Flat Hat 11-2-12

by ken linflat hat assoc. news editor

The directorship of the College of William and Mary Student Activities department lies vacant following the abrupt and unannounced departure of former Executive Director of Student Activities and Unions Mark Constantine.

According to Vice President for Student Affairs Ginger Ambler ’88 Ph.D. ’06, Constantine left after working at the College since 1997.

“For personal reasons, Mark Constantine has recently resigned from the College,” Ambler said in an email. “In his absence, I am grateful that Bob Knowlton has agreed to provide leadership as Interim Executive Director of Student Activities and Unions. Mr. Knowlton, together with Drew Stelljes, Assistant Vice President for Student Engagement and Leadership and Trici Fredrick, Assistant Director of Students Activities, is prepared to work closely with students and student organizations during this time of transition.”

Department employees learned of Constantine’s resignation Wednesday and were not informed of the reason for his departure.

“All I know is he resigned,” student activities office manager Ann Repeta said. “We were told yesterday he has resigned.”

Knowlton, who served previously as director of the Sadler and Campus centers, was not available for comment due to scheduled time off but will return to campus by Monday, according to Repeta.

According to Madam Chair of the Student Assembly senate Kendall Lorenzen ’15, Constantine did not attend Publications Council meeting at the end of September

SunnyHigh 57, Low 37

indexNews Insight News News Opinions Variety Variety Sports

Today’s Weather inside opinionsAddressing remaining undecided votersWith few days until the Presidential election, right-leaning columnist Andrea Aron-Schiavone and left-learning columnist Alex Cooper write letters to undecided students. page 7

inside VARieTyTwo writers in the familyAlumnus and son return to the College of William and Mary for a book signing. page 6

homecoming

Vol. 102, iss. 17 | friday, november 2, 2012 The Twice-Weekly student newspaper of The college of William and mary Flathatnews.com | follow us:

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Provost cancels Monday classes, no damage to campus during storm

elecTion dAy 2012

john hyun lee / the flat hat college of william and Mary students make their way to class tuesday after having classes cancelled on Monday because of hurricane sandy.

The F lat HatThe F lat HatHurricane drenches campus

See Constantine page 3

AdminisTRATion

ConstantineresignsKnowlton becomes Interim Director of Student Activities

cAmpus

by kATheRine chiglinskyflat hat news editor

Hurricane Sandy threatened to interrupt the flood of green and gold to campus during Homecoming weekend and caused the cancellation of classes Monday.

As students and alumni tailgated for the football game against the University of Maine in celebration of Homecoming, Vice President of Administration Anna Martin sent a campus-wide email updating students on the storm and cancelling classes for Monday.

The storm, travelling up from the Carribean, had extremely low barometric pressure, which generally accompanies a storm with substantially high winds. Early projections of the storm suggested that it might have a greater impact than Hurricane Irene did in 2011.

Sunday through Tuesday, the Newport News/Williamsburg Airport recorded a total accumulation of 7.31 inches of rain as a result of the hurricane. There was no substantial damage to campus and only one dorm, Ludwell, lost power for 30 minutes on Monday.

The Emergency Management Team, headed

by Martin, chose not to evacuate campus but decided to cancel classes on Monday instead. According to Martin, the decision was based solely on the weather conditions.

“Homecoming does not play a role in that decision,” Martin said.

Classes resumed Tuesday. In an email to students, faculty and staff, Martin indicated that people were to use their best judgment on whether to return to campus. Staff members who were unable to return to campus were granted

john hyun lee / the flat hat

the college welcomed home alumni on oct. 26-28 for homecoming weekend, which included a homecoming parade on friday, a football game versus the University of Maine on saturday, and the introduction of the new sundial speaker series where professors lectured on topics such as humor and politics.

See hurriCane page 4

Units become freshman halls in dorm changesResidence liFe

Information from student survey used, designates Barrett, Dupont and Brown Halls as upperclassmanby meRediTh RAmeyflat hat news editor

Upperclassmen who lived in Barrett, DuPont and Hunt Halls their freshman year will have the option of returning to their former freshmen homes for the fall of 2013.

In a campus wide email Thursday, Residence Life announced changes to residence hall assignments for the fall

2013 semester. The changes — spurred in part by the construction of the new Fraternity Complex and renovations of Chandler Hall — touch nearly every area of campus and all undergraduate classes at the College of William and Mary.

According to Res Life, student responses to the pre-room selection survey influenced nearly all the recent decisions made about the changes to on-campus housing.

“We always follow results,” Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Deb Boykin said. “We’re not just going to ask you something if we’re not going to follow it. … We really try to follow self-determination.”

Following the trend demonstrated by these surveys, the units, traditionally home to upperclassmen and the Greek fraternities, will host members of the class of 2017 next year while the

Greek fraternities move to the nearby Fraternity Complexes currently under construction. 60 percent of student respondents voted in favor of changing the units to freshman housing.

The pre-room selection surveys directly influenced Res Life’s decision which halls to switch from freshman to upperclassman halls. According to Res Life, 49 percent of students who completed the survey responded in

favor of changing Barrett Res Life to upperclassman housing, and 18 percent responded in favor of switching DuPont to upper classman housing. Other current freshman dorms received anywhere from two percent to 14 percent responses in favor of becoming upperclassman housing options.

Res Life combined these survey

See housing page 3

spoRTs >> PaGe 8

Football falls on HomecomingMaine opens up 17-0 lead in first half and College can’t recover, falling 24-10 at home.

VARieTy >> PaGe 7

Learning financesfaculty discusses the possibility of the american dream in today’s economy.

election day informationrepresentatives from the student

assembly will be on the terrace all day on election day to help students find the polls.

at the terrace, students can double-check their registration, find out their polling location and get a ride to the

polls. the sa will also provide van transportation to the polls

and most students will vote at the Methodist church

on Jamestown rd.

“

JUNG HYUN LEE / the FLAt hAt

A THOUSAND WORDS

newsinsightThe F lat Hat

News Editor Katherine ChiglinskyNews Editor Meredith Ramey

[email protected]

| Friday, November 2, 2012 |

THE BUZZ

“ All in all, we came through the storm fairly well ... no other power outages. No trees down. No significant flooding. No damage. Sandy spared this region the worst of the storm.

—Director of University Relations Brian WhitsonBEYOND THE ‘BURG

COURTESY PHOTO / WAShINGtON POStCollege students march in support of the “Dream Act” which will give undocumented immigrants better opportunities to attend college in the United States.

VIMS students are finalists for the Marine Policy Fellowship

Theresa Davenport and Gabrielle Saluta, graduate students at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, were selected as finalists for the John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship for 2013. Since the inception of the National Sea Grant Federal Fellows Program, of which the Marine Policy Fellowship is a part, 34 VIMS students and alumni have attended the one-year program in Washington, D.C. The program puts graduate students from across the nation in legislative or executive offices to learn about the processes of the federal government. The Fellowship is designed for students with an interest in ocean resources and environmental policy decisions. Two VIMS graduates will represent the Institute until the 2012 program’s end in Jan.

Alumni featured on the Steve Harvey Show for Generation Hope

Nicole Lewis ’03 was recognized for her work in founding the organization Generation Hope during an appearance on the Steve Harvey show Oct. 25. Generation Hope, founded in 2010, is a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing poverty by providing sponsorships and mentoring to teen parents who are attending school in Washington, D.C. Lewis was a single parent while enrolled at the College of William and Mary, and she went on to earn her master’s at George Mason University. Earlier in the year, Lewis was featured on “NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams.” Two former Generation Hope Scholars requested that Lewis appear on Harvey’s show. On the show, Harvey presented Lewis with a $5,000 check on behalf of Liberty University Online, meant for future Generation Hope Scholars.

Law students to provide Election Day phone service line

Members of the Election Law Society and other volunteers will be offering a free, non-partisan phone service line called VOTEline Election Day. The service will ensure registered voters have the necessary information for voting Nov. 6. Voters are advised to bring government-issued identification and check their polling place on recently reissued Virginia Voter Registration Cards. Registration cards were mailed prior to Election Day. Redistricting may have caused polling places to change. The Election Law Society has operated VOTEline since 2007. The line will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. VOTEline operators will be able to answer questions about redistricting and valid forms of identification as well as other questions that may arise on Election Day. The VOTEline number is 757-221-7491.

