Volume VI I I . Issue 1 . sePT 12 2012

The IndePendenT PaPer of record aT The college of WIllIam and mary www.Virginia‑Informer.com follow us:

the virginia informer

Summer movie roundup PAGE 9

NEWS IN BRIEF

Dalai Lama to speak To the anticipation of

many students and faculty members, William and Mary will be hosting the Dalai Lama this October. He will be addressing the community on October 10, 2012 in the Kaplan Arena at William and Mary Hall at 2:00 pm. Students entered a raffle at no cost where 4,300 people won tickets to the event. If not selected, students are still able to purchase tickets from the William and Mary Hall office. Ticket prices will range from $15-$25 based on seating location.

Miss VA visits campus On Thursday, Miss

Virginia 2012 visited Wil-liam and Mary. Rosemary Willis (’13) is touring the state promoting exercise, nutrition, and personal health.While a student here, Willis taught exercise classes and was an active member of the Accidentals, an a cappella group. Wil-lis’ visit was a part of the “Tribe Choices” campaign sponsored by William and Mary’s Health Promotion Office.

Carjacker escapes over prison fence

Last Friday, an inmate escaped from Newport News City Farm Prison. Eric Fling, aged 24, was charged with attempt-ed carjacking. Fling was running from maintenance workers at the Merid-ian Parkside apartments, when he attempted to take a female’s car. Fling, who was arrested at 2:30 p.m. by the Newport News police, escaped Friday morning at 6:00 a.m., and has now been served an outstanding warrant for escape from custody. It is believed that Fling passed through the outdoor court-yard and jumped the fence.

features

WHO: William and Mary Volleyball vs. Elon UniversityWHERE: HomeWHEN: Friday, Sept. 14 7:00 pm

Virginia: The most important state in the electionPAGE 12

opinion sports event

Student

Proposed College curriculum to change General Requirments

new system would replace ger system with a greater focus on general education throughout a student’s undergraduate career

0801 The Virginia Informerfall 2012

sep 12, 2012 12:00 pm

Personal Information Financial Aid

Sections Found

College DepartmentSelect

c

By Will MannFeatures Editor

CRN0123

Subjcoll

Crse101

DaysmTWrf

Cap175

InstructorTBa

LocationWm

In a presentation given to members of the local press on August 17 in the James Room of the Sadler Center, Teresa Longo, the Dean for Educational Policy in the William and Mary School of Arts and Sciences, and Michael Lewis, a professor in the Mathematics depart-ment laid out their current proposal for a new college curriculum that would re-place the GER system that has been the status quo for general education at William and Mary since 1993.

During the presentation, Longo and Lewis stressed that the current proposal, as it stood, would not affect the standards and requirements for specific majors within the William and Mary School

of Arts and Sciences. The School of Arts and Sciences is the college’s biggest school, and most of the College’s undergraduates graduate with a diploma from a major within the Arts and Sciences school.

In their presentation, Longo and Lewis noted the history of the school’s various curriculum reviews through-out its recent history, which started in 1919 with the in-troduced the concept of the major, and went up to 1993 and the implementation of the current system of Gener-al Education Requirements. However, it was noted that freshman and sophomores take many GER classes, while juniors and seniors focus more on the require-ments for their specific ma-jors or minors.

As a response to the idea

that underclassmen were front-loading the GERs, the proposal states that general education would be over all four years the average Wil-liam and Mary student is in the undergraduate program. This would be through the creation of four new classes that would be required to take for every year an under-graduate was at the universi-ty. Longo and Lewis said that their goal was to “elevate, en-ergize, and integrate General Education,” present general education as something that is “important and exciting” and finally, incorporating

the “best of what [the College does] into the center of the courses everyone takes.”

These four classes would follow into a new “College Department” and their des-ignation would be COLL 100, COLL 150, etc. The first new class, COLL 100, would be called Revolutionary Ideas. The class would focus fresh-man on big questions, an example of which would be the ideas of continuity and change. It was also stressed that it would be a shared in-tellectual experience for the

See “COLL” page 2

College requiring disclosure of all student arrests

This summer William and Mary President Taylor Reveley approved a policy requiring students to report any arrests within 72 hours of the incident even if the ar-rest occurred off campus or outside Williamsburg. If a student does not submit the online disclosure form within that time frame, the College has the right to suspend or expel the student under the Honor Code.

The policy does not re-quire students to report ar-rests that occurred before the start of the undergradu-ate year, August 25, when

students began moving onto campus. However, students must notify the school of any convictions for incidents oc-curring prior to the begin-ning of the term.

After discussing differ-ent safety precautions last year, the College decided to require arrest disclosure to increase the security of stu-dents.

“Given the circumstanc-es of the murder of Yeard-ley Love at the University of Virginia, we believe it is best practice for us to be made aware of reports alleging criminal acts by our students so that we can quickly and ef-fectively evaluate the poten-tial impact of such behavior

By Catherine BoardmanStaff Writer

on our campus and address it efficiently, fairly, and ef-fectively,” said Dave Gilbert, Associate Dean of Students and Director of Student Con-duct.

In addition to requesting disclosure of arrests within 72 hours, UVA requires stu-dents to affirm once per year that they have not been ar-rested since they were ad-mitted to the university. The College has not included this requirement in the changes to the Student Handbook.

Previously students at the College were not re-quired to report any arrests, although the College re-

See “ARRESTS” page 3

COLLEGE DEPARTMENT COURSES

coll 100: revolutionary Ideascoll 150: freshman seminars coll 200: Ways of Knowing

coll 300: W&m in the Worldcoll 400: college Portfolio

Martial Arts ClubPAGE 4

New members appointed to SA

continued on page 2

chair of outreach: chase Koontzchair of health and safety: Jake lewitzsa review Board: reid mcBride, Ben choichair of the elections committee: TJ o’sullivan

“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.”

OCT 10

courTesy PhoTo

By Jabria CraftStaff Writer

PAGE 3NE WSNE WSPAGE 2

The William and Mary Student Assembly held its first meeting of the 2012-2013 session on Tuesday, September 4. The first order of business was the approval of a $350 appropriation from the Student Activities Fund to pay for the A Capella Show-case. The request had initially been denied by the Senate Finance Committee based on the belief that the school administration had guaranteed to pay for the necessary expenses. The A Capella Council appealed this ruling, explaining that it had been due to a misunderstanding. The Senate voted to approve the funding by unanimous consent.

The Senate then confirmed several executive appointments. Chase Koontz ’14 was unanimously confirmed as Chair of Outreach. Koontz, who described himself as “well qualified” for the position, was previously a member of the Senate and chair of the Senate Outreach Committee. Jake Lewitz ’13 was unanimously confirmed as Chair of Health and Safety. Lewitz, who served in the Senate as a sophomore and is a Health Outreach Peer Educator, said that under his guidance the Health Commit-tee will focus on mental health issues, including improving the College’s counseling system and hosting an academic forum on mental health. In addition, Lewitz report-ed that the Health Committee currently has $17,000.00 earmarked for STD testing, and $8,000.00 earmarked for student vaccinations.

The Senate also confirmed Reid McBride ’14, and Ben Choi ’13, to the SA Review Board. The Review Board adjudicates disputes within the SA and was described by McBride as the “judicial branch” of the Student Assembly.

The Senate then debated SA President Curt Mills’ nominees to the SA Elections Commission. Mills said that he had moved away from the SA’s traditional focus on filling the Elections Commission with outsiders who had no potential conflicts of interest to finding indi-viduals who had significant experience with the SA and the elections process and are “as impartial and competent as possible.” Most of his nominees are seniors who are ineligible to run themselves.

T.J. O’Sullivan ’13, formerly Editor-in-Chief of The Virginia Informer, previously served on the Honor Council Appeals Committee. In response to a question regarding efforts to make the freshman elections more interactive, O’Sullivan said that “there is a limited amount that can be added” in the short time before the election, but that he was planning to increase the number of information sessions before the election. O’Sullivan was unanimously confirmed as Chair of the Board. Erin Hills ’14, said that her experience as a member of the Honor Council and vice-president of a soror-ity gave her experience “understanding policy and implementing it,” and was also unanimously confirmed. The Senate also confirmed Jill Olszewski ’13, who had previ-ously chaired the Board. Mills said that Olszewksi’s experience would prove “invalu-able” to the Board due to her prior experience. The Senate also confirmed incumbent Secretary of Policy Ben Migdol ’13, who said that his “extensive knowledge in most areas of policy” would benefit the Board. The final member of the Review Board, Will Shimer ’13 has previously supervised elections for the International Relations Club, which he described as “similarly frustrating.” He was also confirmed by unanimous consent.

By Chuck GillespieNews Editor

Mission StatementThe Virginia Informer is an independent, non‑partisan, student run publication devoted to reporting the news

to the William and mary community. We exist to pro‑vide an alternative to school sponsored news sources.

