very hard for other teams to guard becuase we’re sending waves of guys at people.

- Junior guard Chase Lowe

”

After defeating Navy 82-76 Sunday, Dec. 29, the Tribe began the CAA gauntlet at Hofstra’s (10-9, 2-4 CAA) Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex Thursday, Jan. 2, in Hempstead, N.Y. Despite going down by eight points early in the first half, theTribe mounted a quick comeback spearheaded by junior guard Kyle Frazier’s three consecutive 3-pointers. The Tribe’s attack, led by freshman guard Isaiah Mbeng and senior forward Noah Collier, powered to a 30-point lead with a few minutes left in the half before multiple Hofstra shots from beyond the arc trimmed the lead down to 21. The Tribe converted 57% of its field goals and a scorching 67% of 3-pointers to end the half at 48-27.

Fourteen seconds into the second half, Collier converted a layup, adding to the mounting pile of William and Mary field goals. The Pride never summoned much of a challenge for the remainder of the game, with Collier controlling a weak Hofstra defense in the paint and senior guard Matteus Case draining another three. Case recorded a teamhigh score of 15 points, closing out the game for the Tribe at 74-56. 39 of these points came from a deep Tribe bench led by Case and Frazier, and another eight points came from second chance plays, compared to Hofstra’s zero.

Saturday, Jan. 4, the Tribe defeated Stony Brook (4-15, 0-6 CAA) 83-76 at Stony Brook Arena in Stony Brook, N.Y. The Seawolves, who lost their first conference game, looked to turn things around.

However, the Tribe’s shooting clinic continued. The away team boasted a 52% field goal conversion rate, of which 12 came from 3-point territory.

Both teams went back and forth to begin the game before Stony Brook jumped out to an eight-point lead, its largest of the game.

Senior guard Gabe Dorsey immediately responded with a three, cutting the lead back down to five. Lowe gave the lead back to the Tribe two minutes later off a fast break opportunity. The Tribe controlled the narrative for the remainder of the half, taking a 42-37 lead back to the locker room at halftime.

Thanks to Tribe foul trouble, the Seawolves regained the lead in the second half. Needing a response, Gabe Dorsey and senior forward Caleb Dorsey took control of the game, dominating the paint. Crucial steals by Gabe Dorsey and Mbeng also helped upset the Seawolves’ tempo, with 16 points off of turnovers contributing to the Tribe’s victory in a game that saw 13 lead changes and nine ties.

The Tribe traveled home Thursday, Jan. 9 and defeated Elon (13-6, 4-2 CAA) 78-65 at Kaplan Arena in Williamsburg, Va. Graduate forward Keller Boothby shined in this game, notching a season-high 19 points and also leading the team by shooting 3-6 from 3-point range.

The Phoenix were also undefeated in conference play coming into this game, making for a heated contest. Elon jumped to an early 18-10 lead, thanks to a tip-in by Phoenix freshman forward Brayden Crump. The Tribe bounced back quickly, scoring eight unanswered with a Lowe shot from beyond the arc tying the game up. Boothby began to take over the game, scoring a layup and a 3-pointer in quick succession to keep the game close. Elon would earn a one-point lead going into the halftime break thanks to a critical and-one conversion by sophomore guard Nick Dorn with less than a minute remaining.

A strong second half performance for the Tribe would prove the difference, with the home team outscoring the Phoenix 48-34 in the final 20 minutes. Boothby picked up where he left off with a jumper 30 seconds in, taking back the lead for the Tribe. Elon senior forward Sam Sherry took advantage of a missed Gabe Dorsey 3-pointer, corralling the rebound before scoring a fastbreak dunk to put the Phoenix ahead again. This proved to be the last time the Phoenix held a lead, with Boohtby scoring seven points in three minutes. Lowe and Mbeng helped extend the lead to double digits at the free-throw line before Lowe hit Boothby with a key assist to put the match out of reach for the Phoenix. Lowe went a perfect 4-4 on both field goals and free throws to complement Boothby’s stellar night, earning 13 points.

Gabe Dorsey added 11 points to the final tally.

“It was a good win,” head coach Brian Earl said after the game, emphasizing the team’s strong offensive rebounding and success in running down the clock. “It was a frustration, especially in the first half, and I thought we were able to bust it open in the second half.”

The Tribe also defeated North Carolina Agricultural and Technical 81-78 (4-15, 0-6 CAA) Saturday, Jan. 11 at Kaplan Arena.

The crucial last-second win propelled the Tribe into first place on the CAA table.

Desperate for their first win of the season, the Aggies started off strong, scoring five unanswered points. This began a backand-forth between the teams, with a Caleb Dorsey jumper grabbing the first lead of the night for the Tribe at 8-7. A Case turnover would lead to a fastbreak for Aggies sophomore guard Ryan Forrest, who scored nine of the first 11 points for the Bulldogs. Collier claimed six points in the paint to begin a big night, including one fastbreak dunk, stretching the lead slightly to four points, the Tribe’s largest of the half. Boothby found success from beyond the arc with under five minutes to spare in the half, continuing his torrent shooting success. The Tribe headed back to the locker room with another four-point lead after Mbeng converted two free throws with three seconds to play.

