Local Voters Pick Bush LINING up for DEMOCRACY
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U.S. Postage Paid at Williamsburg, Va. VARIETY: Exhibition of New York Times photos opens at Muscarelle, page 7 SPORTS: REVIEWS: Men’s swimming wins “Lysistrata” explores, exploits by a point, page 12 sexuality, page 11 NOVEMBER 5, 2004 VOL.95, NO.11 THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY SINCE 1911 http://flathat.wm.edu Local voters pick Bush LINING UP FOR DEMOCRACY BY CARA PASSARO “I think people who voted for Bush voted FLAT HAT DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR on terrorism, and I think people voted for Kerry on economic issues and on the Iraq Government Professor Ronald Rapo- war,” Rapoport said. portʼs Political Polling and Survey Analysis People who voted for Bush also identi- class took to the fi eld this week, conduct- fi ed gay marriage, abortion and taxes as the ing exit polls at voting sites throughout major issues upon which they based their Williamsburg and James City County. The votes. People who voted for Kerry identifi ed weighted results showed about 60 percent of prescription drugs and health care as major voters surveyed cast their ballots for Presi- issues in their decisions. dent George W. Bush, while around 40 per- The survey also asked voters whether cent voted for Sen. John Kerry. they voted for a particular candidate because Rapoport said he has been coordinating they liked him or to prevent his opponent the exit poll since the early 1980s. He said from being elected. students spend one hour at polling sites and “It was interesting that more republicans accumulate a data set. voted for Bush because they liked [him], and “Then they come over and watch the re- more democrats voted for Kerry because turns,” he said. “Thatʼs always fun.” they disliked Bush,” senior Romi Belachew According to senior Christopher Koves, said. the voters that students approached with the Forty-one percent of those surveyed said SARAH HIRSH ✦ THE FLAT HAT survey responded favorably. they voted for Kerry because they liked him, Senior Romi Belachew takes exit polls of local voters outside Norge Elementary School for her political polling class. “Once we indicated that we were stu- while fi fty-nine percent said they voted for dents from William and Mary, voters were him to prevent Bush from being elected. pretty receptive responding to the exit polls,” Meanwhile, seventy-six percent of those Effect of Various Important Issues on Bush Votersʼ Candidate Choice he said. “Some voters were not quite as re- who voted for Bush said they did so because ceptive. It is interesting how cautious some they liked him and 24 percent said they voted voters were of divulging voting information for him to stop Kerry from being elected. to us. I think the fact that we were from Wil- “In many ways, Bush was the issue, and liam and Mary and not from a private organi- Kerry was never able to develop a suffi cient- zation or a politically affi liated organization ly positive tie to his supporters,” Rapoport helped establish a trust between the inter- said. viewer and the respondent which aided our Rapoport also said that over the years, response rate.” class exit poll results show that the commu- The class designed the survey with an nity has become more republican. imbedded experiment, Rapoport said. There “Williamsburg has always been pretty were actually two different versions of the democratic, but the county has gotten a lot survey, which students alternately adminis- bigger,” he said. tered to voters in order to test the affects of The Williamsburg-James City County question wording. area is more republican than the state as a The original results were off from pre- whole. cinct reports by about 10 percent, Rapoport Koves said he could identify several pat- said, so data were calculated proportionately terns among the people he surveyed. “Most in order to get more accurate results. voters favored the James City County bond Students wrote the survey to gauge which referendum. Based on the time I sampled and RONALD RAPOPORT ✦ COURTESY GRAPHIC issues were most important to the voters for the location, the majority of voters sampled Results of a poll survey question concerning which two issues most strongly affected Bush votersʼ candidate choice. each candidate. were retired, affl uent, males and females.” Trees cleared for new tennis courts Two charged with felonies BY ANDY ZAHN Senior arrested for discharging fi rearm at party THE FLAT HAT BY STEPHEN CARLEY reportedly fi red one shot into the air before Last week the College began clearing FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR running to the Marshall-Wythe Law Library space for four new tennis courts next to where he was apprehended by Campus Po- the Commons Dining Hall. The new tennis Senior James Doherty was arrested Mon- lice. Williamsburg Police made the arrest be- courts and forthcoming renovations to the day morning for