We do not, and never will, receive any financial support from the college of William and mary. We will not shy away from controversy or be afraid to challenge the

norm. We strive to inform and engage our readers via responsible journalism and in‑depth reporting, while fostering and giving voice to opinions that are often

shut out by the campus establishment.

Volume VI I I . Issue 1 . sePT 12 2012esTaBlIshed In 2005

The Virginia Informercsu 7056, P.o. Box 8793Williamsburg, Va 23186

editor@virginia‑informer.comwww.Virginia‑Informer.com

FoundersJoe luppino‑esposito & amanda J. yasenchak

the virginia informer

Editorial Boardmadeleine aggeler, Editor in Chief

allison Jones, Managing Editorcatherine Belte, Executive Editor erin Wagner, Senior News Editor

catherine Boardman, News Editorcharles gillespie, News Editor

Will mann, Features EditorWade cupcheck, Sports Editor

nate Kresh, Sports EditorJoel White, Arts & Culture Editor

chris dodson, Opinion EditorT.J. o’sullivan, Editor Emeritus

Associate Editorsdaniel carlen, featuresKrissa loretto, features

sophie goewey, arts & culture

Photography and Layout Staffabigail howarth, Photography editor

austen dunn, senior layout editoremma feeney, layout editor

Business EditorsTyler Vuxta • Tighe Ebner

Cartoonistmolly adair

Staff WritersJacob Evans • Emma Sunseri • Cody Sigmon

Britaney Coleman • Victoria FairchildShannon Crawford • Luke Nicastro • Alex Cook •

Matt Muller • Jacob Evans • James Joseph • • Daniel Fischer • Pratik Sinha • Jabria Craft

The Virginia Informer is produced by students at the College of William and Mary. The opinions expressed in articles, photos, cartoons, or ads are those of the writer(s) or sponsor(s). This paper is produced for the benefit of students at the College and is available at no cost for members of the greater Williamsburg community. However, copies should be taken only if they are meant to be read and enjoyed. Letters to the editor are welcome and can be submitted via e-mail or mail.

SA Senate resumes after summer recess, elections commission formed

freshman class, and that it would emphasize both communica-tion and the strength of academic community.

The freshmen seminars would be mostly untouched by the new proposal, except that they would fall under the new “College Department” and all freshmen seminars would have the designa-tion COLL 150.

COLL 200, for sophomores, would be Ways of Knowing, and it would be an exploration of different disciplines, specific Arts and Aesthetic Interpretation, Social and Humanistic Understanding, and Scientific and Quantitative Reasoning.

COLL 300, for juniors, would be called W&M in the World, and it would connect various theories to actual practice and place the work students are doing in a more global context. Study abroad programs, the W&M in DC, and research with professors would also fall under this new category.

Finally, COLL 400, for seniors, would be called College Port-folio, and students would review assignments from previous classes taken in the “College Department” and “draw connections and conclusions about their own liberal arts education,” and would then present a portfolio publicly based on that analysis.

Part of the reason for the current proposal was that when the College spoke to employers, they stressed that students knew the information of their respective majors, but that a greater empha-sis on higher thinking skills would be critical for the jobs and de-velopments of the 21st century. It was also said that the writing and foreign language proficiency requirements would be kept, as well as possible proficiency requirement in mathematics.

It was also stressed that the new curriculum would be flex-ible to account for students who study abroad or transfer into William and Mary, as well as those involved with the Business, Law, or Education Schools within the College. Longo and Lewis also explained that they believed that the new curriculum would be a part a shift in the academic culture of the College, because it would eliminate so-called “courses for dummies” where people who are not proficient in a specific required GER course can still do well because of the simplistic nature of the course. They also explained that they hoped that intro-classes would be less re-lied on for freshmen and sophomores for easy general education credit.

In regards to the question of how IB and/or AP credit would factor in, the idea of every student, despite their educational background participating in a unique William and Mary educa-tion was stressed, but it was also said that it was the hope that no student would have to repeat a course they had already taken and gotten credit for in high school.

Finally, Longo and Lewis said that the next steps, to be undertaken this semester, would be about continuing the con-versation with faculty, making appropriate adjustments to the proposed curriculum. After that, the curriculum would go to a vote by the College’s Board of Visitors, and if approved, an im-plementation committee would be formed for the process of full implementation.

COLL: More General Requirements to encourage higher thinking skills

From page 1

ceived regular arrest reports from the Williamsburg police. Already students have felt the impacts of the new policy.

“I feel like it needs to be less ambiguous. I got charged with underage pos-session and the school policy was worded in a way that I couldn’t tell whether I needed to report it,” says one stu-dent who wished to remain anony-mous, “I went ahead and con-tacted the Dean’s office because I didn’t want to get an honor code vi-olation, but after-wards my lawyer told me that in fact, I didn’t need to report it.”

After a disclosure is filed, Dean Gilbert reviews it and decides if the incident creates concern for the Col-lege. After requesting authority from Dean of Students Patricia Volp, the arrest is then addressed through the Code of Conduct process. If, in accordance with the factors stated in the Student Handbook, the incident is deemed not to be of concern, a student’s disclosure may either simply be filed in their student record or be discussed by the student and a staff member.

The College decided to ask students to report arrests in addition to just convictions in order to en-sure timely reactions to incidents and to make certain repercussions follow college procedure rather than the laws’.

“The College has its own unique standards of be-havior and means for resolving violations that do not always parallel those of the law, so the outcome of a court case may not necessarily resolve whether the Col-lege’s policies have been violated,” said Dean Gilbert.

The policy comes as one of six changes to the Stu-dent Handbook. Other changes include the amend-ment of the College’s Amnesty Policy and the GPA re-quirement for the Student Conduct Council.

Vice President for Student Affairs, Ginger Ambler, said of the Handbook change, “Because personal safety is such a compelling issue on college campuses and in our society as a whole, we hope students will see this policy as yet another measure for promoting the safest possible environment for all in our community.”

ARRESTS: College mandating disclosure

From page 1

SA HEALTH COMMITTEE

$17,000 of funds will go towards sTd testing$8,000 of funds will go towards student vaccinations

courTesy PhoTo

By Justin ShawlerContributing Writer

Data suggests grade inflation to be a problem at the CollegeBy Erin WagnerSenior News Editor

Recent data released by Stuart Rojstaczer finds that the College of William and Mary has fallen victim to grade inflation. Rojstaczer, a professor and scholar on American grading, collected data from over 230 undergraduate institutions in the United States. He found that since the 1960s, average GPA has increased by between .1 and .2 ev-ery decade. The data that he found for William and Mary indicates that between 1986 and 2005, the average GPA jumped .37 points. The College’s website indicates that between 2006 and 2010, there has been a .02 increase, from 3.22 to 3.24

According to research on over 200 American institutions of higher learning published in the Teachers College Record Volume 114 Number 7, 2012, A’s comprise 43% of all letter grades and are 12% more common than in 1988. Wil-liam and Mary’s percentage of A’s awarded was 44%, while 34.7% of the grades awarded were B’s.

The study states that “presti-gious schools have...continued to ramp up their grades. It is likely that at many selective and highly selective schools, undergraduate

GPAs are now so saturated at the high end that they have little use as a motivator of students and as an evaluation tool for gradu-

ate and professional schools and employers.”

Some argue that the grade inflation occurring at the College is not nearly as severe as other insti-tutions, thus making it “relatively deflated.”

“I’ve never felt like I was just handed an A,” stated Hannah Branch (‘13).

Fellow student Matthew Go-mez, (‘13), echoes Branch’s senti-ment, stating, “I’m willing bet that the gradual increase in GPA is due most likely to more A-’s, but not more A’s.”

Brandon DeGraaf (‘13), argued that if William and Mary were to not inflate grades at at a rate some-

what relative to other prestigious universities, it would put students at a disadvantage. “If the College embarked on a solo mission to combat grade inflation and make C’s average again, then William and Mary students would be at a disadvantage in competing for jobs or admission to graduate schools,” stated DeGraaf. “If William and Mary started giving C’s for the sort of work other schools reward with A’s or B’s, students from the College would find that, in fact, GPAs are still an evaluation tool for gradu-ate and professional schools and employers”.

Tuition increased $438 for in-state undergraduates and $1,382 for out-of-state undergradu-ates in the 2012-2013 academic year, according to a statement released last spring on The Col-lege’s website. The increase, described as the “lowest percentage increase for Virginia under-graduates at William & Mary in more than a decade” by College President Taylor Reveley, was detailed in the Board of Visitors’ latest budget.

The Board’s decision for the increase is based on many factors. The Six-Year Plan adopted by the College’s Board of Visitors last Sep-tember, which aims to shore-up faculty salaries and increase need-based financial aid, was a determi-nant of the recent budget.