NEWS iN BRiEf

CORRECTiONS

The Flat Hat wishes to correct any facts printed incorrectly. Corrections may be submitted by e-mail to the editor of the section in which the incorrect information was printed. Requests for corrections will be accepted at any time.

CAMPUS POLiCE BEAT

Oct. 24 to Oct. 251

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Friday, Oct. 26 — An individual was arrested for possession of marijuana at the intersection of Scotland St. and Richmond Rd.

Friday, Oct. 26 — A shoplifting incident was reported at King Treasure on Duke of Gloucester St.

Sunday, Oct. 28 — A case of domestic assult was reported on Richmond Rd.

Tuesday, Oct. 30 — An individual was arrested for damage to public property on Ironbound Rd.

Wednesday, Oct. 31 — An individual was caught driving with a suspended license at the intersection of Richmond Rd. and Bypass Rd.

Montgomery marches for cheaper tuition for immigrants

Montgomery College in Montgomery County, Md. is attempting to pass a bill called the “Dream Act” that will allow undocumented immigrants to be eligible for in-state tuition at public colleges and universities in the state, according to the Washington Post. Under this act, certain immigrants would have to obtain a two-year associates degree at a community college before moving on to a university. Furthermore, the students would have to provide proof that their parents have paid income taxes within that same year. Montgomery College students have been organizing marches to show their support for the bill.

A&M dance team accused of hazing

Florida A&M University’s all-female dance team, Torque Dance, has been accused of hazing new members, according to USA Today. Tips from a parent reported that the students were forced to run uphill and consume alcohol concurrently. Florida A&M was in the news last November after hazing resulted in the death of the marching band’s drum major. The hazing occurred off campus, but the students involved will be punished for the act.

College student gone missing after break

According to The Huffington Post, a Kansas college student has been missing since Oct. 26. Emilee Irsik departed from Kansas for Germany Oct. 20 and was to return Oct. 26 but failed to board her flight. When she failed to return from Fall Break, her roommate notified university staff and police. Her mother said Irsik’s phone had been off during the trip, and they have no way of communicating with her. Irsik is studying German at Emporia State University.

Gun ban at Boulder overturned

According to USA Today, the University of Colorado Boulder is allowing students and staff members to carry concealed weapons on campus. Students and staff will not be allowed, however, to carry their weapons at large sporting events or in undergraduate dormitories. The students must provide concealed carry permits while they are carrying a weapon. This new policy is sparking controversy in the state, especially after the July shooting at the midnight premier of “The Dark Knight Rises” in Aurora, Colo. The Colorado Supreme Court made the decision to overturn the gun ban in Boulder.

According to the Virginia Gazette, a Colonial Williamsburg employee was injured after a horse kicked her in the head and stepped on her. The accident occurred early Wednesday morning in a pen at the corner of Francis and Nassau streets. The Williamsburg Fire Department said the employee was taken to the Riverside Hospital’s trauma unit. Colonial Williamsburg’s communications manager reported the employee received stiches for the injury and was released.

A pawnshop in James City County’s Olde Towne Shopping Center might be blocked from opening, as reported by the Virginia Gazette. The county’s zoning administrator said the shop could remain open on the condition that it doesn’t sell firearms, according to a county staff memo. However, county staff asked the James City County Policy Committee reconsider to the store’s status because the county’s zoning ordinance does not mention pawnshops. According to Zoning Administrator Christy Parrish, the Policy Committee has not made a recommendation to resolve the matter.

Former Gov. Tim Kaine has a 50-46 percent lead over former Gov. George Allen, according to a Quinnipiac University/New York Times/ CBS News poll released Oct. 31. The poll surveyed 1,074 Virginia voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. The same poll also showed that President Barack Obama has a 49-47 percent lead over Gov. Mitt Romney in the state.

According to The Washington Post, George Mason University’s Board of Visitors announced its plans to build a branch campus at Songdo Global University in South Korea. The university has recruited several other American schools such as the State University of New York and the University of Illinois to participate. George Mason has been studying the expansion for several years and has set a goal to begin offering economics and business classes in Korea by 2014. George Mason previously tried to launch an international campus in the United Arab Emirates, but it closed after three years.

THE PULSEAll The News ThAT’s uNfiT To priNT

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Ann Romney, wife of Presidential candidate Gov. Mitt Romney, shut down Prince George Street when she visited the Peanut Shop of Williamsburg Friday.

She was joined by Cindy McCain, wife of former Presidential candidate John McCain, and Rep. Rob Wittman, R-1.

Stuart Veal ’15 waited in line to see Ann Romney. When it was his turn, she shook his hand and hugged him. Then, looking him straight in the eye, she told him that Mitt Romney would work to help his future by creating more jobs.

“I thought it was a great message,” Veal said. “The most important part of this election is the economy and finances, which she addressed when she spoke to me. She was very sincere.”

According to Assistant Field Director for the Romney Campaign in Williamsburg Evan Maraist ’14, the Secret Service estimated the crowd at 650 people. Initially, when the Williamsburg branch of the campaign was notified of her visit on Tuesday, they expected a crowd of about 200 people, but through flyers and social media, the event grew larger.

“It was supposed to be a smaller event, but we had overwhelming support,” Maraist said.

As Ann Romney emerged from the Peanut Shop, she remarked on the size of the event.

“I thought this was just a little retail stop to buy a few peanuts,” Ann Romney said.

She went on to discuss how she was

influenced by her grandfather, an immigrant coal miner who worked hard to achieve the American dream, and noted that this election was highly important for such values.

“This is the most important election of our lifetime because it’s going to determine the direction of this nation,” Ann Romney said.

She also described meeting Barbara Bush, who told donors at a fundraising dinner they simply weren’t doing enough. Bush was not the only person of note Romney mentioned, as she introduced Cindy McCain to the crowd.

Spencer Chretien ’14 attended the event and felt that it was a great indicator of the Romney campaign in Virginia.

“I thought it was optimistic,” Chretien said. “This was an event that we found out about a day before, and we still had about 500 people there on a narrow street. I think Mitt Romney’s going to win Virginia. It’s going to be very close, but he will win. James City-County, York County and the City of Williamsburg are part of the Greater Hampton Roads area which is one of the swing areas of this state.”

Ann Romney then shook hands and greeted supporters before departing for another campaign event.

For the Romney campaign in Williamsburg, campaigning will amp up during the coming days.

“We’re going to be going door to door every single day until the election,” Maraist said. “We’re going to [be] hitting double shifts for everybody. We’re confident that if our base turns out on Election Day, we’ll win Virginia.”

Candidate’s spouse joined by local Republican politicians for campaign stop

Ann Romney visits the Peanut Shopelection 2012

The F lat HatFriday, November 2, 2012

due to a personal leave of absence. Student leaders and campus organizations did not receive responses by email from Constantine after fall break and instead heard back from Stelljes on routine matters.

Stelljes, who has been assisting in the transition, clarified his participation in the changes.

“I am not taking an interim role. Bob Knowlton has assumed that role,” Stelljes said in an email.

Many student leaders were surprised to hear of Constantine’s sudden resignation, as Constantine served on the Executive Appropriations Committee at the College and played a major role in organizing and securing administrative resources for student events such as the King and Queen Ball and Busch Gardens Day.

“He was really the person to know if you were involved with anything in student activities,” Lorenzen said. “He was a really great resource on campus. He will be sorely missed.”

Resignation for personal reasons

College Republicans, Young Democrats make a final case to student voters during debate

Students debate presidential campaign issuescamPus Politics

A troubling economy, increasing college tuition rates and foreign policy were at the forefront of the Young Democrats and College Republicans debate Nov. 1.

The groups faced off in a debate in teams of four with government professor John Gilmour moderating the discussion Thursday night.

At the start of the debate, the Young Democrats were confronted with the question of what President Barack Obama should do differently if re-elected.

“The biggest problem facing our economy right now is the lack of jobs,” Michael Payne ’15 said. “In order to approach this problem, what we have to do is continue to invest heavily in infrastructure, invest in education, and invest in things that will make our labor force more skilled, more productive and more able to compete in the global economy.”

The Democratic side expressed concerns that if presidential candidate Gov. Mitt Romney were elected, the economy would suffer.

“Representative Ryan’s proposed budget in Congress cuts many of these areas we are investing in such as

education and infrastructure,” Elise Orlick ’15 said. “They are going to have a long-term detrimental effect on the economy and would stop this job creation.”

