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The Flat Hat March 20, 2024

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T HE F LAT H AT

Vol. 114, Iss. 3 | Wednesday, March 20, 2024

The Weekly Student Newspaper

of The College of William and Mary

flathatnews.com | @theflathat

NEWS ANALYSIS

Bill guts legacy admissions in Virginia colleges College says law will not significantly impact admissions AGGIE RIGO SAITTA AND LILA REIDY THE FLAT HAT

BROWN HALL RENAMED COURTESY IMAGE / GLAVÉ AND HOLMES ARCHITECTURE

Initial rendering of the new Gates Hall, formerly Brown Hall, which will house the Global Research Institute, the Whole of Government Center of Excellence and the Institute for Intergrative Conservation.

College, WMF renovate 'Gates Hall' after anonymous $30M donation PEERAWUT RUANGSAWASDI // FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

Wednesday, March 20, the College of William and Mary announced that the William and Mary Foundation and the College will rename Brown Hall to “Robert M. Gates Hall” and transform it into an academic building, following a recent anonymous donation of $30 million. The building, which served as a dormitory for Army Specialized Training cadets and service members in the 1940s, most recently served as a freshman dormitory until 2022. The College purchased the building, which is now owned by the WMF, in 1939. Additionally, Gates Hall, named for College Chancellor Robert Gates ’65, L.H.D. ’98, will house the Global Research Institute, the Institute for Integrative Conservation and the Whole of Government Center of Excellence. According to the College, in addition to the lead gift, endowments have also been created to support the academic centers and the long-term care of the building. The anonymous donor, who is a WMF trustee, laid out her reasons for the donation. “I have long admired President Rowe’s leadership and am thrilled to support her bold vision through reimagined spaces where new knowledge can grow, and grand challenges find solutions,” the donor told the College. “I am thankful for the opportunity to recognize Chancellor Gates. Given the divisions in our nation and world, we need leaders of his caliber, patriotism and integrity — now more than ever.” College President Katherine Rowe gave her thoughts on the new project. “We are deeply grateful for our trustee’s passion for conservation and sustainability — so important to the work that will take place in this special building,” Rowe told the College. “Like the chancellor, she is a true servant leader; she does not seek recognition for herself. Through her partnership, across the university, she has inspired us to aim high.

RYAN GOODMAN / THE FLAT HAT

Brown Hall served most recently as a freshman dormitory.

Gates Hall will build on other initiatives that her generosity has brought to life here.” According to the College, during a recent visit to campus, Gates, who served as the U.S. secretary of defense under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, said he feels humbled and overwhelmed to be recognized. “This is the greatest honor I’ve received in my lifetime,” he said. “William and Mary is where I felt called to public service, and I can see that the call to make a difference is still felt strongly here. This building will serve as a hub for generations of students and faculty to cultivate new ideas to contribute to the nation and the world.” Notably, Brown Hall, which sits at the corner of Prince George and North Boundary streets, is located on the original site of the Williamsburg Bray School. Established in 1760, the Williamsburg Bray School was the first school in the country for enslaved and

free Black children. According to the College, there are plans to hold exhibits inside Gates Hall detailing the history of the Bray School and the children who attended the school, with input from the Williamsburg Bray School descendant community. Not only will Gates Hall be the new house for the GRI, the WGC and the IIC, but it will also be the new location for the annual Gates Forum, where bipartisan public officials gather to discuss international relations reforms and U.S. nonmilitary instruments of power. The College also stated that the classrooms and shared spaces will be available for use by all College students, faculty and staff. “We are thrilled that state-of-the-art technology in the new building will allow our students and faculty to connect with partners around the world in new ways,” GRI Director Mike Tierney ’87, M.A. ’88, P ’15, the George & Mary Hylton Professor of International Relations told the College. “But there is something about face-to-face engagement that ignites the creative process. Random interactions spark ideas that lead to creative solutions. This new building is designed to encourage those spontaneous encounters.” The WMF will partner with the William and Mary Real Estate Foundation, which will serve as the project manager. The WMREF recently named Logan Hall, a longtime real estate and construction management professional, as its executive director. Prior to their relocations, the IIC, the WGC and the GRI will be housed in the Earl Gregg Swem Library’s ground floor, in a section dubbed “The Hive.” IIC Student Leadership Council Chair Malvika Shrimali ’24 shared excitement and anticipation regarding the IIC’s new relocation plans. “I am surprised but grateful for this news,” Shrimali wrote in an email to The Flat Hat. “I think the IIC, and GRI/Whole of Government, has the capacity to fill any space it is given. I’m also excited to have a natural space with the courtyard!”

