T HE F LAT H AT
Vol. 112, Iss. 8 | Tuesday, September 27, 2022
The Weekly Student Newspaper
of The College of William and Mary
flathatnews.com | @theflathat
FACULTY
214 faculty members sign Open Letter
Faculty writes Letter regarding administrative concerns to Rowe MOLLY PARKS FLAT HAT MANAGING EDITOR
Monday, Sept. 26, 214 faculty members of the College of William and Mary signed and presented an Open Letter to College President Katherine Rowe regarding concerns over a growing alienation of faculty in administrative decision making and governance. The letter contains signatures from faculty across over 40 different departments and includes representation from the College of Arts and Sciences, the Raymond A. Mason School of Business, the William and Mary School of Education and the William and Mary Law School. “We write to you today to express our deep concern for the increasing distance between the faculty of William & Mary and your administration. We believe that our tradition of active, informed participation in the governance of the University is being eroded,” the Open Letter authors wrote. Government Department Professors John McGlennon and Christopher Howard penned the Open Letter, alongside a third government professor who has not replied to The Flat Hat’s request to print their name. They have been working on drafting the letter for the past week after hearing widespread concern among faculty about the issues addressed. “I think that the basic message is that we hope to restore faculty participation in governance to the level that it has achieved traditionally,” McGlennon said. The letter directly addresses the faculty’s concern over “centralized decision-making” regarding important discussions of the future of the College. Faculty members noted the exclusion of their participation and dismissal of opinion in the governance of the College (specifically regarding the revision and announcement of the final plan of Vision 2026), the process of using outside consultants to evaluate senior administrators without a faculty committee to oversee the process and the establishment of the Faculty Hiring Pilot. Vision 2026, the strategic planning process that Rowe presented in September 2021, emphasizes its goals to expand the global reach of the College, educate for impact, “reimagine the liberal arts and professional education in the 21st century to ensure the lifelong success of our graduates” and “evolve to excel” in “environmental and financial sustainability, in diversity, equity and inclusion, and in operational excellence.” The plan lies on the tenets of data, water, democracy and careers. In the Open Letter, the faculty addressed their concerns with these tenets. “For example, the release of the strategic plan, Vision 2026, was publicly announced without any opportunity for the Faculty Assembly or the individual faculties to develop the final plan, to review it, or even to read it prior to announcement at Charter Day and publication in the local media. Even today, many faculty do not comprehend how ‘Data,’ ‘Water,’ ‘Careers,’ and ‘Democracy’ constitute a compelling set of guiding stars, nor how these four parts are supposed to form a coherent vision for William & Mary,” the Open Letter reads. READ MORE AT FLATHATNEWS.COM
SODEXO STAFF UNIONIZE
GRAPHIC BY LULU DAWES / THE FLAT HAT
Dining workers go public with union, students rally behind in support ANNA ARNSBERGER // FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR Thursday, Sept. 15, Sodexo dining workers went public with plans to unionize. Members of the union are advocating for better wages, hours and conditions, along with benefits including health insurance and pensions. With the support of the hospitality union UNITE HERE, a coalition of dining staff, students and other community members spent over six months organizing in secret. Since going public, the group has signed over 125 Sodexo workers up for the union. “We are the workers who prepare, cook and serve meals every day,” a petition produced by the union says. “We work hard to make William & Mary a home away from home. We are proud to support students as they become leaders, pursue their dreams and shape a better world. Many of us have worked here for decades and served generations of students.” Since 2014, the College of William and Mary has contracted Sodexo to run their dining services. All policies regarding the management of dining workers are under Sodexo’s control. As employees of Sodexo, dining staff are unable to join the William & Mary Workers’ Union. Sodexo workers have unionized in other locations across the country, but this is the first major effort to unionize the company’s dining staff at the College. “Sodexo should agree to a quick and fair process to enable us to exercise our right to organize and decide whether to form a union without threats and intimidation,” the petition adds. “We ask for the support of the William & Mary community as we stand together in our demand for the same respect that Union Sodexo workers already enjoy.”