The College Republicans stated that there is a distorted view of Obama’s work on job creation.

“Economic growth, there is no such thing anymore in this economy,” David Branton ’13 said. “The unemployment rate just recently went under 8 percent, and these private sector jobs that he talks about is actually a distortion. Sure, there is a large quantity of jobs out there, but they are not of quality.”

Branton stated that there has been minimal progress during the Obama administration.

“All you are doing is reiterating the failed policies of the past four years,” Branton said. “Ask yourself, are you better off now? The answer is no.”

Both sides emphasized the issue of rising college tuition rates.

“Under the Obama administration, the cost of college education has risen by 25 percent, and student debt has reached a record of $1 trillion,” John Gunnison ’13 said. “One of the reasons that the cost of college has gotten so high is because President Obama has cut private lenders out of the federal loan market. The entire concept behind this

theory is that banks are evil and they do terrible things and we don’t want them anywhere near our children.”

As a member of the College Republicans’ side, Gunnison argued that Romney’s methods in reducing the costs of college were very successful in the past.

“As the governor of Massachusetts, Governor Romney has proven a commitment to decreasing the cost of higher education,” Gunnison said. “He started an initiative called the John and Abigail Adams scholarship, which offered four years of tuition free scholarships to people in the top 25 percent of high school graduates.”

In their rebuttal, the Young Democrats argued that Romney raised college tuition during his time in Massachusetts.

“He said that Governor Romney has made higher education a priority and showed it while he was governor of Massachusetts, but while Romney was governor of Massachusetts, college tuition went up by 63 percent,” Orlick said.

They also called into question other Republican claims.

“I just want to make one point fact-checking the other side,” Zachary Woodward ’14 said. “[Gunnison] mentioned the John and Abigail Adams scholarship. I am from Massachusetts

and I was a recipient of that scholarship and it amounts to just about $300 a year; it does not pay the entire tuition, so it should not be a model.”

In addition, the Young Democrats praised the Obama’s accomplishments in making higher education more accessible.

“President Obama has doubled the size of Pell grants while increasing their accessibility as well as creating the American opportunity tax credit which provides up to $10,000 per student over the course of four years for attending college,” Orlick said.

The groups also disagreed on the topic of foreign policy, specifically the issue of the Middle East.

“We cannot override the actions of a democratic people,” Young Democrats member Jakob Stalnaker ’16 said. “We can’t just go into a country because we don’t like their leader. That being said, we are most concerned with American interests abroad and we will always do whatever is necessary to defend those. It’s about smart foreign policy, not just immediately creating a war. The fact of the matter is, we don’t want another Iraq.”

The College Republicans used the debate techniques of Vice President Joe Biden in their rebuttal.

“I think that those last three minutes were the biggest piece of hogwash,

or malarkey, that I have ever heard,” Gunnison said. “The problem here is this concept of these liberal regimes; elections do not equal liberalism. If we expect that countries in the Middle East can become democracies overnight, that represents a fundamental misunderstanding of what liberalism actually means.”

During their closing arguments, the College Republicans emphasized the problems that the current economy poses to college students.

“We need reform, and that has not happened under the Obama administration,” Marcell Crawford ’16 said. “We, as college students, really need to focus on our education and our jobs, and these jobs are simply not available for us.”

The Young Democrats focused on Obama’s successes over the last four years for their closing arguments.

“The first bill that he ever signed into law was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act,” Woodward said. “Obamacare was the first large scale comprehensive attempt at universal health care. He has ended the two most extensive and costly wars that the United States has been in in recent history. He brought Osama bin Laden to justice. In the next four years, he has developed a comprehensive plan to continue on the path to success.”

responses with the number of beds in various dorms around campus. According to Boykin, three scenarios were established and given to the Residence Hall Association for review. RHA eliminated one option and remained split on the remaining two. Res Life made the final decision on the hall changes. The second option included only Barrett and Yates hall as upperclassman housing. The third option included Barrett, Hunt, Jefferson Hall, and Taliaferro Tower.

“I think that the main office has done the best that they can,” Barrett Head Resident Shannon McCullough ’13 said. “It’s nice that they’re listening to what students have to say, but it’s kind of risky. … I think it’s bold of them… [but] they would never do something that they don’t believe will work.”

“The units are tricky because they have such a reputation,” she added. “In one sense it’s great that freshmen are living there because they don’t know the reputation. … They have big lounges …

that could be good for a freshman hall. … I wonder if it’s going to turn out like Botetourt. … It’s pretty similar, you have like those little units.”

Other students agreed with the decision but voiced concern about the cleanliness of the units.

“I think the negative thing about living in the units as a freshman is [that] they’re gross,” Morgan Bass ’13 said. “Maybe having a larger group of them living together would encourage more class community. … I think it could be a change for the better.”

This change will move 429 freshmen beds to the units and remove 429 beds previously allocated to upperclassmen. To compensate for this change, the new Fraternity Complex, made up of 11 houses, will accommodate 187 of these beds. The other 242 beds will be gained by turning Barrett and DuPont into upperclassman dorms. Brown Hall, which switched to upperclassman housing in Fall 2010, will return to housing freshmen next fall.

While surveys were utilized in these decisions, some students

expressed disappointed in the dorms’ delineation.

“I talked about it with my hall council, and they’re actually sad to see [Barrett] switch,” McCullough said. “It’s very iconic. You see the tours go through here. … Barrett residents tend to really identify with Barrett.”

RHA President Justin Miller ’13 also voiced disappointment in the loss of Barrett as a freshman hall.

“I think it’s really awful that Barrett is an upper-class building,” Miller said, “It is the quintessential residence of William and Mary. Where are they going to go to [on tours] now? Yates? Yates is sterile.”

Sionne Olson ’14 voiced concern about reverting Brown back to a freshman hall.

“I don’t think they should make Brown freshman,” Olson said, “As a freshman it would be tough.”

Miller offered optimism for the freshmen’s possible plight.

“It’s far away for the freshmen,” Miller said, “But they’ll learn to go to Aromas and stuff.”

Hunt Hall is intended to

accommodate upperclassman during the closure of Chandler for the 2013-2014 academic year. The Chandler construction will begin this summer with a projected completion date of fall 2014. Construction includes the installation of air-conditioning and a “fresh new look.”

“I feel like Hunt will be okay [for upperclassmen] based on its location,” Bass said. “I feel like it gets forgotten about.”

McCullough encourages fellow students to remain open to change, noting that Barrett used to be an all women hall.

“Every year the identity of the hall is different,” McCullough said, “It will be different anyway. … Sometimes you just have to have a little faith that change isn’t very bad.”

Boykin stressed that change can continue if students do not like these reforms next year.

“We’re not going to be able to make everybody happy no matter what we do. … We had to make some decisions,” Boykin said. “Next year, if for some reason it doesn’t work, we can change it.”

Res Life chooses plan from three other options HOUSING from page 1

by katherine chiglinskyFlat hat News editor

by ashley hamiltonthe Flat hat

katherine chiglinsky / the Flat hatann romney stopped in williamsburg to speak to an estimated crowd of 650 and rally support for her husband’s campaign.

CONSTANTINE from page 1

With the presidential campaigns down to the wire, the presidential candidates have turned to college students to garner votes and rising college tuition remains an important issue.

According to The Associated Press, in the past four years, the average public four-year college has increased its tuition 26 percent.

Associate professor of American politics Paul Manna at the College of William and Mary believes that it “is hard to say,” which candidate would help students more with tuition.

“You would be more reassured with [President Barack] Obama given that he’s actually laid down a marker,” Manna said. “He has been explicit on that. With [Mitt] Romney, it’s more unclear. If you’re really making your judgment based on what information the candidates have given to you, Obama is more specific.”

According to the AP, Obama has proposed a $1 billion contest called “Race to the Top,” which would reward states for tuition reforms and cut off federal grant money to states which did not increase productivity. He wants to cut tuition inflation in half within 10 years.

Romney’s campaign, too, has stated that federal government needs to stop funding states that are not making an effort to cut college tuition. As governor of Massachusetts, Romney created the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship. The scholarship provides top students free tuition at any state college, but it does not cover some mandatory fees; these fees are sometimes higher than the cost of tuition.