Friday, March 8, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bill prohibiting public colleges in Virginia from considering legacy and donor status in admissions procedures. In 2023, approximately 8% of the enrolled class at the College were legacy students. In a report provided to the College's board of visitors in the fall of 2023, the College stated that the SAT scores and high school GPA of legacy students fell within the range of the entire admitted group and were only considered in admissions decisions when all other factors were determined to be equal between applicants. Moreover, the College considers an applicant’s propensity to enroll once admitted, and legacy students were found to be more than twice as likely to enroll at the College, compared to non-legacy students who never visited the campus. In an email to The Flat Hat, the College of William and Mary’s Undergraduate Admission Office supplied their definition of the term legacy applicant. “William & Mar y considers an applicant’s familial relationship with the university, commonly referred to as ‘legacy status,’ in alignment with the institution’s admission policies. As originally approved in 1973 and revised in 1978 by the Board of Visitors, those policies affirm ‘application for admission to [William & Mar y] is open to all, acceptance to be decided on a competitive basis within the framework of certain concepts, balances and constraints,’” the email read. The College does not predict any substantial changes to its admissions procedures following this legislation. Yet they confirmed they will review their processes to ensure that they comply with the newly-passed bill. “William & Mar y do es not cur rently have a s eparate admission pro cess or standard for le gac y applicants, and our data confir ms that the academic profile of admitte d le gac y applicants is ver y high and consistent w ith our overall admitte d class,” said the Colle g e in an official statement on the undergraduate admission’s w ebsite. In 2023, the median GPA of admitted legacy students was 4.38, as compared to 4.42 for non-legacy students. Similarly, the median SAT score of admitted legacy students was 1450, as opposed to 1470 for their non-legacy counterparts. SEE LEGACY ADMISSIONS PAGE 3

STUDENT ASSEMBLY

Student Assembly Senate to decide on Palestine Ceasefire resolution

Resolution calling for Rowe statement sponsored by one presidential candidate is supported by other PEERAWUT RUANGSAWASDI FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

Tuesday, March 26, the Student Assembly of the College of William and Mary Senate will vote on SR 331-005 – The Ceasefire in Palestine Resolution. If passed, the resolution will formally call for College President Katherine Rowe to release a statement calling for a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, as well as the delivery of immediate aid to the Gaza strip and the return of refugees. Sen. Hashir Aqeel ’25 and Secretary of the Senate Sen. Hazel Vineet ’25 sponsored the resolution, which is currently endorsed by at least 30 members of Recognized Student Organizations and SA. Sen. Laayba Tanoli ’26, Sen. Matthew Hwang ’25, Sen. Mayer

INDEX Profile News Opinions Variety Sports

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

Tawfik ’27, Sen. Tyson Liverman ’27 and Class President Yannie Chang ’25 are also listed as co-sponsors of the resolution. The resolution, which states that its mission is “To Recognize and Condemn Ethnic Cleansing in Palestine,” was introduced to the chamber Tuesday, March 5. The resolution details Israel’s violence in Gaza and the College’s response to the conflict, including Rowe’s statement following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. According to the resolution, SA has the responsibility “to act as the bridge between the student body and the administration even when, and especially when, it is difficult to do so.” It also states that SA is against all forms of discrimination. “WHEREAS, the Student

Assembly of William & Mary opposes all forms of oppression, including, anti-Palestinian, antiArab, anti-Semitic, anti-Asian, antiBlack, anti-Indigenous, anti-Latinx/ Chicanx racisms, Islamophobia, and any other forms of prejudice;” a clause reads. Class President Mia Tilman ’24 also left a comment on the resolution providing her thoughts on the influence of the College. “Thought: also might be helpful to provide the connection that the US and US based companies have, which is why advocacy from W&M admin, a relatively influential body in the US and DC, is relevant,” Tilman wrote. Throughout the Google document version of the resolution, Sen. Connor Cheadle J.D. ’25 left comments rebutting whereas clauses of the

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

Palestinians in Gaza Thursday, Feb. 29. “The Secretary-General condemns the incident today in northern Gaza in which more than a hundred people were reportedly killed or injured while seeking life-saving aid,” The United Nations wrote in a press release. “The desperate civilians in Gaza need urgent help, including those in the besieged north where the United Nations has not been able to deliver aid in more than a week. The Secretary-General reiterates his call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the unconditional release of all hostages. He once again calls for urgent steps so that critical humanitarian aid can get into and across Gaza to all those in need.” The resolution follows similar moves from other colleges and universities. READ MORE AT FLATHATNEWS.COM

Inside Opinions

Inside Variety

Inside Sports

Professor Kennedy argues the College is not as protective of free speech as it claims to be. page 4

Whether for secretive meetings or recitals, Eweel Hall has adapted to serve the College of William and Mary. page 5

Sophomore Chase Lowe records career-high 16 rebounds against N.C. A&T. page 10

SJP and the right to protest

Behind Brick Walls

Tribe wins first CAA tournament matchup, loses second


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