Vol. 115, Iss. 6 | Wednesday, April 30
The Flat Hat The Weekly Student Newspaper
of The College of William and Mary
flathatnews.com | @theflathat
Board of Visitors responds to federal DEI demands
MOLLY MARTIN / THE FLAT HAT
Board passes anti-discrimination resolution, encourages 'merit-based excellence' at College MOLLY MARTIN // FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR
Friday, April 25, the College of William and Mary’s board of visitors passed resolution HC-3 titled “Merit-based excellence, student opportunity and freedom from discrimination.” This resolution was introduced in response to increasing pressure from the federal and state governments to restrict universities' diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Across the country, this pressure has already led some institutions, like the University of Virginia, to eliminate their DEI programs entirely. In contrast, the board of visitors’ resolution reaffirms the College’s commitment to a “values-based” and “merit-based” approach to education, without directly eliminating DEI. “Therefore, be it resolved that the Board affirms William & Mary’s values-based and merit-based approach to advancing the success of all students before and after the attainment of their degrees,” the resolution said. While HC-3 supports merit-based principles, it takes a neutral stance on DEI initiatives. The resolution affirms that College President Katherine A. Rowe must comply with any directives from federal or state authorities regarding DEI policies but did not announce changes to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion or the Center for Student Diversity. “Be it finally resolved that the president shall continue to review guidance from the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Attorney General, the Virginia Attorney General, and other relevant federal and state agencies, and ensure full compliance with applicable laws,” the resolution said. Several colleges and universities, such as Harvard, have lost federal funding after openly criticizing the Trump administration and refusing to implement its demands. The board’s resolution emphasizes the College’s long-standing principle of belonging in an apparent effort to rebrand inclusionary practices in a way that complies with federal demands on DEI. “William & Mary highly values the full scope of scientific and
scholarly experience, thought, talent, and expertise, and cultivates an environment of belonging, seeking to ensure access and opportunity for all who come here,” the resolution said. HC-3 reflects the broader trend of the College’s neutral response to unprecedented policies set forth by the Trump administration. Earlier this week, over 150 colleges and universities signed a statement denouncing the Trump administration’s interference in the higher education sphere. The College did not sign the letter — a decision Rowe explained to the full board Friday morning. She acknowledged it as difficult, but necessary to maintain a nonpartisan campus environment. “We strive scrupulously to be politically neutral, because that opens the widest space for true deliberation on this campus, which we are here to foster,” Rowe said. Towards the end of the meeting, the board of visitors overwhelmingly passed the merit-based resolution, adopting the Trump administration’s language while also reaffirming the College’s desire to welcome all students. Fourteen board members voted in favor of the resolution, and two voted against. Board member Kendrick F. Ashton Jr. ’98 voted against the resolution. He said he found it to be an unfair assessment of the College’s leadership, as he observes that the College has prioritized anti-discriminatory practices for decades. “I believe that very few people that are close to this university believe that it is engaged in any form of discrimination,” Ashton said. “I think this suggestion that leadership here is engaged in discrimination is misguided and uninformed.” Ashton pointed out that the board has historically stayed silent on issues of anti-discriminatory legislation, and thus questioned the timing and intent behind the board’s resolution denouncing “discriminatory practices.” He felt the resolution lacked substance and appeared political, which made it difficult for him to support. “There’s no statement that’s important or resolution to do