“Romney believes that there is no reason we should be sending out blank checks to students and not ensuring that they are being used as efficiently as possible,” Daniel Ackerman ’16, a member of the College Republicans, said.

Obama has also stated his plans for grants and loans. Washington will spend $50 million more this

year on federal aid for students than it did in 2008. Spending on Pell Grants has increased to $35 billion, supporting an additional four million students.

Obama has changed the student loan system so that most loans come directly from the government instead of private banks. His current plan states that loans cannot exceed 15 percent of income and will be forgiven after 25 years. The proposed plan states that loans cannot exceed 10 percent of income and will be forgiven after 20 years. The AP also reports that he wants to perpetuate the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which provides a tax refund of up to $2,500 to 10 million families who have children in college.

“Decreasing the time for student loan forgiveness is really important,” Vice President of Young Democrats Michaela Pickus ’14 said. “[Obama] just finished paying back his student loans a few years ago and he had to write a best-selling book to do it, so he understands. That’s different from Romney who said that people should try to borrow money from their parents.

That’s not an option for everyone.”While Manna commends Obama for having

clear plans, he still wonders whether he will be able to achieve his goals.

“The question remains … Can he get more money to students and can he make it more economically feasible for students to attend college?” Manna said.

This is why Ackerman believes that Romney’s plans are more financially sound.

Romney would use the HOPE tax credit, which is less expensive. Under that system, a student could receive up to $1,800. He wants to continue developing the Pell Grant foundation, but believes that the program should focus on the neediest students. Governor believes the direct lending program is too much of a financial burden on the government.

“Neither candidate supports massive spending cuts to the education system; it’s more that Romney wants a reorganization of the way that grants and bonds are given out,” Ackerman said.

The Student Assembly senate allocated funds to the Get Out the Vote initiative to spread voting information throughout campus in Wednesday’s meeting.

As Tuesday, Nov. 6 is Election Day, both the legislative and executive Public Affairs Committees will utilize the $229 for fliers, bookmarks and brochures in efforts to increase voter awareness. Included information pertains to polling locations, polling times and Election Day information. Senators asked about the bipartisan nature of the information.

“The public affairs department as a whole is working on the brochure,” senator Danielle Waltrip ’14 said, “They do it every year and every year they do it nonpartisan. … They really do try to make it nonpartisan.”

The SA senate unanimously approved the GOTV Act.

The Swem Snacks Act, passed in last week’s senate meeting, was reintroduced with an amendment allocating $18 for the one-time purchase of 1,000 plates. The senate unanimously approved the amendment and voiced their support for the initiative.

“We’re really excited about this because it opens up a whole bed of outreach oppor-tunities,” senator Ishan Bardhan ’13 said.

The SA Senate plans to utilize the Sunday night healthy snacks to further the What Can the SA Do for You initiative by providing a fishbowl for suggestions, comments and questions College of William and Mary students have. Senators are hoping to place the snacks near the SA sponsored massage chairs and to include newspapers and magazines promoted by the SA.

“It’s going to be like the student assembly

corner,” Senator Drew Wilke ’15 said. “We’re going to have snacks [and] reading.”

SA Vice President Melanie Levine ’13 announced that Spooktacular, canceled due to Hurricane Sandy, would hopefully be rescheduled as a fall festival. Senator Matt Gardner ’13 received the coozies which senators plan to distribute next week as part of the Better Education Efforts of Responsibility Act, or BEER, passed in September.

Madame Chair Kendall Lorenzen ’15 introduced the Code Revision Committee Act and sent the bill to the Executive Committee for further discussion. The bill would create a committee to update the SA Code to reflect the current practices. Proposed members of the committee are Waltrip, Lorenzen, Senator Colin Danly ’15, Senator Yohance Whitaker ’16, SA President Curt Mills ’13, and members of the Undergraduate Council Lemondra Watson ’13, the vice president of social affairs, and Ryan McManus ’13, the vice president of advocacy.

by ANNIE CURRANTHE FLAT HAT

When Virginia State Senator and Republican Majority Leader Tommy Norment J.D. ’73, R-3, addressed the College Republicans of the College of William and Mary and Oct. 25, he had one question to ask of his audience: Why are you at the College?

Norment, a 21-year member of the Virginia Senate, is no stranger to the College. Norment graduated from the law school in 1973 and has spent the past six years as a professor at the College teaching classes on government and legislation.

“I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to teach here,” Norment said. “What I try to do is to take the experiences I’ve had in 25 years of government and to translate that into a learning tool for the students. The uniqueness that I bring to it is that these are not academic experiences but real life experiences that I’ve had in government.”

Norment began his speech with an anecdote, relating today’s standards of living with those of his youth.

“After school, after seven years of education, I made $200 a week,” Norment said. “I lived on a corner across from Saint Bede’s. I rented that entire house for $85. My car payment was $29, and a gallon of gas was under 30 cents a gallon. I made $10,000 a year.”

Norment described how today those standards are drastically different, saying the salary he earned after school would seem like $250,000 today.

Norment explained that with the quality of life and changing expectations of society, the need for a strong new leader has emerged.

“I think that this presidential election is without question the most critical presidential election in my life — and I am not a young guy,” Norment said.

Throughout his presentation, Norment touched on the role of government, arguing that government is necessary but should not be a crutch for Americans looking for an easy way out.

“If you are in government, there is a responsibility to some degree to help those who cannot help themselves,” Norment said. “I do not, however, believe that I have [a] responsibility to help those who

are unwilling to help themselves. When 47 percent of Americans are not paying taxes, then 53 percent of the country is carrying the country.”

Norment also touched on President Barack Obama’s health care legislation, explaining the different ways he agreed and disagreed with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

“I think it is wonderful that we are trying to extend healthcare to all Americans, but you cannot extend any government benefit to the general public who are not willing to contribute,” Norment said.

Norment also encouraged the students to vote and to urge their peers to follow suit, as well as to examine all aspects of a candidate before making their decisions. For students at the College, he felt the choice should focus on which candidate would provide the greatest opportunities and allow students to accomplish their goals.

“The critical thing in the presidential race in Virginia is turnout,” Norment said. “Voters should not be a one-trick pony. Look at the candidate overall. You may not agree on every issue, but take candidates

in their totality. Who is better representing you, Romney or Obama?”

Norment spoke briefly about his plans as a legislator for the upcoming year, touting his personal experience with the Virginia education system as well as his work in the Virginia Senate.

“I am a passionate advocate for higher education, and I say with pride that I was the author of the higher education reform that came through in 2007 that restructured the way we do higher education,” Norment said. “I am the only guy at the table dealing with higher education. I, my wife, both my kids — all went to public Virginia universities. I am a fierce advocate for higher education.”

Norment ended his speech by urging the College Republicans to take action.

“Get off your butts,” Norment said. “If every College Republican in here got three of your peers to go vote for the Romney ticket because that represents the best opportunity for you in the future, that would make a remarkable success. If we were to do that, that would counter Obama’s ground work.”

Members of the College Republicans felt that Norment brought a great

perspective to the group.“I thought it was great,” Chandler

Crenshaw ’14, the First Vice Chairman of the College Republicans said. “I’ve had him as a professor, gotten to know him over the years, and I think he gave a great performance. I thought he was very blunt about the outcome of the election, and he continues to stress the importance of this election to college students.”

Norment’s passion was evident to other members, who also appreciated the opportunity to hear from someone so involved in the political process.

“I thought he gave a very lively presentation and was very motivating,” President of the College Republicans Tyler Johnson ’13 said. “I’ve heard him speak on a number of occasions, and this time came off as very energetic, very passionate. I think it’s great for our members to have the opportunity to meet one of their elected representatives, especially when he holds such say in politics. I think that politics is something that people associate with happening far away. It’s nice to see personality in it.”

by EmIly NyETHE FLAT HAT

The F lat HatFriday, November 2, 2012

Norment calls for action, fires up RepublicansRepresentative tells College Republicans, “get off your butt,” get out vote for Romney-Ryan ticket

CAmPUS ORGANIZATIONS

Candidates target college students with discussion of costsRomney, Obama stake out differing positions on how to slow rise in tuition, pell grants and loans in focus

ElECTION 2012

SA Approves GOTV ActSenate plans to offer information and free snacks

Minimal damage due to hurricane

ANITA JIANG / THE FLAT HATThe senate passed two bills in their meeting Tuesday.

leave without the need to receive prior approval.