“There are additional costs we must address through new revenue in order to maintain base funding and make sure we continue to pro-vide the outstanding academic experience our students, families and community expect from William & Mary,” said Vice President for Finance Sam Jones in an April 27, 2012 Press Release on William and Mary’s website.

Also influential were the efforts Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell and the Virginia Gen-eral Assembly as a whole to allocate funds for institutes of higher-learning.

Shortly after his inauguration, McDonnell created a commission to address the rising costs of college and to increase access to higher-education for all Virginians. In a December 2010 report, the commission laid the framework for what would become the Higher Education Op-portunity Act of 2011. The act was passed unanimously by the state legislature on April 6, 2011.

“We warmly thank our elected leaders who went to bat for the College in the General As-sembly,” said President Reveley in a message to the College community on April 19, 2012.

Student reactions have been both positive and negative, with some students expressing an acceptance of the increase and others fearing its potential effects.

“We expect tuition to go up,” said Joe DiVito, Class of 2015. “We want the best teachers, and we have some of the best professors in the country and in the world.”

“I feel like this is not a good time for tuition to increase, particularly with an economic downturn,” said Nathaniel Marshall, Class of 2016. Adding, “A trend of tuition going up is a lot scarier.”

Others expressed concern over the affects it might have for the College’s makeup. “It might affect diversity [on campus],” said Sydney MaHan, Class of 2016. In a statement to the Virginia Informer, Student Assembly President Curt Mills and Stu-

dent Representative for the Board of Visitors echoed many of the sentiments expressed by the students he represents.

“[William and Mary] provides a private school education at a public school price tag, which means we have been stretching our dollar very thin for quite some time. The tuition increase, while regrettable, should make us a bit more liquid,” said Mills.

“Further increases in the immediate future should be avoided in my opinion though. At a certain point enough is enough on a student body in a recession,” Mills added.

Tuition: lowest percentage increase

Curt Mills ’13SA President

“”

[William and Mary] provides a private school education at a public school price tag, which

means we have been stretching our dollar very thin for quite some time.

TUITION 2012-2013‑ Tuition increased $438 for in‑state students and $1,382 for out‑of‑state undergraduates‑ goals include increasing need‑based financial aid

PAGE 5FEATURESFEATURESPAGE 4

History of Eastern Virginia Medical School, the possible new W&M School of Medicine

EVMS: The edward Bricknell medical sciences library on the campus of eVms.courTesy PhoTo

By Jimmy CaoStaff Writer

As of July 25, 2012, the Eastern Virginia Medical School and the College of William & Mary have been flirting with the possibil-ity of merging to transform the EVMS into the William & Mary School of Medicine.

While the Eastern Virginia Medical School (established in 1973) does not share the same historical longevity as the College of William & Mary, the notion of a William & Mary School of Medi-cine is not new, dating back to 1824 when it was first proposed by Thomas Jefferson himself, an alumni of the Tribe. He believed that Norfolk, Virginia would prove to be an idyllic setting for a medi-cal school; unfortunately, his suggestion amounted to nothing more than an idea.

It wasn’t until a century later, when the emergent need for physicians to support the growing population in the southeastern Virginia region during the 1960s necessitated the installment of a regional medical school. The Virginia General Assembly, along with various city councils scattered among the area, supported the conception of such a school, with the hopes of increasing the num-ber of physicians and specialists in the region.

Within the span of a decade, the EVMS foundation managed to generate $17 million through charitable donations by the commun ity and businesses, leading the Eastern Virginia Medical School to accept its first class in 1973.

Since then, the EVMS claims approximately 2,300 physicians from the school, as well as growing programs in biomedical sciences and public health, and research in pediatrics, diabetes, and cancer. The Eastern Virginia Medical School is also accredited with stimu-lating the Hampton Roads economy, providing more than 10,500 jobs for those in the region.

Before, however, a marriage between the College of William & Mary and the EVMS can happen, official confirmation must first be received by both schools, and then afterwards approved by the Virginia General Assembly and the Governor of Virginia.

While the merge is not yet official, the EVMS administration remains exuberant about the possibility, with President Harry T. Lester considering it a “tremendous compliment” that a college with such a rich history of excellence would consider joining forces with the school.

The College of William & Mary, together with the Eastern Virginia Medical School, can expect to continue their groundbreak-ing achievements in the field of medicine with each others’ support and is certainly, as President Lester puts it, “an opportunity worth exploring”.

New semester brings new changes to Swem

By Krissa LorettoAssociate Features Editor

While you might have been relax-ing this summer, the folks at Swem worked hard and made some welcome changes to our favorite study spot. In the Info Commons, you can find new orange and neon green Sayl chairs by Herman Miller. These chairs are designed to provide maximum sup-port for your back while you type up a lab report and simultaneously check your Facebook messages. In addition to pleasing your posture, the chairs are a nice aesthetic complement to the fresh burnt orange accent walls by the copy machines. Also new to this area is an overhead scanner that does not require a student ID. This scanner can copy two pages at once and handle oversized materials up to 17 x 24 inches in black and white, grayscale and color. If you don’t need to print, you can now email your cop-ies to any email address or download your copies to a flash drive. Also note that videos and DVDs have moved from the ground floor to the first floor, closer to the Circulation Desk.

Swem’s summer changes also include the closing Mews Café. Stu-dents seeking caffeine need not worry though, as Greenberry’s Coffee Com-

pany is currently under construction in its place. Swem’s changes have reached as far as Old Campus as stu-dents will find the Music Library in Ewell Hall newly renovated. As in Swem, some the furniture in Ewell has been replaced and a similar flat-bed scanner has been brought in. Other updated features to Ewell 205 include Mac workstations with media editing software and a midi keyboard station.

Alongside the material changes, Swem is providing students with a few new services this fall. Swem is now offering “myLibrarian,” a person-al library consultant program, to all first year students. myLibrarian is a program that will provide assistance and help acclimate underclassmen overwhelmed by the stacks. Swem and its branch libraries are also get-ting rid of most overdue book fines. Due dates still matter, but instead of accruing fines, students will wind up buying the books they have had out for extended periods of time. If you are pleased with Swem’s newest addi-tions, let the librarians know. There is a brand new white board located on the first floor for comments, concerns and suggestions. You can also get in touch with Swem on Facebook and Twitter.

School is back in sessions, and the College of William & Mary Greek community is kicking off another year with excit-ing rush events open to the public. Fraternities and sororities, while not all-encompassing, make up a significant part of the social atmosphere at The College, and they are always very active during recruitment season.

Meet the Greeks, on Monday August 27, took place at the Sunken Gardens in the afternoon, and the school’s fraternities and sororities gathered to greet new students and prospective members. Each organization had its own table, with various attractions ranging from water bottles/Gatorade (perfect for the steamy weather conditions) to an actual hookah.

The Greek Recruitment Reception, on Thursday August 30, took place at the Sadler Center Tidewater Room. Frater-nity brothers and sorority sisters were available to meet with prospectives, and light refreshments were served.

Greeks in the Garden, on Saturday September 1, was an-other Sunken Garden event, hosted by the Inter-Fraternity Council. On a sweltering afternoon, members of the IFC dis-tributed ice water and Rita’s Italian Ice to prospective frater-nity members, while the Greek organizations set up activities such as cornhole and interacted with interested visitors.

In addition to these large events, the individual fraterni-ties have begun their open house sessions when prospectives can come by and get to know the Greek brothers. Sorority re-cruitment officially begins on Friday September 7. It’s a busy time for the William & Mary Greek community, and those who are interested in joining should make an effort to come out to these events and get to know the organizations.

By Pratik SinhaGreek Columnist

This Week in Greek

Club Beats: the Martial Arts Club

At the bottom floor of William and Mary, martial artists of various backgrounds will be practicing their skills in the Fencing Room. These clubs are one of many fitness related programs available to students, but unlike many other club sports, martial arts relies on callisthenic based workouts, and therefore require few expenses on equipment.

There are several different styles available to students at various times. Karate takes place on Mondays, 6 to 7:30 PM. Aikido, a type of art that relies on using your attacker’s momentum to throw them off balance, has practices on Sundays, 6 to 8 PM. On Wednesdays from 6 to 7:30 PM, there will be a practice that hosts both styles in the same loca-tion. At the same time, the Tae Kwon Do club has practices from 7:30 to 9 PM on Wednesdays, and from 12 to 2 PM on Saturdays.

While the Tae Kwon Do club represents a different organization, it works closely with the other martial arts club. At the same time, the group is very flexible in what agenda is set. According to the President, Alex Chinn, “The nature of this club is very self-deterministic. What direction we go in is largely based on if the whole club has an

interest for it.” While the preliminary interest meet-ing has passed, the club will be spending the next few

weeks getting everyone back into shape, meaning newcomers will have plenty of time to acclimate.