anything,” Ashton said. “So why are we resolving now? I found it unnecessary. I found it to be political and unsubstantive, and as a consequence, while being firmly opposed to discrimination, I thought the suggestion, the implication and the rationale was just improper, unprincipled and I couldn’t be supportive of it.” The second dissenting vote came from J.E. Lincoln Saunders ’06, who echoed Ashton’s concerns about the resolution’s political undertones. Saunders said he viewed the resolution as an overstep by the Virginia state government into the College’s academic affairs. “From my perspective, knowing that this came down as essentially a mandate from the governor’s office, it felt to me like an overreach of the executive branch into the working of higher education,” Saunders said. The board’s decision comes after campus-wide efforts to resist government pressure. Student Assembly presented its “You Belong” resolution during the full board meeting Friday. The document called upon the board to consider the importance of diversity programming, receiving positive feedback from board members, including former Republican Virginia state senator Thomas K. Norment Jr. J.D. ’73. “I just wanted to compliment the students on that resolution,” Norment said. “The research that went into it, how you articulately and diplomatically presented your points on it — it was extraordinary.” SA President Zoe Wang ’25 MPP ’26 listened to the board’s discussion of the “You Belong” resolution and believes their favorable reception of it may have led them to take a less definitive step when enacting HC-3. “I definitely think the ‘You Belong’ resolution had an impact,” Wang said. “I think the resolution is their way of staying on the good side of the federal and state government while also not cutting our programs.” READ MORE AT FLATHATNEWS.COM
BOARD OF VISITORS
Financial Affairs addresses potential funding cuts, anticipates setbacks
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Wednesday, April 23 to Friday, April 25, the College of William and Mary’s board of visitors convened for its final quarterly meeting of the 2024-25 academic year. The board returned to Blow Memorial Hall after renovations finished earlier this semester. The board’s eight committees met individually to discuss the College’s future, and the full board gathered Friday morning to report back on discussions and vote on resolutions proposed in the committees. The committee on financial affairs convened Thursday afternoon to discuss and approve the financial year 2025-26 budgets for the College and the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences. Members also touched on the uncertainty surrounding
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federal funding, laying out several hypothetical scenarios of potential losses for the College moving forward. Assistant Vice President for Government and External Affairs Ashley Hood presented on the College’s relations with the government in terms of maintaining essential funding. She shared that pending further changes from the federal government, the Virginia General Assembly might need to convene a special session in the fall to reevaluate the budget. If this happens, changes would need to be made to the College’s budget. “The landscape is changing rapidly,” Hood said. “Some of you may have seen that yesterday, the president issued seven executive orders, six of which apply to higher education and impact universities.”
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One board member asked about potential funding cuts to the Jefferson Lab, an industry-leading physics and computing research center that partners with the College’s faculty and students. In February, Gov. Glenn Youngkin D.P.S. ’22 announced that the Jefferson Lab’s search for a new contractor had been halted to ensure compliance with Trump administration criteria. Rowe explained that around 50% of the College’s physics graduate students are involved there. She clarified that the Jefferson Lab, which recently developed a $500 million computing lab, still awaits a long-term contractor to resume full operations. Interim Associate Vice President of Finance and Operational Analytics Mike Maddalena presented a sensitivity analysis of three scenarios of federal funding cuts, all of which he
says inform the College’s conservative approach to the FY 2025-26 budget. In a “moderate” outcome, the College would lose $26 million in net revenue due to indirect cost caps from agencies like the National Institutes of Health. If the cuts reach a “significant” level, meaning a multi-agency reduction of funding coupled with a privatization and capping of Title IV loans and grants, the College’s losses could be closer to $56.16 million dollars. Rowe underscored that 50% of the VIMS budget is reliant on federal funding. One board member asked whether the College can tap into its endowment to cover losses, which Rowe clarified is not a feasible solution in the long run to substitute lost funding. In a “severe” case, Maddelena shared that the College could lose
$68.26 million dollars in net revenue. Factors contributing to this scenario would be a decline in international enrollment, rising interest rates for long-term debt and a tax on endowment income. To cope with any of these scenarios, Rowe highlighted the College’s financial strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic of reducing expenditures while still meeting students’ needs, saying that proactive scenario-building and planning are necessary steps. Chair of financial affairs C. Michael Petters MBA ’93 concluded that emergency finance committee meetings before the board’s next meeting could be necessary to address sudden changes in federal funding as further announcements are made. See BOARD OF VISITORS page 3
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