The Flat Hat March 3, 2015

Vol. 104, Iss. 31 | Tuesday, March 3, 2015

The Flat Hat The Twice-Weekly Student Newspaper

ADMINISTRATION

of The College of William and Mary

YEAR BREAKDOWN

SEASON

Marcus Thornton breaks all-time scoring record

Wednesday against Towson, senior guard Marcus Thornton broke the oldest NCAA Division I college scoring record with free throws at the end of the first half.

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STudent Life

Campus guns remain illegal

Dean will not give permission SARAH CASPARI FLAT HAT SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Lawmakers in several states are currently pushing for legislation to slacken laws forbidding students from possessing firearms on college campuses, according to a recent New York Times article. Many of these legislators claim arming students will be helpful in reducing the incidence of sexual assault.

At the College of William and Mary, possession of weapons on campus is forbidden, and it is likely to remain that way. Students wishing to carry a gun must apply through the Dean of Students Office, but Associate Dean of Students Dave Gilbert said he would never grant permission to anyone hoping to have a gun for personal purposes or for self-defense.

“The only time I have permitted a firearm was when it is used in official ceremonies such as rifle corps or, in one case, a school play,” Gilbert said in an email.

“When approved, there are strict conditions about storage, transport, and how the item may be used (for example, the weapon must be unloaded and may not be stored on campus). I would not approve a student to have a firearm for protection purposes, and I have not approved one for that purpose in my nearly ten years at the College.”

Chief Compliance Officer Kiersten Boyce said she believes arming potential sexual assault victims would be ineffective in most cases, and the legislators in favor of doing so were acting based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of sexual assault on college campuses.

“It seems what they have in mind is a stranger-rape situation,” Boyce said. “And those do occur; it’s just that’s not what we’re usually dealing with here.”

Given that most cases of sexual assault take place between individuals who know each other, and that many cases involve consensual sexual activity which becomes nonconsensual, Boyce said it was unlikely that a victim would be willing to use a gun on an attacker.

See GUNS page 3

COURTESY PHOTO / BRIAN WHITSON

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is the second female and first African American female to hold the office. She will speak with Chancellor Gates ’65 during Commencement.

Rice to address graduates Condoleezza Rice selected to speak at 2015 Commencement K.J. MOran NEWS EDITOR

The College of William and Mary announced March 3 that former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will speak at the 2015 Commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 16 in William and Mary Hall. Rice served as the 66th Secretary of State of the United States from 2005 – 2009 and currently teaches at Stanford University in California.

“It will be grand to have Secretary Condoleezza Rice speak to the Class of 2015 at Commencement,” President Taylor Reveley said in a statement. “Condoleezza Rice broke barriers of gender and race while serving at the most senior levels of our national government. She has also had a very distinguished career in the academy as a teacher, scholar and administrator. Few equal her experience in both public affairs and higher education.”

Campus events

See COMMENCEMENT page 3

STUDENT LIFE

College reacts to ‘The Hunting Ground’ Students fundraise Clark and Pino discuss the documentary about campus sexual assault Talia schmitt FLAT HAT STAFF WRITER

The William and Mary Global Film Festival screened the critically acclaimed film “The Hunting Ground” Feb. 22. “The Hunting

Ground” is a documentary about the reality of sexual assault on college campuses. More than 200 students, administrators, Greek life leaders and faculty members gathered in Andrews Hall 101 to watch the film and listen to Andrea Pino and Annie Clark, the

film’s protagonists. Both survived sexual assault in college and graduated from UNC Chapel Hill.

Pino and Clark spoke to the audience about rape culture on college campuses.

In particular, they spoke of the dismissal of such events by college administrations in an effort to safeguard school reputation.

Pino and Clark sued the University of North Carolina through Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Title IX prohibits sexual discrimination, including harassment and assault, in any activity that receives federal funding. They also founded the organization End Rape on Campus to combat sexual assault and provide a safe space for rape victims during a time when, according to National Public Radio, only 10-25 percent of men found responsible for sexual assault on college campuses were expelled.

“We’ve yet to have one college president step up and say, ‘This is an issue on our campus,’” Clark said.

After watching the film, President Reveley challenged that notion in a brief interview.

“We recognize the problem exists and

CHAD KOTZ / COURTESY PHOTO President Reveley watches “The Hunting Ground” among students, faculty, administrators and Greek life leaders Feb. 22.

Index News Insight News Opinions Variety Variety Sports Sports

Today’s Weather 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Raise over $1600 for Latonya Borden Amanda williams Flat hat COPY CHIEF

Latonya Chamberliss Borden, a Sadler Center employee, was hospitalized after slipping on ice Feb. 18. Students created a fundraiser to support her recovery.

Borden injured her back and hips in the fall and has been in physical therapy since the week of Feb. 23. After seeing a Facebook post about her situation, Kendall Lorenzen ’15 and Alpha Mansaray ’16 created an online YouCaring account allowing supporters to donate online.

“It just came naturally,” Mansaray said. “This woman has made my day brighter — she always asks me how I’m doing, how is my life going — and this horrible thing just happened to her and if we can do something to help her, why not?”

Mansaray took to social media to spread the word, garnering a widespread response from the William and Mary community.

He also reached out to hall councils, which have donated outside of the YouCaring account. “[The response] has been really incredible,” Lorenzen said.

“We’ve had a lot of people give money and we’ve had a lot of people write cards, which has been really nice because I think it’s also really important to give her emotional support right now.”

The original goal for the fundraiser was $150, which Lorenzen and Mansaray planned to use to fund a gift basket and sympathy cards; however, the YouCaring account received over $1,300 in

See FILM page 3

See LATONYA page 3

Inside Variety

Inside Opinions

Protecting college funding

Rainy High 39, Low 36

for Sadler employee

Republican governors have recently contributed to a growing trend of cutting spending on higher education. Such costs hurt. page 5

Bringing music abroad

The William and Mary Wind Ensemble will perform at the Kennedy Center and across China. page 6

newsinsight “ Now it’s easier than ever to stay upto-date on all on-campus news.

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The Flat Hat | Tuesday, March 3, 2015 | Page 2

THE BUZZ

Condoleezza Rice broke barriers of gender and race while serving at the most senior levels of our national government. She has also had a very distinguished career in the academy as a teacher, scholar and administrator.

— College President Taylor Reveley on Rice speaking at Commencement

THE DIGITAL DAY

Snapchats from Students

In this edition of Snapchats from Students we see what will hopefully be the last of the snow people in Williamsburg. On the colonial stocks, one snowman is doing time. Meanwhile, on the Sunken Garden, a snow-duck known as “Overlord Quackington” rules the land. Seated on a bench is a beautiful snowhuman, calmly awaiting its inevitible watery end. Be sure to send your snaps to The Flat Chat and check out our album on Facebook.

Flat Hat Sports Talk

theflatchat A THOUSAND WORDS

Crim Bell Curve bloggers introduce their new app called “What’s Cooking?” The app will allow students to check what Dining Services are serving before actually swiping in, hopefully avoiding those sad meals where nothing is appetizing.

“Thus far, this blog has focused primarily on data visualization and analysis. We have received good feedback, but our ability to report is based on the amount (and quality) of available data. We are actively reaching out to various departments at the College for fresh data. That said, we are also developing simple and fun web apps to make our fellow students’ lives slightly easier. The first of these, titled “What’s cooking?”, premieres today. It is a simple, one- page presentation of data scraped from www.dining.wm.edu that tells the user what’s being served at the Sadler Center and the Commons Dining Hall for the day (note that the information is only as accurate as Sodexo’s publications). The app, although functional, is by no means in its final state. We constantly seek feedback, so please comment with any thoughts on how we can improve the app. While you’re at it, let us know what other apps or tools will be useful and we just might write them!”

Read more Crim Bell Curve blogs online at Flathatnewscom.

CAROLINE NUTTER / THE FLAT HAT

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Following The Flat Hat?