Every semester, the Tae Kwon Do club

has a self-defense fund raiser to help provide money for the club. At the

same time, students who attend meetings more frequently have a larger say in how the club trains. Therefore, students who can commit full time will find

this club much more enjoyable.Many students may think that martial arts require

uniforms, but according to both Alex Chinn and Tiffany Bagby, Martial Arts club secretary, workout clothes will be fine. Sparring is an option, but students would be required to buy gear if they choose to take this route. Otherwise, students spend most of their time learning how to control their body’s energy. “While getting stronger is important,” said Chinn. “it is also important to learn how to be efficient with the strength that we already have. For example, we want to keep ourselves on our toes and always moving, but we can’t let ourselves tire out by moving too much.”

Staying fit on campus is very difficult. Between reading for English, then reading for History, and then some more reading for Adventure Games, going to the rec center seems like a bridge too far. But when we do find time for the rec center, we are overwhelmed by the various com-plex machines. How do we use them? Did I do enough sets?

Getting a personal trainer may be expensive, but club dues are only $40 for both semesters. The workouts engage every part of the body, and increase stamina, strength, and speed. In addition, students will become more confident, disciplined, and adept at defending themselves when need be. Both experienced and new students are welcome.

By Dan CarlenAssociate Features Editor

Campus Construction Update: Historic Brafferton building prepares for renovation

courTesy PhoTos

As Tribe students return and begin a new semester, one of the first things they take notice of are the several construction sites scattered throughout the campus. A major project just began at Tucker Hall and a smaller one at Phi Beta Kappa. Even the Swem Library’s MEWS café is closed for renovation. To many of us, these projects are a nuisance and a blight.

But in the basement of Brafferton, the second oldest building on campus, a construction project of a different kind is being undertaken. The building, built in 1723, was once a school for Native Americans, was installed to act out the College’s stated goal “that the Christian faith may be propagated amongst the Western Indians, to the glory of Almighty God....” According to William and Mary’s main site, the College Statutes reaffirmed the College’s mission to “teach the Indian boys to read, and write, and vulgar Arith-metick.... to teach them thoroughly the Catechism and the Principles of the Christian Religion.”

The project is led Mark Cosgrove, a William and Mary PhD student in Anthropology, and is funded by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. It is a short, six week assignment that is referred to as a “compli-ance archaeological excavation.” Compliance means that the dig is done to remove all possible artifacts from the building that could be damaged during renovation. Compliance digs are required for all buildings in Virginia that are marked as “historical landmarks.”

This year, Brafferton’s basement is being refitted to include a more modern infrastructure. The room was once used as a boiler room and storage.

“We found several remarkable remains, such as three cannonballs,” remarked Jeff Brown, a field tech and one of the four men working on the project. Brown also mentioned that the basement of the building sits on what is referred to as subsoil, a layer of dirt and clay that rests about 1.5 feet below the surface. Most buildings during the 18th century were built with a basement lying on top of the subsoil for extra stability. The excavation team believes that many features and items were pressed into the subsoil over time.

Jeff Brown is a member of the Pamunkey tribe, which has a reservation just one hour northwest of Williamsburg.

The dig has been described by Mark Cosgrove as very successful. “While we haven’t had found anything we didn’t expect to find, we also haven’t been disappointed either. Everything is where it should be, and we are glad that we are able to remove them before any renovation destroys them.”

By Dan CarlenAssociate Features Editor

On the day of school year’s first home football game, I walked past throngs of green and gold students, exalting both their team and their togetherness, shouting underneath an overcast sky, enthusiastically thrusting through suffocating humidity, ignoring the rain that hung in the air with a sinister irrepressibility. It was a melancholy and estranging walk, but prospective participants in William and Mary’s 24 Hour Play Festival like freshmen Kareem Obey and Margot Pleasants didn’t seem to notice. They were too busy flailing their arms and shuffling their shoulders, laughing at their own blissful silliness, to notice – or care- that what seemed like all of the rest of the student body was elsewhere enjoying a staple of Americana. To Obey, football is less of a fundamental part of college life and more of a “chore.” But what attracted him and Pleasants to this event was more than an aversion to football. Obey said that he “(felt) like an interesting group of people would be attracted to this kind of event,” and his assumption, if not his adjectival selection, is likely shared by most people when they learn of an event as distinct as this festival.

For about a week, all I knew about the 24 Hour Play Festival was its title and my supposition was that this festi-val was a theatrical marathon, a play that lasts 24 hours. I was skeptical about the practicality and the appeal of such an event. Fortunately, though, I was wrong. The 24 hours is in reference to the creation, not the performance. A director and one or two writers are given an opening and a closing line to their play, the closing line to be used as the opening line to the next group’s play. The creative teams spend about a half hour hashing out a skeleton to their play, developing a basic plot and three or four character types. Actors participate in a try-out where they display their personalities and are chosen by a director, who, once equipped with their talent, writes their play overnight. Rehearsals begin as early as 8 AM the next day, where actors must master their parts in time for their shows later that night.

The tryout stage is one of the most interesting aspects of the process as it is not only what makes the festival unique, but also exemplifies the attitude that makes the festival a success. Directors, writers, and stage managers line up in two rows of chairs with six other seats lined up backstage, left-of-center, and turned slightly away from the imposing row of judges. Six actors walk in, sit down, and are greeted by a man wearing a grey checkered button down with a fashionable pair of sunglasses hanging in it, his light brown shock of hair bouncing boyishly on his forehead as he enthusiastically ges-

Guerrilla Theatrics: The 24 Hour Play Festival

By Jake DayContributing Writer

See “PLAY” page 10

SPOR TSPAGE 6 PAGE 7SPOR TS

Patriot League foe Lafayette (1-0) spoiled the Tribe’s rain-soaked home opener on Saturday night, besting William and Mary (0-2) 17-14. Stormy skies over Williamsburg forced an 80-minute delay shortly after the Leopards took a 7-0 first quarter lead.

Sophomore wide receiver Tre McBride pulled in 5 catches for 91 yards and two touchdowns. Line-backer Airek Green (’15) led the College on the defensive side of

the ball, making a game-high ten tackles. Junior Quarterback Michael Graham, who started Saturdays con-test, completed 7 of 19 passes with a touchdown and an interception. His late-game replacement, Sophomore Raphael Ortiz, completed 4 of 9 with one touchdown.

The Tribe was severely limited by inconsistent offensive play, and managed only 197 total yards. Head coach Jimmye Laycock lamented inconsistent play on both sides of the ball, but reserved his harshest criti-cism for his offense. “I thought the

By Wade CupcheckSports Editor

Tribe Falls Shortat Home

offense played terrible,” he said after the game. “I don’t think we got any rhythm at all. We dropped passes, overthrew passes, [and] missed blocks. I mean, you name it, we were doing it.”

While William and Mary was unable to string drives together, Lafayette controlled the ball on offense for nearly two thirds of the game. The Tribe’s first scoring drive came after a recovered fumble inside Lafayette’s 35 yard-line. Junior quarterback Michael Graham found McBride for a 28-yard touchdown pass on third down.

The Leopards answered late in the third quarter with a touchdown pass of their own, and tacked on a 34-yard field goal early in the fourth which proved to be the difference in the game. Down 17-7, the Tribe’s ensuing drive gained a single yard after three plays, and Laycock yanked Graham in favor of sopho-more Raphael Ortiz.

With time running down, Ortiz led the Tribe’s second—and final—scoring drive of the night, scram-bling and improvising an 80-yard, 90-second march highlighted by McBride’s athletic 32-yard endzone grab. Ortiz passed for 57 yards and rushed for 23 on the drive.

“He made some throws,” Laycock said of Ortiz’s late game play. “His reads weren’t always right, but hey, he bought time, found guys, and we caught the ball.”

In the end, however, it was not enough. The Tribe’s ensuing onside kick failed, and the Leopards were able to run down the game’s remain-ing minute and a half.

The Tribe returns to action this Saturday, traveling north to begin its conference slate against Towson (0-1). The team heads home to face Delaware on Saturday the 22nd.

PhoTo By TrIBe aThleTIcs

This past weekend saw Tribe men’s soccer and women’s soccer both head away from the friendly confines of Albert-Daly Field for road matchups, with the men’s squad heading to St. John’s Red Storm and the women’s team playing at the Villanova Wildcats. The competi-tion would be tough for the men’s team, facing off against a nation-ally ranked opponent in No. 12 St. John’s, while the women would be going up against a Villanova team winless in its last six games. In the end, despite the fact that both Tribe teams scored only one goal, it would be the women celebrating victory and the men wallowing in defeat.

The women’s game would es-sentially be a stalemate for the first 80 minutes. Villanova barely edged the Tribe in shots for those first 80, outshooting the Green and Gold 15-14. Each team would certainly have their chances to score, but strong keeper play on both sides would make that difficult.

