Students Take Budget Fight to Richmond
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U.S. Postage Paid at Williamsburg, Va. VARIETY: REVIEWS: Check out hip Williamsburg Beauty apartments, page 8 triumphs in ‘New World’, SPORTS: page 11 Men’s and women’s tennis each start off with opening season wins, page 13 JANUARY 27, 2006 VOL.95, NO.39 THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY SINCE 1911 http://flathat.wm.edu Students take budget fight to Richmond College combats BY JONATHAN SEIDEN THE FLAT HAT sexual assault At 6 a.m. Jan. 25, over 70 stu- BY JAMES DAMON cording to the Monday e-mail, dents boarded two buses bound FLAT HAT STAFF WRITER the rape occurred Jan. 17 in the for Richmond to meet with mem- fraternity complex. The incident bers of the General Assembly. At a press conference Tues- was reported to the College by a This annual excursion, “Road to day, Vice President for Student See ASSAULT ✦ page 3 Richmond,” takes students to the Affairs Sam Sadler and Direc- state capital in order to lobby on tor of University Relations Bill behalf of the College. Walker met with members of the Recent reports of The advocacy trip highlights media to discuss changes in the sexual assault the Collegeʼs concerns and ap- Collegeʼs approach to rape and peals to various Virginia legisla- sexual misconduct. The confer- Oct. 28 — A former stu- tive members. According to se- ence came after Mondayʼs e-mail dent allegedly raped anoth- nior Steven Popps, student intern from Sadler, which revealed that er student at an off-campus at the office of public affairs, the a female student at the College party. The criminal charges students lobbied for more compet- reported being sexually assault- were dropped Jan. 4 due to itive educator salaries, increased ed last week, the fifth such report insufficient evidence. financial aid and greater base ad- since October of last year. equacy funding. Sadler and College President Nov. 14 — A student re- Students were treated to a ca- Gene Nichol announced new ported being raped by a tered breakfast upon arrival at the strategies to prevent sexual as- non-student acquaintance Library of Virginia. Popps said sault and support victims in the in a Cabell apartment. that students were able to meet e-mail Monday. These changes Nov. 29 — A student was with various legislators, state offi- include: hiring a new full-time reportedly raped at knife- cials and College administrators. sexual assault educator; imple- point in her apartment at College President Gene Nichol JONATHAN SEIDEN ✦ THE FLAT HAT menting new information pro- Governorʼs Square. spoke briefly during the breakfast, President Gene Nichol speaks with General Assemblyman Del Hamilton about higher education. Nichol praised grams, especially those utilizing Dec. 2 — A student re- making no secret of the fact that the students for their efforts although they will no longer be students by the time their goals are realized. interacting technology; a cam- ported being raped by an the students present were lobby- pus police grant proposal for in- acquaintance in a residence ing largely for more funding for the Higher Education Restructur- “The financial aid they ask After the breakfast and meeting creased training in sexual assault hall. the College. The central message ing Initiative,” he said to the leg- you to support, they will never re- with senators and delegates, about investigation; and the creation of Jan. 17 — A student report- of his speech presented the neces- islators. He continued by thanking ceive; the buildings they ask you half of the students returned to the a peer advocacy program. ed being raped by another sity of passing the Higher Educa- the GA members for their support to build, they will never occupy,” College. According to Popps, the Sadler and Walker said little student in the fraternity tion Restructuring Act. and praising the students in at- Nichol said. “They are the future, remaining students walked to the about the most recent case of on complex. “We need your help and sup- tendance for their devotion to the the promise of a closer and more campus sexual misconduct. Ac- See BUDGET ✦ page 3 port to ensure the final passage of Collegeʼs cause. engaged citizenry.” SA confirms officers CIRQUE DU HEBEI BY HEATHER KEELON Wigginton was unanimously THE FLAT HAT confirmed to the position by the senate. The Student Assembly Sen- The second nominee was ate confirmed two new members sophomore “Wireless” William to the SA Review Board Tuesday Angley, who unsuccessfully ran night to replace the seats vacated for secretary of the Class of 2008 by juniors Patrick Vora and Mike last year and has been serving as Golub, both of whom resigned to an assistant to the