The Flat Hat April 3, 2024 by The Flat Hat

T HE F LAT H AT

Vol. 115, Iss. 4 | Wednesday, April 3, 2024

The Weekly Student Newspaper

of The College of William and Mary

ﬂathatnews.com | @theﬂathat

CAMPUS

Rowe states College will not boycott Israel, Organizers Collective releases statment in response Students present Rowe with Apartheid Divestment referendum following SA election MONA GARIMELLA FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

Friday, March 29, College President Katherine Rowe delivered a message responding to the Apartheid Divestment referendum, which College of William and Mary students voted to approve during the March 28 spring Student Assembly election. In the time following her message, Students for Justice in Palestine and the College Organizers Collective — consisting of the WM Dissenters, SJP, WM Apartheid Divest and College Socialists — released statements responding to Rowe’s rejection of the referendum’s suggestions to boycott the State of Israel. These studentled organizations received support for their responses from individual students as well. Inherstatementdeliveredlessthanthirteenhours after the Student Assembly Election Commission revealed the referendum results, Rowe ultimately announced that the College will not boycott Israel. This year’s referendum refers to the ongoing discourse in the College community over Israel’s actions in Gaza. Since October 2023, the College campus has seen an increase in tensions between students, faculty and administration, as there have been student protests calling upon the College administration to condemn Israel. Moreover, students from SJP have faced sanctions from Community Values and Restorative Practices, as there has been an increase in discourse over the extent to which students can express their freedom of speech on campus. In the referendum, the 301 student petitioners submitted an explanation calling Israel an apartheid state. “This referendum calls for The College of William & Mary to submit an audit of their endowment to determine the extent to which it is implicated in companies that uphold The State of Israel’s system of apartheid and continued infliction of violence against Palestinians, and to immediately divest from such funds, as well as end institutional ties to such corporations,” the explanation states.

Brown Hall will be renamed to Gates Hall after Chancellor Robert M. Gates ʼ65, L.H.D. ʼ98

SEE PRESIDENT ROWE PAGE 4

SEE GATES HALL PAGE 3

STUDENTS FRUSTRATED WITH RECENT COLLEGE DECISIONS RYAN GOODMAN / THE FLAT HAT

Students protest President Roweʼs statement denying decision to divest following referendum, establishment of Gates Hall on former Bray School site.

College, Williamsburg community share mixed reactions to Brown Hall transitioning to Gates Hall MONA GARIMELLA // FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR

Wednesday, March 20, the College of William and Mary announced an anonymous $30 million donation to renovate Brown hall into an academic building and rename it Robert M. Gates Hall after College Chancellor Robert Gates ’65, L.H.D. ’98. Following the announcement, students, community members and organizations alike expressed mixed responses. One such organization was the Committee for Contextualization of Campus Landmarks and Iconography, who shared their discontent with the decision in a statement titled, “Gates Must Go,” on Instagram. The group addressed their message to College President Katherine Rowe, the board of visitors, Gates, Provost Peggy Agouris and the greater College community. The CCL&I also created a petition alongside this statement to take action against the decision. “The renaming and expansion of Brown Hall

at the site of The Bray School - a place of colonial expansion and the indoctrination of enslaved children - to commemorate Robert Gates, a man involved in adjacent harmful processes, is a further stain on William & Mary’s long and shameful history. This renaming is a blatant contradiction of the administration’s alleged efforts towards true and honest racial reconciliation. As a committee, CCL&I calls for an immediate cease of William & Mary’s violent veneration of reprehensible person(s) both in its association and within our campus landscape,” the statement reads. The CCL&I’s statement elaborated on the historical significance of the Williamsburg Bray School and its connection to Brown Hall. The Bray School was an institution for enslaved and free Black students from 1760 to 1774, and in 1930, Brown Hall was constructed over the original site of the Bray School. The William and

Mary Foundation then purchased Brown Hall in 1939 and used the building as a dormitory for Army Specialized Training cadets and service members. Most recently until 2022, it served as a freshman dorm. “The College, in renaming and expanding Brown Hall further on the grounds of the Bray School, is implementing another process of erasure that has marked this site for over a century. If William & Mary is truly reconciling with its history, this ground deserves to be honored and preserved for future research, which would not happen with the establishment of a hostile institution atop it,” the CCL&I wrote. The petition “Gates Must Go: End William & Mary’s Violent Venerations” had over 600 signatures as of Monday, April 1, and aims to reach 1000.