In the 12th minute, senior Erin Liberatore would get the Tribe’s first offensive chance of the game, but would be turned away by Villanova keeper Kelsey Quinn. The Tribe would send two more shots Quinn’s way in the first half, one from junior Dani Rutter and the other from freshman Leci Irvin, but both would be turned away.

Matching the clean sheet of Quinn in the first half would be freshman Tribe keeper Caroline Casey, whose last two efforts in goal delivered two shutouts. Casey would continue her impressive freshman campaign in this game, notching three saves of her own in the first half to keep the game scoreless after the first 45.

It would be the second half of

this game where the Tribe would break through. This is something they have done all season in the final half, coming into the contest with a 6-0 edge over opponents in second half scoring.

The Tribe would come out at-tacking, striking for 4 shots before the first Villanova shot of the second half and for 9 shots in the first 35 minutes; then came the 80th min-ute of the game and the onset of the Tribe’s 4th-straight victory.

With the Tribe on the attack, senior Mallory Schaffer would net a feed in the box from classmate Cortlyn Bristol to put the Tribe up 1-0. With Casey successfully turning away the final shot from the Wild-cats for her third straight shutout, the Tribe would wrap up a 1-0 vic-tory for their fourth straight shutout overall.

The impressive play of the fresh-man Casey, coupled with last year’s breakout season from now-sopho-more Emory Camper, suggests that the strong youth movement on this women’s squad could continue down the road.

The men would not fare nearly as well as the women in their road game against a St. John’s team that was coming into the meeting undefeated in five contests.

The match started off rough for the Green and Gold, with the Red Storm completely dominating the Tribe to the tune of a 13-3 advantage in shots and a 2-0 advantage on the scoreboard. The scoring for the Red Storm came in the 38th minute, off the foot of freshman Danny Bedoya, and again in the 45th minute on a strike from senior Jack Bennett. De-spite getting a pair of good looks on goal in the first 45, the Tribe would be unable to put anything past St. John’s goalie Rafael Diaz.

The second half would prove much better for the Tribe, but their

attempted rally would fall short in the end. Still down 2-0 midway through the half, the Tribe would finally get on the scoreboard off of sophomore Marcus Luster’s first career goal. The goal came in the 69th minute off of a corner kick from senior Ben Anderson that Luster’s header would send into the back of the net.

The Tribe would continue their strong offensive effort in the half, sending three more shots on goal, in-cluding another header from Luster in the 87th minute, only to be turned away by Diaz each time.

Despite the offense outshooting St. John’s 10-5 in the second half and the defense shutting down a potent St. John’s attack, the Tribe would be unable to convert on any other opportunities, losing the con-test by a final of 2-1.

The Tribe men’s soccer team will next have a chance to right the ship early against Drake this coming weekend.

The juxtaposition of these two teams in this weekend road trip can perhaps be seen as a microcosm of last season and the start of this season for the fortunes of these two

soccer teams. Last season, a men’s soccer team coming off of a 15-4-3 record, a CAA championship and a third round appearance in the NCAA tournament had a big regres-sion, finishing only 10-9 and fall-ing in the quarterfinals of the CAA tournament. Meanwhile, a women’s team whose 2010 campaign saw them finish 10-7-2 took a big leap, finishing 2011 with a 17-3-3 record and a CAA championship, and this season has seen more of the same for the women. Their victory over Vil-lanova extended their season record to 4-2 and their winning streak to 4 games, while the men’s loss to St. John’s pushes their record down to 1-2-1. This is not to say that these will be the paths that these two teams take for the entire season; the season is still very young. However, with the run the women’s team is currently on and the middling play of the men’s team thus far (with only one really dominant performance coming against Richmond), this season may become one of déjà vu all over again.

Two Road Trips Diverged Tribe Soccer Teams Have Opposite

Outcomes in Weekend Road Games

By Nate KreshSports Editor

Women’s Volleyball Notches 2-1 Record In the Holly Young Invi-tational

The Tribe women’s volleyball squad leveled their record on the year at 5-5 with two wins and one narrow loss in the Holly Young In-vitational tournament on the week-end. The ladies opened the tourna-ment with a narrow loss to Central Connecticut State, barely falling short in the fifth set. Although the Tribe fell short, Sophomore Manon Murray had a stunning perfor-mance, tallying 18 kills and 16 digs.

The ladies returned to the court the next morning and blew the doors off of Holy Cross, sweeping the Crusaders 3-0 in the first game of their double header. The Tribe exhibited a near flawless perfor-mance which included a first set in which they made 12 kills and zero errors. The next two sets went just as easily, with massive runs that led the Tribe to a comfortable sweep. In the second match of the double-header, the ladies continued their winning ways, narrowly edging out a talented New Hampshire side in a 5 set thriller. Murray once again had a stellar performance and joined fellow sophomore Paulette Grand Pre in the all tournament team. The Tribe returns home next weekend

SpORTS IN BRIEFBy Miles ReynoldsStaff Writer

to host the final tournament of the season, The Colonial Challenge.

Tribe Field Hockey Demolished Radford 4-0 to Remain Unde-feated

The ladies of the William and Mary field hockey team are off to an absolutely blistering start to the Fall 2012 season. Undefeated at 5-0, the Tribe are off to their best start since 2006 and the fourth best start in the team’s history. Radford had the unfortunate task of facing the red hot Tribe in their home opener, and were resoundingly shut out by the in-form squad. The Game was nowhere near as close as the score suggests; the Tribe dominated on the day, holding a 28-3 advantage in shots and rarely giving radford a chance in the game.

The Tribe ladies face their first true test of the season on Tuesday at 7 p.m. when they continue their four game home stand against the 6th ranked Cavaliers of Virginia.

Tribe Golf Hopes Callaway Will Give Them the Edge.

The Tribe Golf team are setting their sights high this year, and their high goals come with equally im-pressive support. The Tribe recently spent a day getting fitted with top of the line cutting edge Callaway golf equipment, and the “special relation-

ship” that the tribe has with this impres-sive company is incredibly beneficial. Coach Jay Albaugh spoke about the benefits of this relationship, explaining that there are only a few teams at any level of col-legiate golf with this priviledge, and that being fitted with proper shafts is crucial for top performance. Albaugh explained that “many of the young players coming into the program have never been fitted with custom clubs that fit their game, and having that done can only help the team raise it’s performance across the board.

Junior golfer Nick Schafer also

PhoTos By TrIBe aThleTIcs

spoke about the benefits Callaway provides, saying that “being part of the Callaway family is incredible” and that “the options they give us are unprecedented.” With this great tool at their disposal, Tribe golf can look into the coming season with confidence.

PhoTo By TrIBe aThleTIcs

PhoTo By TrIBe aThleTIcs

‘TRIbE SOCCER INfORMATIONAL

home opponent home score

opponent score

outcome

Tribe Womens

soccer

Tribe mens soccer

VillanovaWomens

soccer

st Johnsmens

soccer

1

1

0

2

win

loss

AR TS & CULTURESPAGE 8 PAGE 9AR TS & CULTURES

I have a rocky relationship with summer blockbusters. When I walk into a movie the-atre in July with my overpriced ticket, I can never tell whether I should be getting excited about some new adventure or bracing myself for hours of pain and disappointment. You see, I’ve learned the hard way that those big summer movies aren’t always the grand, epic, never-before-seen wonders they’re advertised to be. Sometimes they really, really suck. Indiana Jones 4. Green Lantern. X-Men 3. Transformers 2. Spider Man 3. And of course, that disaster of unprecedented proportions, The Hangover 2.

I think you can imagine how I was feeling when I trotted over to Regal Cinemas this past May to see the opening act of 2012’s summer movie season. I was so nervous I could barely move into my seat. But let me tell you: when I left that theatre two and a half hours later, I reached a very simple conclusion. The Avengers was awesome. And I was shocked that I felt that way. In addition to my usual skepticism, I was carrying with me my deep disappointment in The Incredible Hulk and Thor. And I’m sorry, but Iron Man 2 wasn’t nearly as perfect as its predecessor.

But The Avengers was totally different. Writer and director Joss Whedon pulled off a miracle as only he can: the movie managed to be a credible action flick that was somehow aware of its own corniness. An almost scientifically precise sprinkling of humor through-out the script sent the audience a very clear message. All they needed to do was have fun. The story was fast-paced, concise, and managed to develop four pivotal characters and their backgrounds effortlessly. You really didn’t need to see any of the lead-up movies to understand who everyone was, and that’s a pretty big accomplishment. And I must give kudos to Mark Ruffalo for using simplicity and spot-on comic timing to make this Hulk doubter a believer. A shout out goes to Scarlett Johansson’s butt, too.