The union is hoping to secure pensions, which Sodexo does not currently provide, and more affordable health insurance. There are also concerns regarding low wages and how employees are not given work during school breaks. Sodexo only recently increased their base pay to $15.50 per hour, even for workers who have been at the College for decades. Many feel this income is not enough to sustain themselves. As a supervisor and employee of 20 years, Melanie Edwards makes slightly more than some of her coworkers — closer to $16 an hour. She hopes to be able to afford her own place to live soon. “It's kind of difficult, challenging, the financial aspect of working for Sodexo,” Edwards said. “I feel like I work more. My work is not being appreciated and I work more harder now than I ever did. And the pay is not where it needs to be for me to be on my own. So I'm currently living with my parents right now until I get my own spot.” In addition to poor pay and benefits, many members of the dining staff have dealt with a feeling of burnout. Edwards thinks Sodexo wants to get the most out of their staff without having to pay them a substantial amount. “We're overworked,” Edwards said. “A lot of workers are tired. The workers that you do have work two or three stations at a time… You just get worn out. There's no incentive or anything, they just expect you to do it.” Sadler server O’Mara Pressey expressed similar frustration over inconsistent and long work hours. “They need workers that work sometimes in the morning to cook for the nighttime, or they want workers to stay for late night if they don't
have enough staff,” Pressey said. “Last year I worked lunch, dinner and late night. For like three days, and then I got a break or I kept doing it for a whole week. That gets overwhelming.” Tuesday, Sept. 20, a group of students and workers presented their petition to Sodexo managers and administrators of the College. The following day, over 100 students rallied at the Sadler Center to demand recognition. Organizers Salimata Sanfo ’22 and Aidan White ’23 led protestors into Center Court at Sadler to confront Resident Sodexo District Manager Jason Aupied and then coordinated chants on the terrace. According to Sanfo, Aupied and other Sodexo managers have refused to respect the workers’ demands. “He was like, ‘Oh, we're in discussion with people,’” Sanfo said to the crowd. “We don't want discussion. We want action. Discussion would take forever. They could recognize this union right now if they wanted to, they just don't.” Aupied said Sodexo would honor the ability of workers to make their own decision about unionizing, despite not officially acknowledging the petition yet. “Sodexo respects the rights of our employees to unionize or not to unionize, as they choose," Aupied wrote in a statement to the Flat Hat. "The choice of whether or not to have a union represent our employees is important to our employees. When faced with making a decision regarding union representation, our employees have the fundamental right to hear all sides of the issue and then make an informed decision free of pressure or coercion from anyone.” See UNION page 8
BOARD OF VISITORS
Rowe announces new scholarship for eligble, in-state Pell Grant recipients Board of Visitors pass 20 resolutions during September meeting, explore multi-year tuition plan idea LULU DAWES AND LEVI NATHANS THE FLAT HAT
Friday, Sept. 23, the Board of Visitors convened and passed 20 resolutions, led by Rector Charles E. Poston J.D. ’74 who succeeded former Rector John Littel in April. Poston, President Debbie Sydow of Richard Bland College of William and Mary and President Katherine Rowe of the College of William and Mary all began with introductory remarks. Rowe announced to the 17 board members that the College will guarantee scholarship aid to cover at least the cost of tuition and fees for all undergraduate, in-state, Federal Pell Grant-eligible students starting in the 202324 school year. “I want to share one wonderful announcement of a new commitment to affordability that we’re pioneering this fall, which is that William and Mary will guarantee scholarship aid to cover at least the cost of tuition and fees for all in-state
INDEX News Opinions Variety Sports News
Pell Grant-eligible students,” Rowe said. “This is consistent with our commitment to excellence.” Rowe told the board that the College’s goal is to increase their in-state Pell Grant recipient demographic to 20%, three percent higher than it sits currently. This new program will also apply to in-state Pell Grant recipients who are already enrolled in the College. During his Closing Student Address to the Board, Student Assembly President John Cho ’23 discussed what this new scholarship meant for him. “As a Pell Grant recipient myself, I can’t tell you all how much hearing the announcement of Pell scholarships means to me,” Cho said. “I want to thank the President and the Board of your continued commitment towards helping FGLI students and allowing for a more equitable experience for all students.” This year also marks the fifth-year that the College has held the rate of tuition consistent for
Inside Opinions 2 3-4 5-6 7 8
The lost art of dinner parties
Carina Pacheco '23 writes on the joy on the dinner party. page 4
in-state students. “We have strong commitments to affordability at William and Mary and that is critical,” Rowe said. “We're in the fifth year of keeping tuition flat this year… how could that be? … It's taken extraordinary discipline, creativity and commitment from our faculty and staff, as well as leadership.” Rowe also commended the success of the recent expansion of the Sadler Center, calling its multifaceted facilities a “neighborhood of student life.” Regarding Vision 2026, which lists data as one of its four initiatives, Rowe discussed the possible creation of a computing and data science school. After the passing of the resolutions, Rowe brought up the possibility of the College switching to a multi-year tuition plan, which would mean setting tuition rates for several years at a time instead of the current year-to-year plan. Many of the board members responded
positively to this idea, emphasizing that this could foster more financial stability regarding tuition payments for families. “The predictive factor is really going to be the angle…,” BOV Member Marie Aponte said. “Excellence and quality can not be left behind.” • Resolution 1: The Committee on Audit, Risk and Compliance was granted unanimous approval by the Board on their new Crisis and Emergency Management Plan. Every four years, the College is required by law to work with various local municipal Emergency Management Agencies to develop a comprehensive crisis response plan. • Resolution 2: Richard Bland College of William and Mary, a branch of the College that awards two-year degrees, was given approval for their newly revised fees for the 2022-2023 academic school year. READ MORE AT FLATHATNEWS.COM
Inside Variety
Inside Sports
In a flurry of organized chaos, the College of William and Mary's Nerf Club opens friendly fire on one another during meticulously planned battles. page 5
Tribe allow 19 points, surrender four turnovers in second half against Elon. page 7
It's Nerf (Club) or Nothing
Football falls apart in final quarter, marking first loss of season