News Editor Madeline Bielski News Editor K.J. Moran fhnews@gmail.com

This week on Flat Hat Sports Talk, Mick Sloan and Chris Weber pass the torch to the Sports Desk’s newest Editors, Nick Cipolla and Sumner Higginbotham. Listen as they rehash senior guard Marcus Thonton’s record-breaking game against Towson, men’s swimming’s recent CAA Champtionship title and how far men’s basketball will go in their own CAA Championship title bid. Catch this and past episodes of Flat Hat Sports Talk by visiting flathatnews.com.

Graphics by Ellen Wexler/ THE FLAT HAT

CAMPUS POLICE BEAT

Feb. 24

CORRECTIONS The Flat Hat wishes to correct any facts printed incorrectly.

Corrections may be submitted by email to the editor of the section in which the incorrect information was printed. Requests for corrections will be accepted at any time.

The Flat Hat

1

Tuesday, Feb. 24 — An individual was drunk in public on Jamestown Road.

2

Tuesday, Feb. 24 — An individual was found dead on arrival at Woodmere Court.

3

Tuesday, Feb. 24 — An individual discharged a firearm in a dwelling at Holland, Williamsburg.

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NEWS IN BRIEF General Assembly passes sexual assault bills

Rape trial of former student ends in mistrial

Music department raises funds to expand recital hall

The Virginia General Assembly unanimously passed two bills which call for the creation of sexual assault response teams and require university employees to report assault incidents to administrators. The bills will now head to Governor Terry McAuliffe for final approval. Nine students, including Student Assembly President Colin Danly ’15, from the College traveled to Richmond on Feb. 9 to protest the bills, saying that mandatory reporting would add barriers to recovery for survivors of sexual assault.

The trial of former College of William and Mary student Jaiven Knight concluded with a hung jury Feb. 24, leading its presiding judge to declare a mistrial. Knight was accused of raping a female student following a 2013 house party. Evidence against him centered on eyewitness testimony, although the defense claimed that all witnesses, as well as the accuser, were inebriated at the time of the alleged rape and therefore gave unreliable testimony. Knight’s case will continue March 6 in the WilliamsburgJames City County General District Court.

In order to receive a $30,000 grant for the expansion of the Ewell Recital Hall, the College of William and Mary must raise enough to match the grant by the end of the semester. The grant, which is a donation from the Marietta McNeill Morgan and Samuel Tate Morgan Jr. Foundation, will be used to renovate and expand the recital hall in Ewell in order to accommodate larger ensembles. The music department is also working to raise funds to replace instruments damaged by water leaked in Ewell’s instrument from a cracked pipe over winter break.

Page 3

The Flat Hat

campus events

Law school hosts symposium on feminism Speakers discuss wide array of issues, including mail order brides and abortion elizabeth FLOOD FLAT HAT Staff writer

This past Friday, the Law School’s 20 Years of Feminism Symposium featured three speakers who discussed a wide and surprising range of topics, from abortionrelated Supreme Court cases to mail-order brides.

The staff of the William and Mary Journal of Women and the Law, one of the journals published at the Law School, hosted the event. The Journal publishes one issue per semester and hosts a symposium with the publication of each issue.

“Our end of the year symposium is where we invite speakers who we published to come back and speak,” Georgia Maclean, a 2L law student and staff member of the Journal, said.

This year’s symposium marked the 20year anniversary of the Journal.

Originally, four speakers were scheduled for the event, Maclean said, but one speaker had to fly out of Virginia early due to Thursday and Friday’s inclement weather.

The first speaker, litigator Linda Jackson J.D. ’94, wrote the introduction for this year’s edition of the Journal. Jackson was one of the founding members of the Journal. Her speech focused on the discrimination the Journal first faced; many of the staff members were called “feminazis,” Jackson said.

Despite the criticism, Jackson and the other founders continued the Journal.

“It’s easy to make those kind of statements,” Jackson said. “It’s less easy to come up with an educated, organized journal piece.”

Jackson compared the criticism the Journal originally received with the backlash celebrities have received over

feminist statements, such as Emma Watson’s speech in front of the UN and Patricia Arquette’s Oscar acceptance speech on wage inequality.

The next speaker, Marcia Zug, was an author and law professor at the University of South Carolina. She also mentioned Arquette’s speech to introduce her unique stance on the issue of mail-order brides.

“A lot of it had to do not with disagreement for [Arquette’s] idea,” Zug said about the backlash. “But that there was a feeling that her feminism was not everyone else’s feminism…For the future, the definition of feminism has to be more expansive.”

Zug then went into a discussion of the subject of the book she is currently writing, Buying a Bride: From Mail Order Brides to Cyber-matches. Mail-order brides, according to Zug, could actually be beneficial to the feminist movement.

The practice of mail-ordering brides can allow women to improve their station in life .

“This allows them to actually sell their marriageability, rather than their bodies,” Zug said.

After Zug’s speech, the staff members of the Journal were allowed fifteen minutes to ask questions and debate their stances.

Jessica Arons, the president and CEO of the Reproductive Health Technologies Project, also spoke at the symposium.

Arons attended the William and Mary Law School and has since worked as an activist.

Arons’ speech covered the major Supreme Court cases regarding abortion, starting with Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Arons encouraged the law students to get more involved with activism.

After the three speakers gave their presentations, they joined a discussion

panel. Law students and other guests wrote and submitted questions, and once those were answered, the panel answered any remaining questions from the crowd.

A main issue that the panel addressed was how to remain involved with feminism while still in school. Zug said students often do not realize the inequalities of the working world.

“When you’re still in school or maybe law school…it might not be ‘til later in life when you realize not everything is the way it should be,” Zug said.

Shana Oppenheim, a 2L law student and next year’s editor-in-chief of the Journal, agreed.

“It’s important for women and men in undergrad to get involved with women’s issues when they can,” Oppenheim said.

Oppenheim said she also encourages students to attend more events and talks at the law school to learn about activism.

Virginia

VA General Assembly budget favors higher ed VA21 applauds General Assemblt on passing bill, increases investment in Virginia higher education Quentin paleo FLAT HAT Assoc. News Editor

The Virginia General Assembly passed a bill Feb. 26 that will increase higher education investments.

It will restore 94 percent of cuts made to Virginia’s higher education system. According to Virginia21, a nonprofit and non-partisan organization aimed at educating young leaders, these restored cuts will go toward new buildings projects at Virginia colleges, raises for college faculty, financial aid for students and other projects. The restoration of these cuts was due in part to a reevaluation of the commonwealth’s revenue and the Save Our Slice Campaign by Virginia21.

Executive Director of Virginia21, Tom Kramer, released a statement of congratulations to the General Assembly.

“We applaud the work of the General Assembly this session to prioritize higher education in the budget,” Kramer said. “They reversed deep cuts and prioritized keeping our colleges accessible, highquality and affordable. Students organized a strong grassroots campaign calling for our leaders to focus on the real challenges of young Virginians, and we are glad they did.”

Virginia21’s Save Our Slice Campaign began as a response to Governor McAuliffe’s (D) proposal to cut over $100 million from higher education to bridge a

$2.4 billion revenue gap. As part of the campaign, student body presidents of 13 Virginia colleges addressed a video to Governor McAuliffe, imploring him not to make further cuts to higher education.

Student Assembly President Colin Danly ’15 was featured in the video. “[The Save Our Slice Campaign] definitely helped [to restore higher education funds], giving a message to the governor and legislators that college students aren’t an amorphous body that didn’t have people representing them [and] that there were students who care and this issue and want to speak about it,” Danly said.

The College’s chapter of Virginia21, led by Jakob

Stalnaker ‘16, further aided the Save Our Slice Campaign. Stalnaker helped create the video and called state legislators on behalf of restoring higher education funding.

“Unfortunately, higher education funding has been falling for many years,” Stalnaker said. “It’s important to let our legislators know that we need to preserve Virginia’s top tier higher education system because Virginia needs a well-trained and welleducated work force to help Virginia’s economy in the future.”

Virginia21 continues to lobby in order to make school more affordable and increase college students’ interest and knowledge of the local political system.

Rice selected to speak at 2015 Commencement ceremony COMMENCEMENT from page 1

Current Chancellor of the College and former Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates ’65, a former colleague of Condoleezza Rice from her days in the Cabinet, will also speak at the event.