“All in all, we came through the storm fairly well,” Director of University Relations Brian Whitson said in an email. “No other power outages. No trees down. No significant flooding. No damage. Sandy spared this region the worst of the storm.”

Neighboring universities also shut down operations during the storm. Christopher Newport University evacuated campus and cancelled classes on Monday and Tuesday, but reopened by 8 a.m. Wednesday. Old Dominion University also evacuated. In Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University cancelled classes Monday but resumed operations Tuesday.

College officials noted that they were aware of the decisions of other schools in the area, but did not base their decision solely on others.

“Each campus is unique — and the impact of the storm can vary greatly across the region, even over just a few miles — so while we monitor what other schools are doing we make decisions based on the best information we have regarding this specific area,” Whitson said.

Martin admitted that she received some complaints from students about the decision to not evacuate and the decision to hold classes on Tuesday.

“When we’re preparing for a storm, we look at all possible scenarios,” Martin said. “What we knew, the information we had, made us believe that we did not need to evacuate.”

Erin Bennett ’13 sent Martin an email expressing her concern for students’ safety.

“I just asked her to please consider

the people who are out of town,” Bennett said. “I told her, ‘I want you to be aware of what we’re all thinking.’”

Martin’s email to students on Monday stated that students should use their own judgment for returning to campus, but Bennett felt that it put students who had evacuated at a huge disadvantage.

“When you leave it up to the professors to decide, you’re putting a lot of students in a bad position because they don’t want to get behind,” Bennett said. “I just felt bad for those who were unlucky enough to not have classes cancelled.”

Bennett noted that, for students who remained on campus, Tuesday’s weather was suitable for classes.

“For the most part, by Tuesday morning, we knew they made the right decision,” Bennett said.

Many students were frustrated at the timing of the notification for Tuesday’s classes. In an email sent on Monday, Martin wrote that the decision regarding Tuesday’s classes would be made by Monday afternoon, but the email regarding Tuesday’s classes was sent 5:24 p.m. Monday.

For students who evacuated, the timing presented a problem. One student, Jennifer Giuffrida ’13, evacuated to Baltimore for the storm.

“The only thing that annoyed me is that she waited so late to let us know,” Giuffrida said. “To get back to campus, I ended up driving through a bad part of the storm.”

After the announcement, social media exploded with references to Anna Martin, including memes and a parody Twitter account, Anna B McMartin. The Twitter account gained 123 followers by Tuesday.

According to administrators, the College’s decisions regarding the

hurricane were based on inspection of the storm’s path and conditions. The Emergency Management Team began to monitor the growing tropical storm early last week.

“Discussions with various departments such as our facilities teams began very early in the process to make sure we could do as much preparations in advance,” Whitson said. “We met as a group on Thursday to assess the status of the storm and likely impact to campus and consulted with the Provost and President throughout the process. The EMT met regularly during the storm.”

Even after classes resumed Tuesday, the hurricane created some hurdles for undergraduates enrolled in the business block at the Mason School of Business. The annual simulation week, during which students create and manage a business through an online simulation, was altered due to power outages.

“We had to adjust the schedule based on Monday’s cancellation of classes, and then yesterday, as the servers that run the game lost power — they are located in the Northeast and were affected by the outages there following Sandy,” Christopher Adkins, Director of the Undergraduate Program at the Mason School of Business, said in an email.

The servers resumed power at 9 p.m. Wednesday night, and students were able to finish an abbreviated version of the simulation.

Despite the interruptions to campus life, no incident reports were filed with the police due to the weather.

“It was quiet, we were fortunate to miss the worst of the storm and get back to classes and work on Tuesday,” Williamsburg Chief of Police Don Challis said in an email.

HURRICANE from page 1

STUDENT ASSEmbly

by mEREDITh RAmEyFLAT HAT NEws EdiTor

To the undecided voter: I’m not sure if it amuses or disturbs me that

in our political discourse, we seldom actually talk about people. We talk about the economy,

employment, the housing market and a host of other things that aren’t people. But what about that girl you sit next to in Morton Hall? What about the custodial worker who you see almost every morning when you walk to the bathroom? What about the barista at the Daily Grind who makes your coffee? We don’t think enough on the micro level when it comes to politics.

Undecided voter, I want you to think about those people on Election Day. I also want you to think about your family and friends. When you decide who to vote for, put the human element back into the political equation.

As the youth of this nation, we are deciding who will run this country during one of the most influential times in our lives. These years will define us as a generation, and the president we pick will be part of our legacy. Our choice should be President Barack Obama. I’m not saying this because I want you to vote for a Democrat; I’m saying this because I want you to vote for the candidate who looks out for all Americans.

From supporting LGBTQ rights to overhauling our costly healthcare system and improving the economy, Obama’s presidency has not been one of failure as the opposing side would like you to believe. It has been one of commitment and action. Voting for Gov. Mitt Romney and with the current Republican Party is voting against your fellow citizen. It’s voting against the veteran who just returned from deployment and needs government assistance to make ends meet. It’s voting against the rape survivor who could lose her right to choose after her choice was already taken away once. It’s voting against your friend who can’t marry the partner he loves because they are the same sex. Voting for Romney is voting against all these people who are just trying to find their American dream. Please, don’t forget these people your vote affects.

It should not be debatable as to whether we should keep our fellow citizens from being on the streets or suffering from disease and discrimination. I don’t know about you, but I believe in the American values of liberty, equality and justice for all. Join me in voting for Obama next Tuesday because we are in this together no matter where you come from and no matter who you are. You are a person who feels, cries, breathes, laughs and deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.

Obama’s compassion has radiated through his presidency and campaign. Romney seems interested only in being president. America needs someone who empathizes with our needs and struggles; we do not need someone who scoffs at the poor or openly supports discriminatory policies. We have progressed too much to begin taking huge steps back.

We are all one Tribe, so we need to elect a president who sees one United States of America. When you cast your ballot, please remember your compassion for your fellow person. Add humanity back into the discourse. Don’t let this election be about abstract notions; instead, let it be about you and the people you know. Vote for our generation to be one not of backward movement and injustice but of charging forward into the world with vigor, hope, love, motivation and the desire to make positive change in this world.

Don’t be undecided any longer. This election isn’t about our deficit; it is about voting for a president who will not look away from the struggles we face but will stand with us to find the solutions we need. Help define our generation as one that will uphold the rights of our citizens. Make the right choice, and vote for Obama.

Onward and upward, Alex Email Alex Cooper at [email protected].

Staff Editorial

Flooded inbox: Administration’s response to Sandy disappoints Students at the College of William

and Mary were first contacted about a hurricane that was

expected to move up the east coast Thursday, Oct 25. This communication was the first in a series of blunders on the part of the College’s Emergency Management Team that left students first confused, then frustrated.

The team first began monitoring Hurricane Sandy Tuesday — two days before students were even contacted about the storm. The team should have contacted students as soon as it began monitoring the storm and should be told

students immediately of the potential for evacuation if the storm was expected to be dangerous.

In an email sent Friday, students were told they should not expect to be evacuated and that classes likely would be held on Monday. This information changed in an email sent on Saturday, which cancelled classes for Monday but reiterated there were no plans to evacuate the College. The email did, however, provide an extensive protocol to follow in the case of a power outage.

We believe the decision not to evacuate the College was reckless in light of the severe forecast. Christopher Newport University closed campus at 11 a.m. Saturday morning as a precaution after the entire area was predicted to lose power.

As students at the College, we feel the administration made the decision to keep students on campus not because of any forecast, but because of homecoming.If the College had lost power, students would have been forced to walk to the non-centrally located Commons Dining Hall which has back-up generators for

meals. The Student Recreation Center can also be powered by generators, but we do not understand this decision based on the Rec Center’s proximity to the Caf. If campus had lost power, Resident Assistants would have been forced to stand a twenty-four hour fire watch and to ensure that students could access the building after the battery power in the swipe access ran out. Regardless of whether the student is an RA, no student at the College should be responsible for the round-the-clock watch.

With the likelihood of power outages, many students were frightened into returning home. These students were inconvenienced further when the College waited until nearly 5 p.m. Monday evening to announce that campus would operate on its regular schedule Tuesday. As the worst of Sandy hit late Monday night, students were forced to choose between attending classes Tuesday morning or returning to campus during the hurricane. Even colleges such as the University of Richmond cancelled early morning classes. If the Emergency Management Team felt the campus

would likely be able to resume its normal schedule Tuesday, it should have made students aware of it earlier in the day.