AROUND THE BURG

Campus reacts to observations of increased WPD presence

WPD noticed increasing patrol around campus to handle underage drinking, events last spring CHARLOTTE CASTLE FLAT HAT NEWS EDITOR Thursday, March 28, Student Assembly President Sydney Thayer ’24 sent an email to the student body in response to observations about increased police presence in Williamsburg. Community members believe this shift is an attempt to restrict underage drinking, particularly on the last day of classes. “Based on the information we have gathered in our conversations with administrators, we believe that the increased presence of the Williamsburg Police Department is due to their concerns regarding the last day of classes,” Thayer wrote. “Our conversations have indicated that WPD is increasing proactive contacts/intervention in an effort to address concerns about student behavior on the last day of classes.” The email encouraged students to familiarize themselves with Williamsburg’s noise ordinances in response to “heightened attention around that issue,” as stated in the email. WPD has not yet responded to The Flat Hat for comment or confirmation of increased presence. Friday, March 22, Panhellenic Council President Kay Carter ’25 also sent out an email to all members of the 10 on-campus sorority chapters, warning members that the WPD was cracking down on underage drinking. “They are driving around and will be driving around during times like Saturday morning, the last day of classes, and at night on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, among other times,” the email read. “You get my drift. What this means for you is that the WILLIAMSBURG POLICE (not WMPD) will stop you if you are visibly intoxicated or have alcohol on your person and may stop you or ID you. If you can not provide proper (real) identification and proof that you are 21+, you will be arrested.”

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RYAN GOODMAN / THE FLAT HAT

Student leaders believe increased Williamsburg Police presence is attributed to anticipated activities on the last day of classes.

Carter reminded sorority members in the email of PUBS, or signs of alcohol overdose, which include puking, unresponsiveness, breathing irregularities and skin turning blue. She added that if a student who has been drinking underage seeks medical attention for either themselves or someone else, they will not be arrested but will probably be care-concerned. In an email to The Flat Hat, Carter shared her plans to address the increased police presence around campus. Currently, I am trying to find ways to work with other campus leaders in order to find ways to educate students on what is going on, what they can do and how they can be safer,” Carter wrote.

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Carter plans to meet with the College of William and Mary Chief of Police and Interim AVP for Public Safety Don Butler soon. Thayer also reminded students of their rights as outlined in the Student’s Rights Initiative Resource Guide. These include that students may refuse a search by a police officer of themselves, their belongings and car. Police may only conduct a pat-down to search for weapons. Students have the right to remain silent and should verbally express their desire to do so if appropriate. They should also produce proper identification and documentation if prompted. In an email to The Flat Hat, Thayer elaborated on why the police are now increasing their presence. “Concerns regarding the last day of classes is in

Student Assembly election reflects deeper problems at College Crystal Wang ’25 explores how the recent SA presidential election represents a larger issue at the College of William and Mary. page 6

Performances for Palestine Inside Out Theatre, MEME , SJP hold night of Palestine advo cac y through music, sp oken w ord page 7

reference to the high risk activities that frequently take place on LDOC,” the email read. “The police have indicated concerns about the number of intoxicated students and pedestrian traffic collisions.” Thayer also wrote that SA has received indications of an increased number of students receiving noise ordinance citations the weekend of March 22 to 24 than on previous weekends. SA plans to work on improving the relationship between students and the WPD. Students across campus have expressed frustration with this perceived increase in surveillance. During the weekend of March 23, students took to the popular social media app Yik Yak to complain, joke and warn others about concerns of WPD restricting social events and stopping students. “POV you were walking home last night and slightly stumbled,” reads one post with over 1,500 upvotes and a meme photo of a police officer jumping aggressively toward the screen. Grace Petronzio ’25 did not notice additional police around campus until she received the email from Carter. She does not believe the police should increase their presence. “I think it’s just kind of the age-old thing with teenagers where if you tell them not to do something, they’re going to do it, it’s just going to be in unsafer ways,” Petronzio said. “I think the police really cracking down on things like that makes me worry that if people hear they’re going to be breathalyzed on the street it makes me nervous that people are going to get into cars with drunk drivers, and that’s an infinitely worse problem in my opinion.” Petronzio worried about what the increased police presence means for the relationship between students and the Williamsburg community as someone who lives off campus.

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