Since 2009, Condoleezza Rice and Gates have continued to work together as founding partners at Condoleezza Rice HadleyGates, LLC, an international strategic consulting firm founded with former National Security Advisor

Stephen J. Hadley, which seeks to advise companies in emerging international markets.

“Secretary Condoleezza Rice has been my friend and colleague, in and out of government, for more than 25 years,” Gates said. “Her career as an educator at Stanford and in public service is inspiring. We worked closely together in the Cabinet and I know she cares deeply about the future of our country. That future begins with the next generation of leaders from William & Mary. I look

forward to her message to the graduates.”

Although most notably known as Secretary of State under President George W. Bush, Rice also served on President George H.W. Bush’s National Security Council staff from 1989 to 1991. In addition to her years in the Washington, Condoleezza Rice has been a faculty member at Stanford University since 1981. Initially a political science professor, she served as Provost from 1991 to 1993, and currently serves as the Denning Professor in Global Business

and the Economy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

The College also announced Tuesday that the 2015 Commencement Ceremony will be held Saturday this year rather than Sunday. In addition, this year, departmental graduation ceremonies will take place Sunday in order to ease the pains of scheduling issues.

“Several departments had outgrown their regularly scheduled spaces or rain locations, making scheduling difficult,” Vice President for Student Affairs Ginger

Ambler ’88, Ph.D. ’06 said. “The new schedule not only helps solve our space issue, but also provides an opportunity to enhance some signature weekend events. For example, the Alumni Induction Ceremony will now take place after the graduation ceremony, which allows us to form a new tradition around that event. Graduation is a significant accomplishment, and we look forward to celebrating with our students, their families and the William & Mary community.”

Admin clarifies firearm policy Fundraiser started for Sadler worker GUNS from page 1

“In the cases that I’ve worked with, the young women — because it has been women that have been involved — I’m confident in saying they would not have used a gun if it had been held in their hand at that moment,” Boyce said.

Radha Yerramilli ’16, HOPE Vice President of Healthy Relationships/Sexual Aggression, added that these legislators may not be considering the role drugs and alcohol play on campuses, or the potential effects of adding weapons into this already unstable mix.

“Most college sexual assault happens under the use of alcohol, drugs, or coercive methods, and having a gun by that point won’t do you any good,” she said.

“Having a gun only [puts] you [in] more danger for hurting yourself.”

Yerramilli said within the community of sexual assault prevention, there is no discussion of using weapons to reduce sexual assault. She said the legislators’ ignorance regarding the reality of sexual assault on campuses suggests their allegiance lies not with survivors and potential victims of sexual violence, but rather with the gun lobby.

“I think it is a very cleverly disguised veil for gun lobbying,” she said. “It more shows the lack of education and understanding of the people who are asking for it of college sexual assault, rather than preventative methods that haven’t been thought of before.”

COURTESY PHOTO / WM.EDU Appendix II. Weapons, Firearms, Combustibiles and Explosives in the Student Handbook addresses a student’s ability to possess a firearm.

LATONYA from page 1

the first 24 hours. All of the donation money will be given to Borden to supplement her lost wages due to hospitalization as well as cover any medical costs related to the accident.

Borden primarily swipes student’s ID cards as they enter the Center Court dining hall at the Sadler Center. Lorenzen said she thinks that

Borden’s caring and friendly personality makes a difference for many students.

“I think that what makes Latonya… — and so many of the workers that we have — is that they really interact and see people,” Lorenzen said. “The really neat thing is that even though she’s really busy … she has an ability to have countless unique and special relationships with students which I think is a wonderful thing.”

COURTESY PHOTO / HUMANS OF WILLIAM AND MARY Borden was injured after slipping on ice outside her home. College students Lorenzen and Mansaray set up a fundraiser to support her.

‘The Hunting Ground’ screens at College, Pino and Clark speak with audience FILM from page 1

we are working on it tooth and claw.

Heaven knows money is not standing in our way,” Reveley said.

Last spring, the College of William and Mary was added to the list of 55 institutions under investigation for Title IX noncompliance. The following fall, President Reveley appointed the Task Force for Preventing Sexual Assault and Harassment with a core of 20 members.

The task force is made up of faculty members, two undergraduate students and one graduate student This year, the Task Force commenced initiatives such as requiring faculty to attend sexual

assault training, instituting a minimum sentence of two semesters for sexual assault or harassment and increasing education and outreach.

Students and faculty have also worked to open The Haven and several other student organizations to provide safe spaces for those impacted by sexual violence or harassment.

“We really want students to feel like they have a place to come to,” Assistant to the Vice President Jodi Fisler said.

“There is a spot on the Task Force website for students to make suggestions and contact the committee.”

Fisler chairs the Task Force subcommittee on campus climate.

American studies PhD candidate Kate Previti is a rape survivor and the coprogrammer and distribution manager for the W&M Global Film Festival.

“The fact that all these different students, administrators, and faculty members came on their own accord, really says something. We showed that we can’t look away anymore and we’re breaking the silence; conversation is happening,” Previti said.

The film also reveals higher levels of sexual assault among college athletes and fraternity members.

“I recognize that there is a problem on campus, but I am hopeful that Greek life can move to be part of the solution,”

Interfraternity Council President Paul Naisbitt ’17 said.

Next week, members of the Interfraternity Council will meet with the task force to have an open conversation about sexual assault on campus. The police department chief also stood up to add to the conversation during the question and answer session with Pino and Clark.

“We will do everything humanly possible to prevent this from happening to you, and we will be there with you if it does every step of the way,” William and Mary Chief Police Officer Deborah Cheesebro said.

A student in the audience shared their

disagreement with Cheesebro’s remarks.

“I went with someone to report something to the police here and had a horrendous experience. After what happened, I could never, ever, responsibly tell a survivor to go to the William and Mary police department after what I witnessed,” Brittney Harrington ’15 said.

Pino and Clark stayed an extra 30 minutes to talk with survivors and interested students.

“We are here to hold each other accountable,” Previti said. “We’re at a moment where there is a movement afoot. It’s important that this conversation continues.”

opinions

Opinions Editor Isabel Larroca Assoc. Opinions Editor Annie Sadler fhopinions@gmail.com // @theflathat

The Flat Hat

| Tuesday, March 3, 2015 | Page 4

STAFF EDITORIAL

Premiering progress T

GRAPHIC BY BRIAN KAO / THE FLAT HAT

Cutting funding — at what cost? school provides a chance for people of disparate economic backgrounds to enjoy the same standard of education. Cutting funding to higher education reinforces socioeconomic inequality and forces Americans to take on more debt to qualify for the same jobs.

Scott Walker has only efficiency on his mind. Along with massive budget cuts, Walker is proposing that Wisconsin transition its public universities to a “public authority” model. Such a model would increase the financial autonomy of state universities, with a set proportion of state revenue going to the schools. The move would placate free-market FLAT HAT OPINIONS COLUMNIST ideologues and be a big draw for Walker in Republican primaries.

However, Governor Walker’s laissez-faire posturing and “go big and go Two high-profile Republican governors have spent the past several bold” ethos mask the alarming reality of his pseudo-reform. Wisconsin weeks pushing for significant state budget cuts for institutions of higher schools would be unable to fully function without state money. education. Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin is calling for a $300 Indiscriminate budget cuts degrade the quality of education and million cut to higher education in his state over the next two demean its providers and recipients. years. Governor Bobby Jindal aims to reduce Louisiana’s Unlike Wisconsin, Virginia has already moved to contribution to public universities by $141 million next a public authority model. Between 1991 and 2011, year. Both men are considering a 2016 presidential run, the proportion of Virginia revenue devoted to public and their rhetoric could shape how Americans prioritize universities decreased from 27 percent to 15 percent.

Indiscriminate higher-education spending.