executive. study abroad this semester. The “We put him on projects when review board is responsible for we needed someone very thor- assessing the legality of actions ough,” Scofield said. “We could committed by the SA. It is also not find anyone who would be the body that settles disputes that less objective, impartial … mo- arise in elections. tivated and ambitious.” Angleyʼs To fill the first vacated spot, role in the executive included at- SA President junior Ryan Sco- tending all cabinet meetings and field appointed senior Matthew researching campus safety issues, Wigginton, who served in the which was used by the SAʼs de- senate from 2003 to 2005, includ- partment of health and safety. ing a term as chair of the senate. When asked why he was in- “[Wigginton] has an extensive terested in the position by Sopho- history in the Student Assembly,” more Sen. Brett Philips, Angley Scofield said. “He has a lot of said that “itʼs a role where I can know-how … and seemed right serve the school effectively. I un- for the job.” derstand its importance, and Iʼm The senate asked Wigginton willing to do it. I gain a real op- why he wanted the job. portunity to work for students.” “Last year, I decided maybe I Angley cited his extensive wanted to serve in another branch knowledge of the SAʼs code, a of student government,” Wiggin- skill he says is essential for a re- ton said. “We started out my first view board member to possess. year of senate dealing with a new He describes the need for experts constitution, and we went through on the code as “grave and cur- the review board a couple times rently unmet.” and saw how that worked out. I Angley was confirmed by the feel like I would be a pretty good senate. addition.” Freshman Sen. Matt ANDY DESOTO ✦ THE FLAT HAT Due to his previous involve- Beato also introduced his The Chinese Golden Dragon Acrobats, one of the premier Chinese acrobatic troupes in the world, performed a show for students and the community ment with the SA, impartial- “Williamsburg Voter Registra- Wednesday night in Phi Beta Kappa Hall. The troupe, from Cangzhou in the Hebei province of China, also came to the College two years ago. ity was also called into question. tion and Enfranchisement In- Wigginton, however, stated that surance Act,” which is intended “a lot of the people that served to create a campaign to register Washington program ‘30 years in the making’ with me have come and gone … off-campus students to vote in Iʼve had a semester away from the the City of Williamsburg. The BY MAXIM LOTT resources and opportunities of the College students will have an ad- Future program themes will most SA — took a step back. I donʼt bill was sent back to committee THE FLAT HAT capital had, until now, been largely vantage because they will be ap- likely include departments and see myself having any trouble be- for revision and is scheduled untapped. He said that the College plying for internships in the fall, majors outside of government and ing an impartial justice.” for debate next week. Next fall will mark the debut has an influential alumni network a time when students from other the humanities. of William and Mary in Washing- in D.C., which may help students colleges are in school. College President Gene Nichol ton, a new semester-long program find internships. The program is subsidized by indicated his support of the new at the College in which students In the past, the College has the College and carries a $500 program in a Dec. 22 e-mail to will work, live and study in the granted course credit for intern- program fee in addition to tuition. students. In the e-mail, he called nationʼs capital. Internships are ships on a case-by-case basis. An- Rent is $850 per month, which is the program “an exciting endeav- the primary focus, but participat- thony said that these internships “well below market price,” An- or … This will be as good as its ing students will also take two were often only loosely tied to a thony added. The house where name.” Anthony said that, had the courses with a College profes- specific course or major. students will stay is practically on President disagreed with the pro- sor in Washington, D.C., earning “We started with the idea of Capitol Hill, in sight of one of the gram, it would not have started. eight college credits. creating something that was a Senate office buildings. The administration said it hopes The inspiration for the project substantial notch more intellectual The theme for the upcoming to enroll about 20 students in the pro- came from several College admin- and educationally more ambitious semester, on which the courses gram for the upcoming fall semester, istrators, including Vice President and justified,” Anthony said.