The Dark Knight rises? Not exactly, but at least it satisfies Anyone who read my “Top 5 Most Anticipated Movies of 2012” article at the beginning of last semester will remember that the number 1 spot went to the final chapter of Chris-topher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises. I was excited beyond words to see what Nolan and company had in store. And when July 20th rolled around, I attended a midnight opening with my best friend, where I was dressed as the soon-to-be-iconic villain Bane. When the movie ended, I felt satisfied, but felt it was probably best to sleep on it and gather my thoughts on the movie the next morning. Sadly, my thoughts the next morning were ones of concern and sympathy with the news of the mass shooting at a TDKR screening in Aurora, Colorado. Indeed, the shooting overshadowed any critical analysis of the movie for a bit, and it is very unfortunate that any movie would be tied to such a terrible incident. After the initial shock of the shooting, I did begin to gather my thoughts about The Dark Knight Rises, and decided it was little more than a satisfying conclusion to a great trilogy. Anne Hathaway is completely engaging as Catwoman, and Tom Hardy’s Bane is a great villain. But after the late Heath Ledger’s dynamic performance as the Joker, as well as the general existential nature of The Dark Knight, its sequel was little more than a showy, action-packed thrill ride that wrapped up the story of Batman. As it stands, The Dark Knight Rises never reaches the height of its predecessor, but at least it did the char-acters and story justice.

On the other end of the spectrum, I also had the opportunity to see one of this summer’s more low-key cinematic events, Moonrise Kingdom. As an unapologetic Wes Anderson fan, I was delighted to travel to The Naro, my favorite little art theater in Norfolk, to check out his latest directorial accomplishment. I was hoping for something less aimless than The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou and more realistic than The Fantastic Mr. Fox (not that I didn’t love both of those movies). Incidentally, that’s exactly what I got.

Moonrise Kingdom is remarkable not just because of Anderson’s signature quirky style and understated dialogue but also because it manages to transform a typical “boy runs away from home” plot into a genuinely moving love story. Remarkably, thirteen-year-olds Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward are able to effortlessly carry the weight of the script and have the audience believe their characters were truly meant to run away together. Notable, too, are the perfor-mances of seasoned veterans Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Frances McDormand, and Edward Norton.

Murray and McDormand in particular are adept at injecting each of their scenes with that sense of quiet tragedy that lurks just beneath the surface of any Anderson film. Of course, An-derson manages to slip in his usual dose of absurdity as well—just enough to remind the audi-ence that nothing should be taken too seriously. And things do work out in the end, as everyone in the audience probably suspected they would. The extra shout out here goes to composer Al-exandre Desplat, whose score not only brings childhood adventurism to life, but gives audience members extra incentive to stick around through the credits.

By Joel WhiteArts and Cultures Editor

Summer Movie RoundupAvengers, Moonrise Kingdom could not be more different, awesome The Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spiderman solid superhero flicks

By Will MannFeatures Editor In defense of The Amazing Spider-Man

Besides Prometheus, the other movie that really split the geek community this summer was Marc Webb’s reboot, The Amazing Spider-Man. However, I thought the backlash to Spider-Man was not as deserved. I liked it, and it’s definitely darker than the Sam Raimi films starring Tobey Maguire that came out between 2002 and 2007. It’s also a much more character driven movie, and it follows the original Marvel comics more closely in the fact that Spider-Man has his mid-fight banter. Peter Parker also isn’t the dork Tobey Maguire played him as. The Social Network’s Andrew Garfield portrays him as nerdy, but not crip-plingly so. Garfield nails a really solid performance, and he and Emma Stone have great chemistry. However, I guess my main complaint is that they set up a lot of plot strands that are never fully resolved, but I guess I should get used to that considering every blockbuster these days is trying to set up at least two sequels. That, and the Lizard wasn’t a very compelling villain. A lot of people say that The Amazing Spider-Man was a pale imitator of the older, more successful Raimi films. And while I like the Raimi Spider-Man films, in my opinion they’re just as flawed as the new reboot is, because they are filled with corny moments and over-the-top performances. I still believe that the best possible Spider-Man movie has yet to be made, but for me personally, this movie was at least a step in the right direction.

courTesy PhoTo

courTesy PhoTo

courTesy PhoTo

courTesy PhoTo

When I first read Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl, I was not much older than the titular 11-year-old criminal mastermind. He, and his friends and en-emies, followed me as I grew up, stretching their collective story over seven books, two graphic nov-els (and counting) and a movie that never got past the casting phase.

Artemis Fowl is a kid genius. A genius who discovered fairies. Humans drove the fairy race underground thousands of years ago, and they have lived there in secret since. Each book details interactions between Artemis and this under-ground society, and typically revolves around Ar-temis, his bodyguard Butler, elven police officer Holly Short, kleptomaniac dwarf Mulch Diggums

and genius centaur Foaly battling some conflict or disaster that affects both races. Colfer takes great care to develop the relationships of the characters over multiple books, especially the initially antag-onistic relationship between Holly and Artemis.

The eighth book in the series, Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian, is also the final book. It is, sadly, not exactly a glowing capstone on the chron-icle of Artemis Fowl and his friends. Up through the fifth book in the series, Colfer had done the seemingly impossible: writing a series largely im-mune to the degenerative effects of sequelitis. The sixth and seventh books, however, were much less memorable, and the eighth continues this trend.

Last September Colfer released Plugged, a book with far too much violence and sexuality to be called a children’s book. Though it differed

from Artemis Fowl in this regard, it retained the self-aware humor and fast-paced narration that has characterized the series. This is a sign, I think, that Colfer is finished with Artemis Fowl. He has already begun transplanting the best elements of the series into other works.

This would be the simplest explanation for the lazy characterization in The Last Guardian. The characters seem like automatons. They act in ac-cordance with their major pre-established traits, but lack the nuance and depth that previously let Colfer stretch the definition of “children’s book.”

Because of this, the story is predictable and in-organic. The entire middle section of the book felt forced and scripted, save for one or two moments

By Patrick HealeyBook Columnist

Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian is an unmemorable conclusion to a remarkable series

See “ARTEMIS” page 10

Well Fed: Don’t let the microwave blues get you down

I hate microwaves. I really do—I hate them so much, I actually wrote one of my entrance essays to this very school about my loathing of them. Beyond adolescent metaphors relating scratch cooking to my search for perfection in life, I talked about how my parents’ hectic work sched-ules forced us into microwave meals two or three nights a week. And it’s true: chewy frozen beef fa-jitas nuked until they were far beyond well done, chalky pre-made mac and cheese, and scorched lasagna in heat-proof cardboard were among the staples in my house that pushed me to learn how to cook for myself in middle school. And as much as I appreciated all that my parents had done for me, as I wrote in the essay, I just wished we had eaten better.

But it was not until last Tuesday—the day that will be remembered as my culinary low-point—that I really understood how hard it is to

By Kevin PlaceFood Columnist

make good food in a hurry. In a half-hour break between classes and rehearsals, I sped back to my dorm to fix myself something quick. Upon realizing I had neither the groceries nor the time nor the kitchen space with which to fix something from scratch, I reverted to a premade pizza from Trader Joe’s. But would I microwave the sucker like any normal college student? Nope, it had to be toasted in the oven. But did the oven work? Nope, I had to pop it in the tiny toaster oven. Did the pretentious gruyere and bacon pizza fit? Nope, I ripped it into chunks with my bare hands and shoved it into the tepid toaster, where, after eight minutes, it had turned into a gelatinous mess of cheese, soggy dough, and toppings.

I guess what I am trying to say is that col-lege cooking is not easy, even for those of us who are asked to write a column about it. There are thousands of extraneous factors that keep us from cooking good food for ourselves beyond just our skill. But, at the same time, cooking a real meal from scratch is one of the most satisfying and

relaxing things you can do. In that vein, many of the recipes I will include in this column might seem daunting to use or prepare in their entirety for a regular weeknight meal, but should be per-fect for a weekend when you might have a little more time. I will also try to include shortcuts and portions that can be prepared ahead of time so that you can make these recipes any day, no mat-ter how busy you are.

On an related note: I think whichever admis-sions officer got the unfortunate task of reading the aforementioned essay must have known that in two years the Virginia Informer was going to need a pretentious know-it-all to write five-hundred words on food for them every other week. Well, here I am!

In all seriousness, it is an honor to share a couple of my thoughts on gastronomy with you all each week for the rest of the year. I’m sure my partner in crime in this venture, Sam Reichman, feels the same way, but I will let her introduce herself next week.

that were as good as the rest were bad and had me genu-inely laughing.

The beginning stands in stark contrast to the middle, however. It is perhaps the flashiest of any Artemis Fowl book, involving more-or-less the end of the world. From the explosive beginning onward, Colfer straddles a fine

line: How much drama is too much? While I occasional-ly thought that the stakes have never been higher—a true and exciting thought for me as a reader—I more of-ten felt that Colfer was just throwing l i fe-threatening situations at the wall to see what stuck.