Colleges are forced to make up the difference by budget cuts Governors Walker and Jindal are preaching to a nation increasing tuition and fees: 23 percent of institutional that has already embraced the doctrine of disinvestment. A revenue in 2011 came out of students’ pockets, up degrade the 2014 study found that 48 states have yet to return funding for from 16 percent in 1991. Only $41 million out of the quality of higher education to pre-recession levels. The average state College of William and Mary’s $300 million budget is spending 23 percent less per university student in 2014 comes from the Commonwealth of Virginia. This is education and than in 2008. As a result, public tuition has ballooned and why, in 2013, the College enacted a 14 percent uptick demean its colleges have been forced to eliminate faculty positions, in student tuition and fees with incremental price providers and diminish services and increase class sizes. The burden increases each year, although tuition is locked in of paying for college is piled onto the overtaxed student. for a student’s four years. The College has adopted recipients.

The consequences: decreasing access to education and novel strategies to keep student costs low, but it must increasing personal debt. constantly scramble to make up for the state’s stinginess.

The institution of higher education, ostensibly a vehicle for social The cuts championed by Walker and Jindal are predicated on either mobility, is being disassembled by the tinkering of small government apathy or ignorance, and are indicative of a greater shift in views on proponents. Education and educators are being taken for granted. education. These men assume that education will go on, funding or not.

College is a privilege to be earned, the argument goes, so why should we They see teachers as pieces that can be discarded or exchanged rather set aside tax dollars to sustain it? Why should the state provide money to than as invaluable public resources. They see students as a constant, a let just anybody go to college? Why shouldn’t college exclusively function common commodity; they assume that students will still cycle through as a private enterprise? college no matter the cost. This view is disturbingly pervasive and Private college is not cheap, and even state schools are becoming definitively pernicious. Higher education must be reinstated as a priority increasingly expensive. As states cut funding to public universities, the in order to restore any semblance of social equity. money available for scholarships and financial aid dwindles. Public Email Quinn Monette at qpmonette@email.wm.edu.

Quinn Monette

“

LETTER TO THE EDITOR When I contacted The Flat Hat asking for an article to be written on our Middle School Model United Nations Conference, an event that brings 700 delegates from 37 schools to our campus, I was told that “it sounds like a cool event,” however The Flat Hat doesn’t “typically write about annual conferences like this.” Following this logic, the Global Film Festival and Campus Golf articles shouldn’t be written this year.

The email continues to say that you do not cover “annual conferences like this unless there’s a new or interesting angle we can cover.” I found this to be the most

offensive part of the email. There is nothing like us on campus. The International Relations Club is a massive operation, the only university to host a middle school, high school and college conference. With over 100 people in staff, working for nine months, running around for 19 hours a day conference weekend, I’m sure that a little bit of investigative journalism could have found just one interesting angle.

An internet search has shown that The Flat Hat has never covered our middle school or college conferences, and that the last coverage for our high school

conference was in 2011. People outside of the International Relations Club rarely know why these delegates descend on campus twice a year. Perhaps if The Flat Hat had a little bit more confidence in its ability to inform its readers, you would write an article covering this conference.

Sincerely, Lydia House ’16 Lydia House, a member of International Relations Club, was the Chargee D’Affaires at WMIDMUN XIII. Email her at lbhouse@ email.wm.edu.

“

he Feb. 20 premiere of “The Hunting Ground” was a valuable continuation of the conversation about sexual assault that started on campus last year. The documentary follows two sexual assault victims and the resistance they faced navigating their school’s assault reporting procedures.

The decision by professor Timothy Barnard, director of the Global Film Festival, to bring the film to Williamsburg serves as important recognition of an issue that pervades college campuses. Screening the film at the Festival was a feat requiring a significant investment of time, energy and resources. Bringing the film’s protagonists Andrea Pino and Annie Clark to campus was a tangible achievement for the Task Force on Preventing Sexual Assault and Achievement. The teamwork involved to ensure the premiere’s success was a testament to the work being done, and that still needs to be done, to address the issue of sexual assault on college campuses.

Additionally, the decision to address such a critical issue during the introduction of the revamped film studies program underlines the importance of awareness. For a relatively new program to choose to address such a stigmatized issue highlights the issue itself, and also the importance of the department.

The Global Film Festival has justified itself and the need for the new film studies major through its creative approach to this relevant issue. Screening the film was not only productive for students, but also for a campus community in which addressing sexual assault has become a lengthy and difficult task.

Simply continuing the conversation instead of letting it fade with the publicity of specific incidents, such as the Sigma Chi letter, is an important use of time and effort.

Aside from the much-needed continuation of the sexual assault conversation, “The Hunting Ground” shows the unique impact that film can have on creating and shaping dialogue on important issues. It offers a personal perspective that many community members might not ordinarily experience. A significant problem in combatting sexual assault and its many related topics on college campuses is the lack of awareness many people have. Film has the power to address social experience from a variety of perspectives that are not attainable through resolutions and committees.

The presence of administrators, faculty, police and students at the screening attests to its importance in shaping how our community addresses sexual assault. The premiere of “The Hunting Ground” was an educational opportunity for the entire community, one that we hope sets a precedent for campus programs to embrace pertinent issues in new and innovative ways.

The staff editorial represents the opinion of The Flat Hat. The editorial board, which is elected by The Flat Hat’s section editors and executive staff, consists of Madeline Bielski, Áine Cain, Tucker Higgins, Kaitlan Shaub and Kat Turk. The Flat Hat welcomes submissions to the Opinions section. Limit letters to 250 words and columns to 650 words. Letters, columns, graphics and cartoons reflect the view of the author only.

Email submissions to fhopinions@gmail.com.

COMMENTS @THEFLATHAT

Was [Jefferson] perfect? No. But the nuance the author(s) want is to paint Jefferson, a radical liberal of his time who advocated to the best of ability the cause of freedom in the context of a racially bigoted society, as something he was not.

— Venu Katta’17 on “Taken with TJ”

Reporting bias, protecting students’ freedom of speech K.J. Moran

FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

Opponents of the new Bias Reporting System proposed by Brittney Harrington ’15 and Taylor Mack ’15 argue that it would violate the First Amendment, but they fail to recognize that the person who first implemented such a system on campus, President Gene Nichol, was a staunch protector of free expression.

Gene Nichol, who was President of the College of William and Mary from 2005 to 2008, was the type of

progressive president Taylor Reveley could only dream of being. Under his administration, Nichol refused to compromise ethics for the sake of money, and he famously defended freedom of religion, freedom of speech and minorities’ rights while at the College.

During his presidency, Nichol sought to reform the College. He began the William and Mary Gateway scholarship program, which seeks to promote a more economically and socially diverse student body. When he arrived in 2005, the administration was entirely white — by 2008 he left a more diverse faculty, administration and student body. In 2006, Nichol removed the Wren Cross from the altar in Wren Chapel out of respect for students of non-Christian religions, despite threats from donors to pull millions of dollars in funding. Nichol

garnered criticism again that year when he allowed a Sex Workers’ Art Show to perform at the College. This time, his defense of the First Amendment led the Board of Visitors to not renew his contract.

Even now, Nichol is director of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity, which has been threatened with closure by the Board of Governors’ due to Nichol’s “outspoken” defense of poor people in the face of biased laws in North Carolina.

Now, on our own campus, the legacy of Nichol’s Bias Reporting System is under fire. In 2007, Nichol implemented a system similar to the one proposed by Harrington and Mack, which allowed “members of the William and Mary community who have been affected by

incidents involving bias related to race, gender, sexual orientation, religion or other protected conditions” to report these incidences. The original system ended in 2010 due to concerns regarding free speech. Now, as the Student Assembly calls for the implementation of a new system, others have expressed speech concerns once more.

A bias response system, however, does not violate free speech. It calls for students on campus to be held accountable. What can be more of a threat to our community than students whose speech violates another’s safety?

When free speech threatens individuals in marginalized communities, then the speech is no longer free. When the things you say threaten a person or a group of people, you are creating an unsafe community for other students. That’s not

freedom — that’s oppression.

Furthermore, the proposed Bias Reporting System is not punitive. It simply “proposes that bias incidents are added to behaviors that are considered student conduct violations and that reports of bias go through the longestablished student conduct process.” It would challenge students at the College to be accountable for the things they say.