Whether due to a prioritization of Homecoming celebrations over students’ safety or simply to poor communication, we believe the Emergency Management Team at the College failed to act in the best interests of the students last weekend. Thankfully, Sandy’s effects were not strongly felt at the College; however, we hope that in the future, College administrators will act more effectively to ensure all students are safe.

Editor’s Note: Katherine Chiglinsky recused herself from this editorial in order to remain unbiased in her reporting.

opinionsThe F lat Hat

opinions Editor Ellen [email protected]


Flat Hat StaFF ColumNiStAlex Cooper

A focus on people and compassion

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 Katherine Chiglinsky, Elizabeth DeBusk, Katie Demeria and Jill Found. 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 [email protected].

Open letters to undecided student votersFacts that speak for themselvesContinuing this week, right-

leaning columnist Andrea Aron-Schiavone and left-

leaning columnist Alex Cooper are writing regular columns on the upcoming presidential election and

the issues at stake for college students. Dear undecided voter,

You probably have heard this before, but I will tell you again: Your vote could make all the difference. You have the potential to elect the

leaders who will put America back on track to achieve prosperity. Gov. Mitt Romney and Rep. Paul Ryan may not be endorsed by Jay-Z and neither of them is pandering shamelessly for your vote by endorsing a “sexy” ad which likens voting for them to losing your virginity. But as a College of William and Mary student, you know better than to fall for these desperate gimmicks.

This election isn’t about what’s trendy now. It isn’t about Big Bird, binders full of women or a Gangam-style parody. This election is about two candidates with two different records, and two different visions for the country’s future.

There is a saying: “Look back to where you have been as a clue to where you are going.” I believe that the past of each candidate is an excellent indicator of his future leadership in 2012-2016.

President Barack Obama’s record has been a disappointment to many Americans and has shown us that inflating the size of the federal government is simply not the answer. Despite a massive government stimulus exceeding $690 billion, the unemployment rate remained above eight percent from February 2009 until August 2012 peaking at 10 percent in October 2009. In 2011, 53.6 percent of college graduates in the U.S. under 25 years old were jobless or working jobs that did not require a college education, and three out of 10 had to move back home with their parents due to tough economic times — the highest rate since the 1950s. As of September 2012, 22.4 million American households (15 percent) are on food stamps, median incomes for people of all races have decreased during his time in office, and the total number of people in poverty has increased during his term. In addition, Obama has cut national defense spending by $21 billion, which arguably threatens our national security.

In stark contrast to the past four years, Romney’s record suggests that he is precisely what America needs. Romney has had experience successfully balancing budgets and managing operations that were on the cusp of failure. He revitalized a scandal-ridden 2002 Olympics, and through pragmatic, detailed decisions, he eliminated unnecessary spending and balanced the event’s budget. In addition, he refused his salary to save Bain Capital while balancing the budget and also helped save companies such as Domino’s Pizza, Staples and Burger King with his economic prowess. As governor of Massachusetts, he did not accept a salary while he bridged a deficit gap that exceeded $2 billion by closing loopholes and cutting spending without raising income taxes. His tenure as a ward bishop in his church demonstrates his empathy for those in need, and his philanthropic contributions exceeded 29 percent of his annual income in 2011, not including his contributions through his Tyler Charitable Foundation, which total over $7 million since 1999.

When you enter that voting booth next Tuesday, you have the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than yourself. Voting for Romney is casting a vote to cap the federal deficit and ensure that your parents still have Social Security after they’ve worked hard. It is ensuring that grandparents receive high quality healthcare that the government does not dictate. It is supporting the creation of a labor environment where millions who are unemployed can find work again and in which college graduates can find jobs that they have worked hard to obtain after graduation.

A vote for Romney embodies the “spirit of resistance” Thomas Jefferson spoke of many years ago that is needed to keep the government working for the people. America simply deserves better than Obama.

Hark Upon the Ballot Box,Andrea Email Andrea Aron-Schiavone at [email protected]. By Patricia radich, flat hat GraPhic dESiGnEr

Flat Hat StaFF ColumNiStAndrea Aron-Schiavone

GraPhic By lindSay WadE / tHE Flat Hat

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Variety Editor Abby BoyleVariety Editor Sarah Caspari

[email protected]


ORCHESIS DANCEVENT

“What if I actually had sat down and taken the time to write down those crazy adventurous thoughts?” For a College of William and Mary alumnus and his son, that “what if” became a reality.

Jeffrey Wilson ’88 has led a distinguished life as a Naval officer, firefighter, paramedic, trauma doctor, jet pilot and now as an author. He has written four books to date; two have already been published, one is awaiting release, and the other has yet to be contracted. He appeared at the College bookstore Saturday, Oct. 27 for a signing, joined by his son, who is also an author.

“I write really fast; it takes me about eight or

nine months to write a book,” Jeffrey said. “There is not a lot of process to it; I just think of an idea. Sometimes I wake up from sleep and say, ‘what if?’ and that is how my books start: ‘Oh, what if this happened?’ And that is how it is with ‘The Donors’ — just one day I was like, ‘what if this happened?’ and I started writing a short story, and then I realized there [was] a lot more there.”

Jeffrey’s writing draws from his real life experiences as well as elements of horror and the supernatural. “The Donors,” his most recent release, is true to form — using his experiences as a physician, Jeffrey came up with the idea to set

the book in a hospital, embellishing the story by adding macabre villains who attack the patients.

“I do not know if you have ever been sick and been in a hospital, but it is just so terrifying if you are not a medical person because there is so much unknown there,” Jeffrey said. “You do not know what is going on, so just being in a hospital is already scary, so adding a supernatural element into that unknown really takes it up a notch. Then in this book, I also made the main character a little kid, so then that adds another element.”

With a great deal of career experience under his belt, there is still one adventure that Jeffrey holds above all others: being a father. In the Wilson family, the apple does not fall far from the tree. Jeffrey’s oldest son Connor, now age 12, began writing after watching his father. At the age of eight, Connor released his first book, “A Giant Pencil,” joining his father in the limelight and becoming the youngest traditionally published author in the United States.

“Well, since we always had to use a pencil since I was in fourth grade, I just decided to write a book about a big one that could erase all of your problems,” Connor said.

Connor is shy, but that does not stop him from traveling all over the U.S. to do book signings alongside his dad. He has done radio, television and newspaper interviews ever since his book’s release.

At the signing, a quiet, young onlooker approached Connor at the urging of his mother. With a short exchange of words, the two nervous boys talked briefly while the child’s mother and Jeffrey attempted to pry a conversation out of them, hoping they would connect over their shared passion for writing.

The two boys took a few photos together before parting. However, young boys in bookstores are not Connor’s only admirers — his biggest fan is still his father.

“There is nothing like [seeing Connor become an author],” Jeffrey said. “Writers always talk about the first time when they open that box of books and see their own book, and that was cool. But it was nothing like seeing Connor’s book … the first time I read his story in pencil in a notebook, it was amazing. I knew he [was] creative because he has always written stories and thought of stories, but that he could put together a whole book was pretty amazing. So yeah, we are just so proud of him. It is hard to think about my books anymore because we are all thinking about him.”

When Connor is not busy traveling with his father for book signings, he enjoys skateboarding and playing basketball and video games. He is currently working on a books series, which is scheduled for release in March.

“[The book series] is about starting middle school,” Connor said.

Connor aspires to be an author like his father when he grows up. When asked, both father and son advised those seeking a career in writing to never give up.

“I would say that is the best advice because writing is a really, really hard career to start and then once you have a little momentum, it can be a lot of fun, but I think there are a lot of talented writers that just get so discouraged because you have to have thick skin,” Jeffrey said. “It is difficult getting all those rejection letters from all those people you don’t know, and a lot of people I think take that personally. They say, ‘Oh, well. I guess I am no good,’ and then they give up. We are both very lucky. I mean, he is 12 years old and wrote one book, and it has become a huge sensation. I am very lucky in that I have got four books out, and I have sold three of the four that I have finished. So, that is not the typical story, so we are really, really lucky. People just need to hang in there, and they will get there eventually.”