The second half saw more back-and-forth action, with the Tribe leading by as many as five and the Aggies by as many as eight with 14 minutes, 50 seconds to play. Gabe Dorsey whittled the Aggies lead down to five with a 3-point shot only 12 seconds later, with another triple five minutes later, finally handing the lead back to William and Mary. Mbeng added five crucial points to keep the lead safe for the Tribe. Another Gabe Dorsey three-pointer with three minutes left on the clock extended the lead by four, though it would begin a long scoring drought. The

RYAN GOODMAN / THE FLAT HAT

Junior guard Chase Lowe has started every game for the Tribe this season, averaging 8.2 points, 2.8 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game for the Green and Gold in 18 appearances.

Aggies tied the game off a Forrest free throw and a critical threepoint heave from sophomore guard Jahnathan Lamothe, his only make of the night, with three seconds left. Boothby would prove the hero, hitting a dagger from 35 feet as time expired, sending Kaplan Arena into a frenzy. Free throws proved to be the difference maker, with the Tribe going 14-17.

“ It really doesn’t matter who scores the baskets. At the end of the day, we have such a beautiful system where everyone has an equal opportunity.

- Senior forward Noah Collier

”

“I think we have a team where everyone has an opportunity to shine,” Collier said after the game. “It doesn’t really matter who scores the baskets. At the end of the day, we have such a beautiful system where everyone has an equal opportunity.”

The Tribe defeated Hampton (9-9, 2-4 CAA) 67-64 in another shooting clinic at Convocation Center in Hampton,Va. Again William and Mary overcame adversity, storming back after the Pirates opened the game at 9-0 and shaking off two deficits in the last three minutes. Case saved heroics for late, scoring six points in the final two minutes, part of his 18-point night coming off the bench. A common trend in the Tribe wins, 48 points came from the bench. The Tribe also shot 40% from the three, compared to Hampton’s 26%, with junior guard Kyle Pulliam, going 3-4 from deep. The Tribe also went 15-20 on free throws.

The Tribe’s hot streak did come to an end Jan. 20, when it finally dropped its first CAA matchup against UNC Wilmington (14-5, 4-2 CAA) 85-74 in the Trask Coliseum in Wilmington, Nc. However, the Green and Gold will have the opportunity to get back into the win column when it hosts Hampton at home in Kaplan Arena on Jan. 23.

SWIMMING

Tribe swimmers dominate at home, beat Davidson in dual meet

Eight pool records were shattered en route to teamsʼ147-115, 206-60 wins MADDIE MOHAMADI FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR Saturday, Jan. 18, William and Mary swimming defeated Davidson at the Bee McLeod Recreation Center in Williamsburg, Va. Both the men’s and women’s teams saw impressive performances, breaking eight pool records and winning 147-115 and 20260, respectively.

Kicking off Senior Day, the women’s 200 medley relay team of sophomore Julie Addison, junior Caroline Burgeson, senior Ellie Scherer and junior Lindsay Juhlin finished first with a time of 1:40.90, a pool record. The Tribe also secured second place in the event, racking up 15 points total towards its team score.

Juhlin later broke a pool record in the women’s 100 butterfly, swimming a time of 53.99. Juniors Lauren Klinefelter and Erin Langenburg also placed second and third in the event, recording times of 55.79 and 56.77, respectively.

Scherer recorded another facility record in the women’s 100 freestyle, clocking in at 1:02:01. Just behind Scherer, Juhlin finished second at 1:02.15.

With a time of 1:50.28, freshman Tess Lankford earned a pool record in the women’s 200 freestyle. Sophomore Meghan Benda placed third at 1:51.36, and the women’s team tallied 14 total points in the event.

Junior Sophia Heilen set another facility record in the 11th event of the meet.

Recording a time of 2:02.52 in the women’s

200 butterfly, Heilen’s new record was under six seconds shy of her personal best (1:57.03). The Green and Gold swept the top three places, with senior Julie Anderson and junior Taylor Stockard coming in second and third, respectively.

The women’s 400 freestyle relay team of sophomore Flynn Truskett, Juhlin, Burgeson and freshman Healey Morgan capped off the Tribe’s successful day with another pool record, finishing at 3:23.92.

On the men’s side, junior Brock Rempe and sophomore Aiden Bond secured facility records as well.

Earning nine points for the Green and Gold in the men’s 100 breaststroke, Rempe recorded a time of 54.23. Right behind him, William and Mary junior Logan

McDonald finished second with a time of 55.79 seconds.

Bond placed first in the men’s 100 freestyle, finishing with an impressive time of 43.94 seconds en route to setting a new pool record.

Bond also won the men’s 50 freestyle with a time of 19.93. This past summer, the second-year Tribe swimmer attended the U.S. Olympic Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for the same event following a remarkable personal best of 19.71 at the 2024 Coastal Athletic Association Championships in February.

Saturday, Jan. 25, the Green and Gold looks to continue its dominance as it takes on Georgetown at McCarthy Pool in Washington, D.C.