Nichol — a man who lost his job in defense of free speech — envisioned a college community where people were not only able to speak freely, but be held accountable for the things they say and do. He may be gone, but his commitment to the First Amendment will live on at the College, especially if we implement this system.

Email K.J. Moran at kjmoran@email. wm.edu

variety

Variety Editor Emily Chaumont Variety Editor Sarah Ruiz flathat.variety@gmail.com // @theflathat

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, March 3, 2015 | Page 5

A tribute to love

and loss

COURTESY PHOTO / CHARLOTTE ALAN

The cast of Crowns performs in front of the projected stained glass windows. The projections shifted throughout the play to display the spiritual hymns, creating a dynamic stage experience.

Crowns transforms simple hats into symbols of spirituality, heritage KAYLA SHARPE FLAT HAT ONLINE EDITOR

From the streets of Brooklyn, to the front lines of the civil rights movement, to the pews of a southern Presbyterian church, “African Americans do many African things without really knowing it.” The College of William and Mary brought occupants of Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall to church with last weekend’s impassioned production of “Crowns.”

Adapted from a book by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry, “Crowns” follows Yolanda (Tatiana Bull ’15), a young Brooklynite who is sent to live with her grandmother in Darlington, S.C. Her struggle and resulting journey to reconcile her urban upbringing with her African ancestry is presented through the stories of the women in her church community who, through the use of their elegantly adorned hats, teach her about the power of self-expression and personal identity.

Directed by Artisia Green, “Crowns” intricately blended spoken word performances with African American spiritual hymns to present an in-depth perspective into African American spiritual traditions and the transformation of the black identity. The show’s dance numbers, choreographed by Kristin Hopkins ’15, ranged from soulful solos to visually stimulating group performances and maintained a consistent pace, eliminating slow or dragging moments.

Costumes, designed by costume shop manager Mary Jo Damon and professor of theater Patricia M. Wesp, proved as vibrant as the characters’ personalities. Each woman’s detailed and elegant hat served as the ideal representation of her

character. The show’s musical aspects focused on its spiritual message and featured accompaniment keyboard by Bobby LaRose ’16 and percussion by guest musican Orimolade Ogunjimi.

Each member of the small cast delivered nearly every line with tenacity, and only a few lines dropped. Intriguing interactions among characters took place in the background of most scenes, and each actor moved about the stage with clear intentionality befitting their character. With its cohesion, the cast demonstrated the benefits of a close-knit group and its ability to showcase the individual strengths of each individual in a memorable manner.

“Crowns’” characters took after particular aspects of African mythological expressions of God in nature, which were admirably expressed in the colored attire and mannerisms of the show’s actresses. Rae-Mischel Thompson-Cooper ’16 and Erin Owens ’17 showed great strength of delivery and comedic timing with Thompson-Cooper’s smooth, deep vocals combining with Hopkins’ vocal tenacity to create distinct harmonies.

Eryn Barnes ’17 had a flirtatious demeanor and expression that allowed her to paint creative visuals from her monologues. Similarly, Keaton O’ Neal Hillman ’16 maintained the consistent energy and vocal power of a genuine preacher.

Alana Canty-Samuel ’18 provided consistency with her peaceful demeanor and delivery. Bull displayed her commitment as an actress through her character’s effort to come to terms with her brother’s death and eventual renewal.

The church setting of the show was beautifully proportioned and accented by projected stained glass windows, which smoothly shifted to display

the lyrics of each of the show’s spiritual hymns. The downstage area was brightly lit to dispel shadows cast by the hats’ wide brims and multiple levels of the stage area allowed for a dynamic appearance.

Overall, William and Mary Theater broke its own mold to present a production bursting with visual and auditory intensity. The show’s fluidity and consistency allowed its message and lessons to resonate with audiences of all races. With this triumphant performance, the cast of “Crowns” proved that hats can be much more than mere accessories. They can be crowns, worn by queens, paying tribute to the memories, love and loss that exist in each of our lives.

COURTESY PHOTO / CHARLOTTE ALAN

The cast demonstrated the benefits of a close-knit group.

CONFUSION CORNER

Because I’ve got a blank space baby, and it’s a snow day

Whether you catch up on schoolwork or build a snow fort, don’t let your free day slip away

Jillian Bates

CONFUSION CORNER COLUMNIST

The morning of our last snow day, I opened my window to the sight of a white wonderland taking over my apartment parking lot — and a girl trying to dig her red Prius out of the snow. I observed that it was still snowing and decided to open my window to smell the falling, frozen blessing. After about 10 seconds I was slightly wet and cold and decided to close the window because I’m a busy person and my life isn’t a Disney movie. But during those 10 seconds, I could not help but wonder, why was I more excited for a snow day than spring break?

Looking toward spring break I can’t

help but plan what I’m going to do and, most importantly, what I’m not going to do. I also can’t help but turn around and ask everyone and their mother what they are doing for spring break. Some students are spending time abroad, going on vacation, working on a Branch Out trip or are proudly planning absolutely nothing.

But maybe that’s why spring break is not as much fun as a snow day. Spring break is a planned week of fun, but a snow day is a spontaneous day of whatever.

As college students we are always looking ahead to what we will do, what we have to do, what we will see and what we will be one day. Sometimes we need a break from planning and constantly moving forward. On a snow day, time stands still; we all wish for one when we have more on our plates than we think we can handle. In this moment we can choose to either succumb to the pressures of being time-bound creatures or we can channel Phineas and Ferb and say, “Ferb, what are we gonna do today?”

We should channel our inner children, revisit what we would have done on a snow day when we were 10 and relive those memories. Or maybe we can alter them a bit, now that we’re older.

Meet your best buds under a designated tree and go on an adventure through the snow across campus. Or discover that the snow is perfect for building not only a snowman, but a snow duck, a snow chair and a snow person.

Then use extra large black trash bags (check maintenance’s supply closet) to

“

sled down Colonial Williamsburg’s biggest hill.

You can also decide to stay in your room with your stash of food, which you so prudently collected before the snowstorm, and watch every season of “Gossip Girl” or “House of Cards.” Maybe you could do all of those homework assignments that are two weeks late. You can look at your calendar, note future assignments, and proceed to point and laugh because you have yet another day to avoid them.

... sometimes snow days come when they are needed most.

Although students may welcome the length of spring break, sometimes snow days come when they are needed most. They can disrupt exams you aren’t prepared to take or provide extra time to work on papers which aren’t finished.

The spontaneity of snow days prompt you to rethink what breaks are and what proper break etiquette should be. Instead of training yourself to be a workaholic and planning every hour in your agenda, consider leaving an entire day blank; it can help you accomplish much more. A break is a time of self-reflection as well as a time to breathe and ask yourself what you want to do, rather than what you need to do. Thirty-minute power naps often aren’t what keep people going. Instead what keeps us on track are those days when we can just let go of our pent-up stress.

Jillian Bates is a Confusion Corner columnist who once binge-watched every episode of Phineas and Ferb on a snow day.

Page 6

The Flat Hat

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Tooting their horns

COURTESY PHOTO / WM.EDU In order to fund events like their upcoming trip to China, the Wind Ensemble has received money from the Confucius Institute at the College, as well as their extensive donor and alumni base.

Shanghai, Beijing, Kennedy Center to host William and Mary Wind Ensemble EMILY NYE FLAT HAT CHIEF STAFF WRITER

One of the College of William and Mary’s most prestigious music ensembles, the William and Mary Wind Ensemble, a student music group, is preparing to embark on an international tour celebrating its 85th anniversary.

The William and Mary Wind Ensemble was established in 1929 and is currently composed of 53 students. Although it may appear to be like any other musical group on campus, assistant professor of conducting and director of bands, Dr. Paul Bhasin, said the ensemble differs significantly in its structure.

“A wind ensemble takes the brass, percussion and woodwind sections of a traditional symphony orchestra and adds a pair of euphoniums and four saxophones,” Bhasin said. “The sound is very exciting and lush and agile. It plays a lot more music than your average, traditional marches.”