BY VERONIQUE BARBOUR // THE FLAT HAT

likefatherlikeson

Do you remember reading in the kids’ section of the library? You could read about any adventure that your

heart desired. You could be a pirate one moment and a talking animal the next. Now that you are older, that creativity might have dimmed, but there is always that longing in your heart for a good book that leaves you thinking, “what if?”

Alumnus Jeffrey Wilson ’88 and his son Connor were in The College of William and Mary’s bookstore Saturday, Oct. 27. Connor was signing his book, “The Giant Pencil”, while Jeffrey was representing three of the four book he has produced.

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY / GEOFFREY WADE

Members of the Orchesis dance company performed at the annual Dancevent, which featured originial choreography by College of Williams and Mary faculty members Joan Gavaler, Leah Glenn and Denise Damon Wade, from Thursday, Oct 25 to Saturday, Oct. 27. The performances pictured are [left] Journey to Eleusis, [top] The Algae Epic and [bottom] Cadence of Hope.

ALL PHOTOS BY ANITA JIANG / THE FLAT HAT

For one weekend in the middle of the golden yellow and ruby red Williamsburg fall that always makes you want to do all things apple-flavored, we get to pretend that the College of William and Mary alumni never graduated. Alumni of all ages return to campus in herds, occupying the Hospitality House and every other hotel within a 10-minute driving radius, crowding our already-limited restaurant options, and filling up our tiny triangular campus. Despite the overcrowding, we love it — for one weekend, we are all back together. There are no barriers of location, age or occupation. If you attended school at our beautiful College at any point of time, you are forever a member in the Tribe.

The idea of Homecoming is a Peter Pan kind of magic. Wait, you mean I never graduated? I really don’t have to grow up? The College can stay my Neverland forever? For alumni, one weekend on campus is like living the infamous Asher Roth music video for 48 straight hours. Parties all day and all night: same brick buildings, same brick walkways, same colonially-dressed characters wandering through Wawa. Texts that read “meet me at Sadler in 10” suddenly make sense. The choice of where to meet up for the night narrows down to five locations, and the world just seems

simpler, smaller and happier when you are in bright, sunshiny Williamsburg.

The weekend rolls by faster than the Loch Ness Monster at Busch Gardens. Cars pour in Friday afternoon just in time for the parade hour. Floats decked in green and gold cover the streets, as students and alumni cheering for the Tribe, basking in the joy of a Williamsburg fall afternoon. Friday night, full of heartfelt reunions, quickly melts into Saturday’s tailgate. Even though we all know our football team might not perform to the level of, well, winning, we hope for the best and pretend that we are a school that cares about football for a day. After the game, alumni and students return to their respective corners — or — delis, to lick their wounds in company because misery always loves company, but how can there really be misery when you are surrounded by people who share your infectious love for this small corner of the world?

Because that’s what love for the College is — a love that follows you after you graduate, to your next career, to a cocktail party in D.C., to a European city, to a cramped New York City apartment, to your wedding, to your future family’s house, straight back to the epicenter, to dear, sweet Williamsburg. When Sunday morning comes and alumnus and students alike must return to their lives, of course it’s bittersweet. Who wants to go back to work or class on Monday? The promise of a forever College future is renewed by the dedication of alumni from around the world watching a poorly played football game and walking the same brick paths once more. Past or present, it’s home.

Ellie Kaufman loves the ’Burg and is anxiously awaiting her own homecoming.

When the words “economy” and “United States” are put in the same sentence, Americans around the nation grumble and sigh in exasperation; however, the economists who met at Alan B. Miller Hall Oct. 22 hope to renew the “American dream” with regard to the U.S. economy. Professors from the College of William and Mary Mason School of Business faculty, along with Melinda Hancock ’91, CFO of Bon Secours Richmond Health System, met for an economic forum in Alan B. Miller Hall to discuss current issues regarding the U.S. economy and how these issues can be resolved.

Cathy Lewis, radio host of “HearSay with Cathy Lewis” and moderator for the forum, said that one of the goals of the discussion was to “separate fact from fiction” regarding the economy because of its role in both the presidential campaign and in our lives.

Several subjects were brought up during the discussion, such as the importance of the euro, the baby boomer generation and the need for sustainable energy. Two important issues for Americans are housing and social security.

“Lots of people ask questions about

housing prices in events like this because they’re concerned about their own circumstances,” Brinkley-Mason professor of economics and finance John Boschen said. “Another thing that comes up is the issue of social security. For younger people in their 30s, 40s and even their 50s, they want to be thinking about what’s going on there. What are their retirement circumstances going to be?”

Boschen said that when the housing market begins recovering, Americans can expect to see other aspects of the economy grow as well. The forum also discussed elements of the economy that will change.

“Anyone under the age of 45 — start saving now, because you will not be getting social security,” Deborah Hewitt, Professor of Economics and Finance and Dean of MBA Programs, said.

Boschen, on the other hand, disagrees.“I think social security can be saved

with some minor adjustments, such as extending the age of retirement, limiting the rate of growth of social security benefits … and increasing the age at which one gets full benefits to 68 or 69,” he said.

Another major topic addressed was healthcare and its relationship with the economy. Hancock works extensively with healthcare reform.

“Healthcare reform is already upon us,” she said. “I think that’s a fact that a lot of people don’t recognize … our healthcare system is already deeply embedded with reform — penalties, payment systems have already been changed. We are already changing how we do business; we are already changing who we partner with, how we partner. One of the really positive things that has already come out that the Bon Secours system is very supportive of is that everything we’re doing now is increasing access to care.”

Boschen said that healthcare questions are difficult to answer and noted that for college students, thePatient Protection and Affordable Care Act is very relevant.

“If your family is lucky enough to have insurance through your mother or father, you get covered for another four to five years [more than you would] now,” he said.

Healthcare and the economy are important issues in this year’s presidential debate, but the members of the panel noted that the president and Congress will have to work together in order for changes to occur.

Hewitt also noted that the U.S. must view any country as a potential market in order to boost its own economy.

“There’s over 200 countries in the

world, and we compete with every single one of them, and every single one is a potential market for us,” she said.

The panel of economists also said that college students are often more concerned about the job market than the global market.

“I think the seniors coming out this year are going to have a better job market than the past three years, and I think the juniors that will be coming out the year after this in 2014 will have an even better job market,” Boschen said.

Boschen also advised that college students actively seek career advice.

“College students have to be aware that they really have to start ‘beating the bushes’ early, looking more early, be more professional about looking…You have to start planning, making contacts, learning how to interview, and that really puts you way up ahead of a lot of people,” he said.

Several of the economists believe that the “American dream” can once again become a reality, but citizens must be activey working hard to revitalize the economy. As concluded by the members of the panel, Americans must develop a stronger work ethic and start saving now in order to invest in the future.

“It’s in our hands to be creative, innovative, and to do what you think is really best for the country and for the economy going forward,” Richard Ash, professor of Entrepreneurship and Executive Director of the Miller Center for Entrepreneurship, said.

Hewitt added that relying on yourself will probably be easier than waiting for the economy to fix itself.

“Forget about Washington,” she said. “They’re not going to create the recovery. Create your own recovery. You can never over-invest in yourself.”

Friday, November 2, 2012 The F lat Hat

The Tribe comes together to celebrate homecomingAlumni return to the ’Burg

Mason School of Business forum discusses renewing American dream, job market prospects for seniorsBY RACHEL BROWNTHE FLAT HAT

ALL PHOTOS BY BENOIT MATHIEU / THE FLAT HAT

Panel provides insight on economyJohn Boschen, Brinkley-Mason professorMelinda Hancock, CFO of Bon Secours Richmond John Merrick, Economics and Finance Richard Ash, Professor of Entrepreneurship Deborah Hewitt, Asst. Dean of MBA Programs

”“ I think the seniors coming out this year are going to have a better job market than the last three years.

— John Boschen, Brinkley-Mason professor

Ellie KaufmanCONFuSiON CORNER COLuMNiST

CONFUSION CORNER

GRAPHIC BY LIZZIE DABBS / THE FLAT HAT

BY JACK POWERSFLAT HAT STAFF WRITER

With just two games remaining in the season, William and Mary entered Saturday’s matchup against Delaware desperately seeking to end the season on a high note. The storm clouds held off long enough Saturday for the College to claim a thrilling 3-2 comeback victory over Delaware on Senior Night at Martin Family Stadium.

