Vol. 116, Iss. 6 | Wednesday, April 29, 2026
The Weekly Student Newspaper
of
The College of William and Mary
flathatnews.com | @theflathat
GRAPHIC BY ROBIN PERDUE / THE FLAT HAT
PHOTOS BY LIAM GLAVIN AND NAMAN MISHRA / THE FLAT HAT
Board of Visitors raises tuition, fees after public hearing, discusses teaching, public safety, athletics LIAM GLAVIN, NAMAN MISHRA AND MADDIE MOHAMADI // THE FLAT HAT
Wednesday, April 22, to Friday, April 24, the College of William and Mary’s Board of Visitors met for its final meeting of the 2025-26 academic year in Blow Memorial Hall. The Board held several committee meetings regarding topics such as admissions, faculty teaching, student health and wellness, public safety and athletics. The Board also held a public hearing on a potential tuition increase, inviting students to comment. The Board later voted to increase tuition by 2.9% while also raising fees, housing and dining rates. Public Hearing on Undergraduate Tuition Thursday, April 23, the Board of Visitors held a public hearing on undergraduate tuition. Student protesters gathered in the room for the meeting, silently holding signs calling on the Board not to adopt a tuition increase and to divest from Israel. Rector Charles E. Poston J.D. ’74, P ’02, ’06 opened the meeting by reminding Board members about the considerations they must weigh for undergraduate tuition. “Our responsibility as a board is to weigh what it costs to deliver an excellent education within our commitment to make that education accessible and affordable,” he said. “The hearing directly from students, family, faculty, staff and members of the public is essential for that work.” Executive Vice President Mike Todd presented the College’s budget and the tuition and fees proposal. Todd explained that the College relies on money from students for a significant portion of its funding. “Our tuition, fees, auxiliary revenues — all of these — drive the operation budget,” he said. “Nearly 70% of our operating budget is derived from student dollars.” Todd outlined the proposed tuition increase, which would range between 0% and 3.5%. He explained how a 3.5% tuition increase would amount to around $1.6 million in new revenue for the College, raising costs for in-state students by $671 and for out-of-state students by $1,571. On the other hand, keeping tuition flat would decrease the College’s revenue by $5.1 million.
Todd also discussed the proposed range for an increase in mandatory student fees. He explained that a 4% fee increase would generate roughly $1.6 million in new revenue for the College, increasing costs for in-state students by $292 and for out-of-state students by $316. Declining to raise fees would not generate any new revenue for the College. Todd said that the proposed increase in costs for students would not account for financial aid, so actual costs may vary. Todd concluded his presentation, and the floor was opened for public comment. Charles McDaniel ’28 spoke first. He said he was unhappy with the College spending money on things he did not feel were necessary for students, such as Flock cameras or the implementation of Oscar, a system that uses AI image analysis to provide instructions on sorting trash. “I don’t understand why I need an AI to tell me what my trash looks like,” he said. “We need to be focusing on [students’] education and not surveilling them.” After the meeting, Executive Director of Media Relations at the College Suzanne Clavet contacted The Flat Hat and explained that the Oscar system was a part of a pilot program on campus. She said that no student fees or tuition dollars were used for the trash cans and that they were paid for with an Aramark sustainability grant. McDaniel also expressed frustration with the West Woods housing delay and the upcoming closure of the Commons Dining Hall. He said that he was upset about graduating early because of the College’s high tuition cost. “This summer, I’m staying here and I’m taking an online class that I’m paying thousands of dollars to take because I cannot graduate on time,” he said. McDaniel asked the Board not to raise costs for students. “I implore you to leave our tuition alone, to divest from death and to stop paying for the Flock cameras,” he said. Lara Waldron ’26 said that the College’s
high tuition cost has placed a financial strain on her family. “It is a financial burden for me to continue attending this institution, and that burden has increased in the past years, especially [since] the economic situation of this country has changed for all of us,” she said. She said that she hopes the College takes student feedback into consideration before raising tuition. “It is our money and our time, years of our lives,” Waldron said. “So we need this to be our choice as well, if tuition is raised.” Maria Haddad ’26 called on the College to use the endowment to lower costs for students, rather than raising tuition. “The focus should be on education,” she said. Haddad expressed frustration with how there is only one tuition hearing per year for students to voice their opinions. “I do not understand the lack of transparency,” she said. Grace Carryer ’27, president of the College’s Young Democrats club, came to the public hearing to protest. Wearing a keffiyeh, a Palestinian cultural scarf, and holding a sign that said “RAISE PAY, NOT TUITION,” they explained that they are concerned about a tuition increase hurting the ability of lower-income students to study at the College. “There are a lot of students who are extremely smart who choose not to come here because of the price,” they said. Carryer said that they want their tuition dollars to be spent more on financially supporting professors and other campus workers. “I want my tuition dollars to be used to support the people in my community,” they said. Student Assembly President Nico GiroMartin ’27 said that he attended to hear directly from students. When asked about the protesters who attended the meeting, Giro-Martin said that he appreciated students voicing their budgetary concerns. “A beautiful aspect of these public hearings