The Wind Ensemble’s flexibility shows in its performances — the songs it plays originate anywhere from the 1500s all the way through the present day.

The William and Mary Wind Ensemble is preparing to take part in a concert at the Kennedy Center and a performance tour of China.

“When the 85th anniversary season was approaching, one of the first things that I wanted to achieve was a real, meaningful and far-reaching kind of a celebration,” Bhasin said. “The reason is so that students can experience performing opportunities that bring them a little bit out of their comfort zone of being on campus.”

In order to make this tour of China possible, the Wind Ensemble partnered with the U.S.-China Cultural and Educational Foundation, a non-profit institution that helps to facilitate musical and educational partnerships between Chinese and American institutions and universities. The foundation helped to produce and structure the China tour.

“The process is usually that we send our materials to them — recordings — and they review them,” Bhasin said. “They need to vet our performance ability and the kinds of music we might be playing.

There is this review process that would precede their choosing us to collaborate with. The process took about two months.”

The review process is critical partly because the U.S.-China Cultural and Educational Foundation heavily subsidizes the cost of each student’s participation in the tour.

“That subsidy is an attractive option for many universities in the U.S., but what makes it exciting for William and Mary is that it isn’t very often that a liberal arts university would be selected for that kind of a project,” Bhasin said. “The reason is that it is more common for a school of music or a conservatory, where there

are many professional music degrees that commonly prepare students for a professional career in music.”

The performance tour of China will take place from May 19 to May 28 in Shanghai and Beijing and include performances at the Shanghai City Theatre, Jiaxin Grand Theater Concert Hall, Huzhou Grand Theater Concert Hall, Shaoxing Grand Theater Concert Hall, as well as a performance at the Beijing International Arts Festival Concert at Beihang University Concert Hall.

The tour will also give the Wind Ensemble an opportunity to interact with and perform for a local, countryside elementary school in Beijing. Noah Baker ’15, a tour director and trombonist with

Ensemble’s planned tour of China faced was the cost. After many months of planning and strategizing, the ensemble tapped into a number of funding sources.

Much of the group’s financial aid came from inside the College. Bhasin was selected as one of the Wendy and Emery Reves Center for International Studies’ Faculty Fellows — a yearly fellowship accompanied by funding which Bhasin used to support tour-related costs. Every student performing in China with the Wind Ensemble will receive academic credit through a program put in place by the Reves Center.

The Wind Ensemble has also received money from the Confucius Institute at the College, as well as their extensive donor

COURTESY PHOTOS / WM.EDU The songs chosen for their tour of China were selected to include several pieces of American music.

the ensemble, said he was looking forward to this opportunity to share his love of music with other students.

“I’m excited to [be] sharing our music, and share our name, and also to inspire students to play,” Baker said.

One of the biggest obstacles the Wind

and alumni base, including the Alumni Band Organization, which has helped to raise several student scholarships.

Proceeds from the upcoming concert at the Kennedy Center will go toward the tour. President of the Wind Ensemble Lucy King ’15 said that she is honored

to have the opportunity to play at such a renowned venue.

“I’m so thrilled that we get the opportunity to play at the Kennedy Center,” King said. “We’ve got people supporting us so that actually every ticket that we sell goes directly to support student scholarships towards our China Tour. I mean, playing the Kennedy Center itself is a huge thing and a great opportunity for any musician, and the fact that we get to play it, and also at the same time know that everyone in attendance is helping to support our trip to China is just an incredibly exciting opportunity.”

The ensemble has been preparing for its upcoming performances for the better part of this semester. The group rehearses five hours a week. According to Bhasin, the songs chosen for the tour were specifically selected to include several pieces of American music.

“For the China tour, it has been requested that we perform some popular music from American films, so we will be playing some John Williams works from Jurassic Park and Superman,” Bhasin said.

“We will also be playing some traditional Sousa marches. The Chinese audiences really love hearing that American music played by American ensembles.”

The set also includes an exciting original piece commissioned and composed specifically for the William and Mary Wind Ensemble and David Vonderheide, a lecturer of trumpet at the College and principal trumpeter of the Virginia Symphony, who will be accompanying the Wind Ensemble on their tour of China for several solo and collaborative performances. The piece, entitled “Margins Afterwards,” was composed by Brian Hulse, an associate professor of music theory and composition at the College. “Margins Afterwards” will premier at the Kennedy Center, and its performance in China will be the piece’s Asian debut.

Vice-President of the Ensemble, Megan Haney-Claus ’16, credits much of the group’s success to the camaraderie of its members.

“I definitely knew going into college that I wanted to be involved in a musical group,” Haney-Claus said. “The Wind Ensemble has become my major friend group. Even though I’m not involved musically in my major or a minor, I probably spend most of my time in Ewell because it’s just allowed me to meet so many awesome people. I’ve really, really enjoyed it. It’s been everything that I’ve wanted.”

Baker also said that the family atmosphere of the group is what makes them strong.

“As a Wind Ensemble, we’re not only a curricular course, we’re also a student organization, and within that organization, we have a very strong tie to each other,” Baker said. “We see each other as a family.”

sportsinside

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, March 3, 2015 | Page 7

SWIMMING

COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS

COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS

COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS

LEFT: The 2015 CAA Championship men’s team racked up 784.5 points for the College, securing the first conference title in Tribe history last week. TOP: Jessie Ustjanauskas receives her medal. BOTTOM: Jeremiah O’Donnell celebrates his race.

CAA champions: Tribe makes history Men’s swimming wins first CAA title in school history, women finish third in conference DEVIN LOGAN FLAT HAT MANAGING EDITIOR William and Mary placed in the top three of the Colonial Athletic Association Championships on both the men’s and the women’s sides.

The four-day event took place in Richmond, Va. last week.

O’Donnell The men’s squad won the conference championship for the first time in school history. The Tribe compiled 784.5 points, the second-highest score in CAA history, winning by over 100 points. Defending champion University of North Carolina-Wilmington placed third with 565.5 points, while Towson placed second with 599 points.

Junior Jeremiah O’Donnell won all three of his individual events. He qualified for the National Collegiate Athletic Association meet in the 2000-meter breaststroke. He also competed on the 800-meter free relay team which took the top spot. O’Donnell broke conference records on the 800-meter freestyle relay, 200-meter individual medley and 400-meter IM; he was named Most Outstanding Swimmer of the Championships for his accomplishments.

Junior Will Manion won the 200-meter backstroke and set a new conference record with a time of 1:44.13. He placed second in both the 100-meter backstroke and 200-meter IM and was a contributing member of the 200-meter medley relay team, 800-meter freestyle relay, 400-meter freestyle relay team and 400-meter medley relay team, all four of which took first place. Manion now holds

a career total of 11 conference titles, the most in school history.

Junior Billy Russell finished third in the 50-meter freestyle, contributed to the gold-medalw i n n i n g 200-meter medley and 400-meter freestyle relay team, and took second in the Manion 200-meter freestyle, for which he also qualified for the NCAA Championships. He also took second in the 100-meter freestyle.

Freshman Evan Baker took second in the 200-meter butterfly with a time of 1:46.80, the thirdfastest time in College history and enough to qualify for NCAAs. Freshman Tommy Kealy took 11th in the 1650-meter freestyle with

TENNIS

Tribe tennis strikes again

No.28 Women, men win over Georgia State, JMU MICK SLOAN FLAT HAT SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Alec Miller joined Juggins in picking up straight-set victories as the College cruised to a 6-1 win. Miller’s win marks his seventh in a row.

The upcoming weekend promises to be busy for Tribe tennis. The men will travel to La Jolla, Calif. for the Pacific Coast Doubles Championship Thursday.

The women’s squad takes on Navy at home in Williamsburg this Saturday.

William and Mary had a strong weekend on the courts: the No. 28 women’s team defeated Georgia State 5-2 Saturday morning, and the men’s squad crushed James Madison 6-1 later in the day. Both matches took place at McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center in Williamsburg, Va. The Tribe women (9-2, 1-0 CAA) opened the contest with Georgia State on a weak note, dropping two of three doubles matches to lose the doubles point and fall behind 1-0. However, the College cleaned up in singles play, led by No. 44 junior Leeza Nemchinov, who defeated Masa Grgan in straight sets for her 11th consecutive win. Nemchinov was one of four Tribe players to win without dropping a set, joined by senior Jeltje Loomans and freshmen Maria Groener and Cecily Wunescher.