M e l o d r a m a aside, this conclu-sion to the series could have been much worse. Colfer had the good sense to give Artemis’s character arc a sat-

isfying conclusion. Though it seems contrived upon close examination, this is one facet of the book that I am happy to not examine closely. When we met Artemis in 2001 he was an utter jerk, and he’s been growing ever since. He deserves his happy ending, even if it was far less fulfilling than it could have been.

AR TS & CULTURESPAGE 10 PAGE 11OPINION

By Ryan DodsonOpinion Editor

In case you missed it, both of the big political parties had their nominating convention for President recently. After nearly two years of campaigning, the last big gathering of party faith-ful before the election blitz final-ly arrived. As someone who had eagerly looked forward to both conventions, I was thoroughly disappointed. What was billed to be ideological pep rallies usher-ing in the most important elec-tion in recent memory became nothing more than the same old establishment meetings.

The Republican convention was a disappointing affair. After the 2010 election slaughter, the Republicans looked to be gear-ing up for a real fight against Obama. This enthusiasm advan-tage however did not appear to

fire up the convention crowd. Most of the speeches were tepid at best. Former Democrat, Rep. Artur Davis, explained that the DNC was too liberal for black people, prompting cheers from the other 8 black people present at the convention. Sen. Marco Rubio condemned actions com-mitted by Fidel Castro in the 1960s. And unsuccessful Presi-dential candidate Ron Paul briefly walked down to the con-vention floor uninvited so that his supporters could worship him. This fired up enough Pau-lites to secure the addition of a Federal Reserve audit to the party platform.

Gov. Chris Christie, who has gained many fans by screaming at unions and then uploading the confrontations on Youtube was noticeably tame in his key-note speech. He spoke mostly about himself, retelling his same war stories to a party that had clearly heard it too many times before, like disinterested grand-children. He said very little about Mitt Romney, except to compare Romney favorably to himself. He also said very little about Barack Obama, which was surprising considering Chris-

National Conventions fail to live up to expectations

ARTEMIS: Colfer underwhelms with last installment of series

From page 8

courTesy PhoTo

tures from within his tiny school chair. He wields a yellow legal pad that immedi-ately establishes him as an authority and instructs the seemingly nervous actors to “leave (their) inhibitions at the door,” a good piece of advice considering what would be considered by most to be a mor-tifying series of improv exercises is about to be inflicted upon them. But it immedi-ately becomes clear that the actors have heeded the advice of the man with the yel-low legal pad and that the only person in the room feeling any tinges of embarrass-ment is me, no longer because of the fool-ishness of the exercises, but because of my lack of enthusiasm for a situation that everybody else seems to be embracing. An impossibly tall, strapping freshman clad in suspenders, a resident of a dairy farm that houses 225 cows, we learn, embodies a building during an improv activity by shouting in a booming voice meant for the stage, “I am a large building!” later shar-ing that he “has a kazoo as his disposal,” a fact that is met with intrigued stares and feverish scribbles by the rows of di-rectors and writers. There is no shame, no self-consciousness whatsoever in this room. When Obey shares as his fun fact that “(he doesn’t) have a problem making a fool of (him)self,” the man with the yel-low pad warmly shouts back “Welcome to the theater!”

It is this temperament that defines the 24 Hour Play Festival. As senior di-rector Henry Ware tells me, a play con-ceived in 24 hours “can’t take itself too seriously, can’t be overwrought or forced,”

There’s nothing like the sum-mer student handbook changes to remind us of the fragility of student rights on this campus. At the start of each year, the Office of Student Affairs and the Dean of Students Office qui-etly release a short list of ap-proved changes to the student handbook, usually containing at least one or two alterations which would have sparked ma-jor controversy had they been implemented or discussed dur-ing the regular school year.

Just a few weeks ago, bur-ied in a barrage of welcome an-nouncements, it was released that students are now required to disclose any and all arrests to the Dean of Students Office within 72 hours of their occur-rence. As stated in the ratio-nale, “This policy would permit William & Mary to evaluate a student’s arrest to determine if he/she poses a safety risk to self or others or if the student’s cumulative record warrants fur-ther action.” This means that if a student is arrested for any-thing ranging from public in-toxication to violent crime, they must disclose their arrest to the College and may face additional action through the student con-duct process.

Administrators cite the 2010 case from UVA in which student George Huguely murdered his ex-girlfriend, Yeardley Love. Huguely had previously been arrested for public drunkenness and resisting arrest and had failed to disclose this to UVA despite a requirement to do so.

Over the last three years, I have followed a long tradition on the Informer of criticizing the administration for its as-saults on student rights. I wish to be very clear: this change represents the gravest violation of student rights I have yet en-

By T.J. O’SullivanEditor Emeritus

countered and its implications for privacy issues on campus are dire.

The Dean of Students Office is framing this issue as part of a larger narrative of campus safety, deliberately lumping public intoxication and other minor crimes in with crimes of a violent nature like physical or sexual assault. Inherent in the justification for arrests disclo-sure is the trade-off with stu-dents’ privacy rights. In effect, the Dean of Students Office ar-gues that it is worth violating students’ privacy rights if that means campus safety can be more proactively ensured.

In the case of arrests for violent crimes, that sacrifice of privacy might well be justified, though I would hasten to add that the institution of such a pol-icy should not be unilateral, but rather occurring after extensive community debate which would hopefully touch on how the ad-ministration might use this in-formation to actually make cam-pus safer; however, the idea that the disclosure of arrests for pub-lic intoxication would have equal value towards ensuring a safer campus in justifying the viola-tion students’ privacy is absurd. The same goes for the disclosure of arrests for other non-violent crimes. Dean Gilbert described the value of these disclosures as part of a greater College inter-est of “protecting and maintain-ing the safety of the student and the College community.” While I appreciate the dedication of the Dean of Students Office in ensuring our safety wherever we may be, with the possible exception of arrests for violent crime, what students do off-cam-pus should not be the College’s concern. Students should not be forced to face additional puni-tive action for legal transgres-sions that have nothing to do with their matriculation at Wil-liam and Mary and that have no provable effect on campus safe-ty. Just because a student has an arrest for public drunkenness on their record does not mean they should be documented as potential perpetrators of violent crime. Students should not be suspected of crimes they have not yet committed and admin-istrators should not be mandat-

From page 5

PLAY: The 24 Hour Play Festivaland his partner Sam Moyer adds that “24 hours isn’t really enough time to cre-ate a serious-minded play.” This doesn’t mean that the participants aren’t trying to make good theater: each of them lis-tened intently to each actor, taking notes about their performances and what kind of characters they could be good at play-ing. The actors themselves may have been subjected to exercises such as “188,” in which a noun is a shouted at them, and they are tasked with thinking up the corniest “walks into a bar joke” that they can think of (the more egregious the pun, the more raucous the laughter from the judges), but they are taking their task of being ridiculous as seriously as they would Shakespeare.

The 24 Hour Play Festival is a practice in guerrilla theatrics, where the objective is not necessarily to create an emotional-ly nuanced piece of theater, but to create anything. The time restrictions necessi-tate a hastily conceived performance, but the embracement of those restrictions by the directors, writers, and actors imbue each piece with a galvanizing, inspiring underdog spirit that more than makes up for any lack of sophistication in the show.

When I left the room, I walked out into the harsh, unforgiving rain, the dis-tant sounds of the football game being drowned out by the crashing weather and by the rollicking laughter still ringing in my ears.

2008 was a year of change. There was no incumbent in the presidential election. Michael Phelps won eight medals at the Beijing Olympics. Gas prices were skyrocketing. The economy was plummeting.

In 2012, things have more or less stagnated. The economy, while far from fully recovered, is in a less dire situation than it was four years ago. Barack Obama, our country’s first Afri-can American president, is run-ning for reelection, but much of the initial excitement surround-ing his presidency has faded. And Michael Phelps has, accord-ing to those that work with him, become something of a slacker.

The sense of that 2008 was a turning point has dissipated into a general dissatisfaction. Cer-tainly, not being on the brink of total economic collapse reduces the sense of immediacy. This is not however, an excuse for com-placency.

I’d like to make a case for the renewal of urgency, not only on the global stage, but also on the William and Mary cam-pus. Freshman and sophomores, throw yourselves into the col-lege experience. Tear yourself away from your computers long enough to get involved, or dis-cover something new on campus. Juniors and seniors, savor every moment, and start doing some-thing about all of your post-col-lege dreams. All of you go vote in November.