allegedly brandishing and cause the event occurred off campus. dining hall are two construction projects that discharging a fi rearm within Williamsburg Doherty has been ordered to enter pre-tri- the College has undertaken this year. city limits. The incident occurred Sunday al supervision, which will include monitor- The new tennis courts will replace those night at a party on Ireland Street. ing of whether he is in possession of any ille- next to Adair Gym, which are being razed According to documents obtained from gal substances or fi rearms. He has also been in order to make way for the construction the Williamsburg-James City County Gen- ordered not to have any contact with seniors of a 500-space parking deck. The original eral District Court, Doherty, a 22-year-old Michael Decarlo and Johnathan Rhymes or design called for six courts to be placed in from Virginia Beach, Va., was arrested just sophomore Joseph Roenker until the crimi- the woods behind Dupont Hall, but that plan after midnight Monday near the Collegeʼs nal case has concluded. Investigation of the was changed after objections were raised to Marshall-Wythe School of Law by offi cer matter, which was initially handled by the the amount of environmental damage that E.J. Schneider of the Williamsburg Police Williamsburg Police, has been turned over would have been incurred at that site. Department. Doherty is currently out on a to the Commonwealth Attorneyʼs offi ce. Timmons Roberts, sociology professor $10,000 cash bond until his next court ap- Vice President for Student Affairs Sam and director of the Collegeʼs environmental LAUREN PUTNOCKY ✦ THE FLAT HAT pearance, scheduled for Nov. 9 at 8:30 a.m. Sadler said he was surprised that such an in- science program, was among those who ob- Several trees were cut down next to the Commons Dining Hall in order to clear space for Doherty currently faces three felony cident had occurred at the College. jected to the original location of the courts, tennis courts, which are being relocated from their current location next to Adair Gym. counts of brandishing a fi rearm in or around “This is the fi rst time in my memory one which would require razing over 2000 trees an educational facility and one felony count of our students has been accused of being on 2.5 acres of property, according to Roberts Hall location the College suggested was not [courts] was suffi cient,” Martin said. of discharging a fi rearm in public. involved in such activity,” Sadler said in an and biology professor Randy Chambers. ideal. Some of Robertsʼ students went into Chambers said the new site is much bet- According to the offi cial criminal com- e-mail to the student body. “Weʼre always pushing for the wisest de- the fi eld to fi nd new locations, one of which ter than the old one, but said he worries about plaint fi led, Doherty was engaged in a verbal Sadler added that the College will wait velopment on campus,” Roberts said. was the site by the Commons Dining Hall. possible drainage problems due to the slope argument Sunday night at a party on Ireland until the commonwealthʼs investigation Roberts and project managers estimate Anna Martin, Vice President for the Of- of the area. In addition, he says he is worried Street. The incident reportedly continued out- has been completed before seeking action that around 30 trees were cut down at the fi ce of Administration, said that the studentsʼ that future construction could still happen in side where Doherty then allegedly produced against any student. Such cases are typically current location. proposal helped them choose the new site. the woods by Dupont. a weapon, aimed it at two other persons and handled by the Dean of Students Offi ce, par- Roberts said a report was compiled and “Because the GER with kinesiology threatened to kill them. The victims reported ticularly by Assistant Dean for Judicial Af- See CONSTRUCTION ✦ page 3 given to the College that said that Dupont is eliminated, it was determined that four they were afraid for their lives. Doherty then fairs Rebecca Fletcher. Students provide input at town meeting Junior arrested for sending threatening e-mails BY STEPHEN CARLEY Oct. 27 of this year. According to the offi - SARAH KALIN landlords resided in the houses they leased FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR cial criminal complaint fi led against Islam, THE FLAT HAT out to students. “All student rentals [should] he and sophomore William Coggin had ex- be owner-occupied houses,” Dale said. Junior Riazul Islam was arrested Wednes- changed e-mails over an incident in which The Williamsburg Planning Commis- The logic behind this is that when an day and charged with two felony counts of Coggin alleged that Islam had discharged a sion held a community meeting yesterday owner lives in a house with students, the making threats via e-mail to two College fi re extinguisher under his door at the Kappa evening to discuss several issues impact- house is better maintained.