Sophomore Melanie Roy added the College’s fifth singles win in six matches with an intense three-set win over Kristin Rehse, 6-4, 3-6, 18-16; the marathon third set included nine match points. Roy eventually prevailed, raising her individual record to 9-9 and securing the College’s 5-2 win.

Later, the Tribe men (11-7, 1-0 CAA) won the team’s Colonial Athletic Association opener, despite playing without freshman Christian Cargill, who was held out with an illness. The match began with the College and the Dukes splitting the first two doubles matches, but sophomore duo Damon Niquet and Addison Appleby claimed the third doubles contest to give the Tribe the doubles point and a 1-0 lead.

The Tribe’s success continued in singles play; senior Will Juggins won at the No. 1 slot in straight sets over JMU’s Sebastian Salinas. Niquet, junior COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS Scott Huang, senior Aaron Chaffee and freshman Junior Leeza Nemicinov returns the ball in Saturday’s match.

the fourth-fastest time in school history.

The women’s team placed third in the CAA Championship for the third year in a row, scoring 585 points to finish behind defending three-time CAA champion Towson and James Madison.

Sophomore Allie Christy finished second in the 200-meter IM, qualifying for the NCAA and breaking her own school record with a time of 2:00.98.

Sophomore Jaime Miller and senior Meghan Howard placed second and third, respectively, in the 50-meter freestyle. Both qualified for the NCAA meet.

Miller also finished second in the 100-meter freestyle and added another NCAA-qualifying time.

The Tribe won both the 200-meter freestyle relay and the 200-meter medley relay. Howard swam on both teams.

In the preliminaries of the

100-meter butterfly, junior Jessie Ustjanauska and freshman Abby Mack both qualified for the NCAA, taking second and third, respectively.

Ustjanauska’s time of 54.11 was the second fastest in s c h o o l history, Rittenhouse while Mack’s time of 54.45 sets a new freshman record for the College. In the finals of the same event, Ustjanauska took second with a time of 54:24.

Howard finished fourth, qualifying for the NCAA. Mack finished fifth.

SophomoreSophie Rittenhouse won the 100-meter backstroke in 54.38, setting a personal record as well as a school record; she also qualified for the NCAA. This was the first individual gold of her career.

SCOREBOARD Men’s Basketball (18-11, 12-6 CAA) Colonial Athletic Association

Women’s Basketball (14-14, 8-9 CAA) Colonial Athletic Association

Northeastern (20-11, 12-6)...........0.645.........W1 William and Mary (18-11, 12-6)...0.621..........L1 James Madison (19-12, 12-6).......0.613..........W1 UNC-Wilmington (17-12, 12-6)...0.586...........L1 Hofstra (19-12, 10-8).....................0.613...........L1 Drexel (11-18, 9-9).........................0.379.........W1 Delaware (10-19, 9-9)....................0.345.........W2 Elon (14-17, 6-12)..........................0.452.........W3 Towson (12-19, 5-13).....................0.387..........L4 Charleston (8-23, 3-15)..................0.258..........L3

James Madison (25-3, 16-1)........0.893.........W2 Drexel (19-9, 13-4).......................0.679.........W5 Hofstra (18-10, 11-6)....................0.643..........L1 Elon (17-11, 10-7).........................0.607........W1 UNC-Wilmington (13-15, 9-8)....0.464........W3 William and Mary (14-14, 8-9)...0.500.........W2 Delaware (13-15, 8-9)..................0.464.........L4 Towson (10-19, 6-11)...................0.345..........L5 Charleston (5-23, 3-14)...............0.179..........L2 Northeastern (4-23, 1-16)...........0.148........L12

The Tribe earned its first-ever No. 1 seed for the CAA Championship, which takes place March 6-9 in Baltimore, Md.

The College’s final game of the regular season is Wednesday as it hosts Towson at 7 p.m. The CAA Women’s Championship is March 12-15.

Men’s Tennis (11-7, 0-0 CAA) Feb. 21: L, Yale (6-3) 4, College 2 Feb. 21: L, UMBC (12-10) 4, College 3 Feb. 28: W, College 6, James Madison (4-6) 1 Mar. 5: Pacific Coast Doubles Championship Mar. 5: at Pepperdine (6-4), TBA Mar. 11: at San Diego State (5-4), 2 p.m.

Lacrosse (0-3, 0-0 CAA) Feb. 22: L, Duke (6-0) 17, College 7 Feb. 28: L, Navy (5-1) 12, College 9 Mar. 7: at Louisville (3-0), 1 p.m.

Mar. 11: vs Longwood (1-3), 4 p.m.

Gymnastics Men: Feb. 28 at Army

Finished No. 2 (field of 3) Women: Feb. 28 at Cornell Finished No. 2 (field of 3)

No. 28 Women’s Tennis (9-2, 1-0 CAA) Feb. 21: W, College 6, NC State (6-5) 1 Feb. 22: W, College 7, Charleston (0-7) 0 Mar. 1: W, College 5, Georgia State (7-5) 2 Mar. 7: vs Navy (8-5), 11 a.m.

Mar. 21: at Yale (2-5), 11 a.m.

Mar. 22: at Rice (4-6), 11 a.m.

Baseball (4-2, 0-0 CAA) Feb. 28: W, College 9, N Kentucky (2-8) 3 Mar. 1: W, College 6, N Kentucky (2-8) 4 Mar. 1: W, College 5, N Kentucky (2-8) 4 Mar. 3: vs Campbell (7-2), 4 p.m.

Mar. 4: vs Campbell (7-2), 4 p.m.

Mar. 6: vs UMass-Lowell (2-2), 4 p.m.

Mar. 7: vs UMass-Lowell (2-2), 2 p.m.

Mar. 8: vs UMass-Lowell (2-2), 1 p.m.

Mar. 10: vs Virginia Tech (6-4) , 7 p.m.

Mar. 11: vs Virginia Tech (6-4), 4 p.m.

Mar. 13: at Hofstra (2-6), 3 p.m.

sports

Sports Editor Nick Cipolla Sports Editor Sumner Higginbotham flathatsports@gmail.com @FlatHatSports

The Flat Hat | Tuesday, March 3, 2015 | Page 8

MEN’S BASKETBALL

MARCUS THORNTON

Cool, calm and collected: Senior guard Marcus Thornton lived up to his billing in last Wednesday’s win over Towson, stepping to the line for two free-throws before the break.

Thornton hit both and cemented his legacy as William and Mary’s all-time leading scorer.

TOTAL WINS vs CAA OPPONENTS

COLONIAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

James Madison: 176

Northeastern: 146

Delaware: 134

Drexel: 131

UNC-W: 129

Towson: 125

Hofstra: 119

Charleston: 82

Elon: 38

TOTAL POINTS vs CAA OPPONENTS

GAMES

09

09

07

08

07

06

07

05

02

DEREK RICHARDSON / THE FLAT HAT

Junior forward Sean Sheldon defends against Drexel as junior forward Terry Tarpey ,oves towards the hoop in Saturday’s game.

Tribe struggles

NICK CIPOLLA FLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR William and Mary fell to Drexel 80-66 in the final regular season game Saturday in Kaplan Arena in front of a crowd of 5,300. The loss places the College (18-11, 12-6 CAA) in a tie for the Colonial Athletic Association regular season championship.

Drexel (11-18, 9-9 CAA) and the Tribe began by tying twice at two and four before the College broke away on an 11-0 run. However, Drexel quickly cut the deficit to a single point with backto-back three-pointers and a pair of foul shots, putting the score at 13-12 mid-way through the first half.

The Dragons and the Tribe exchanged the lead on the next set of plays. Sophomore guard Dixon Daniel Dixon, returning from a hamstring injury, knotted the game up at 20 with a three-pointer with six minutes remaining in the half. “[Dixon] made shots for us…but defensively he’s not where we need him to be,” head coach Tony Shaver said. “Obviously it’s big getting him back out there…he can certainly help out next week.”