For our part, The Informer vows to reinforce our own sense of urgency. In years past, we have presented groundbreak-ing investigations on the Honor Council, Publications Council, and student elections, and this year we throw ourselves into our work with a renewed sense of vigor. It is our job to keep the College honest, and to make sure that student voices are heard. This semester will see more in-vestigations, more commentary, and more coverage of the issues that shape students’ lives.

For your part, as students of William and Mary, it is im-portant to get involved, and to maintain a critical eye of the happenings around you, not in spite of your love for the school, but because of it. True change, and the most important progress is made in times of urgency. Let 2012 be a year of change.

By Madeleine AggelerEditor-in-Chief

The Case for the Renewal of Urgency

tie’s reputation as an attack dog. Given that he did very lit-tle to either boost Romney or tear down Obama, the decision to make him keynote speaker is baffling. The only logical reason seems to be that his speech was much more unremarkable than Romney’s.

The best speech of the affair was former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s, which fo-cused heavily on foreign policy. While I didn’t agree with all of Rice’s viewpoints, she was topi-cal and clear, which is not an easy feat when discussing for-eign policy to a large audience. Interestingly enough, several of the networks covering the con-vention opted to show anchor commentary during the speech, rather than Rice herself.

Rep. Paul Ryan, who is greatly liked among Republican circles, gave a decent speech highlighting the poor economy and impending implosion of the Medicare trust fund. He also talked about AC/DC and said nice things about Mitt Romney. That was about it, despite the half-hour speaking slot. When Romney chose Ryan as his run-ning mate, many in the Republi-

can Party talked endlessly about how dreamy the Congressman was. If Ryan can get overshad-owed by Condi Rice at his own nominating convention after only a month of campaigning, his ap-peal may be fading quicker than expected.

Romney’s speech resembled most of his others, which is not a complement. Despite having watched it, I can recall very lit-tle of substance. He mentioned Fidel Castro twice, the same number of times he referenced God. The rest was “vote for me” writing that mentioned positions he held on such important issues as freedom (which he supports) and high gas prices (which he op-poses.) Overall the speech was forgettable, marking the end of a lackluster convention.

Oh, and Clint Eastwood was their too. He talked to a chair.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Convention was similarly dull, with the exception of Bill Clin-ton’s speech. Clinton did an ex-cellent job of firing up the crowd by reminding the audience of the 90’s. He talked at great length about economic growth and job creation rather than changing the subject like President Obama

College must reconsider arrest disclosure rule

JoIn The

the virginia informerMeetings at 8:00 pm

MondaysBlair Hall

SpORTS LAYOUT OpINION

INVESTIGATIONSBUSINESS

COpY EDITINGpHOTOGRApHYDisclosure: Arts and Culture Editor Joel White is the president of

Alpha Psi Omega, the sponsoring institution of this event.

ing that students share private information purely for liability purposes.

Dean Gilbert is quick to point out the differences be-tween our systems here at W&M and those of the courts. As he states, “It is also worth noting that the College has its own unique standards of behavior and means for resolving viola-tions that do not always parallel those of the law, so the outcome of a court case may not necessar-ily resolve whether the College’s policies have been violated. This is why we have a process that is separate from, and not depen-dent on, the criminal court sys-tem.” Indeed, this must be the case as the Dean of Students is expanding its jurisdiction to the entirety of the United States, and due to our international students, presumably the world. For the moment I will ignore the irony of Dean Gilbert’s depiction of community standards given the administration’s inaction in dealing with BOV member Lau-ra Flippen who may not have been charged with perjury, but who was accused by the judge of having lied under oath when she asserted that she only had one drink the night she was arrested with a BAC of .253.

If the College is in any way genuine in its lip-service to the importance of student rights or in its attested devotion to the College community, it must re-consider this policy and allow for proper campus discussion of the issue. Is there potential value in terms of campus safety in requir-ing arrest disclosure for violent crimes? Certainly, though a rule of this type should not go on the books without proper commu-nity engagement with the issue; committees within the adminis-tration should not make unilat-eral decisions along these lines, particularly when it requires that students surrender their privacy. As for lesser crimes, the administration needs to un-derstand that it should not try to police its students in their personal lives outside of the College’s community. The Col-lege must reconsider this policy immediately if it is to maintain even the facade of respecting student rights.

OPINIONPAGE 12

courTesy IllusTraTIon

VIRGINIA: THE MoST IMPoRTANT STATE IN THE ELECTIoN

By Dan CarlenAssociate Features Editor

As we enter the final months of the upcom-ing Presidential elec-tion, the campaigns

kick into high gear. The national av-erage of major polls has had Obama with a significant lead against Mitt Romney for the past year. But now that the summer is over and the av-erage voters are paying more atten-tion to the candidates, the lead has all but vanished and the two parties are now in dead heat.

But even as popular support for each candidate begins to fluctuate, analysts have assembled a list of swing states for this year, among them being, of course, Virginia. But this time, it’s clear that we will have a much greater role to play than be-fore. In fact, it is possible that who-ever wins in Virginia will determine the presidency. Along with my personal opinion, NPR ra-dio’s Scott Horsely and Liz Halloran also seem to think

that Virginia is this year’s Santa Claus.

The way the electoral college is cut out this year, according to the Washington Post, there are nine swing states. Of these nine, Vir-ginia is both the most important and least predictable. Once a hub for Republican politicians, in 2001 and in 2005 the voters elected two different Democratic governors, and then in 2008 the state was carried by Barack Obama, the first time the state had gone blue for a presiden-tial candidate since 1964. But then the state flip flopped, giving the Bob McDonnell a landslide victory and gave Republicans a sweeping vic-tory in 2010.

Polls are still ambiguous as to which candidate has a lead, but we won’t have a clear answer anytime soon, if ever. The state is home to the largest naval force in the world, right here in Norfolk. Given how military personnel typically support Republican candi-dates, this demographic may be Romney’s strength.

However, Vir-ginia’s unemploy-ment rate is 5.6 percent, one

of the ten lowest state rates in the nation. Virginia’s unemployment rate never strayed above 7.3 per-cent during the economic downturn, bankruptcy filings in Virginia are running below the national aver-age, and housing prices are running above. Areas such as Northern Vir-ginia, one of the most important vot-ing blocs in the state, survived the recession more or less intact. This makes Romney’s argument that Obama’s recovery has failed less convincing than in other states, such as Nevada, which at 12.3 percent has the highest unemployment rate in the country.

T h e state is crucial f o r

both candidates, especially Romney. While analysts see a path to victory for Obama if he loses Virginia, Rom-ney will have a hard time winning a majority electoral vote without the state. However, if Obama loses a state where the economy is among the most robust in the nation, he will have a hard time winning a sec-ond term.

Both candidates seem to realize this as well. In August, Obama had openly declared to a crowd in Lees-burg that “If we win Virginia, we win this election.” Romney is spend-ing several days campaigning in both Virginia Beach and Richmond. But the real decision comes down to

us. If you’re deeply invested in either of these candidates,

don’t pass this op-portunity up. Your voice will be loud, and it will be heard.

ELECTION: National Convention lackingFrom page 10

courTesy PhoTos

Barack obama

VSMitt Romney

has been. He also played up his bi-partisan credentials and condemned the current state of politics. While it was a masterful delivery, Clinton is not running in November. If the only way to fire up the Democratic base is to bring out a man who hasn’t held elected office in 12 years, then Obama may have more trouble in November than currently expected.

The remaining Democratic speakers were uniformly boring, un-surprising considering the number of elected party members refusing to show up. A pair of Republican turn-coats, Governors Charlie Crist and Lincoln Chafee, spoke, each giving an empty speech that served to dem-onstrate why the Republican Party asked them to leave. The former Governor of Michigan had a mental breakdown on stage and screamed for five minutes. A woman whose claim to fame is being called a slut also spoke, making the point that despite 8% unemployment, trillion dollar deficits, European debt cri-ses, an Iranian nuclear program and a possible double dip recession, the most important issue for the Demo-crats to pursue is free birth control. And during the platform vote, sev-eral party activists booed the use of

the word “God” much to the delight of Republican ad-men.

Vice President Joe Biden, who has frequently become the butt of jokes during the campaign, spoke be-fore Pres. Obama. He criticized Re-publicans for not passing a bill that Obama himself refused to support. He condemned Mitt Romney’s profit making as devoid of leadership. He talked about his personal life, but did very little to show the public that his role as buffoon is over.

As for Pres. Obama’s acceptance speech, it was most similar to Mitt Romney’s. I watched it in its en-tirety and recall very little of sub-stance. It read a lot like a greatest hits arrangement, which might actu-ally hurt him considering his origi-nal delivery of the lines, was as a fresh challenger without a record and targeted at an unpopular incum-bent. Given that the tables have now turned, Obama’s speech did more to remind the audience about Obama’s broken promises and ineffectual leadership.

In the past, conventions offered hints into the overall strength of parties before an election. If that is still the case, then both parties are in trouble come November.