Midfielder Ben Anderson and Edward Barr, the Tribe’s two seniors, were honored before the game. The Tribe rallied around Anderson and Barr, coming back from a two goal deficit to grab an inspiring and sorely needed, win.

“Even though this was an important night for Ben and Eddy — being their last home game — I know that what they most appreciate is getting the result we all wanted,” head coach Chris Norris said.

The College was plagued by a sluggish start and Delaware took advantage of the Tribe’s timidity, scoring two quick and largely unmarked goals in the 6th and 18th minutes. The first goal came off a poorly defended corner kick that UD’s Tobias Miller headed past sophomore goalkeeper Alex Harrington. In the 18th minute, Delaware struck once again as Vincent Mediate

capitalized on a poor Tribe turnover by putting it into the net to gain a 2-0 lead.

“Initially, we put our heads down a little bit, but we’ve been in that position a lot of times,” Anderson said. “We had that game against Old Dominion where we went down and fought back, so having that under our belt helped us come back and win like we did today.”

At that point, a Tribe comeback seemed unlikely, as the Tribe offense had failed to score more than two goals in a single game since September 14th. The turning point in the game came with five minutes left in the first half when freshman forward Jackson Eskay received the ball in the box, swung past his defender, and rocketed it into the corner of the net for his first collegiate goal.

“To be honest, I’m used to scoring more goals than I have — not to sound conceited in any way,” Eskay said. “I had almost forgotten what it feels like to score, so scoring that really gave me a lot of confidence. It was definitely the best feeling I’ve had all season. I think scoring that definitely got our legs moving into the second half.”

Building off the momentum established by Eskay’s moment of inspiration before halftime, the Tribe offense put in an admirably

aggressive and fluid performance in the second half, notching nine shots through the final 45. In the 59th minute, Eskay struck again with a punishing header goal off a Chris Perez free kick assist.

“We had a breakout performance from Jackson Eskay,” Norris said. “He’s an immensely talented kid who’s shown flashes at times this year, so it was great for him to get some goals tonight, and I think it’s a sign of things to come.”

Delaware’s early two-goal lead was finally eclipsed in the 75th minute with Anderson’s corner kick assist to junior midfielder Will Smith, who pounded it through the net for a 3-2 Tribe advantage.

“We’ve been pretty lethal on corners all season,” Anderson said. “It’s certainly one of our specialties, and we were able to use it well tonight.”

The Tribe did what Delaware wasn’t able to by holding on to its lead until the final whistle, giving them the victory in heroic fashion. After the game, Anderson was visibly proud of the team he’s led all year.

“It’s sad to see it come to an end and all that, but it’s nice to get a win. I wouldn’t want it to end any other way,” Anderson said.

The College will close out the regular season Wednesday in Hempstead, N.Y. against Hofstra.

sports The F lat Hat | Friday, November 2, 2012 |

Sports Editor Mike BarnesSports Editor Jared Foretek

[email protected]

Freshman forward Jackson Eskay scored two goals Saturday.COURTESY PHOTO / TRIBE ATHLETICS

Eskay leads Tribe to comeback win on senior night College overcomes early 2-0 deficit to take down Delaware, 3-2 in final home game

MEN’S SOCCER

JOHN LEE / THE FLAT HATMaine’s Maurice McDonald scores a touchdown in the first quarter to put the Black Bears up 7-0. Maine opened the game with 17 unanswered points before the College got on the board. It was the second straight year the Tribe fell on Homecoming.

Bad news bears

BY JARED FORETEKFLAT HAT SPORTS EDITOR

William and Mary suffered another embarrassing home loss Saturday, falling on Homecoming to Maine 24-10. The loss was the Tribe’s second consecutive defeat, dropping the squad to an ugly 2-6 and 1-4 in the conference.

The Black Bears entered the matchup with an equally disappointing record but quickly took it to the College, using their first possession to launch a nine-play, 74-yard drive capped with a 7-yard touchdown connection from quarterback Marcus Wasilewski to wide receiver Maurice McDonald.

Junior safety Jerome Couplin III, who finished with 10 total tackles, said the week off between the College’s loss to JMU and the Maine game didn’t make a difference for the defense.

“Honestly, we practiced very well this week; we came into the game very focused,” Couplin said. “We were very prepared. I can’t say that we came out

slow, per se, but their team executed well, and we didn’t.”

Wasilewski would continue to shred the College defense for a total of three touchdowns, going 19 of 24 for 191 yards and an interception. He also carried the ball 10 times for 40 yards on the ground.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Raphael Ortiz, on the other hand, took a step back in his sixth start for the College, completing just 11 of his 23 attempts for 142 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

“Obviously we didn’t play very well; obviously Maine played very well,” head coach Jimmye Laycock said. “It didn’t seem like we could really sustain ourselves by being in sync … I know we can play a lot better than that.”

On the Tribe’s first drive, Ortiz and company moved the ball effectively, thanks in large part to redshirt sophomore tailback Keith McBride, who broke a 27-yard run that put the College in Maine territory at the Black Bears’ 23. McBride would go on to lead the College’s offense, carrying 20 times for 89 yards. But the drive stalled, and after junior kicker Drake Kuhn hooked a 34-yard field goal attempt wide left, the College was left with nothing to show.

The Black Bears added to their lead with a field goal, and the first quarter came to a close after a three-and-out by the College’s offense. Before the Tribe could get the ball back in the second quarter, it was already in a 17-0 hole, the result of a 7-play, 79-yard touchdown drive that ended with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Wasilewski to receiver Damarr Aultman. It was Aultman’s first of two touchdown catches.

With some help from the Black Bears, the Tribe finally got on the board with its next possession. After Ortiz found senior wideout C.J. Thomas for a gain of 17 on 3rd and 10, a late hit tacked on 15 yards, moving the College from its own 42 to the Maine 43. With a nice cutback and a broken tackle, McBride ran for 14 on the next play. Two snaps later, Ortiz hit redshirt sophomore receiver Sean Ballard in one-on-one coverage near the left end of the endzone. Ballard came down with the jump ball for the touchdown catch, and after a Kuhn extra point, the Tribe was trailing 17-7.

Ballard, for his part, had a career day, snagging seven catches for 89 yards and the touchdown.

With 8 minutes, 20 seconds left in the half, Maine took over and moved the ball down to the Tribe’s 26. Senior

linebacker Jabrel Mines stepped in front of Wasilewski’s next throw, making the pick and giving the ball back to Ortiz on the College’s 12 yard line.

But for the second time in the half, the Tribe offense would go on a long drive and ultimately had nothing to show for it after Kuhn’s 34-yard attempt was blocked. After a Wasilewski kneel down the half came to an end with the College still down 17-7.

An Ortiz pick and a Wasilewski pooch punt ended the teams’ first drives in the second half and set the Tribe up on its own 1. After a 3rd and 9 completion good for 24 to Sean Ballard got the College out of the shadow of its endzone, the Tribe proceeded on a drive that included three fourth-down conversions — one with a fake punt and another on a pass interference call on 4th and 15 — and closed the third quarter with the College threatening on the Maine 20.

“We were trying all stops,” Laycock said. “We weren’t playing great on defense and you better try to get some points when you get the ball in games like that.”

The offense stalled, however, adter the teams switched sides for the final 15 minutes. Rather than attempting

a 4th and 11 conversion, sophomore kicker John Carpenter — in place of an injured Kuhn — hit a 32-yarder to bring the College within a touchdown. All told, the College’s drive was 21 plays long and took up 8:55.

But Wasilewski and the Maine offense responded in an impressive fashion, going on a 10-play, 75-yard drive capped by another Wasilewski-Aultman connection that left the College in a 24-10 hole with just 9:12 left in the game.

A three-and-out and then an interception thrown by junior quarterback Brent Caprio — who came in after Ortiz was knocked out at the end of the previous drive — effectively ended the game and disappointed homecoming fans hit the exits. The College finished with a solid 346 yards of offense but just 10 points.

“On some plays we were close,” McBride said. “We might have 10 guys doing the right thing and one guy might miss a block or I might miss a cut. But each play we were just one block or one cut or throw away from making a big play.”

With three games left and any hope of the playoffs gone, the College will try to regroup on the road when it heads to New Hampshire Saturday.

College outclassed in all three phases by conference-foe Maine, drops second straight CAA game

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