Minutes away from halftime, Drexel began a streak of three-pointers, establishing a 10-point advantage at the 3:30 mark, never to relinquish the lead again. The Tribe faltered in the face of Drexel’s tight, conservative defense. With only seven healthy players, Drexel had limited substitutions in the game; efficient defending was key for the team to keep its advantage. Even with the Dragons’ roster limitations, Drexel scored 14 straight points to bring the score to 37-21 at the half.

Freshman guard Greg Malinowski initiated the Tribe comeback attempt in the second half with two successful three-pointers.

Despite increased defensive pressure by the Tribe, however, the Dragons continued to sink shots from beyond the arc and in the paint. Drexel led 46-29 with 15 minutes left in the game.

Junior forward Terry Tarpey fought to keep the College in the competition, breaking up Drexel’s offensive rhythm with a pair of lay-ups. All-time

College scoring leader senior guard Marcus Thornton, who only scored five points in the first half, played a larger role in the second half, adding 14 points and four assists in the comeback bid.

Despite the Tribe’s effort, Drexel retained defensive control of the paint, making it difficult for the College to grab rebounds. Drexel began to draw fouls late in the game, converting 17 for 22 of its free throws in the second half. The fouls and consistent shooting shut down the Tribe, and the Dragons took the victory with a final score of 80-66.

“We weren’t as crisp as we’d like to be, so we have to find a way to get back to that and that’s when we play good basketball,” Thornton said.

The Tribe outscored Drexel 45-43 in the second half, but the Dragons’ first half lead powered them over the College’s second half surge. Offensively, the Tribe was 23 for 51 in field goal attempts, 10 for 28 in threepointers, and 10 for 14 in free throws.

Defensively, the Tribe grabbed 24 boards while Drexel grabbed 36. Drexel scored 10 points from second-chance shots as a result of their strong presence in the paint, which allowed for several tip-in shots.

“We need to get a couple of our good players back playing well, and obviously defensively on boards we have to keep working on it,” Shaver said. “We’ve got to get better in every phase of the game really.”

With the loss the Tribe wraps up its regular season, finishing its Tarpey home schedule with a 12-2 mark in Kaplan Arena.

“It’s pretty disheartening, we’re going into the postseason now and shrug this off, we’ve got to look ahead and make the most of what we can in Baltimore.”

Tarpey said.

The College earned the No. 1 seed in the CAA Championship Tournament for the first time in program history, along with the regular season conference title.

On March 7 the Tribe will face the winner of the first round game between eighth-seeded Elon and ninthseeded Towson in the quarterfinals at noon.

06

Hofstra

05

James Madison

05

Towson

05

Northeastern

04

Drexel

03

Charleston

03

Elon

01

Delaware

00

2081 YEAR BREAKDOWN

WILLIAM AND MARY ALL-TIME SCORERS

3

2081

MARCUS THORNTON ’15

32 2052

SEASON

College falls to Drexel on Senior Day

UNC-W

CHET GIERMAK ’50

52 2003

JEFF COHEN ’61

565

599

562*

’11-’12

’12-’13

’13-’14

’14-’15*

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS

42 1866

No. 8 Elon / No. 9 Towson

JOHN LOWENHAUPT ’78

No. 1 William and Mary^

14 1812

No. 4 James Madison

KEITH CIEPLICKI ’85

No. 5 Hofstra

PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL POINTS

No. 7 Drexel / No. 10 Charleston No. 2 UNC-W

20%

No. 3 Northeastern No. 6 Delaware

FREE THROWS WRTY POINTS

44%

^William and Mary earned the top seed and regular season conference title after Elon upset the University of North Carolina - Wilmington Saturday night. This marks the first time the College has won the Colonial Athletic Association

3-POINTERS WRTY POINTS

“

355

I don’t think I approached it in a special way, my focus is the same it’s been all year. ... I play so my team does well, try to be a good leader and try to play good defense.

— Senior guard Marcus Thornton, post-game after breaking the record

*2014-15 season statistics lack figures from the CAA Tournament, held in Baltimore, Md.

Flathatnews.com

@FlatHatSports

COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS

The Flat Hat

GRAPHIC BY CHRIS WEBER / THE FLAT HAT

COMMENTARY

The end of an era: Reflecting on Marcus Thornton’s career

Mick Sloan

Flat Hat SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Marcus Thornton’s final game at Kaplan Arena didn’t have a dream ending. The senior guard — William and Mary’s newly-minted all-time leading scorer—received the typical adoration from the home crowd, made a few great plays and played only slightly below his typical level. Still, visiting Drexel bullied the Tribe, and Thornton could only watch the 80-66 loss unfold.

Thornton’s team did not save the best for last; however, for Thornton’s legacy, it doesn’t matter.

It’s hard to describe what Thornton means to Tribe fans. When they scream his name after pregame intros or big

shots, they seem to be pleading for him to notice their affection. Off the court, students tell stories about seeing Thornton at the gym or at Wawa, as if he has a celebrity’s mystique. He’s a normal college student who probably likes procrastinating and eating Wawa sandwiches just like we all do — but his on-court brilliance sets him apart.

That makes sense, however, because so much of Thornton is contradictory.

His effortless in-game feats mask the grueling workouts that foster his skills.

His composed professionalism hides a competitive spirit that every coach wants in a star player. He plays for the Tribe, a small-conference team that has never made the NCAA Tournament, yet he fits the bill of a key player on a national powerhouse team.

I was lucky to be here for all four years of Thornton’s career, and it’s interesting to reflect on what it has been like to watch a player of his caliber.

I remember attending my first Tribe basketball game, seeing Thornton as a freshman and noticing immediately

that he was the quickest player on the court. In basketball, you can spot the most athletic player on the court right away just by tracking everybody’s movements. And even though he was just a bench player at the time, I left that game figuring Thornton would be a star.

Still, basketball lore is riddled with the wrecked careers of gifted players who just couldn’t put it all together. As is the case with everything else, talent alone isn’t enough in basketball. But nobody ever worried that Thornton would become a cautionary tale.

His work ethic is unquestioned, and he seems genuinely dedicated to promoting his teammates, rather than outshining them. He’s confident enough to believe he can score whenever he needs to, but smart enough to know when to pass up a shot to give a teammate a better opportunity.

I’ve interviewed Thornton several times, and I’ve never gotten the sense he cared about the spotlight or desired to be an iconic Tribe athlete. He’s so composed and professional when he

speaks, always espousing a desire to play for his team and not for himself.

His comments after breaking the scoring record on Wednesday summed it all up.

“I don’t think I approached it in a special way, my focus has been the same all year,” Thornton said.

That’s all you need to know about the Thornton era; after breaking the oldest scoring record in Division I basketball, Thornton reacted like it was normal.

Maybe he sees that record as just a number despite how, more often than not, a player’s career is defined by his numbers.

But as somebody who was there for all four years of the Marcus Thornton experience, I don’t think the scoring record is his legacy. Thornton breaking the scoring record felt like a validation of what we witnessed, verification that we were watching one of the greatest athletes in the College’s history, and that we were genuinely lucky to watch Tribe basketball when Thornton was on the court.

In the end, it all comes down to luck.

Thornton blended skills, athleticism and attitude, molding himself into a terrific basketball player. He probably could have played for any Division I school in the country, but he ended up playing for a small school that seems to always be the bridesmaid, but never the bride.

Sometimes when I watched Thornton, I would marvel at how lucky it was that he ended up playing for the College and not somewhere else.

It’s rare to see a player who resonates with fans the way Thornton does at any school. At William and Mary it feels miraculous.

So yes, the College was lucky to have Thornton, and the graduating seniors were lucky to have him on the team for all four of their years here.We can argue forever whether or not he’s the best basketball player the College has seen, and in my totally biased opinion, I’ll say he is. But that argument seems silly now. Thornton was really, truly great, and as his career at the College comes to an end, that’s what matters.