is allowing anyone to come, especially the protesters,” he said. “They had their full right to protest. It was nice to see students be confident in a space with people who have power.” Friday, April 24, the Board voted to increase tuition by 2.9% in 2027 and 2028. Fees were increased by 2.6% for 2027 and by 3.5% for 2028. Housing and dining prices will be increased by 6.5% and 6.0% in 2027 and 2028, respectively. These changes will increase the total cost of attendance from $43,087 in 2026 to $46,825 in 2028 for in-state students and from $69,356 to $74,606 for out-of-state students. Committee on Academic Affairs Thursday, April 23, the Committee on Academic Affairs heard presentations from Vice Provost for Enrollment Strategy Lisa Keegan, professor of psychological science and Provost Liaison for Academic Innovation Joshua Burk, professor of law and Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs and Development Iria Giuffrida and Provost Peggy Agouris. Keegan provided information regarding the College’s most recent admissions cycle, which she said signaled strong enrollment. “I’m delighted to share that we’re in a very strong position with respect to enrollment right now,” she said. “We are 79% of our way to meeting our class pool of 1,650.” Keegan said that the College has seen an increase in deposits from both in-state and out-of-state students, as well as students from underrepresented groups. “We’re running ahead in deposits in both inand out-of-state,” she said. “Out-of-state is up about 7%. We’re up 4% overall.” Data provided by Keegan stated that total first-year applications were 3.21% higher than the previous year, with 6.8% and 17% increases in Early Decision I and II, respectively. Applications from international students declined by 32%, and those from first-generation students increased by 7.6%. SEE BOARD OF VISITORS PAGE 4
CAMPUS
College commemorates 1976 Argentine coup anniversary with guest speaker
Global Research Institute, Reves Center, Hispanic studies department host Dr. Alicia Partnoy
BOBBY MOLLAN THE FLAT HAT
Wednesday, April 22, human rights activist and author Alicia Partnoy delivered a lecture in Washington Hall commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1976 coup in Argentina. The lecture was sponsored by the Global Research Institute, the Reves Center for International Studies and the Hispanic studies department at the College of William and Mary. Partnoy worked as an associate professor of modern languages and literatures in Spanish at Loyola
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Marymount University in California, where she currently holds emeritus status. Partnoy was a university student and young mother in Bahía Blanca, Argentina in 1976 when a military coup overthrew President Isabel Perón, suspending the constitution and closing congress. Visiting assistant professor of Hispanic studies Matias Oviedo delivered opening remarks. He described how the military junta changed Argentine society. “Hundreds of books were blacklisted and millions were burned, sometimes in large public spectacles,” Oviedo said.
Oviedo also noted how some activists became the targets of political violence. “They would become known as the ‘disappeared,’ taken to illegal and secret detention centers where they would be tortured, and most would be murdered and their bodies thrown into the ocean or buried in mass graves,” he said. Partnoy was a survivor of these political purges. “I was very, very lucky. My daughter was with me. She was a year-and-a-half when I was arrested,” she said. “I was very lucky that I got her back.” Partnoy spent time incarcerated
at The Little School, a concentration camp where she was blindfolded, starved and beaten. Oviedo explained how efforts by the United States helped in Partnoy’s eventual release. “With support from President Carter, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States conducted a visit to Argentina in 1979,” Oviedo said. “National and international pressure forced the release of a number of political detainees by the junta, and Dr. Partnoy was among them.” After her release, Partnoy moved to
the United States and raised awareness about the disappearances caused by the junta. “[Partnoy] published ‘The Little School: Tales of Disappearance and Survival [in Argentina],’” Oviedo said. “It brought worldwide attention to this human rights violation and has been used as evidence against perpetrators.” During the lecture, she recognized students involved in Argentine archival declassification. Some students in the audience were congratulated for their work on the project. SEE CAMPUS PAGE 4
Inside Opinions
Inside Variety
Inside Sports
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William and Mary's Portuguese midfield standout embarks on new journey page 9
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Patriarchal machine
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